More Christmas Bakery Excitement

Well, there is hope for Oklahoma yet. I walked into the more upscale grocery store off Hgy 169 and sitting right there by the door was a display with Holiday Bakery items. Since we were headed for one of my Water Aerobic instructor's house for dinner and cards, (something we had never done before - might not be a West Coast thing, or our friends weren't the card playing type), I picked up a huge plate of assorted Brownies. Looked pretty good but, as usual, they just weren't all that scrumptious. I really do think they need to use better, or fresher, baking powder. (I suggest Rumford's - it's aluminum-free.) And butter instead of shortning. But that's not the point - and I do have one - on the same display with the Brownies, was one of my other most favorite Christmas baked treats - Panettone. It's the Italian's answer to the British Fruitcake. My grandparents used to serve it at Christmas. When I lived in Seattle (shudder), I had to search everywhere for it. I finally found the Cost Plus World Market chain and would run there at the beginning of the season to get my fix. My favorite had raisins and citrus peel and candied angelica (and I don't actually know what angelica is, but L'Occitane used to use it in a shampoo for dry hair that had the most divine scent). Yum! But you guessed it already, didn't you, since a reoccurring theme of my Oklahoma home is the lack of decent shopping - along with no Ikea or Nordstroms, there is no Cost Plus in Oklahoma!! So, you could have knocked me over with a feather when I saw one of the bright yellow packages with the picture of Panettone right there next to the mediocre Brownies. I just don't understand why this particular brand had to be made in Brazil. Or why they used candied papaya. But they are quite proud of the fact that their raisins are Sunmaid. Nevertheless, I am already on my second loaf of the season. And, yes, that is a Blue Willow pattern plate. I promise I will get out the Christmas dishes today.