Home for Christmas

When someone you love finds themselves in a vulnerable situation you want to help. What do you do when you can't?

My father-in-law was admitted to the hospital last week. He complained of weakness in his legs and little to no feeling in his hands. It was awhile before we got any answers, or any indication of answers. He ended up having surgery on his spine to correct a bulging disk. Everyone we spoke with assured us it would be a quick recovery.

Unfortunately, it only got worse after the surgery. He became a completely different person on the drugs they put him on. It was a moment when we all felt so helpless. My mother-in-law was able to get him new doctors, who offered hope. They originally scheduled another surgery on his spine to correct bone spurs, but cancelled it until a later date. They had him doing physical therapy and we got photos of him walking sent to us at work.

After two weeks of holding our breath he was transferred to a rehabilitation facility yesterday. He was admitted and they immediately had him working on walking up and down the stairs! His goal is to be home for Christmas, a goal we all hope he meets.

 

 

Marbled Molasses Loaf Cake

adapted from Baking and Books

Oven 350

 

Makes 1 loaf

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk
3 tablespoons molasses
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

 

Generously grease a 9-by-5 inch loaf pan. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl, and stir with a fork to mix. In a large bowl, beat the butter with a mixer at high speed until light and fluffy. Add the sugars and beat to combine the ingredients well.

 

Add the eggs, one at a time, and continue mixing until the mixture is light, fluffy and smooth. 1 to 2 minutes. Stop several times to scrape down the bowl.

Add the flour mixture and the milk alternately starting and ending with the flour, beating at low speed after each addition.







Scoop out about half of the batter into a medium bowl, and add the molasses, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves. Stir with a wooden spoon mix everything into the batter well.
















Add both batters to the pan, thin layers at a time, alternating between the plain and spiced batters. Run a knife through the batter to swirl the batters together.













Bake at 350 degrees F for about 1 hour, until the cake is golden brown and a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.


**I gave this away as a gift, so I couldn't cut it. However, it is a beautiful marbled loaf inside!