Merry SITSmas!

Merry SITSmas everyone!  What is SITS you ask?  Its a great community of woman bloggers who support each other through comments. Stop by and check out all the fantastic blogs that the women of SITS have created.  And if that wasn't reason enough to pay them a visit, the SITS girls are giving away fantastic prizes all day long.

I'd love to show you pictures of our tiny little house all decorated for Christmas but other than hanging three wreaths outside, I haven't done a thing.  Hubby and I leave for our first cruise on Sunday and I know a fully decorated tree is not something you leave behind for two cats to play with.  We'll be back the 19th and I think the first thing we'll do is visit the tree farm.  Hubs, Preppy Puppy and I have done this the last three years and now I can't imagine any other way of picking out a tree. 

In lieu of pretty holiday pictures, I'll give you a great recipe instead.  Lady Baltimore Cake is a tradition in my family.  My grandmother made this every Christmas and my sister has now taken over the duty.  The filling is very sweet and somewhat of an aquired taste.  But we love it and I can't imagine Christmas without it.

Beat the whites of six eggs. Take a cup and a half of granulated sugar, a cup of milk, nearly a cup of butter, three cups of flour, two teaspoonfuls of vanilla extract, and two teaspoonfuls of good baking powder. Sift the flour and baking powder together into the other ingredients, adding the eggs last of all. Bake in two buttered pans for fifteen or twenty minutes.

For the icing: Two cups of granulated sugar and a cup and a half of water, boil until stringly, about five minutes usually does it. Beat the whites of two eggs very light, and pour the boiling sugar slowly into it, mixing well. Take out of this enough for the top and sides of the cake, and stir into the remainder for the filling between the two layers, one cup of finely chopped figs, a cup of chopped pecans, half cup of raisins and a cup of shredded coconut. Sprinkle shredded coconut on top of the iced cake.  Decorate the center of the cake with a holly sprig.