<!--quoteo(post=147451:date=Dec 13 2006, 02&#58;40 PM:name=Suzila)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Suzila &#064; Dec 13 2006, 02&#58;40 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&amp;pid=147451">&lt;strong&gt;QUOTE BELOW&lt;/strong&gt;</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I agree with Mary Lou...it&#39;s the dreaded fruitcake.  <br /><br />Also, you can keep your other homemade goodies.  Let me make my own (which I wouldn&#39;t&#33;).  I don&#39;t need to gain 50 lbs over the holidays.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd--><br /><br />For years, I made my own fruitcakes.  Starting early November, I bought whole candied fruits.  Just before Thanksgiving, I made the cakes themselves.  I washed the fruit the night before to take the sugar coating off.  I used a stick of butter (sweet, not salted) for each cake, used only whole cherries and pineapple chunks, and baked each cake for more than a hour.  As each cake came out of the oven, I poured 1/2 cup brandy into each one.  I wrapped them in cheesecloth and plastic, adding 2T. brandy a week until I gave them away, shipped them to relatives, and sliced them at our Chanukah festivities.  Let me tell you: people liked  those fruitcakes.  And they stayed moist for months....I stopped when our family shrunk down to two people.   Joan<br /><br />They were even better than Joan says. Sort of like the Jose Cuervo cookies, but for real. I miss the fruitcakes.  Joe<br /><br />As for what we don&#39;t like, we eliminated stuff like gag ties and underwear a long time ago.