Friday Food - Pepernoten

These tiny little spiced biscuits, called Pepernoten, are traditionally made at Christmas time and are enjoyed by young and old. I made these for morning tea when all of my nieces and nephews were over. Oh my goodness, the smell of cloves and cinnamon filling the house really made me think of Christmas - and also visiting the houses of older ladies from my church when I was growing up.


My lovely friend Anne was very chuffed to pass on this recipe to me. Anne is an Aussie through and through and she married a Dutch man. Bless her heart. She has embraced a lot of the Dutch culture, which I think is totally cool. I love hearing stories of how couples embrace one another's culture to make a family that has a rich texture of knowledge, understanding and traditions.


Anne says that her lovely husband Jack remembers Pepernoten being made so small that they could be scattered on the ground for Sinte Klaas' {Saint Nicholaas - a man who was kind to children - think Santa Claus without the elves} speckled horse. 

Pepernoten

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Makes: More than 40


Ingredients


40 grams of soft butter
50 grams of brown sugar
1 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
100g self raising flour
2 tablespoons of milk
A pinch of salt


Method

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celcius
2. Mix butter, sugar, spices and salt to form a paste
3. Add flour and milk and mix to form a soft dough
4. Roll into balls of about 1 1/2 cm and flatten them a little with your thumb {I forgot to do this}
5. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes
6. If you have any left over, allow to cool completely and store in an airtight container

Variations...

Do you know what? These are perfect and traditional. I can't think of a way to make them better. 

5 Sentence Fiction - Sacrifice

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At night Annabelle headed out into the cold, she travelled by train into the city, the opposite direction to everyone else. This is how she felt, opposite to everyone else; when others slept - she was awake; when others were awake - she was asleep. 


Annabelle opened the little grey door in the grate at the back of the huge store, she put down her handbag and picked up her tools: mop, bucket, broom, brushes, sprays, cloths and bandaids. She worked hard moving from floor to floor cleaning the checked tiled floors and the doors and the elevators and the toilets, her hands would bleed from scrubbing off the marks left from thousands of pairs of shoes. 


When she felt tired or sorry for herself, she opened the locket around her neck, inside, a faded photo of a little boy with rosy cheeks and a hopeful smile, she soon returned to her brushes and sprays knowing that it was all worthwhile.

I have based the above story loosely on the 5 sentences below. I wanted to write about my grandparents' sacrifice - so I did. I hope you don't mind.

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My grandparents left the country where their families were born, where they had friends and family, jobs and bank accounts, churches and schools, pet rabbits and clogs. 


Holland was growing quickly, filling up with people from all over the world, expanding in every direction, life was changing quickly. With big families, full of lots of strapping boys they decided to load their children and what they could of their lives into suitcases and put them onto boats as big as buildings, they endured a long and arduous sea journey for many days and many nights. 


They started a new life, took jobs below thier status, worked incredibly long hours and endured ridicule and shame for their language and culture. They were my grandparents, they believed for a better life for thier children and for their children's children, they saw opportunities for us all in Australia, I am grateful for their sacrifice.

What it’s all about: Five Sentence Fiction is about packing a powerful punch in a tiny fist. Each week I will post a one word inspiration, then anyone wishing to participate will write a five sentence story based on the prompt word. The word does not have to appear in your five sentences, just use it for direction.