Thanksgiving is this week. I usually do a preschool Story Time about Thanksgiving, featuring popcorn (a Native discovery) and apple juice (a European import). I also try to hit Cinco de Mayo and other ethnic holidays like St. Patrick's Day and Mardi Gras, but I've been at a loss for the Canadians. So I thought about Canadian Thanksgiving, which you probably know is celebrated in October.

So one day, I called the Canadian embassy and asked about traditional Canadian foods. The helpful people there sent me a big envelope full of recipes. One of those recipes, much to my surprise, dealt with American draft dodgers during the Civil War. And I quote:

Skidaddle Ridge Drop Cookies



Skidaddle Ridge, New Brunswick, came by its name because it was a hide-out for draft dodgers. The "Skidaddlers" were Democrats who, not in sympathy with the Republican Party during the American Civil War, "skidaddled" out of the country. Most of them returned home after the war, but many stayed to settle in New Brunswick and Southern Quebec.

These cookies are frequently packed in the lunch boxes carried by hunters of this region.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease a baking sheet lightly.

Sift or blend together
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cream together
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups lightly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat in
1 egg
1 cup well-drained canned fruit cocktail

Stir in dry ingredients.

Fold in
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Drop batter from a teaspoon about 2 inches apaert on prepared baking sheet.

Bake in 350-degree oven for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown.

Makes about 6 dozen.



I can only assume the folks from the 1860s canned their own fruit cocktail. ;) These are very tasty little fruitcakes, not at all like the bricks typically sold for the winter holidays.

Forgive me, gentlemen. It's Thanksgiving, and I have food preparation on the brain.

Regards to all the turkeys out there--
Mary Anne