Winter Solstice

December 21 is a day for great rejoicing!! As the Winter Solstice heralds in a new season bringing us the shortest day of the year we are now on a roll toward summer solstice. Over the next six months we will steadily gain nearly seven hours of daily sunlight. The term solstice means "sun stands still". It is when the sun stays closer to the horizon than any other time of the year and appears to rise and set in same place for several days in a row.  Can't wait for those longer days of daylight!
Looks like where I live we will just have to dream about a white Christmas since the forecast is for a brown Christmas.  Enjoy the imagery of this winter poem.
Snow Toward Evening

Suddenly the sky turned gray,

The day,

Which had been bitter and chill,

Grew soft and still.

Quietly

From some invisible blossoming tree

Millions of petals cool and white

Drifted and blew,

Lifted and flew,

Fell with the falling night.

by Melville Cane

The following recipe would be great for a Christmas Brunch. It is quite easy to prepare. One of the best parts is putting the coffee cake together the night before. The cake's flavor can only be enhanced with a your favorite cup of coffee or tea. 

Overnight Coffee Crumble Cake

Recipe from Southern Living December 2011

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup butter softened
• 1-cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. soda
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1-cup buttermilk
• 1 tsp. vanilla

 Cinnamon Nut Crumble

• ½ cup chopped walnuts
• ½ cup almonds
• ½ cup pecans
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 6 TB. flour
• 3 TB. melted butter
• 2 tsp. cinnamon

 Directions for coffee cake

• Beat butter until creamy, adding in sugar and then adding in eggs one at a time and vanilla
• Beat till fluffy
• In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder. baking soda and salt
• Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour
• Pour batter into greased 13 x 9 pan and cover with plastic wrap
• Chill 8-24 hours
• The night before mix in bowl the crumble nut mixture, cover and set aside
• Let chilled pan sit out till at room temperature and sprinkle with cinnamon nut mixture
• Preheat oven 350 and bake for 30 minute
• Drizzle with rum glaze

Directions for Cinnamon Nut Crumble

• In food processor add chopped nuts
• Add in brown sugar, flour, melted butter and cinnamon
• Pulse for a few seconds to mix
• Sprinkle over coffee cake

Glaze

• Mix 2 cup powdered sugar 2 TB rum or bourbon, 2-3 TB. milk
• Drizzle over warm coffee cake