Homemade holidays: 12 days of vintage sweets

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/12/2022 (1394 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

To cap off the Free Press’s anniversary year, we’re plumbing the archives for holiday recipes of yore. Follow along until Dec. 23 for a sampling of the sweet, strange and trendy desserts to grace our pages and your tables over the last 150 years.

 

Mulled apple juice delivers holiday cheer

Mulled apple juice delivers holiday cheer

Posted:

Cinnamon, cloves and warm apples — throw a pot of this mulled apple juice on the stove and your home will be smelling like holiday cheer in no time.

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Divinity fudge answers prayers for those with a sweet tooth

This marshmallowy fudge recipe from 1956 is nice to look at, but a mess to make. (Photo by Eva Wasney)

Posted:

Divinity fudge? More like a sticky, marshmallowy nightmare. I’m not sure the task of cleaning rock hard egg whites and syrup from the beaters of my mixer was worth the pretty, but cloyingly sweet results of this recipe (which I had to make twice because the first batch was too runny to cut).

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Frosty, festive inspiration from 1930s ‘hand freezer’

Eva Wasney / Winnipeg Free Press
                                Wondering what to serve for holiday dessert? Mrs. Madeline Day’s advice, straight from 1936, is the ‘very popular choice, ice cream.’

Posted:

I scream, you scream, we all scream for Christmas ice cream. No? Well, then I’d like to take this opportunity to push for the revival of the ice cream-as-holiday-dessert trend of the 1930s.

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Day 4: Cranberry meringue pie

Eva Wasney / Winnipeg Free Press
                                This cranberry meringue pie recipe was published in 1922.

Posted:

Cranberry propaganda was having a heyday 100 years ago. In 1922, the pages of the Free Press were littered with advertisements for the tart red berries, with promotions ramping up, understandably, around the holiday season.

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Day 3: Cocoanut caramels deliver a sweet and simple tropical treat

This Cocoanut Caramels recipe ran during the holidays in 1909. (Eva Wasney / Winnipeg Free Press)

Posted:

With lightly browned sugar, lemon extract and coconut — or rather cocoanut, as per the original recipe — these sweet and simple treats are decidedly tropical.

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Day 2: Plum pudding recipe indulges in old-fashioned passion for dried fruit

Eva Wasney/Winnipeg Free Press
                                This plum pudding recipe published in the Free Press in 1893 was billed as the ‘genuine old English article.’

Posted:

For the first several decades of the Free Press’s existence, holiday recipes were decked with all manner of dried fruits and booze. If it wasn’t fruitcake, it was plum pudding.

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Day 1: Fruitcake recipe fit for a queen

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
                                The Murrell family fruitcake has served as a Christmas and wedding tradition over the years.

Posted:

Have you heard the one about monkey soup? How about sailing through the Canary Islands? Or the time a family member swiped the recipe for Queen Victoria’s wedding cake from the castle kitchen?

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To see our archive of previous years of holiday baking click here.

History

Updated on Wednesday, December 14, 2022 7:50 AM CST: Adds cranberry meringue pie recipes

Updated on Thursday, December 15, 2022 8:00 AM CST: Adds new recipe

Updated on Sunday, December 18, 2022 9:49 AM CST: Adds new recipe

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Today’s horoscope

Georgia Nicols 4 minute read Preview

Today’s horoscope

Georgia Nicols 4 minute read Yesterday at 2:00 AM CDT

MOON ALERT: Caution. Avoid shopping (except food and gas) and important decisions from 5 a.m. until 10:15 p.m. After that, the moon moves from Leo into Virgo.

ARIES (March 21-April 19)

This is a fantastic day to shmooz and romance is also favoured. In fact, this is most romantic day of the week. Intimate relationships will be affectionate and exciting. Enjoy socializing, sporting events and fun activities with kids. The arts are blessed.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

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Yesterday at 2:00 AM CDT

Police watchdog clears off-duty Mountie who handcuffed teen after prank

Tyler Searle 5 minute read Monday, Jun. 1, 2026

An off-duty RCMP officer “displayed questionable judgment” but will not face charges for chasing down a group of teenagers who pranked his home last fall, handcuffing and traumatizing a 13-year-old girl.

“Despite the fact that (the officer’s) actions displayed questionable judgment and seem to be extreme, considering the entirety of the evidence, I am not in a position to say that his actions are criminal,” Bruce Sychuk, acting civilian director of the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba, wrote in his final report on the incident, released Monday.

“What is clear is that (the girl) continues to suffer trauma from the incident.”

Manitoba’s police watchdog was tapped to review the Oct. 19, 2025, incident after the unnamed officer was arrested by members of the Brandon Police Service, who responded to a 911 call at a home in the western Manitoba city.

Beausejour biz has a bit of everything and a lot of buzz

David Sanderson   9 minute read Preview

Beausejour biz has a bit of everything and a lot of buzz

David Sanderson   9 minute read Sunday, May. 30, 2021

BEAUSEJOUR — Andrea Swain, co-owner of Pennyweight Market, a combination bulk food outlet, ice cream parlour and good, old-fashioned general store situated in Beausejour, laughingly opines that one of the challenges of launching a new venture in a small community such as theirs is that “everybody in town knows your business.”

Among the benefits? That’s easy, she says: everybody in town knows your business.

Not long after they acquired the space four summers ago, rumours abounded as to what it was going to be when it reopened, Swain continues, seated next to her associates Kimberley Friesen and Laurie McLean, inside their cute-as-a-button shop at 802 Park Ave. The previous owner had been around for more than 20 years, and ice cream and milk shakes were two of her main drawing cards, so there was some concern — OK, a lot — on the part of the high school students down the street that the three of them were going to turn it into a (here she lowers her voice to a whisper) health-food store.

Friesen, who, like Swain, grew up in Beausejour, located 45 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg, was at a neighbourhood pool party in July 2017, a few weeks before Pennyweight’s grand opening. She recalls being peppered with questions, including one from a 10-year-old girl splashing about in the shallow end who was under the impression the former locale’s beloved “candy island” was about to become a thing of the past. The second Friesen told the youngster not to worry, that the colourful array of gummies, licorice and chocolates wasn’t going anywhere, she came bounding out of the pool to give her a big, albeit wet, hug.

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Sunday, May. 30, 2021

Cain-Gribble and LeDuc added to US team for worlds

The Associated Press 1 minute read Monday, Mar. 1, 2021

Ashley Cain-Gribble and Timothy LeDuc have been added to the U.S. team for the World Figure Skating Championships, replacing Jessica Calalang and Brian Johnson.

Calalang and Johnson have withdrawn from the competition for personal reasons unrelated to COVID-19.

Cain-Gribble and LeDuc earned the bronze medal at nationals in January. After winning the U.S. pairs title in 2019, they finished ninth at worlds, earning the United States two pairs entries at the next world championships. That event was cancelled last March due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

American champions Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier also will represent the United States at worlds in Stockholm from March 22-28.

Horoscope

Georgia Nicols 4 minute read Preview

Horoscope

Georgia Nicols 4 minute read Tuesday, Sep. 29, 2026

Moon alert: Avoid shopping (except food and gas) and important decisions until 1 p.m. After that, there are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions. The moon is in Gemini.

Aries (March 21-April 19)

A busy, chatty day. Your communication skills are excellent. Wait until the moon alert is over to commit to any important decisions or ideas. Tap into your creative talents. It’s also a lovely day to schmooze and enjoy sports and kids’ activities.

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

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Tuesday, Sep. 29, 2026

Olympic soccer champion Christine Sinclair is golden in her hometown, too

Laura Armstrong - Staff Reporter, Toronto Star 4 minute read Preview

Olympic soccer champion Christine Sinclair is golden in her hometown, too

Laura Armstrong - Staff Reporter, Toronto Star 4 minute read Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021

Community centre that bears her name now also sports a rather large gold medal. As for ex-Jay José Bautista ... make that bronze.

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Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021