Biloxi church’s popular Christmas Greek Pastry Sale is changing for COVID-19
Songs that keep running through my head let me know that I watched too many Disney and Hallmark movies over Thanksgiving.
If it is not Elvis singing “Blue Christmas,” or some Christmas carol, it’s “Brown paper packages tied up with string, these are a few of my favorite things.”
This time of year always has been one of my favorite things. Even though some of the magic has dimmed for me, it has not for my granddaughter. I choose to look through her eyes and can still see the wonder. How excited she was to mail her letter to Santa via WLOX-TV.
Christmas baking is something I have enjoyed since I helped my grandmother, who made the yummiest tea cakes ever. She loved to do pies, cakes and yes, even fruitcakes, which I refused to eat. She really did not have the patience for decorating cookies. I guess that was handed down to me.
I love to sit for hours on a Sunday afternoon before Christmas making and decorating batches of cookies. Now, I have a young helper who likes to make cutout cookies and spread with frosting. Are they prize-winners?
Let’s just say these decorated cutout cookies would not win a Food Network baking contest, but the flavor is spot on.
While these are Lilly’s favorite, mine are Mexican wedding cookies, tea cakes and now in my older years, fruitcake cookies. I use Naomi Judd’s recipe that my late husband loved. They are the best, just enough fruit sans the citron to be rich and good. Yes, they do have a bit of bourbon in them, but not much because I do not like cakes, pies or cookies soaked in spirits.
So today, I share some my grandmother’s tea cake recipe, which still gives home chefs time to make them before Hanukkah or Christmas. Cutout cookies or any favorite sugar cookies make pretty blue and white dreidels and stars.
This year Hanukkah is early, so home chefs need to get started. Hanukkah is from sunset Thursday, Dec. 10 until sundown Friday, Dec. 18. Hanukkah parties are such fun and educational.
Greek pastry sale
Every holiday season for more than 50 years people all over the Mississippi Gulf Coast come to Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Biloxi for its annual Christmas Greek Pastry Sale, and it starts Friday. Due to COVID-19, there will be no Greek Festival, but the women have been baking away. The bake sale, for takeout only, will be Friday, Dec. 11 from noon to 7 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 12, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; and Sunday, Dec. 13, 1-5 p.m. at the church, 255 Beauvoir Road.
The Christmas pastry collection is available in assorted Christmas gift boxes, as well as individually in half dozen or dozen selections. Some of the goodies include the almond cookie, which sells out every year. Two more favorites are baklava that comes full of walnuts and drenched in honey and kourambiedes, the wedding cookie that is coated in confectioners’ sugar.
Other selections are koulourakia, a buttery twist that goes great with coffee; finekia, which offers a perfect blend of almond meal, nuts and cinnamon; spanakopita, spinach pies; tyropita, cheese pies; tsoureki, the Greek sweet almond bread; Ouzo cake; tiramisu, a cup with lady fingers, cream, vanilla espresso and Grand Marnier; Greek cannoli, puff pastry filled with cream cheese and whipped cream; Athenian chocolate mousse, (the popular Greek sweet almond bread), and the ever popular Ouzo Cake. Also available is Tiramisu (a cup with lady fingers, creme, vanilla espresso and Grand Marnier), Greek Cannoli, pastry puff filled with cream cheese and whipped cream; Athenian chocolate mousse, chocolate cakes, custard and ganache; and kataiffi, shredded filo with walnuts and honey.
The pastry sale is not limited to just Greek pastries, but includes Russia kolachy with plum filling, a cognac cake and Ukrainian rye bread. Growing in popularity each year is vareniki, potato/cheese filled pierogies. Two items from Hungary include makos beigli, poppyseed rolls, and Dios beigli, a walnut roll.
Order pickups will be spaced out over three days to make it as safe an experience as possible. Preorders will be assembled and ready for pick up. However, interested persons can still walk up and place an order. Details: Maria Loukatos: 727- 858-9505 or online at www.holytrinitybiloxi.org/
Granny’s old-fashioned tea cakes
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon soda
Cream together sugar and butter until fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add flour, baking powder and baking soda, mix until well blended. Take dough by spoonfuls and roll into balls and place on ungreased baking sheet. Press down slightly with a rounded glass. Bake at 350 degrees about 12 minutes. Yield: About 4 dozen tea cakes.
This story was originally published December 6, 2020 at 12:00 AM.