Page 9 of Christmas Mittens Murder

But as luck would have it, I received my miracle! Mrs. B announced that, for our last project before Christmas break, we would be learning the basics of cooking and preparing a couple of simple dishes.

Finally!

A subject I knew something about!

All I had to do was perform well enough to get a passing grade and my ski trip might be back within my reach. I went home after school, happily skipping through the front door, but came to a screeching halt when I came upon my mother standing in the middle of the kitchen, angrily waving a piece of paper.

Apparently the teachers had mailed out school progress reports, a minor detail that had slipped my mind. My mother was none too pleased to discover that I was on the verge of failing Home Economics. She warned me that if I did not pass with a C or better, I would be spending my Christmas vacation cleaning out the garage. No ifs, ands or buts.

Thankfully I was acing the cooking portion of the class, and after a few successful dishes, I stopped by Mrs. B’s desk when the bell rang to dismiss us for recess and asked about my grade. She gave me a foreboding grim look and explained that unfortunately, although I was definitely improving, it was unlikely that I would be able to make a C with my two awful previous grades.

I was devastated.

No ski trip.

But then Mrs. B offered me a lifeline. She told me that if I could make an extra credit dessert that wowed her, there was a slight chance I would get my C. Maybe even a C plus.

I eagerly accepted the challenge and raced off to start perusing recipes.

After a long night of searching for the perfect dessert, I finally decided on a Christmas Rum Cake. But I was not going to take any chances of screwing it up. I practiced making the rum cake at home first, testing three different cakes out on my brother, mother and friends, all of whom pronounced each one grade A delicious!

I knew I was ready.

The night before I was to present my cake to Mrs. B, I had a eureka moment! If my rum cake was delicious with rum extract, then I bet the flavor would be over the top with real rum! Mrs. B had challenged me to wow her, so maybe this was the key to a major win! I looked into my mother’s liquor cabinet, and lo and behold, found a bottle of Captain Morgan Dark Rum.

Then I set about making my final cake.

Not knowing how much rum to use, I erred on the side of more is better and kept pouring more and more rum into the batter. I also decided to use it in my glaze since it was a rum cake and sure to be a yummy one at that.

The next day I proudly carried my cake into class and set it down in front of Mrs. B. Her eyes lit up with delight. She declared it a lovely cake, and then she proceeded to cut a slice for everyone in class, setting the pieces on paper plates with plastic forks. I proudly passed them out to everyone, basking in my glory, and then I held my breath while Mrs. B picked up her fork, scooped up a big hunk of the cake, and shoveled it into her mouth.

As she began to chew, I could plainly see the puzzled look on her face. She scooped up another piece with her fork and ate that one, too. Suddenly she threw her fork down, jumped up from her chair and began screaming for everyone to stop eating as she frantically ran around the classroom grabbing everyone’s cake from them and telling all the students that they were excused for early recess. Everyone except me!

I just stared in shock, my cheeks flushed, tears in my eyes. Did it really taste that bad?

Before I could even ask, Mrs. B ran out of the room and soon returned with the principal right behind her.

They both grabbed a plastic fork and tasted more of the cake. They warily glanced at me as they whispered to each other, their mouths full of cake. All I could make out were a few words like “damage control,” “reeks of alcohol,” and “call her mother.”

I still had no real sense of what was going on other than a bad feeling I would be spending Christmas break hauling junk out of our garage. I couldn’t hold back the tears any longer and just broke down sobbing.

The next thing I knew I looked up and my mother was storming through the classroom door. I knew at this moment that my young life, as I knew it, was over.

There were more harried hushed tones. My mother was handed a fork, and then all three women were munching on my Christmas Rum Cake and nervously eyeballing me.

Finally, the principal asked me about the rum, and I explained that since it was a rum cake, I thought real rum would taste better than the extract. I saw them all nodding in agreement, and I began to feel better.

Mrs. B explained that the use of alcohol was not permitted on school grounds, but since I had made the cake at home and was unaware of the rule, then the school would not hold it against me. She also added that I had made one of the most scrumptious rum cakes that any of them had ever tasted, and therefore I would be passing the class (barely) with my extra credit project. She did warn me, however, not to bring one of my special cakes to school anymore. They should be enjoyed at home, reminding me that I was always welcome to drop one at her house after school hours.

That rum cake became a Christmas tradition in our home that continues to this day. I also made one for Mrs. B every year until she retired from the school and moved to Boca Raton.

I’m going to share my easy recipe with you, and it just might become a staple of your own holiday gatherings. But first, why not have some refreshing Christmas punch?

Christmas Punch

Ingredients

4 cups cranberry juice, chilled

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