I am sorry Racine failed you, I live a small town where there is a family bakery, Weber’s, they make pear bread around this time of you and you have to preorder it too, good stuff. Since the bakery is within walking distance of where I live it is so tempting to go and get their sweets and other things (cream Puffs).oh the calories! They are right across the street from the meat market, buy local, we do.

I’m originally from Racine, and during my high school years, I worked in a bakery there, selling kringles. That was before we all knew about hydrogenated fats (’86-’90). It’s rare for me to find someone who knows what a kringle is. Enjoy the splurge — they certainly aren’t health food, but great comfort food.

Some of us were in Washington for a Seniornet bash and drove over to Poulsbo. The other ladies went into the fabric shop, while one’s husband and I went into the famous Poulsbo Bakery, to get our sugar and grease. Doughnuts, and other goodies.

We did indeed stop at a bakery in Racine during that cross-country trip, but it was because we were already fond of kringles. Your Dad had a client from Racine who sent us one for Christmas one year, and we’ve been hooked ever since. We’ve used two Racine bakeries and one Maryland one over the years, but I’ve never seen a kringle in a pretzel shape. The Racine kind are ovals. If they are truly using fake butter, I guess we’ll have to research for a new bakery. Love, Mom

I don’t know that I’ve ever had kringles, but the fruit filled ones sound fabulous! I can’t have the almond paste ones. Ah, well.

It’s always a good question – are the calories worth it? And I agree with the answer – butter calories are!

So glad to hear that your tradition is saved!

Tradition is….tradition! All calories aside, you GOTTA do it. Smiling at the thought of your non-poser (in hat, with sticks) and thinking of my own missing hat model.Ah well, San Antonio should be loverly in January.

Ouch… I’m glad you found a new source though. I used to have my hometown honey bring treats from our bakery when I was in college (DC, and he worked in Montgomery County so we had dinner most Wednesdays), but they too now use GREASE… or at least their goods are now greasy. Sigh.

Yup, mom’s right, we had had kringles before, but Dad wanted to scope out where he could get the best ones, where he could get mail order,and that led to our yummy tradition, they have sent us some on occasion–we included kringle in Roseanne’s post-Christmas wedding celebration here, courtesy of Dad.
Also, we were not in Canada for ‘weeks’ on that trip, it just seemed like forever because the trailer broke down and stranded us in Moose Mountain Provincial Park for several days–enough to cost us our venture into Vancouver, and our planned stay in Banff on the way. Dad had a firm date to be in Seattle for business, and so we came to the sight of the Vancouver, B.C. skyline, got out and gazed, and turned south. I didn’t get to Vancouver until I was married and living in Seattle. We took the folks to Vancouver, Victoria, and the (WA)San Juan Islands on one of their visits here. Gorgeous.

Marian

Okay, everybody who has a sister will laugh over our back-and-forth here, but, I just called the folks. We did indeed spend at least two weeks in Canada. And I remember my father declaring, as we arrived at Banff and the lake came into sight, that Lake Louise was considered the most beautiful lake in the world.

Given that Dad grew up spending his summers at Tahoe, this was a highly unexpected and memorable thing for my own father to be saying. I never forgot it and I never forgot the sight of that lake–and the fact that it snowed on the Fourth of July while we were there.

And yes, the camping trailer broke down and stranded us at Moose Mountain for awhile. We were there at that campground at least ten days altogether, the folks say.

I taught a beginning knitting class a few weeks ago, and the students chose Rios for their training hats. (I’d recommended Cascade 220, just because it’s cheap and easy, but they insisted on the Malabrigo. Good instincts there.) One of the ladies chose the Azules colorway; her proto-hat was so beautiful I had to resist stealing it. Good taste in yarn must run in your family!

What was the name of the bakery in Racine? A friend of ours, who is also in the Navy, lived in Racine while he was stationed at Great Lakes, and his wife worked at a Danish bakery up there. Sorry they’ve switched away from butter!