Christmas in July: Gramma Daly's Crumb Cake

It seems my two family members have a penchant for crumb cake.

Or more to the point: crumb.  Skip the cake.

If I could figure out a way to just bake the crumb, they would be ecsatic.

But something has to go under the crumb, its just about proportion.

Christmas growing up meant this cake, homemade egg nog and cold lobster salad on Christmas morning.  

All kids can't wait to get up and get opening, and our family was no different.  

Except for my brother, who would get up anytime between 1am and 4am, play in the dark with what Santa brought, go back to bed and sleep in.  

After we opened all our gifts, we'd trudge through the snow to my Aunt Gen's house, about 100 feet away, and look at their gifts.  And have crumb cake for breakfast with them.

Next round:  my Aunt Lorraine's house, 100 feet on the other side of the house, look at their gifts, drink eggnog and eat lobster salad.

Finally back to our house, where my brother has finally gotten up.  You could tell by the smell in the house.  His favorite breakfast on Christmas morning was leftover baked stuffed shrimp.

And that was all before heading over to my Aunt Helen's house (yes, there were uncles in the picture but we all knew who ruled the roost), for a simple meal of lasagna and garlic bread, followed by turkey with all of the trimmings.

Not wanting to clock the scales any more than I already do, I thought for Grace's last meal home before heading to Switzerland (for a year!), we'd make some crumb cake together.  A little Christmas in July.