Making Fudge, now--and Then

==of Memories...No Recipe Needed
January 28, 2011 at 2:24pm


...poured some sugar into a pan, added about 1/2 as much milk & brought it to a boil. When a drop of the hot syrupy stuff felt just right in cold water, I took it off the heat and added a big spoon of peanut butter, stirred in a little butter at just the right time & turned it out onto a buttered plate. It started to harden before it cooled. I hope it doesn't *turn to sugar*. Sandy and I scraped the pan---my mind flooded with childhood memories.


If we have some milk, we can make some candy, if we have some sugar.


Making fudge was a standard evening treat all year long in our coal camp home. We didn't have a recipe, but knew the proportions of the ingredients--how much sugar we had determined how much milk we needed. Whether we had enough milk left for Daddy's thermos of coffee for the mines was a huge deciding factor.More than once Mother made one of us get up at 4:30 AM to go to Mary Capellis and borrow milk. It was a mortifying experience to be the chosen child. Mother was furious and we knew just to shut up and go get some milk.


There were 8 of us at home most of my life and at times 10, when 2 beloved grandchildren stayed for a few years. How wonderful when we made fudge! As a child got older, he or she could help make the fudge. Mother wasn't exactly good at following the rules of cooking, but we knew it would always taste good. Sometimes we held the pan in a sink of cold water and stirred and stirred and stirred, hoping it would get hard. Sometimes Mother just told us to spread it on crackers. Sometimes it would get hard as a rock. We loved scraping the pan--as I always let my children do too. We always ate every drop, no matter what. Some of my finer memories are with my sisters and brothers up David, *wondering if the fudge will get hard*.


Today, my fudge was hardening just right so we could cut a bite or two while it was still warm and it's delicious. I'm wishing Tommy were here to enjoy it. So many good memories around food. That's just the way we are and I know you are too.


Now, I'll go back downstairs for another bite....hope it hasn't *turned to sugar*


Another winter's day made better ...

Stay safe and Warm,

Peace,

Judy