Making Memories

I don’t have very many memories of my mother’s parents. For a variety of reasons, some being financial in nature, I just didn’t get to spend very much time with them. But I knew that they loved me, just from a distance. (They always sent me a birthday card and we would send school pictures every year to them.)

Some of the memories I have include a visit from them to our home in the summer of 1982; I have this vivid image in my head of Grandma sitting at the table and Mom was doing something in the kitchen and they were just talking. I also remember taking a car ride back to their hotel, which was about 15 minutes from our home. (To this day, every time I pass that hotel I think, “That’s where Grandma and Granddad stayed.”)

This is a picture from their visit in 1982. It’s one of my mom’s favorites because it shows how much Bill and Marge loved each other. This is how I remember them also. Big smiles and warm hearts.

I remember visiting them in Oregon for my cousin’s wedding, and how they got in a car accident on the way up and so Grandma was in a wheelchair for a bit. Granddad had his own evidence of the encounter, as well, but he was mobile. But I also remember Grandma gently being my helper as I tried to play a Spades-type game (we called it the very aptly named “Hell”). She was very kind and patient with me, her youngest grandchild. She and Granddad died in 1996.

However, one memory that is closely associated with Grandma and Granddad is that every Christmas I would receive a brick (about a pound – half of a batch) of homemade fudge from Grandma and Granddad. (They would also send a box of See’s Chocolates. I blame them for my addiction – but I’m not really sorry and don’t want to kick the habit.) Since they died, I have not really had an opportunity to have this fudge. To my knowledge, only my aunt knew how to make it, since she specifically took time to learn it from her mom in the months before Grandma’s death.

Since I’ve decided that I’m not afraid of the kitchen anymore, I contacted my aunt with my desire to try my attempt at fudge. My first two attempts failed. The fudge tasted alright, but it had a weird texture. So I did some research to see if some principles of fudge-making were the same. My third attempt succeeded. (Pictured below is a half-batch.)

I must say that I have some respect for my Grandma for making fudge without a candy thermometer. I realize that she had lots of practice and probably could just tell when it was ready, but I failed without my thermometer. Maybe if I’d learned from the source I could perfect her recipe as written, but I didn’t have that luxury. But I’m glad that I was able to figure out a successful way to make it. Now I have a way to happily remember Grandma and Granddad.

Grandma’s Fudge

6 cups sugar (heaping)
6 tablespoons Dark Karo
1/4 tea cream of tartar (scant)
dash of salt
8 1 oz. squares unsweetened chocolate
1 can evaporated milk

Mix sugar, Karo, cream of tartar, salt and milk in a large saucepan. Add chocolate. Place on burner, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil  and cook about 1.5 minutes. It is better undercooked. Take off burner and test. Place a small amount in a serving tablespoon and beat with a knife to see if it will set up. If not, cook a little more. Test. Then add 1/4 cube butter,  stir until melted. Pour into a dish to cool. Then beat until just starts to set up. Pour into a buttered 9x13 pan.

What I did: Combine ingredients as listed above. Stir while chocolate melts until it just begins to boil. Clip in candy thermometer. Let cook until it reaches 235-240 degrees (it’s a little less where I live – about 225. You can test your thermometer by boiling water. It should read 212 around sea level. I live at almost 4,800 feet, hence the lower cooking temperature for me). Remove fudge gently from burner and add butter, but don’t stir. Let fudge sit undisturbed until fudge cools to 110 degrees. Beat until fudge begins to thicken and lose its gloss (about 5-10 minutes). Pour into buttered 9x13 pan. (We always stored it in the fridge, but I don’t think it has to be since it was shipped to us in a box with no cooling element. I just like it cold, so I keep mine in the fridge.)