Christmas means many things to people. We are a Christian family and we like to focus on the real meaning of Christmas so it is mainly a time for remembering how our Savior was born into this world. We worship and adore Him and offer our thanks to Him for the only perfect gift that was ever given.
When we prepare foods for Christmas, we think it is fun to include family favorites -- some passed down through the generations.
So today for our cooking class, we made popcorn balls from a recipe that came from Grampie Jim's family and we made a four minute peanut butter fudge that has been a family favorite since our children were little. They called it Grampie Jim's Peanut Butter Fudge and it was one treat they all really enjoyed and they looked forward to it on special days like Christmas.
Why did I say this was cooking in a whirlwind? Because both of these recipes require quick handling at the end. Oh, boy, do I wish someone had been around to take a shot of Wayne, Marcia, Amber, and me with our buttered hands racing against time to get the popcorn balls formed before the candy was hardened too much. It is HOT work, and we knew it would be! The fudge? We were almost as frantic when I was dumping peanut butter into Amber's pan of hot syrup as she tried to stir it thoroughly before the fudge sat up and couldn't be poured into the pan. We ALMOST didn't make it!
We did it, we did it, we did it! It was challenging for us to get everything done and move quickly enough. We didn't tackle the job unprepared. We read the recipes and talked about the steps we needed to take and when. We kept wishing we had Jonathan and Michele here to help direct us in the popcorn ball process. Michele's family has a huge undertaking every year with a dozen or so people gathering at her grandmother's. They make hundreds of popcorn balls! They have a real assembly line with every person knowing his or her role in the process. It sounds like such fun, but in the end our batch of 23 was enough -- at least for this year. (By the way, Michele's grandmother is Grampie Jim's niece.)
After the cooking was done, Amber wrapped some peanut butter and some fudge individually and packed them in a tin for Erika. Oh! I noticed that the popcorn balls didn't cool for very long before Amber was nibbling on one.
Amber left for home with enough butter and the recipe to make Scotch Shortbread. Those delightful, little treats were among our favorites when the children were young. I think she will enjoy cooking those because she will be able to set her own pace. The whirlwind cooking is over for now and she is probably breathing a sigh!
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