We had a great trip. Our original plan was to have the whole family (+girlfriends) with us. We opted to rent an ark (otherwise known as an Expedition) for the drive as we were also taking my sister and her kids. After basketball practice, flu symptoms and scheduling issues, it was me, Eric, my sister (Lisa) and her two kids...in a really, really big SUV. Eric is secretly looking on line for a good price, I know it. He was in love. It was big....it had GPS and satellite radio....and it drove very smooth for such a large vehicle. I keep looking outside.... I know one is going to turn up in my driveway at some point.
Back home today, I pulled out the cookbooks. Hmmmm....what to bake this year? Every Christmas, I make peanut butter balls. Peanut butter is healthy for you, so I don't feel that bad. Now, peanut butter mixed with two pounds of powdered sugar, rice Krispies and dipped in chocolate do not a health food make...but...the base is all protein. and fat. and sugar. Isn't that really covering all the food groups? I feel my arteries clogging.
I want to make something else this year so I went through the recipes. Lisa wants church windows. These are basically multi-colored marshmallows mixed with nuts and chocolate, rolled into a log with coconut and cut into medallions. Again...not really a health food but definitely delicious.
I also opt for fudge usually. Years ago, I lovingly took out my grandmothers fudge recipe every year. It was hand written on rose colored paper. A part of her to hang onto. Then one year, I noticed a strange resemblance to the recipe on the Marshmallow cream jar. Hey! They stole my grandmothers recipe!...The one using....hmmm.... their product.....What the heck is going on here? Ok - I admit it....I was dropped on my head as a child. But only once, I'm told. I still hang on to the recipe; it's still in her handwriting!
My mother was an amazing cook. She made chocolate covered cherries when we were kids that actually were liquid when you bit into them. She made "mile high strawberry pie" and chocolate pudding cake. I was raised with fried chicken, beans and potatoes and tacos that were deep fried with the meat inside (something like Jack in the Box). I don't think she knew how to cook anything that wasn't fried in a pan of fat. For breakfast, she would fry the bacon and then fry the eggs in the bacon grease. It was like a game. You would have to chase them around the plate as they slid from side to side. We would have fried corn meal and then put....what else...butter on top. Does my current weight problem make any sense now? God love her - she was an incredible woman. Kentucky cooking at it's best. She left behind a legacy of music, baking and very large breeders hips. As I've stated before, if we have a famine, I'm good.
It's 7:30pm. Eric and I are thinking of walking into Santee. I need to do something to get my blood going or I'm going to be wearing sweats to work on Monday. Most likely in purple velour, just to make a statement. Try not to get a visual...it won't be pretty. Up I go. Hope you all have a good night. I am hoping to have an empty stomach by tomorrow. It's another day and the peanut butter balls are calling. Love to you all....
When you have such delicious treats at Christmas, there's an obligation to share them with the world - or at least the family, friends, neighbors and co-workers. It's a legacy of good times as it is another reason to support the velour industry - we cannot let the Asian TV market hog the whole affair. And what better for the would-be Santas to deliver these treats but in a great big modern-day sleigh. OK, so you knew that I would find a way to rationalize the Expedition - as a benefit to all mankind - but parked in MY driveway. Love the blog, keep writing !
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