There have been so many emotions rolling around in my heart and head this Christmas. I have held it together pretty well but a few times I let them get the best of me. And that's okay...it's healthy. Seems like I might have gotten stuck with a sweet tooth on my mind. I only made three desserts this year. Three that means a lot to me.
The first was Mamaw's Pineapple Upside-down cake. Mark's mom would always make sure that there was one on the counter when we finally rolled in after our drive to their house. In the later years, Papaw was the one that made sure it was there. Always made in an iron skillet. Always delicious. And I must say so myself, this was the best one yet.
Every single year I try to make my Nanny's chocolate peanut butter fudge. I have yet to master the recipe. Robin and I have discovered that the recipe on the back of the marshmallow cream isn't quite her recipe. I wish I had asked her to write it down. But I will still try to get that little twinge in my throat that I always got with her fudge.
...FYI...one part of the recipe just doesn't add up...two 5oz cans of evaporated milk don't equal 1 1/3 cups.
I made one batch that went pretty fast. Then Emmy asked me (yes she said it was good and she wanted to share it with the Manders...now that is a first) to make another batch. One problem...my fat pants are too small. Somebody make me walk away from the tin. I just can't do it by myself!
I love potato candy. And my Aunt Dory makes the best. Every time she was in town when my dad was sick she would make sure that there were two rolls of it in the fridge. One for my dad and one for me.
This was going to be the year that I learned how to make it. It can't be that hard, right. I called my Aunt Dory and asked her for the recipe but she said she never really used a recipe, she just threw it together. She has been making the stuff for 50 plus years. I said that really didn't help me much because I wanted it to taste just like hers(didn't want a repeat of the fudge). She told me that she would write it all down for me the next time she made some. And she did.
The recipe is simple. I made it and it tastes good but not like hers and here is why.
We only eat natural peanut butter around here. It does not have the same texture as 'real' Peter Pan peanut butter. Note to self...use Peter Pan the next time. So when I eat mine I fix a little plate with about three pieces and then I add a dollop of Peter pan to the top. Tastes great. Oh, and I drink a glass of milk too. And I am not a milk drinker at all.
FYI...The History of Potato Candy
It is hard to find any written documentation or early cookbooks about its history. Most people can remember stories passed down from their great-grandparents or grandparents. of German or Irish descent. Some even say that the recipe was introduced by the Pensylvania Dutch.
The most popular version os the sweet outside with peanut butter rolled inside. Some recipes call for it to be cut in small squares or even rolled into balls. And to make things more festive food coloring could be added to the confectionary sugar. Fillings could even be added.
It was during the Depression that potato candy grew in popularity. Cooks needed to learn to be more resourceful with less expensive ingredients. The peanut butter filling made its debut during this time. "All the ingredients were cheap and easy to come by even during the dust bowl, which left most other crops devastated. Peanuts and potatoes tolerated and even replenished harsher soils' nutrients and powdered sugar is cheaper than pure sugar. It was the ideal sweet for a bitter set of years."
Old Fashioned Mashed Potato Candy Recipe
(not my Aunt's recipe...it is above on the white paper in the pic)
Prep time 20 minutes
Cooking time 0 minutes
1 medium baking potato
1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract or flavoring of your choice
2 pounds of sifted powdered sugar
1/2 cup of creamy peanut butter
Bake or microwave the potato until a fork pierces it easily. While potato is still warm scoop it out and mash well. Mix in extract and add powered sugar and mix until it is stiff and a workable dough. Add the remaining sugar, the mixture will be stiff and hard to stir. Refrigerate for a least an hour to stiffen the dough. Place on parchment. Sprinkle parchment or cutting board with a little powered sugar. Using a rolling pin roll the dough into a large rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Spread the top with peanut butter then start to roll. After you roll it wrap your roll in plastic and refrigerate for 3-4 hours. Then cut into 1/2 pieces. Store in the refrigerator. If not covered it will dry out fast.
And then we come to this...ham salad! The Keith and Katherine Ellis way.
And it MUST be stored in Mason jars! No other way. This won't last until the first of the year I can almost guarantee!
