Delight Out of Disaster - Nikki Andrews

Delight Out of Disaster--A Christmas Tradition
Nikki Andrews
www.nikkiandrewsbooks.com

My dad’s maiden Aunt Mabel was a big, hearty woman who could swing a bat or lay patio stone as well as any man. Her eyes crinkled when she laughed--and she laughed a lot--and she invariably took charge of any group she found herself in. Including her church, the little community where she had a summer cottage, and any family gathering. We were a big family, and we gathered often. Mabel was always the one organizing games, chores, or sing-alongs, and she always had a passel of kids around her.

Mabel delighted in children, birds, and wordplay. She was the one who ignited the family passion for reversing and mangling words. “Pass the tlas and reppep!” “I need the rugas and klim!” “Let’s have ghettispa and meatblubs!”

When I was in my early teens, she decreed I needed to learn to make “mooshmellow foodge” for Christmas treats. Marshmallow, butter, sugar, chocolate, cream--what could go wrong? Not much, really, and for years I made fudge every Christmas. It was easy and reliable, if messy, and produced five pounds of candy in every batch. My kids loved helping, though they got bored with the long boiling step.

Except for one Christmas. I’ve never figured out what went wrong, but the fudge never set. Did I add too much cream? Not enough sugar? Was I chasing a five-year-old when I should have been stirring? Whatever the cause, my planned gifts of prettily packaged fudge ended up as a thick, gooey mess of…mooshmellow sludge?

I cried. Mabel, by that time no longer able to cook, had been looking forward to my fudge. It was one of those years when I couldn’t afford to try again. What a disaster!

The glop sat in the fridge for a day or two, until I noticed it was disappearing. Evaporating? Nope, the kids were licking up fingerfuls. And thus was born a new dish--Spoon Fudge! I put it in jars, tied on wooden ice cream spoons, and made Mabel laugh.

Herewith is the recipe I use, printed on containers of marshmallow fluff. If yours turns out to be Spoon Fudge, let me know what you did right.

Marshmallow Fudge
5 cups sugar
10 oz evaporated milk
¼ pound butter
16 oz marshmallow fluff
1 tsp salt (I usually leave out)
1 ½ tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
24 oz. chocolate chips.

1. Combine sugar, milk, butter, fluff, salt and vanilla in a very large saucepan or Dutch oven over low heat. Stir until blended.
2. Bring to a boil over moderate heat. Boil slowly, stirring constantly, for five minutes.
3. Remove from heat. Stir in chocolate and nuts until chips are melted. Pour into a buttered 9x13 pan and cool. Cut into 1” chunks to serve.



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