Making Fudge

I did something special a couple of days ago.  I made a batch of old fashioned fudge.  Now, old fashioned fudge only takes a few ingredients, but it also takes large amounts of patience (waiting for the candy thermometer to rise to the correct temp), diligence (stirring constantly until it boils so it doesn't scorch), and discipline (pour it too soon and it remains gooey, but pour it too late, and it becomes crumbs).  There's both a skill and a real art in making it, but mine turned out well (after I had to reheat it because at first it was crumbly lol). 

I remember my mom teaching me how to approach making candies.  (This is the same person that taught me how to make aprons--see earlier post here  http://midwestartistsjourney.blogspot.com/2011_02_01_archive.html ).  Making candy wasn't something that was going to be ready quickly, and it was going to be infuriatingly slow at times, but it was always special when it came out right.  I learned that with most, it was better to make them in the wintertime when the air was a little drier, because some candies are sensitive to moisture in the air, plus you don't want to put that much heat into the air if you're trying to keep the house cool.  I also learned that you become a very popular person if you've got a batch of homemade candies and let the neighbors or your friends know about it lol.  But I digress.....

My home filled with the smell of cooking cocoa, which brought my daughter out of her room to see where the wonderful smell was coming from.  She took a look at the gooey batch slowly bubbling on the stove, and asked me to let her know when it was done.  After she left the kitchen, I smiled to myself.  She's enjoyed quite a bit of that batch since I made it, and she will be back when it's gone, asking if I'm going to make more, and that's when I'll have her help me make the next batch, and teach her about patience, discipline and diligence.  Thank you Mom, for teaching me, so I can pass it on to the next generation :)