Pumpkin Fudge for Halloween

Photo By: WILLANDJENN2004

A few years ago I was given a small pie pumpkin from a cousin's garden in Maryville, Tennessee. It was so cute! I looked at it and didn't have the foggiest idea of what to do with it! But Margaret assured me it was the easiest thing in the world to cut open, take the seeds and stringy "mess" out of the middle, cut the flesh away from the outer peeling of the pumpkin and cook it. So I decided to try it. I found better instructions in an old cookbook, followed them faithfully, and it turned out beautifully. I had pumpkin puree that I could use in any recipe I chose. Then I found several recipes for Pumpkin Fudge that sounded good and decided to try my hand at that.

I can no longer find the recipe I used for that initial batch of fudge using my fresh pumpkin, but I do remember how delicious it tasted. Everyone raved about it; no one in my family had tasted pumpkin fudge before, so I guess the taste was something brand new and exciting.

I found a recipe on  Allrecipes.com that must be similar but it uses marshmallow creme and white chocolate pieces. The chocolate fudge I make at Christmas is the one found on the Kraft Marshmallow Creme jar and it is the one my family loves.

The only thing about this recipe I found to be WRONG is this: You need to add the marshmallow creme AFTER removing from heat along with the chips. The recipe says to bring back to boil for 18 minutes once it's been added. This counteracts the effects of the marshmallow creme!  SO Boil the sugar, milk, pumpkin and butter together. Boil until it reaches 234 F. on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat, and add chips, marshmallow creme, vanilla and spices. 

PUMPKIN FUDGE

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons butter

2 1/2 cups white sugar

2/3 cup evaporated milk

1 cup white chocolate chips

7 ounces marshmallow creme

3/4 cup canned pumpkin

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

1. Line a 9x9-inch pan with aluminum foil, and set aside.

2. In a 3-quart saucepan, heat milk and butter over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon.

3. Mix in pumpkin puree and cinnamon; bring back to a boil. Stir in marshmallow creme and butter. Bring to a rolling boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 18 minutes.

4. Remove from heat, and add white chocolate chips and vanilla. Stir until creamy and all chips are melted. Pour into prepared pan. Cool, remove from pan, and cut into squares. Store in a cool, dry place.

OTHER HELPFUL HINTS:
Use a heavy pan that will cook the candy evenly: a porcelain enamel cast iron pan would be great. Use good quality ingredients always, and a heavy-duty aluminum foil to line the 9x9 pan. Do not start timing the 18 minutes until AFTER the mixture has come to a true rolling boil ~ in other words, you can stir it and it doesn't stop boiling. It would be best to use a candy thermometer. The humidity will affect your candy ~ don't make it on a day that is rainy or that has a high humidity. If you do, you will need to boil it longer the final time and let it reach a temperature on the candy thermometer of 236-240 degrees. Have everything ready before you start to cook. Once you start, there is no time to hunt for ingredients or open containers, or chop pecans. Have fun!

SOURCES:

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2013 Allrecipes.com

Photo By: WILLANDJENN2004

Inanimate Objects

Today as I puttered around in my kitchen I noticed the funnel that I use in canning season. It has a wide mouth that fits nicely down into the mouth of glass jars and has numerous dents and scratches on its shiny surface. It is made from aluminum, I believe, and is shiny with swirls made from cleaning it with a soapy SOS pad.

As my eyes fell on the funnel my mind drifted to my mother-in-law who used it for many years and I thought of all of the jars of applesauce laced with cinnamon and red hot candies that she had made with the help of that funnel. I remembered the taste of the applesauce and how my children had smiled when we opened a brand new jar. That memory led to another memory and then another.

That is the way it is so often around here when I glance at a picture, walk by and touch a chair, or snuggle under an afghan that once belonged to an older member of my family.

I found this short entry in a little book given to my mother-in-law by her co-workers when she had been out on sick-leave. It spoke so clearly about my thoughts this morning in the kitchen, I want to share it with you.

Inanimate Animate

"Have you ever noticed that older people tend to cling to the things that have surrounded them? We call it sentiment and scoff. Our mobile, semi-disposable society tends to treat our many possessions with little dignity. Somehow we have lost the beauty of associating an object with the things it has touched. Perhaps we need a little sentiment to give root to our lives.

A table is a
Living thing,
A part of all
It touches.

It is
A loving thing,
Caressed with
Polished pride.

A table
Senses things,
Remembers tears,
The hands of a child."

from Ironing Board Altars
Mary Ann Bohrs
Broadman Press, Nashville, Tennessee
Copyright 1969

Graphic by June at Art Freebies

Marilee's Pear Chess Pie

My beautiful mother-in-law loved pears; really she loved fruit of any kind I believe. There is a recipe in her handwriting in a box I have with other recipes of hers. This looks like a winner.

1 29-ounce can Bartlett pear halves
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup dairy sour cream
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Line a deep 9-inch pie pan with pastry. Crimp edge for a high pastry. Prick with fork and bake at 425 degrees F. for 5 minutes.

Drain pears well. Reserve 2 pear halves for garnish. Chop remaining pears.

Cream butter with sugars and salt until fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until smooth. Stir in flour, vanilla, sour cream, pecans and chopped pears. Turn into the pie shell.

Slice reserved pear halves. Arrange them on top of filling and bake at 325 degrees F. for 50-60 minutes or until lightly browned.

Remove from oven. Cool thoroughly.

Enjoy!

In the picture above my mother-in-law at a very young age of 18 at Carson Newman College in Jefferson City, Tennessee with her roommate, Helen Adcock, in 1941. Helen is on the left, Marilee Davis Shubert is on the right.