Candy, Jelly, Jam, and Preserves

Fantasy fudge

Nikki Jo Wyatt

12 ounces Semi-sweet chocolate pieces
3 cups sugar
3/4 cup margarine
2/3 cup evaporated milk
7 ounces Marshmallows
1 cup chopped nuts
1 teaspoon vanilla
Combine the sugar, margarine, and milk in a heavy 2 1/2 quart saucepan and bring it to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Continue boiling for five minutes longer over medium heat or until the candy thermometer reaches 234 , stirring constantly to prevent scalding. Remove it from the heat and stir in the chocolate pieces until they are melted. Add the marshmallow cr me, nuts, and vanilla. Beat it until it is well blended. Pour it into a greased 13x9 inch pan. Cool it at room temperature and cut it into squares. Makes about three pounds.
Note: Do not substitute sweetened condensed milk for the evaporated milk.

Easy fudge

Carolyn Russell Barnes

1 can sweetened condensed milk
6 ounces butterscotch chips
6 ounces chocolate chips
1 cup nuts
1 teaspoon vanilla
Cook the milk and chips in a double boiler or heavy saucepan over medium heat until the chips are melted, stirring constantly. Remove it from the heat and add the nuts and vanilla. Pour it into a buttered pan or platter. When it has cooled to room temperature, cut into 1x1 inch pieces.

Cocoa fudge

Gladys Russell Morgan

2/3 cup cocoa
3 cups sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
Combine the sugar and salt in a large, heavy saucepan. Add the milk gradually, mixing it thoroughly. Bring it to a bubbly boil on high heat, stirring it constantly. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to boil until it reaches a temperature of 232 on a candy thermometer or until a small amount forms a soft ball in cold water. Be sure the bulb of the thermometer is not resting on the bottom of the pan.
Remove it from the heat, and add butter and vanilla and allow it to cool to room temperature. Beat it by hand until it has thickened, then pour it on the buttered platter. Cool it and cut it in squares. A cup of broken nut meats may be added after beating is completed, if desired.

Peanut clusters

Eileen Bongiorno Karas

Put 1/2 cup of sugar, 1/2 cup of evaporated milk, and one tablespoon of corn syrup into a heavy two quart saucepan. Stir it over medium heat until the mixture boils and is bubbly all over the top. Boil and stir it over medium heat two minutes more and take it off of the heat.
Stir in one cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips until they are completely melted. Stir in one cup of salted peanuts. drop it with two teaspoons onto waxed paper until it s firm.

Easy fudge

Randy Ebeling

2 cups sugar
2/3 cup evaporated milk
12 large marshmallows
6 ounces chocolate chips
1/2 cup margarine
dash of salt
Mix the ingredients in a heavy two quart pan. Cook it over medium heat, stirring constantly. Bring it to a rolling boil and cook it for five minutes more, still stirring. Remove it from the heat and add half of the chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of milk, if you want. Spread it in a buttered eight inch square pan. Let it set for about a half hour before cutting.

B. C. candy balls

Sharon Lenon McIntire

1 1/2 cups peanut butter
1 cup crisp rice breakfast cereal
1 box powdered sugar
1 stick melted margarine
This is a difficult recipe to work with but they re worth all the effort.
Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl and make balls. Melt an entire package of chocolate candy glaze and drop the balls into his mixture. Keep the chocolate warm over a low flame while dipping the balls. Let it set up on waxed paper no refrigeration is necessary.
This is one of our favorite Christmas candy recipes that reminds us of candy bars.
Editor s note: I don t know for sure how this recipe got its name, but my guess is that BC is for breakfast cereal .

Marshmallow fudge

Kay Lenon

4 cups sugar
2 sticks butter or margarine
5 ounces evaporated milk
2 small or 1 large package chocolate chips
1 jar marshmallow cr me
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup nuts
Bring the sugar, butter, and milk to a boil, and boil it for eight minutes. Stir in the chocolate chips, marshmallow cr me, vanilla, and nuts, and pour it into a greased 13x9 inch pan. Cut it into squares when it has cooled.

Party pink divinity

Louemma Russell Smith

3 cups sugar
3/4 cup light corn syrup
3/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 egg whites
3 ounces cherry gelatin
1 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup chopped maraschino cherries
Combine the sugar, corn syrup, water, and salt in a heavy saucepan. Cook it over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture boils. Cook it to the hard ball stage (250 ) without stirring, then remove it from the heat. Beat the egg whites in a large mixer bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add the gelatin, beating it until stiff peaks form. Slowly pour in the syrup, beating it constantly at high speed. Continue beating until the mixture begins to lose its gloss. Stir in the nuts and cherries and drop it from a teaspoon onto waxed paper or into small paper muffin liners.

Dainty divinity

Paul Albright

2 cups sugar
2 egg whites
3/4 cup syrup
3/4 cup water
1 cup nuts
flavoring to suit taste
Cook the sugar, syrup, and water together and boil it until the mixture threads from a spoon. Add this to the well-beaten egg whites and beat it. Add the nuts and flavoring and beat it until it is stiff. Drop it from a spoon onto waxed paper.
This recipe was passed down from my Grandmother, Nellie Louretta Lenon Albright, who died in 1973 at the age of ninety one.

Divinity

Chester E. Nichols

Separate three eggs, using only the whites. Mix:
1/2 cup white syrup
3 cups sugar
1 cup hot water
Cook it in a large saucepan until it forms a hard ball when tested, 262 . Beat the egg whites until they are dry and add two teaspoons of vanilla. Pour the syrup, sugar, and water mixture in a thin stream over egg whites and beat them until they are stiff. Add the nuts and stir them in. Pour it in a buttered pan and set it in a cool place until it sets, then cut it in squares.

Pink and white divinity

Clara Lenon Russell submitted by Nancy Russell Ebersohl

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup white corn syrup
1/2 cup water
2 egg whites, beaten until stiff
1 cup chopped nuts
1/4 cup chopped maraschino cherries
2 drops red food coloring
1 teaspoon vanilla
Cook the sugar, syrup, and water together until it spins a fine thread. Pour half of this mixture over the beaten egg whites, beating it all the time. Cook the remaining syrup a little longer over low heat. Pour this over the first mixture and beat it until it is very thick. Add the vanilla and the chopped nuts and beat it until it is cool enough to drop from a teaspoon on waxed paper in mounds. Use half of the mixture. Add the cherries and food coloring to this and drop it on waxed paper.

Caramel corn

Tina Lenon

Fill a large roasting pan with six quarts of popped popcorn. Using another pan, prepare:
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 pound butter
1/2 cup white corn syrup
Boil it for five minutes and remove it from the heat. Add one teaspoon of vanilla, one teaspoon of salt, and one teaspoon of baking soda. Blend and pour it over the corn and mix it well. Place it in a 250 oven for forty minutes, stirring occasionally to the bottom.
Spread it on a sheet.

Grandma Craig s chocolate cherries

Vicki Collins Bernes Grand daughter of Gertie Lamphere Craig

1 cup coconut
1 pound softened margarine
1 1/2 pounds powdered sugar
1 cup chopped walnuts
shortening for thinning
2 small jars drained and chopped maraschino cherries
2 large packages chocolate chips or almond bark
Mix the margarine and sugar well. Add all of the cherries, walnuts, and coconut. Mix it well with a spoon or your hands. Add more sugar if needed to make a soft dough. Chill it for about two hours. Pinch off the dough to form balls of the desired size. Chill them on cookie sheets until they re firm.
Melt the chocolate or bark chips in a double boiler. Thin it down with shortening (2-5 tablespoons, more or less) to a good dipping consistency. I use a fork to pick up a ball, dip it in the chocolate mixture, and place it on waxed paper on a table to harden. When the candy is set, pick it up with a spatula and store it in a cool place.

Boston cream candy

Mabel Diebold

2 cups white corn syrup
1 cup milk or light cream
1/2 cup butter or margarine
6 cups sugar
Boil it together until it spins a thread. Remove it from the heat and add two teaspoons of vanilla. Beat it until it is cool and pour it into a 9x9 inch buttered dish. Cut it in squares when it is completely cooled.
Editor s note: The image is an ad from 1917.

Coffee glazed pecans

Sharon Lenon McIntire

1 1/2 cups pecans
2 teaspoons instant coffee
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water
1/4 tablespoon cinnamon
Combine the pecans, sugar, water, and coffee in a large skillet and bring it to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil it for approximately three minutes, stirring constantly until the pecans are well glazed. Spread them on waxed paper to cool.
I fix these during the Christmas season.

Beet Jelly

Gladys Russell Morgan

5 tablespoons lemon juice
1 package pectin
1 small package raspberry, blackberry, or strawberry gelatin
4 cups sugar
3 cups beet juice
Blend the beet juice, lemon juice, pectin, and gelatin. Bring it to a boil over medium heat. Add the sugar and let it boil for six minutes at a good, rolling boil. Pour it in jelly glasses and seal them.
Editor s note: The photo is from a fellow named Beet Man .

Orange balls

Carolyn Russell Barnes

1 package finely crushed vanilla wafers
1 can flaked coconut
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup undiluted frozen orange juice, thawed
Mix all of the ingredients except the sugar and roll it into balls. When all the mix is rolled, coat them by rolling them in powdered sugar. Store them in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks, if they don t get eaten.

Quick Mexican pralines

Sharon Smith Alstat

1 small package butterscotch pudding (not instant)
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup brown sugar
Combine the pud-ding, sugar, butter, evaporated milk, and brown sugar in a saucepan. Stirring con-stantly, cook it until the candy thermometer reaches 234 . Add the chopped pecans and stir it. Drop it by tablespoons onto waxed paper. Do this quickly so the mixture won t harden. If the mixture loses its shine, add one teaspoon of water.

Peanut or pecan clusters

Shirley Reeves

3 squares almond bark
3 squares chocolate bark
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
Melt it all in a double boiler and let it cool a little. Add two cups of chopped roasted nuts and drop it on waxed paper.

Peanut blossoms

Sharon Lenon McIntire

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
48 chocolate chips
Combine all of the ingredients except the chocolate chips in a large bowl. Mix it on low speed until the dough is well mixed. Shape it into balls, using a rounded teaspoonful for each. Roll the balls in granulated sugar and bake them for ten minutes or less. Top each cookie immediately with a chocolate chip. Bake them in a 375 oven on ungreased cookie sheets. The bottoms burn easily, so watch them closely. Makes 48.
This is our favorite peanut butter cookie recipe and it was a Pillsbury winner.

Green cherry tomato jam

Louemma Russell Smith

1 tablespoon white vinegar, not flavored with herbs
4 cups green cherry tomatoes
boiling water
1 thinly sliced lemon
2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Wash the tomatoes and trim them of imperfections and stems. Put them in a bowl and pour boiling water over them to cover. Let them stand for five minutes. Drain the tomatoes, then cut them in half. Put half of the tomatoes in a saucepan and cover them with half of the lemon slices. Sprinkle it with half the sugar. Add the remaining tomatoes, lemon slices and sugar. Dribble the vinegar over the mixture. Sprinkle with cinnamon and ginger. Cover and refrigerate it overnight.
The next day, bring the saucepan to a boil (uncovered) and cook it on medium-high heat until the tomatoes are translucent and the liquid has become a syrup. Put it into sterilized jars and seal them.
This jam was a favorite of Leonard. In fact, he brought the recipe to me from some magazine that he had seen.

Orange Balls

Shirley Reeves

1 pound vanilla wafer crumbs
1 pound powdered sugar
1 stick melted margarine
6 ounces thawed frozen orange juice
Mix it together, make it into balls, and roll them in coconut.

Peanut butter candy

Mabel Diebold

2 cups sugar
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon margarine
Cook it until a soft ball forms in cool water. Use as much peanut butter as you like, then beat it until it begins to cool. Pour it into a 9x9 inch buttered dish. Let it cool and cut it into squares.

Potato candy

Mabel Diebold

2 potatoes, each the size of an egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 pound confectioner s sugar
peanut butter
Boil the potatoes unpeeled. Peel and mash them with a fork. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar and mix it well. Roll it out on waxed paper with a rolling pin and spread the desired amount of peanut butter over the top and roll it up, jelly roll style. Cut it in round slices about a quarter inch thick and let it set until it has dried to the desired firmness.

Rhubarb-cherry-pineapple jam

Eileen Bongiorno Karas

4-5 cups chopped rhubarb
4 cups sugar
six ounces flavored gelatin (I like cherry)
1 large can crushed pineapple, undrained
Mix all of the ingredients except the gelatin. Cook it for fifteen minutes over medium low heat, stirring occasionally. Remove it from the heat and stir in the gelatin. Pour it into sterilized jars and seal them.

To preserve a husband

Loudene Lenon Davis

Be careful in your selection; do not choose too young, take only such varieties as have been reared in a good moral atmosphere. When decided upon and selected, let that part remain forever settled and give your entire thought to preparation for domestic use. Some insist on keeping them in a pickle, while others are constantly getting them in hot water. Even poor varieties may be made sweet, tender, and good by garnishing them with patience, well sweetened with smiles and kisses; then wrap well in a mantle of charity. Keep warm with a steady fire of domestic devotion. When thus prepared, they will keep for years.