One of my favorite things...

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I've been digging around in my recipe box hoping to get a little bit of inspiration. And there, among my messy scribble scrabble recipe cards, are ones that boast the pretty scroll of my Nana's hand. Several years before she passed away, she copied some of her "famous" holiday recipes onto cards just for me. Each one brings back a certain memory...her Easy 5 Minute Fudge (on the back of which she wrote that my brother and I would lick the bowl every time she made it, and that it was our favorite treat!), and her mother's pecan pie (not to be confused with anyone else's!!), her peanut brittle, divinity, and butterscotch fudge. I remember sitting at her kitchen table, just waiting for her to give me the go-ahead to taste all of the yumminess! Once we had our fill, and set aside enough for later, she would pack everything up in pretty tins or in glass jars tied with red ribbon, to give out as gifts.

Today I took my daughter out to buy pretty tins and gift bags of our own. In my quest to find some delicious inspiration, I uncovered a longing to continue the tradition that she started. We'll be making lots of her holiday candy this week and taking it to a nursing home in out town...I think Nana would have liked that :) And just because I love you all so much, I'm going to share my favorite fudge recipe with you, too!!

Easy 5 Minute Fudge

1 & 2/3 cup sugar

2/3 cup evaporated milk (small can)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cups chopped nuts (can omit)

1 & 1/2 cups diced marshmallows

1 & 1/2 cups chocolate morsels (semi-sweet)

1 tsp vanilla

Mix sugar, salt & evaporated milk in medium sized sauce pan. Heat until boiling on medium heat, then cook for 5 minutes stirring constantly. Remove from heat & add chocolate morsels & marshmallows. Stir until melted, and then add vanilla. Pour into buttered tray. Let cool and cut into pieces.

As much as I love the holiday goodies, I love the recipe cards that they come on even more. In fact, they are some of my most cherished possessions. I love them because they are a piece of my beloved Nana, her handwriting forever showing me her heart. Each card has little bits of encouragement on them like, "work fast!", or "don't worry if it foams up (peanut brittle), it's supposed to!". It's the memories that make this season so special, and the ones I have of her are oh so sweet.

**Oh, and the picture above is circa 1995ish :) I have very few pics of Nana and I on my computer, but this one somehow made it! It's one of my fave's!**