Night 4 of my Eight Nights of Lights 2011 - Food!!!

Oh - my favorite night! All about food. Food traditions, recipes, enjoying time together. Yummm!!! So, I thought I'd share my memories of food as a child. Yes, there were lots of them!

We used to say that mom's divinity was just divine!  

2 c sugar

1/2 c water

1/2 c karo

1/8 t salt

Cook to a hard boil, about 20 minutes.  Pour over 2 stiffly beaten egg whites.  Continue beating til stiff.  Drop out on wax paper with a teaspoon.  

If you've never had divinity, it's like eating air with a sugary taste!!!

Grandma Moore made English Toffey - oh so yummy!!!

1 c butter

1 c sugar

3 T water

1 T dark corn syrup

1/3 c toasted almonds

4 squares semi-sweet chocolate

Melt butter over low heat, then add sugar.  Stir until dissolved and the mixture is beginning to boil.  Combine water and syrup  and blend.  Add to sugar mixture.  Stir constantly til boils again.  Cover and boil 3 minutes longer. Wipe crystals from sides of pan.  Cook to brittle or hard crack.  Stir frequently.  Remove from heat.  Add almonds and pour real thin on buttterd pan.  Add chocolate toppings.

Oh!  My mouth is watering just remembering how delicious this was!  But when I stop to think about it so many of the really good candy recipes required that you stand over the pot and stir and stir.

We used to have the youth group over and we'd all go ice skating on the creek behind our house.  We'd run home for hot chocolate and mom would have fresh made taffy ready for us to pull. 

Sea Island Taffy:

7 c granulated sugar

3 c white Karo

1 c cold water 1 tsp glycerin1/2 lb butter

vanilla

Cook Karo, sugar and water slowly until it has bioled good for several minutes, then add glycerine and butter.  Boil to 256 degrees when using a thermometer or until it becomes hard quickly when tested in cold water.  Pour into buttered pans and cool.  When taffy is cool enough to pull, pull until it will hold its shape when stretched out on table  Cut with scissors and wrap pieces individually in waxed paper.

Nothing like being a teenager having the cute neighbor boy you had your first crush on pulling taffy with you!

I had thought this week I'd get past candles with my videos, but I think not!  After all, you can use candles to light the night while you eat all this great food!  Tonight I'll show you my hints for setting the wick.  I can't tell you how many times the hot wax melted through my putty and ran all over the table.  I finally came up with a way to prevent that from happening again!!!

And here's how to get a flat bottom on your candle without pouring more wax:



Here's tonight's finished samples

I love this 4 sided candle.  Thanks to my neighbor, Cindy, who gave me the cute little gold and turquoise embellishments for these.  By the way, these are re-melted candles and they have the best vanilla bean scent ever!

The really all cylinder has a gorgeous pendant for it's charm

And this one may be my favorite.

So fill up your table with lots of good food and light your candles as you celebrate this 4th night of Hanukkah.

It's intersting to me that in Christian religions, Jesus Messiah is referred to as the "bread of life". Jews have a heirarchy of blessing, and the bread they eat receives the highest blessing. It is equally interesting to me to have visited the Sinai desert and to just imagine the manna - a crystal like substance - falling from heaven every day to feed the Israelites.


May your life be filled with His bread - every day.