Well, when I chose the name Mom Food for this blog, I was kind of thinking of me being the mom in the title. But scrolling through, I notice that it's way more intergenerational than that. Because a lot of the food that John wanted recipes for is my mom's or Bill's mom's. My grandma is in here, too.
And now Bill's dad, Marion, has his turn. The candy we always refer to as "Daddy's Candy" is a Christmas tradition at our house. We don't make it every year, but when we don't make it, we miss it.
The instructions are a little vague. I had to check in with Vicky to clarify some things, and you still will need to wing it just a bit.
I didn't get to know Bill's dad very well before he died, but I've always felt his personality when we made his candy. Especially when Ginny was here to preside. There were always serious preparations, dire warnings, unanswerable questions and lots of laughing. That pinch of soda thing is good for a few shrieks. And the transition from not cool enough to too cool can result in major consternation. Even hollering.
So, we'll make the recipe this year in memory of Marion and Ginny. And the memories, like the candy, will be very, very sweet.
Daddy's Candy
Ingredients
3 cups white sugar
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
2/3 cup light Karo syrup
1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup whole milk
Butter the size of an egg, added after other ingredients are combined and cooking
Pinch of soda, added when mixture starts to boil
1 cup walnuts
Butter a 9 x 13" pan.
Directions.
Stir first five ingredients until boiling, then occasionally; brush any crystals down sides of pan using brush dipped in warm water.
Add pinch of soda as noted above. (And kind of stand back, as I recall.)
Cook to 238˚.
Beat until smooth. Can be done by hand (if you've been lifting weights! Vicky's comment.) but using a stand mixer works best.
Add 1 cup walnuts while beating. (You want the nuts to maintain their size so do not add too soon or they will become too pulverized.) This candy goes from not cool enough to too cool very quickly. It will start to change color and will start getting thicker when it is ready to pour into the buttered pan.
Pour into buttered pan. Cut into squares. Or break into pieces. It's fine either way.
