When I was growing up, my family generally spent Christmas Eve with my grandparents. There would be finger foods - pizza, chicken and chips - as well as Christmas cookies. And most years, my grandma would make her fabulous fudge.
Now, Grandma's fudge comes with a story, like many good family recipes do.
A few years after my Grandpa Connelly died, I sat my grandma down, and with all the wisdom of my four or five years, I told her that I thought she should get remarried because I didn't like her being alone. She took my advice and started seeing Art Harris, who would become my grandpa.
Article Photos
This photo shows Grandma’s Fabulous Fudge. This sweet holiday treat is great for parties, or put it in a decorative tin for a gift.
The Christmas before they got married, which would've been 1986, my sister Chrissy was 15 months old and going through a shy phase. She grew out of it with a vengeance, as she's the least shy person I know. But in December of 1986, she wouldn't even give Grandma the time of day, let alone the man we'd started calling Grandpa.
However, Grandpa was not above a little bribery. He fed Chrissy little pieces of fudge until she would sit on his lap. They've been thick as thieves ever since, and Grandpa even walked Chrissy down the aisle when she got married.
This year, Chrissy's son Owen will be the same age she was when Grandpa first fed her Grandma's Fabulous Fudge. He's not the least bit shy, especially now that he's discovered his voice. We still haven't figured out what he's talking about, but I'm convinced it has something to do with world domination. However, I'd be willing to bet that he, too, could be distracted with a piece of Grandma's fudge.
Fact Box
Grandma's Fabulous Fudge
4 1/2 cups sugar
1 can evaporated milk
8 ounces mini marshmallows
18 ounces chocolate chips
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups walnuts, roughly
chopped (optional)
Boil milk and sugar for no longer than 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Add marshmallows, chocolate chips and butter. Stir until melted. Add vanilla and nuts. Spread into large, ungreased pan. Cool and cut.
I didn't need to make any changes to this recipe to make it gluten-free. I?did guess the amount of nuts. I remember Grandma's fudge having walnuts, but my original copy of the recipe didn't include them. You could probably get away with putting in a little more than the two cups I?used for this batch.