Jet Puffed!!

Anyone remember this container??  If memory serves me, there were lots of Jet-Puffed things when I was a kid ... not that we got any of them.  Cereal comes to mind first.  On the rare occasion that I was allowed to eat something from a box, it was Jet-Puffed breakfast at someone else's house.  We ate that horrible concoction called MUSH for breakfast.  Cooked oatmeal you could use to glue a chair to the wall.  Now you know where my cooking skills come from.

I don't remember exactly when this came around, but I DO remember getting a piece or two of Fantasy Fudge at Christmas.  There was a couple in town that lived in the Penthouse Suite of Hotel Tioga.  To this day, it amazes me that in this tiny town there was actually a hotel with an elevator.  Anyway, that couple figures in to the ranch story I'll tell you later on.

Mrs. Cooper was her name and she made Christmas Candy.  Boxes and boxes of candy she gave to her favorite families.  We would get all dressed up in our Sunday best, go to the hotel and walk right into the elevator where the Doorman used a key to take us to the top floor.  Once there, we were seated in the living room where we had homemade eggnog.  Mine of course with no booze in it.  An hour later, we left with our box of wonderful candy.  Pretty exciting for a little kid from the back forty.

Mrs. Cooper used marshmallow creme and made Fantasy Fudge.  That was over 60 years ago.  So yesterday, I decided to make a pan and give it away just like Mrs. Cooper.

The recipe is on the jar, but I had printed it out from the internet, just in case.  It's a good thing I did.  The printing on the jar was so terribly tiny I could barely read it.  I placed one cup of sugar in the pan, but that just didn't seem right.  I double checked the other recipe ... just because I know how it can go for me ... and sure enough, it was THREE cups of sugar.  

It's not hard to make, but requires lots of beating with a wooden spoon.  How long do you say?  Who knows ... I just kept at it until my arm was about to fall off, then I spread it in a pan and said a little prayer that it would set up and not be spoon fudge.  

In the meantime, I discovered why bakers use off-set spatulas.  They work perfectly to clean out the pan and deposit the leftovers in your mouth.  Boy this stuff is good!!!!

While that cooled on the table, I felt brave enough to try a completely new recipe.  If you've ever been to Washington State, they have a very famous hotel in Spokane called The Davenport.  It was and IS famous for being the epitome of splendor and world class hospitality.  From Charles Lindberg and Amelia Earhart to Carrie Underwood, many famous people have stayed there.   They are also known for their soft peanut brittle.  I tried some last year when I was up North and this stuff is amazing.  If you like peanut butter and keeping your teeth intact, this stuff is for you!!

Not the easiest candy I've made, it required lots of boiling.  Adding things to the boiling mixture resulted in hissing and foaming, giving me a good scare.  You have to work quickly, folding in molten peanut butter in the last step.  I poured it into a greased pan and held my breath.  As I used the spatula to clean the pan, the outcome was not good.  At one point I thought my mouth would be glued shut forever.  RATS!!!  I must have done something wrong.  

I waited for it to cool and tried to break off a piece.  It was solid as a rock.  I tried a knife, but that wouldn't cut it either.  Finally I picked it up and slammed it on the table, where it broke into several pieces.  Time for a taste test before I reach for the shovel.  MY OH MY!!  This stuff was DELICIOUS!!  It was soft yet crunchy, even flakey in texture.  I hit a home run!!!  I was so excited I did a little dance!!

Once in smaller pieces, it broke up rather easily as I packed it into little tins for Christmas thank you gifts.  I'm definitely making this again!!  

Next up divinity.  My grandmother made the best divinity EVER!  I've tried a couple of times, but mine always comes out spoon candy ... so soft, you have to eat it with a spoon.  I DO know you can't make it in damp weather, so I'll have to wait for the rain to leave, then I'm going to give it another shot.  Got your spoon handy just in case??