In seventh and eight grades we had elective classes which included things like metal shop, sewing, wood shop and cooking. Usually the guys went for the shop classes and the girls all took home economics. Going against stereotype, especially being a chubby girl, I chose metalwork over the opportunity to cook and eat. I did this because I already knew how to boil water. I actually knew how to cook a lot of things by that age but I did learn one particular item in a high school class. I learned to make fudge in Chemistry class.
It turns out there is a lot of chemistry involved in the making of fudge, mostly having to do with the process of crystallization, but at that time I was just glad to have a lesson that seemed to have some usefulness. Since I learned to make fudge in my junior year of high school, I was a typical teenager and generally poor. Not only did that fudge project probably earn me one of very few A’s in chemistry, it also gave me a go-to gift idea for birthdays and Christmas. Batch after batch of creamy chocolate fudge became my choice for family and friends. And I later added peanut butter fudge to my repertoire to expand my giving possibilities.
I never got any complaints about my repetitive fudge gifting and found that my cousins looked forward to their pound of fudge each occasion. But I must take this time to confess that I was not always so successful with homemade gifts and offer a cautionary tale involving another confection that I used for gift giving. This was my homemade caramel corn, which went over well until one Christmas when both my grandmother and aunt happened to get un-popped kernels of corn, sending them each to the dentist. So, unless you have a deal for kickbacks from your local dentist, stick with the fudge. It may cause cavities in the long run but if you make it right it should never break a tooth.
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