Valentine's Day Bonus 2025
This super special Valentine's Day bonus is dedicated to our dear Aunt Annie who is rocking the yellow pant suit on the right, circa 1975. Also pictured are our mom (Hi, Mom!) in the middle and Aunt Ruthie on the left. The Lewis girls at their fashion best! In front is Bootie, looking adorably sweet. Bossy most likely was off camera doing cartwheels.
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Aunt Annie is known for her artistic ability (see pet portraits below) and her crafting skills. Bootie fondly remembers the Raggedy Anne dolls she made for her and our sister, Melissa. She's also an expert quilter.
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You can always tell the quality of a recipe by the number of splatters on the page and Aunt Annie's fudge is no exception! We think that the secret ingredient might be the marshmallows, due to the corn syrup which keeps the sugar from crystalizing and the gelatin which gives it a smooth texture. Add nuts at the end if you wish or add whatever toppings you like to the top of the fudge before it sets. We love this recipe for the versality too. As long as you come up with 26 ounces of chocolate (of course the better quality chocolate you use, the better your fudge will be).
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We love you, Aunt Annie!! Happy Birthday!!
For Episode 16, Bootie visited the Olympic Peninsula where she had the pleasure of visiting the Bazaar Girls Yarn Shop in Port Townsend. Aunt Annie hammed it up for the video!
Bossy and Bootie found the book, Oh Fudge! by Lee Edwards Benning to be extremely useful in our quest to find out more about the history of fudge (warning, you will be very hungry after reading). Unfortunately, the book is out of print but can still be found at ABE books. Credit for documenting the original recipe goes to Emelyn Battersby Hartridge who during her Freshman year at Vassar in 1888 made 30 pounds of fudge for a fundraiser (she continued making it for fundraisers throughout the years). Here is the original recipe:
Vassar Fudge
2 cups sugar
1 cup light cream
2 squares (2 ounces) unsweetened chocolate
1 tablespoon butter
Combine sugar, coarsely chopped chocolate, and cream. Cook over a moderate heat, stirring only until sugar and chocolate have melted. Continue cooking until mixture reaches 238°F or until a few drops tested in cold water form a soft ball. Remove from heat, add butter, and cool slightly. Beat until fudge begins to harden, then transfer to a buttered platter. Cut into squares before the fudge is absolutely firm. Makes a little more than 1 pound.
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Hartridge said that the fudge made from the original recipe was sold for 40 cents a pound which is equivalent to $40 a pound today and guess what? That's what it sells for today! Since the ingredients for Aunt Annie's fudge cost @$20 and it's makes 5 pounds, you can see why it would be popular fundraiser. While you're making your fudge, you can sing a song about it. Here's the one the women sang at Vassar:
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We love the sight of the fudge pan bright,
We love the sight of the spoon,
And better by far than the light of the star
Is the gas, now outshining the moon.
Then gather around with whispers profound
For the bell has rung ten at night,
With the transom shut, with our very last cut
We'll sing to the fudge pan bright
--Vassar Miscellany 24 no. 8 (May 1895)
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And whatever you do, make some fudge and have a very Happy Valentine's Day!
