We can handle this - Memories of the holidays

When we think about the sights and smells of the holidays many think about lights or Christmas trees, maybe peppermint or the smell of the turkey roasting in the oven.

For me, though, it will always be the sight of my grandmother making popcorn balls, filled cookies and a mass of different candies for weeks leading up to the big day.

Popcorn balls these days don’t interest me because they’re so sweet. My grandmother’s recipe had vinegar in it. Yes, vinegar. For some reason it made them not so sweet and super sticky. She’d pour the concoction over the popcorn then race to the porch to stir it all up.

I’m not sure why, but there was something about the cold air and the hot syrup that made them stick together better. Or maybe it was the big, pink porcelain pan she mixed it up in that made them so special.

People begged for the recipe to her “million dollar fudge.” Filled with walnuts it was the richest fudge I’ve ever had. Marshmallow fluff was the secret ingredient.

She also did these cookies that were filled with chopped raisins, nuts and dates that people went nuts for. Personally, I didn’t like the filling, but the smell of it cooking was heavenly.

I think the real reason grandma’s cooking was always so scrumptious was she always used real butter and real sugar. There was nothing artificial in the goodies she made. Maybe that’s why things don’t really taste the same these days. Artificial colors, artificial flavors, margarine or some other butter substitute and fake sugar just weren’t designed to taste like grandma’s house.

Unfortunately, I didn’t even have time to put up my tree this year much less make any of grandma’s yummies. On the bright side, though, I do have a wax warmer filled with scents of the season to bring those memories home.