Quick Fudge- Julie Ahlden

               Remembering Grams on her good days gets me through the time I spend with her on her bad days.  Getting old is a game of tease.  Grams is so feisty and full of life that it’s hard to remember that she is getting older, and her mind is getting older too. It gives you hope, and then quickly takes it away.  In the dessert world, it’s like sitting at a table with a German chocolate cake complete with coconut frosting, but being warned not to take a single bite.  It’s mint chocolate chip ice cream melting in a bowl right before your eyes as you sit there without a spoon.  You’re powerless.  The good news is that most days you are free to eat the entire cake if you so desire.  But like I said, today was not a good day for Grams.  I showed up at her house unexpectedly around noon.  She had on her pink polo shirt that she wears EVERY time she goes out, and her hair had been set.  I figured she must be going somewhere and we would just do our dessert making tomorrow.  I asked Grams if she was getting ready to go somewhere, but she said no.  “Well, you look so nice.  I thought you must be going somewhere.”  I said.  She told me that she did have plans for today, but they were cancelled.  Conversations with Grams are becoming increasingly vague as she struggles to fill in the details and recall the stories.  The conversation that followed went something like this.

Amber:  What were you going to do today?

Grams:  I was going to go shopping.

Amber:  Oh, that would have been fun.  Who were you going with?

Grams:  Oh, yes.  Well I was going to go shopping with some…ladies.  Yah.  Oh, I love to shop! Well…Jan and them girls were going to take me, but they cancelled. 

Amber:  Oh, really.  I figured Aunt Jan would be working today.

Grams:  Oh, that’s right.  You’re right.  It wasn’t Jan.  It was my friend, but she just called me, and now we can’t go.

Amber:  Well that stinks.  Girl days are fun!  Which friend were you going to go with?

 Grams:  Well…it was….you know.  My one friend.  She is really nice.  You probably don’t know her. 

Amber:  Okay. Let’s make fudge.

               I love recipes that have common household ingredients.  I didn’t feel like running to the store this morning since gas is $3.60 a gallon, so I chose a recipe with ingredients that I had on hand.  Today me and Grams made Julie Ahlden’s Quick Fudge.  This was my first homemade fudge attempt.  I didn’t realize how much powdered sugar there is in fudge!  I never really thought about what was in it.  I just ate it.  I guess it makes sense though since fudge is kind of similar to a thick frosting.  On the recipe, Julie says that you can add in whatever extras you want in your fudge- peanut butter, nuts, marshmallows, candy, etc.  Grams had chucky peanut butter at her house, so we decided to make Chunky Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge.  Mmmmm chocolaty rich!  Grams said that she never really cared much for chocolate until she got older.  It was cute to hear her call herself old.  She says she still prefers white cake and vanilla ice cream over chocolate, but now that she’s old, she likes chocolate too. 

               Apparently Julie knows my kind of baking—microwave only.  No stove, no oven, no other crazy kitchen contraptions, and 6 ingredients.  Add. Mix. Microwave. Done!  It only took about ten minutes, but it tastes like we slaved away in the kitchen all day long.  I would highly recommend this recipe for busy moms.  Grams and I decided to add M & Ms to the top for a little added fanciness.

               While our Chunky Chocolate Peanut Butter fudge set up in the fridge, we decided to count out how many members there are in the Lorraine Ahlden family.  Having a mom who is one of six kids and a dad who is one of five means that I literally cannot go anywhere in Iroquois County without running into a relative!  Here is the current count:

Six Ahlden kids and their spouses-12

The grandchildren-16

Add in the grandchildren’s spouses-26

Great Grandkids - 28 (that’s 28 crazy kids under the age of 15!!)

Expectant mothers-2

This much math required a calculator.  I crunched the numbers for you and found that when you include Grams and count in the soon to be born babies the total Francis and Lorraine Ahlden family count is currently 69 people!  Whooah!!!

              

               Grams talked about how amazing it is that so much has grown out of something that began so small with just her and Grandpa Ahlden.  Now we have grown into a huge family that could almost field 8 baseball teams!  After our count, Grams told me how she wishes that Grandpa Ahlden could be here to see all of this and meet all of us.  I reminded her that with 69 Ahldens to watch over, we keep him plenty busy and entertained!  Although I wish I could have met him, I feel better knowing that my Grandpa is up in heaven, always watching over me. 

               I’m glad I could be there for Grams today.  I think she needed some love, and of course some fudge!

Quick Fudge

Julie Ahlden

1 box of powdered sugar (4 cups)

½ cup cocoa

¼ cup milk

1 stick butter

1 t. vanilla

Combine powdered sugar, cocoa, and milk in microwave safe bowl.  Make a hole in the middle of mixture and place the stick of butter in the center.  Microwave for 2 minutes.  Whisk until smooth and microwave an additional 2 minutes.  Whisk in vanilla.  Pour into buttered 8x8 baking dish and refrigerate until set.

Many other variations can be made after you add the vanilla.  Ex.  add ½ cup of peanut butter for Peanut Butter Fudge or marshmallows and nuts for Rocky Road Fudge.