Some people say I look like my mother. If you look at pictures of when she was in her twenties, there are similarities between the two of us. We both have blonde hair, blue eyes, and fair skin. My mom has a distinct “Ahlden” nose though which I do not have, and our bodies are definitely built differently. A lot of people also say that my brother Adam and I look alike. It is true that as we get older we seem to resemble each other more. At the same time though, people sometimes comment that Adam looks like Dad, and I don’t look anything like my father. Go figure?
Today Grams and I made Turtle Bars. You may be noticing the trend that I am gravitating towards the “easy” recipes. I admit that I am completely guilty of this. As I am approaching my last week before leaving for school, I keep getting busier and busier. I want to squeeze in as many baking days with Grams as I can. I vow to try something slightly more challenging for our next dessert. The upside of easy desserts is that it gives Grams and I a better opportunity to talk and enjoy each other’s company. I am not so busy reading and measuring ingredients, and Grams doesn’t start feeling overwhelmed. While we made the Turtle Bars we talked about how none of Grandma Ahlden’s six children look anything alike! Some have dark hair, some light. There are brown eyes and blue eyes. A couple are short and a couple are tall. A few of the Ahlden’s have really fair skin, while others have a more olive tone. Put them together in a line up and you would not guess they are all brothers and sisters. None of the six Ahlden children closely resemble Grams either. I asked her if any of them looked a lot like Grandpa Ahlden, but she said no, not really. She said that he did have real dark hair and eyes.
Today was a really good day for Grams. She had just gotten home from a dinner out with Aunt Jan, and she seemed generally happy. Her mind was sharp and she looked clean and put together. I was able to get a glimpse of the old Grams today. She spoke openly and brought up relevant comments. It makes me wonder what about today made it such a good day for Grams. Was it because of her dinner out with Aunt Jan, because it was Wednesday, or because she watched a good TV show? I will never know.
The first layer of the Turtle Bars was easy. All we had to do was lay out graham crackers. The second layer was a pecan caramel mixture that we spread over the grahams. Top that with melted chocolate, and you’re done. At first, I thought I was doing something wrong because my pecan layer was completely mixing in with the chocolate. Grams told me that this was how it was supposed to be. I think she was right, because they turned out delicious. I admit that I was skeptical that this would actually taste like a Turtle. I couldn’t imagine it tasting as good as the Fannie May chocolates. Believe it or not—these things taste just like Turtles!! Somehow the combination comes out tasting great. They did take a while to set up though. We ended up putting them in the refrigerator to rush the process. Grams and I don’t have much patience when it comes to our sweets!!
I don’t look exactly like my mom or my dad, and none of Grandma Ahlden’s kids look anything alike!! As long as none of us look like the mail man, I think that’s okay. Besides, I would rather inherit Gram’s patience, serenity, faith, and understanding. The personal qualities that we all share are more important than a large forehead or narrow eyes passed down the family line. I guess if you look at it that way, all the Ahlden’s are alike.
No Bake Turtle Bars—Connie Ahlden Recipe
9x13 pan- layer whole graham crackers
2 sticks of butter
1 cup brown sugar------Boil butter and sugar for 2 minutes
Add: 1 cup broken pecans and boil an additional 3 minutes
Melt ½ cup milk chocolate and ½ cup semi-sweet chips with 1 T. oil.
Pour over above mixture. Cut when cool.
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