Peppermint Afternoon

We had a full day of candy-making today.The peanut butter balls are too yummy for words. I remember them being perfectly rounded and covered with smooth chocolate. Mine do not look like that. However, I have no recollection of ever having made these candies, so I'm guessing that the reason my mother's looked so perfect is that I wasn't invited to make them with her. She made them with a group of neighbors. That was her tradition and I can see how it would be fun to sit and dip with the ladies. Instead, I dipped with a rather large bunch of boys (and a couple of girls thrown in for the "calming effect"). They had a grand time and, as I mentioned, the candy does taste wonderful. I've hidden them carefully. Still, I doubt there will be any left in the next few days. (Brief digression here: We seem to be going through eggs, half-and-half, and chocolate at an alarming rate. This phenomenon definitely coincides with the last day of exams at GMU.) I think I'll make more peanut butter balls, maybe in the dark of night. I wonder if Mike might like dipping chocolate with me. I didn't try the almond variety because the kids gave almond butter a big thumbs down and Katie said she wouldn't eat the almond version anyway. So we used Jif, which made it a treat before I even got started. My children are fascinated by peanut butter that doesn't require stirring.
The fudge was predictable perfection.
The marshmallows are like peppermint clouds. It's a sticky mess for a few moments, but the whole messy part is easily dissolved with very hot water. It was great fun to watch my mixer turn gelatin and sugar into clouds of peppermint heaven. And the marshmallows rendered? Truly amazing. We floated them in cocoa, sprinkled with crushed peppermint candy, and read the Legend of the Candy Cane. Nicholas was one happy boy.