Aunt Bill's Brown Candy

Christmas has officially begun at the Goodnight house. I made Aunt Bill's Brown Candy yesterday. If you've never tasted this sweet, you've got to give it a try. It has the consistency of fudge but tastes more like a praline chocked full of pecans-- 2 whole pounds of pecans! Here's the recipe:

6 cups sugar
1 pint milk (or half and half if you're going for it)
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
4-5 cups of pecans (2 pounds)

Put 2 cups cugar into a heavy pan over very low heat.(I use a cast iron skillet) Stir often with a wooden spoon for about 30 minutes until light brown and melted. At the same time, mix 4 cups sugar with milk over low heat in another heavy, larger pot.(A big, stew-type pot) When the first sugar is mlted, pour slowly into the second mixture in a fine stream, stirring constantly. (It's good to have another person help at this point, but you can do it alone.) Cook to firm ball stage, turn off heat, then add baking soda, stirring vigorously as it foams. Add butter and stir until melted. Cool for 20 minutes. Add vanilla and beat until the candy begins to get thick, heavy, and dull. Add nuts. Turn into buttered pan (9x13), cut while still hot. Enjoy!

Can you believe it's only two days until Thanksgiving? Good grief! I feel like life is flying past at the speed of light. I love holidays, but sometimes I let myself get overloaded. Do you do that? Right now I have so much to do and a deadline on each thing that I have to remind myself that the Bible says "be anxious for nothing." Hard to do in this hurry-up world, isn't it?

I think the best solution for me is to take five minutes and count my blessings. Thanksgiving is the perfect time for this, so let's share. What are you thankful for?

Here's the cover my new Christmas book, available now anywhere books are sold. What do you think?

Up and Running!

I've been wanting to join the ranks of "bloggers" for a while now and since I'm about as techie as a rock it took me a while to figure it out. So, hello all! I hope you'll join me often for a little chat, maybe to share a recipe or an opinion, or just to say hello.

In the days to come I have several things on my heart to discuss. Jesus comes first. He's so good, so please share your "praise reports" with me. Then, of course, I need to talk about writing. I have a new series going that I'll talk about tomorrow. I'll also soon be discussing my new passion, the plight of children around the world trapped in orphanages. Please pray for these little ones.

Linda