Divinity

            Image taken from grit.com

When I was young and living at home with my parents, the Christmas season was filled with candy-making. My father was the one making it, using traditions handed down from his father.

He would make fudge with and without nuts. Black walnut fudge was my favorite. Opening and picking out the kernel of a black walnut is notoriously difficult.

He would make sheets of peanut brittle. He would break it up into smaller odd shapes to fit into containers. He made caramel candy which we would wrap individually in wax paper.

As I got older he would sometimes make rum or bourbon balls.

The strangest candy he would make was called Divinity. I often wondered how it got its name. I don’t ever remember having this question answered.

All of these memories were brought back to me today. Recently when I was picking up art supplies for my daughter at a store named Michaels, I saw a recipe magazine/book that caught my attention. I purchased it on a whim. I don’t normally do this. The book was published by Southern Living, Special Collector’s Edition. It was titled Best Cookies & Bars.

Hopefully, this Christmas season I’ll do a little more baking, though none of us need the extra calories.

I am at home today still recovering from a fever and chills that wracked my body yesterday. The fever is gone now, though some residual stomach and intestinal problems are still settling.

Since I am at home alone, the quietness inspired me to pick up this recipe book and begin to look through it. On the last page of this book is a recipe for Divinity. This particular recipe calls for one cup of toasted pecans, or as an alternative, you can omit the pecans and substitute them with one cup of chopped red candied cherries.

I don’t ever remember my father adding anything to his Divinity. His version was plain white, feather-light, and “tender”. Maybe, this is how it got its name.