Blogger: Wendy Lawton
I’m working from the East Coast this week so I decided to pull up one of my classic blog posts just in time for you to do some Christmas cooking. A few years back I shared about a favorite cookbook and then shared one of my mother’s specialties. She’s been in heaven seven Christmases now but I still make her Rocky Road every year for my brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews. Here’s what I blogged five years ago:
The cookbook I can’t do without at Christmastime is a three-ring binder that my mother made for us during the last decade of her life. It has all the family favorites along with bits of wit and wisdom. She even took photos of some of her creations, like our much-anticipated annual gingerbread house. Mom had a word processor and used her two finger method to type all this out for her children and grandchildren. To say we treasure this cookbook is an understatement.
I’ve taken one of the recipes from the book to share with you. It’s the recipe for Rocky Road Candy. My mother inherited this recipe from her mother-in-law, my grandmother. As a young woman in the early decades of the last century my grandmother was a chocolate dipper at Blum’s in San Francisco. Fancy chocolate dippers are the ones who dip the chocolates creating the distinctive swirl on the top that tells exactly what filling is inside. (Did you know you don’t have to bite your chocolate to find out? You simply read the chocolate swirl on the top of a fine candy.) My grandmother never lost her enthusiasm for making candy. Every Christmas she made Rocky Road. When she was gone, my mother took over. Each person in the family would get a tin of Rocky Road at Christmas. It didn’t hurt that by that time Keith and I owned a thirty acre almond orchard. We upped the almond quantity in the recipe. This is the second Christmas my mother’s been gone and it’s the second Christmas I’ve made the Rocky Road. We’ve simplified it over the years (no longer making our own chocolate) but it still tastes as good.
Here’s what you need for a 9 x 13 pan of Rocky Road:
- 5- 4.25 Oz. Hersheys Milk Chocolate bars
- 5- 4.25 Oz. Hersheys Chocolate & Almond bars
- A handful of chopped almonds
- A bag of marshmallows
Melt the chocolate in a double boiler stirring occasionally. Make sure not to overcook. You want the chocolate shiny and silky.
Line the baking dish with parchment or waxed paper. One by one dip the marshmallows into the melted chocolate and place close together on the waxed paper.
When the pan is filled sprinkle the extra almonds over the top, shaking the pan gently to work them into the crevices.
Pour the remaining melted chocolate over the top of the marshmallows, using a spatula to spread it. Shake the pan once more to make sure the chocolate seeps into all the crevices. Let cool. Refrigerate for a couple of hours to help set before cutting.
Cut into squares, cutting through the middle of each marshmallow. If you have an electric knife, it makes the job easier.
Store in a cool place.
So what does this have to do with writing or the business of being an agent? Nothing. And Everything. My mother created a book for us that will never be seen outside the family but it is a book that speaks to who we are and how we lived. Not all books are meant to be published.
In our quest to be published we have to remember to do the kind of writing that won’t be published but may mean far more than our books. Maybe it’s creating a scrapbook, keeping a journal, maintaining a Baby Book, writing Christmas letters, writing an article for the church newsletter, creating lessons for a Sunday School class, writing letters to elderly family members or… or… or…
What things have you written that will never be published?
Thanks Wendy. There is such inestimable value in doing things without being noticed, being faithful in little things, not despising small beginnings or doing what we do without expecting to be noticed. If we can do that, then surely God can entrust us with more. Many great missionaries only reached handfuls. The Sunday School teacher who led D L Moody to the Lord, did seemingly little, yet achieved so much through his greatest convert. Some missionaries died in obscurity, only for their deaths to spark the spiritual renewals that were witnessed years later. There has been a thought passing through my spirit about God quite possibly finishing my writing without me – and I have fully made my peace with that, for it was never about me at all, yet like David, I will then prepare my sons to carry on what I can’t.
My father’s mother was a terrible housekeeper but a wonderful cook. One Christmas she handed out home-make cookbooks (mine is truly a carbon copy). I treasure it, but I don’t cook from it. Her bread recipe starts out “grease 12 loaf pans.” And somewhere in the middle she added this telling comment: “I don’t own a measuring cup, so when I say 1 cup, I mean one regular tea cup.” If only Grandma had gifted me with one of her teacups, too!
How marvelous, Shirlee!
Thanks for sharing this recipe. I can’t wait to try it!
Both of my grandmothers loved to receive letters. When I was a poor college student, that was the way we communicated.
Another thing that won’t be published is the lunch box notes and notes in birthday cards and then those little notes to our kids and spouses just because we love them.
There’s something priceless about having handwritten pieces from our loved ones, isn’t there, Jackie?
You’re right Teresa!
Lunch box napkin notes! I have fond memories of those from my sweet mother. Thanks for the reminder, Jackie.
I hope my boys remember the notes fondly too. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for this sweet reminder. I was a latch key kid. My parents left me notes in places I was sure to look when I got home. I left them notes, too, even though I knew I would see them. I didn’t even think about how I carried on this sweet love note tradition. I write notes to my husband and son, mail them cards, and used to slip notes in lunchboxes. This memory just brought a smile to my face. Writing notes to family members was such a natural part of my life that I didn’t even think of this as a ministry of the heart, until now. 🙂
Xochi,
I never considered it a heart ministry before today either. I wonder…if something comes that naturally to us is it our true ministry fit?
Writing that will never be published, that is some of the best. The poems I wrote for each of my boys when they were little, the monthly articles on literacy in the home that I wrote for our local elementary school to send home to parents, our funny Christmas letters. And a project I am anticipating that I will only be the editor for…my grandparents aged 93 and 97 are handwriting out their story from the journals that my grandfather has kept. He has ridden in a wagon when their family first moved to the U.S. from Canada, she met a woman who was scalped by attacking braves, he worked bringing dairy products to the men as they built our local dam on the Columbia river, her Dad was a fast gun hunting down the Dalton gang in Oklahoma territory…so so amazing and they are writing it all out in hard to read cursive on yellow legal pads. Their niece is typing it into the computer and I am tasked with editing it so that we can have some copies printed up for family. Those will be treasures! I did warn them that I wasn’t going to edit Grandpa too much, he has such a wonderful voice, I don’t want to make it all proper and remove the heart. But they still want me to be part of the project and I am honored.
How special, Kristen! I had the honor and pleasure of editing and designing my grandfather’s memoir into a bound book for him and my family. It’s such a rich experience.
Kristen, what a beautiful legacy for your family!! I SO wish I had written my grandparents’ stories before they passed. My father’s parents both died before I was born. My mother’s parents when I was in my 20’s and 30’s. My grandfather shared some of his stories with me. How I wish I had recorded them somehow.
My daughter asks for this recipe every Christmas, now . . .
I have plenty of books I’ll never publish–from family travel stories to genealogy books (though you can find copies in select libraries that feature genealogy like the Library of Congress), Daddy’s book– a Navy story I wrote for my two-year old when my husband left for sea, that type of thing.
Those books may have been the most important ones I wrote!
(Currently rereading Notes from New Zealand, a travelogue I just shared with a friend headed there this Christmas. I’m amazed at how much just reading those words brings back the trip. I can see the confounding grocery stores, delight anew at the perfect parking spots and laugh at the fun words.)
All writing involves sharing and the personal–and these unpublished ones are about sharing your heart and love with people you particularly love.
Just like Rocky Road fudge! Merry Christmas.
Michelle, I love the idea of travel notes! I’m sure it brings the memories to life. And, I agree that the unpublished writings are often the most cherished. There’s something sacred about their exclusivity.
Nice recipe, Wendy – I will pass it on to Barbara.
* Things never published – yes. How about training manuals that have to go through a couple of languages…for example, Russian to English (easy), English to Urdu (I can do it, but it’s formal), Urdu to Dari (sketchy, need help), Dari to Pashtu (NOW I wish I new Dari better!).
* The kicker was that they were intended to be read aloud to a largely illiterate audience and therefore had to be colloquial, so terps were absolutely necessary in the later stages.
* The translations had to be accurate, because the activities involved items with inscriptions that might read (in Cyrillic) “THIS SIDE TOWARD ENEMY”. You DON’T want to mix that one up.
* The fun part was the use of illustrations, which were both useful and fun. One could add sly humour there, visual jokes that transcended cultures.
* And those jokes could include various Westernisms (in ‘thought balloons) that even the illiterate could understand, like, “OH, ****!”
* Please pardon the length of the comment – it was a nice trip down memory lane.for me.
As always, an entertaining anecdote, Andrew. 🙂
Off topic, but while reading and hoping the Morning Morphine kicks in I found a nice quote –
* “…keep moving, keep motivated, be inspired by the inspiring.” – Doug Beattie MC
Sorry, should be “…keep moving, keep motivating, be inspired by the inspiring.”
*Guess the morphine is working, if I can mess up a one-liner!
This is so sweet, literally and figuratively. 🙂 Thanks for sharing! I have several poems I wrote as a child and teenager that I cherish but will never see published. Some were given as gifts, others used to express my feelings, and all as exercises for my freshman author muscles.
My facial expression was so serious until I read “Nothing. And Everything.” The grin spread. 🙂 This recipe looks divine. My husband’s aunt taught me to make Martha Washington Balls … and the first time I ate them, I watched My Fair Lady with her. She’s been like a mother to me, and her daughter asked me just yesterday to help plan their 50th wedding anniversary celebration this spring. I’m honored. Right before my daughter’s graduation … 🙂 it’s going to be a busy spring, and I already feel the bittersweet tears coming. Goodness … what have I written that will never be published? Oh, a lot. But writing for a magazine helps me slip in many of my life’s, good and bad, most memorable moments. That’s a sweet perk. 😉
What fun! Looks delicious. I’m sure I’ll make rocky road this Christmas. I enjoyed reading its history.
I wrote a first person, illustrated story about a child’s experience with CAPD (Central Auditory Processing Disorder). It chronicled the confusion, and then relief on being diagnosed, It was a big book designed to be read for an oral presentation, which I did. Tears were n my graduate level classmates. We were in a reading specialist program. My son has CAPD, and it was really his story told in illustrated form. His diagnosis was in sixth grade. Like many children, upon learning he had a physical condition interfering with his learning, he said, “So I’m not stupid after all.” His whole demeanor changed. (He really is quite intelligent) I sometimes think I should publish it to draw awareness to the psychological impact on children struggling with unobservable learning disabilities like forms of dyslexia. I saw it all the time as a reading specialist.
As the mom of son who learned to read by tracing every word with his finger on sandpaper flashcards, I say PUBLISH!
* A free ebook, perhaps? For a most worthy cause.
Wendy, what a beautiful (and delicious) legacy your grandmother left you. And your mother’s cookbook? What a gift! My grandmother made the best lemon meringue pie. I have that recipe, but I don’t get to make it very often. My great, great aunt also left us a couple recipes. She made spaghetti from scratch and was married to a real, live cowboy. But, I digress.
*Almost every year, my husband and I write our Christmas letter and send it out. I love how God gives us a creative way to do it each year. This year, He gave me Christmas songs that tied into something from each of our lives this year. I’ve also got journals filled with stories, lessons, prayers. And one holds the memories of a trip to Turkey that I took many years ago. I was just thinking about that this morning. I may have to go find it. 🙂
I have travel journals from each of my trips in the last 8 years.
Mission trips to Bolivia, my cruise across the Med with my mom, ACFW, New Mexico, Arizona, Texas.
When I go back and read them, I am floored at how much I’ve forgotten. And how much I learned about myself. And how much I want to return to most of these places.
I create scrapbooks that could pass as family history books and prayer journals. I also write prayers in small books for family members. When the books are filled up, they’re given as gifts. I also write poetry that helps me process, or is shared with a select few. But one of my favorite ways to encourage others with the written word is by sending cards. I pray as I
write messages to whoever God places on my heart. Thanks for reminding us how valuable words can be when shared from the heart. I’ve learned that God often uses the process of writing to help me hear Him, know Him more, and loosen my grip on things He’s using for His glory. Also, thanks for this recipe. I love all things Rocky Road! 🙂
Wendy, my grandmother had a set of bowls identical to the one your mom is using in the photo. Over the years, those bowls were used to make cakes, cookies, breads, and the most delicious dinner rolls on the face of the earth. Thanks for the flashback.
Thanks so much for sharing Wendy. Love the recipe and the precious story behind it. Helps me think about the “books” I want to write to my adult kids and family members…
I love this, Wendy! Family recipes are a special part of my Christmas tradition too. So far I’ve made Russian tea cakes for my writers’ group party, and soon I’ll make Nathan’s favorite–gingerbread men. My mom always makes Grandma’s rice pudding on Christmas Day. Someday that will be my job (I’m the only one of my siblings who enjoys baking), so in the meantime I make it for friends.
Your mother’s rocky road recipe is very similar to one that I use, except mine uses mini marshmallows and everything is stirred together. I like the look of your mom’s better :-). I might have to try it.
Thank you for this reminder of what really makes a book valuable!
I have a Family Cookbook in a three-ring binder. I received it on my wedding day. (I’ve also got the updated, expanded version in PDF from my cousins five years later.)
That family cookbook is serving me and my daughters well. I’ll have to print a copy for them when they leave home.
I’ve written lots of spiral-bound picture books for my young grandchildren about things we’ve done together, and illustrated the books with photos. I hope they’ll keep those and value them when they’re grown up. Once I wrote a memoir about my grandfather, who lived with us when I was a kid and told us stories about his youth. I gave copies to all my cousins for Christmas and have never given any gift that was more appreciated.