Ah, the plot thickens...!

Well, when I got home the other night, the empty pie tin was at my door with the envelope and a note stating "dee-liscious" along with $10.00 for the next installment of flowers! (Out here in Oklahoma, we can grow pansies all year).

In talking with my neighbors, I find that Bill will often beg for treats. One day he showed up at Darlene's door with a grocery bag filled with all the ingredients for fudge! But he also shares the goodies and that adds to the fun of the game.

I also found out he is not retired, not really, and is a geologist not an archeologist. When anyone does any drilling for oil (as they have been doing around Oklahoma City recently), a geologist must be onsite and thus Bill is called to duty. And he loves to watch the stock market. So, now I know he loves flowers, is still working, watches the stock market, enjoys his neighbors as much as they enjoy him, and he has an insatiable sweet tooth!

He left a note on my door last night asking if I wanted to go to a health lecture tomorrow night, but since I am leaving for Canada in the morning, I asked for a rain check on the educational night out. Tonight, the envelope is back with a note telling about some family history in the NY-Ontario area. so, I returned the note with my Ontario/NY history and promised him cookies when I got back.

But, back to the fudge; here is a recipe I used to make frequently years ago. The banana adds a little taste twist that is nice.

Banana/Chocolate Fudge

2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 medium ripe banana, mashed well (1/3 cup)
3/4 cup milk
1/8 tsp salt
2 Tbs light corn syrup
3 Tbs butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cups chopped walnuts or pecans

Combine the chocolate, sugars, banana, milk, salt and corn syrup in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sugars are dissolved. (If sugar crystals form on the side of the pan, dip a pastry brush in water and wipe them off. Otherwise the fudge will become grainy, but don't let the water drip into the fudge).

Continue cooking over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture reaches the soft ball stage or 236 degrees on a candy thermometer.

Remove from heat and add the butter but don't stir. Cook to lukewarm (110 degrees).

When lukewarm, add the vanilla and beat until the candy loses its gloss and starts to thicken. Pour quickly into a buttered 8" loaf pan. Sprinkle the nuts on top and press in gently. Cut when completely cooled.

Brother-in-law Art looked at me funny when he first bit into the fudge all those years ago. He was trying to analyze the taste and couldn't identify the banana! To him, fudge was suppose to simply be chocolate with nuts! But he ended up liking it once he solved the tastebud mystery.