a service family tradition

one of the few things that chris brought to the marriage is peanut brittle.

i have some friends that will love him for that, some that hate him.

the tradition all started with grandma service, who in her kitchen in south salt lake (that was the size of our bathroom) made peanut brittle and butter mints with her sisters at christmas time.

(the photo of grandmas kitchen makes it look bigger than it is! and yes, that was the only window in the kitchen!)

our first christmas together, chris insisted on making peanut brittle at his mom's to hand out for neighbor gifts.

whatever, i was still in the 'kiss up to the in-laws' stage.

(well over that stage now)

it is actually a ton of fun/work. but oh so worth it.

3 cups sugar

1 1/3 cups dark karo syrup

1 1/3 cups water

cook until softball

then add

4 cups raw spanish peanuts

1/4 cup margarine

stir constantly until it reaches 275

remove from heat and then add

1t baking soda mixed with 1/2 t salt and 2 t water

stir stir stir (this is is where the magic happens! at least, that is what we call it)

pour on margarine coated countertop

use wooden spoon to spread it thin

now, here are some tips that we have learned over the years to help with the brittle making process.

wear an apron and comfy shoes. there is alot of standing and stirring.

(chris's sister mindy)

don't stop for a pizza break. you will never get going again.

always have 2 batches going (if you have counter space). when one is cool enough to pack the other is getting poured. it helps the 14 batches you do go alot faster.

pour the super hot mixture is an 'S' or 'U' pattern while still stirring the hot candy.

it is useful to have some men around for the pouring, but we women folk did just fine this year.

(this is my mother in law linda pouring. she didn't want her face shown.)

use a wooden spoon to pull the brittle thin. this is the key!

let the peanut brittle cool before packing into metal or plastic containers. and don't let moisture get to it!

another helpful hint-don't let holly or summer know that you have peanut brittle in the car. you car will be broken into.