Aunt Pauline Winkler (APW) had these down to a science and she honored all of her relatives special functions like weddings with them. Because she was the one who made them most her name gets affixed; however, 3 other names might get substituted later. APW recently died and 3 of us are reinventing the wheel today while we try to make this recipe work. Here it is for those of you who are brave at heart. I recommend you try honey candy first, and then progress to this devil candy later. If you do attempt this delicious to eat but hard to make treat you may want to move to Utah. The warning I heard from both APW and from my Grandmother Beth (who cites her Aunt Winona) is that you can't make Butter Mints when there is a cloud in the sky. Humidity kills them.

BUTTER CREME MINTS
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1 square of butter 3 cups of sugar 1 cup water Mint Flavoring Food Coloring, if desired ~ In a pot having a lid, boil together the water and butter. When boiling, add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Put the lid on and cook slowly for 3 minutes. Remove lid and turn heat to high and cook until candy spins a thread, (260 degrees [try between 255 and 260, but DON’T let it get higher than 260]). Pour on buttered marble or platter. Add flavoring and coloring and let cool. When the candy is cool enough to handle, stretch it until it is full of air and loses its gloss. Stretch into rope and cut into desired pieces. Let stand at room temperature until creamed. Store in airtight container.
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HINTS:
*Wipe the sides of the pan down with a pastrybrush dipped in water. Do this several times during cooking to dissolve any sugar that may have formed on the sides of the pan. (Cloth wrapped around the tines of a fork may be used instead of a brush.)
*DO NOT STIR AFTER THE SUGAR IS DISSOLVED
*For flavoring, use 3 or 4 drops of peppermint oil or 1/4 tsp of most flavorings.
*Use 1/8 tsp of most colorings.
*These freeze very well and will most likely mellow.

Wassail Punch

This is something done in my Aunt's home every Christmas. It's a tangy, spicy holiday beverage. It's also the extremely stretched joke from a favorite holiday show from when I was younger: "A Claymation Christmas." Here are the first and last 1 or 2 minutes of the show (courtesy of youtube), featuring the start and end of the wassail joke:





anyhow, here's the recipie:

Wassail Punch

From the kitchen of Maureen Kijek
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Preperation time: not long
Servings: lots
[This is exactly what the recipe card says - take it for what it's worth]
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2 cans frozen apple juice
1 can frozen orange juice
1 can pineapple juice OR 1 can frozen white grape juice

cinnamon sticks, whole cloves or spice mix, tied in a square of muslin with clean white string

2 T. brown sugar
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In a large pot, reconstitute juices as directed, plus an extra quart or so of water. Stir in sugar and add spice bag. heat for 15 minutes or more. Serve in punch cups or mugs. For a festive punch bowl, float small orange slices that have simmered about 10 minutes. Makes about 2 gallons. The spice bag may be used several times. Squeeze out excess juice, put into a small plastic freezer container and freeze until next time, even next Christmas.

Spanish Hot Chocholate

My mother's sister served a mission in Spain. She learned how to make Spanish Hot Chocholate there and has made it every winter for as long as I can think of. I've never had this anywhere else, so of course it always makes me think of her.

Spanish Hot Chocolate

From the kitchen of Mareen Kijek
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Preperation Time: 20 Min
Servings: 6-8
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3/4 to 1c. Sugar
1/4 c. corn starch
1/4 c. cocoa
1 1/3 c. dry milk
2 qts. water
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Over high heat in a large pot, bring 1 1/2 qts of the water to boiling. Meanwhile, mix all the dry ingredients together, then add the last 2 c. of water and stir until there are no lumps. Stir into the boiling water and continue stiring until it boils again. You may cook it a few seconds longer. Remove from heat and serve in cups or mugs. The Spanish people use more water than milk so that the chocholate is a darker richer brown, maybe 1 1/2 qts. water and 2 c. liquid milk. You seem to like the milk chocolate version. [I'm not sure who "you" is... might be me, but I never can tell when somebody hands me a recipe they printed off their computer at my request.]