the remainder of the sweetened condensed milk

2 Tablespoons b.u.t.ter

Spread this 3rd layer on top of the 2nd layer, smooth it out with a rubber spatula,, and stick the pan in the refrigerator. Let your Three-Way Fudge harden in the refrigerator for at least two hours. (Overnight is even better.) Then turn it out on a cutting board and cut it into bite size squares.

Hannah"s 3rd Note: Mike really likes this fudge when I add chopped macadamia nuts to the middle layer. Norman thinks it"s best with chopped pecans in the bottom layer. I suppose that should tell me something about their personalities, but I have no idea what it is!

Claire looked very excited as she turned to Grandma Knudson. "Hannah"s even got a recipe for fudge that you can make in the microwave. I ought to be able to do that, don"t you think?"

"Oh, yes. Sometimes you sell yourself short, Claire. You"re much more talented than you think."

"Thank you, Grandma. Is it all right if we stop at the Red Owl on the way home to get powdered sugar for rolling the rum b.a.l.l.s? I want to try making those tonight."

"Of course it"s all right. I"m running low on brown sugar, so I"ll pick up a bag while we"re there."

"Oh, good! Then I can make the English Toffee. That one"s easy, too."

Florence shook her head. "I"m sorry, ladies, but I"m all out of brown sugar and I don"t get another delivery until Monday. Everybody"s doing their Christmas baking and I sold the last bag this morning. The powdered sugar"s gone too, except for the little bit that was left in the box that the Janowski twins opened."

"Why did they open the powdered sugar?" Lisa asked.

Florence shrugged. "I asked them and they said they wanted to make s...o...b..a.l.l.s. I guess they thought that since it was white, it was like snow. All I know for sure is that they ended up dumping it all over each other while their mother was reading the nutritional label on a can of pork and beans."

Hannah turned to Claire who looked very disappointed. "You can still make the English Toffee. And you can make the rum b.a.l.l.s, too. You have some mola.s.ses and some cornstarch, don"t you?"

"Yes. Grandma keeps it in the pantry."

"Good. Then you can make your own brown sugar and your own powdered sugar."

"How do you do that?"

"If a recipe calls for a cup of brown sugar, put a cup of white sugar in the mixer. Just drizzle in a little mola.s.ses and mix it up until it"s the right color. That"s all brown sugar is anyway."

"Brown sugar is white sugar mixed with mola.s.ses?" Claire asked, sounding a bit doubtful.

"That"s right. And you can make your own powdered sugar too, if you"ve got a blender."

Grandma Knudson gave a little nod. "We"ve got a blender," she said. "I knew about the brown sugar, but I"ve never heard of making your own powdered sugar."

"It"s just white sugar with a little bit of cornstarch to keep it from sticking when you grind it into superfine crystals."

"It"s right here in the recipe collection that Hannah gave us," Delores explained, holding up her binder. "It"s the next section and it"s called Subst.i.tutions. It even gives you a subst.i.tute for b.u.t.termilk."

"Perfect," Claire said with a smile. "That means Grandma and I can make the brown sugar drops and I can learn how to use that candy thermometer."

Subst.i.tutions

Subst.i.tute for Store-Bought Brown Sugar 1 cup white, granulated sugar

2 Tablespoons dark mola.s.ses (I use Brier Rabbit green label)

Place the white, granulated sugar in a blender or a mixer.

With the mixer or blender running on low speed, drizzle in 2 Tablespoons of dark mola.s.ses.

Turn the mixer or blender on a higher speed and process until the white sugar has turned an even brown color.

If the brown sugar doesn"t look dark enough, just add a little more mola.s.ses and mix it in well.

Hannah"s Note: Using this method, you can make light brown sugar, regular brown sugar, and dark brown sugar. This means no more hard lumps in the brown sugar bag that"s been sitting in your pantry for months. You don"t have to keep brown sugar on hand as long as you have a jar of mola.s.ses and white sugar.

Subst.i.tute for Store-Bought b.u.t.termilk 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice (OR white vinegar if you

don"t have fresh lemon juice)

1 cup minus 1 Tablespoon whole milk at room temperature

Pour 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice (or white vinegar) into the bottom of a 2-cup measuring cup.

Fill the cup up to the 1-cup mark with whole milk.

Stir the mixture and let it stand on your kitchen counter for at least 5 minutes. This should cause it to sour and thicken slightly.

You can use the resulting mixture in any recipe that calls for b.u.t.termilk.

Hannah"s 1st Note: You can also use this mixture in any recipe that calls for sour milk.

Lisa"s Note: Florence has a cultured b.u.t.termilk powder in the baking aisle down at the Red Owl. It"s specifically for cooking and baking and it"s made by Saco. I bought a can, and I"m going to try it one of these days.

Subst.i.tute for Cake Flour For one cup of cake flour:

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup minus 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour.

Measure out 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch and put them in a 1-cup measure. Fill the measure with all-purpose flour.

You can stir this in a small bowl by hand or put it through a sifter. Do this for every cup of cake flour called for in the recipe.

If the recipe calls for a half-cup of cake flour, use 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch in the bottom of a half-cup measure. Fill the measure with all-purpose flour and you"ll have one-half cup of cake flour.

Subst.i.tute for Chopped Nuts in Cookies If someone in your family is allergic to nuts, or if you thought you bought them at the store and you didn"t, you can use another ingredient that will provide crunch and texture in your cookies. Try subst.i.tuting an equal amount of: Crushed corn flakes

Pretzels broken into small pieces

Crushed Cheerios

Crushed Chex cereal

M&Ms or another small chocolate candy with a sugar sh.e.l.l

Crushed toffee

Finely chopped coconut

Dry oatmeal

Dried chopped fruit including raisins and cranberries

Subst.i.tute for Eggs 1 and Tablespoons water