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National Hammock Day

So,  stretch out and enjoy the afternoon in a hammock.

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NATIONAL PENUCHE FUDGE DAY

Old Fashioned Penuche Fudge Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup light brown sugar packed
• 2 cups granulated white sugar
• 1 cup whole milk
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

optional: 1 cup pecans or walnuts, coarsely chopped

Instructions

1. In a 3-quart saucepan combine both sugars and the milk and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, while stirring constantly. Once it reaches a boil, stop stirring the mixture (so fudge doesn’t turn gritty).

Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking mixture, without stirring, until it reaches the soft-ball stage, 236F/113C degrees.

2. Remove saucepan from the heat and add the butter and vanilla, but DO NOT STIR. Let the mixture cool without stirring until it reaches 110F/43C degrees. Start checking the temperature at 20 minutes and then check every 5 minutes, until it reaches 110F/43C.

**If mixture is stirred after boiling and before cooling down, large sugar crystals will form and fudge will be gritty**

3. While the mixture is cooling, butter an 8-inch-square pan. Set aside.
4. Once the mixture has cooled down, beat with a wooden spoon until the butter is fully incorporated and mixture starts to thicken.  Quickly pour the fudge into the buttered pan before it becomes too solid.

***If using optional 1 cup chopped nuts, quickly stir them into the fudge right before pouring into the prepared pan***

5. Let cool completely before cutting into 1-inch squares. Store leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator.

(Source: www.tastyeverafter.com)

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Baby Boomlet

A COVID baby boom had been expected but it never happened– at least not on a nationwide scale, says the Association of Mature American Citizens [AMAC]. But Andrews Women’s Hospital in Fort Worth, TX experienced a mini boom recently, delivering 107 newborns in the space of just 91 hours. It’s what can happen when you’re cooped up at home under isolation with a lot of time on your hands such as what has been a fact of life for nearly one and a half years.