Meme's Divinity

Ingredients:
4 cups of sugar
3/4 cups of cold water
3 egg whites
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla
2 cups chopped pecans

Preparation:
In a heavy saucepan over medium heat stir together the sugar. cook syrup mixture until it reaches 250 degrees F on a candy thermometer, bringing it to a hard ball stage.

I remember this like just yesterday. Me, Meme, and my cousin all in Meme's kitchen singing and cooking away. We sang every Christmas song there was. Meme even had a tape with 100 Christmas songs on it. The smell of sweet candy and pine trees danced around the room. Meme was always so happy on this day. It had to be her favorite time of the year. As she cooked me and my cousin sang, danced, and drew pictures to go in the Christmas tins that would soon be given to all our family and friends.

Our Meme was so generous. If we were somewhere and someone was having a bad day, she would be sure to bring them a tin full of divinity with a sweet Christmas card that would turn their day around. She always made sure everyone was happy, and that's what I love about her. As she was cooking she would be telling us to get the wax paper ready to fill the tins. She always needed something, but I loved helping her. Just being with her is like winning the lottery. Everyone was so happy and in the best mood. She always knew how to make me smile. As we sang and danced, Meme was working hard making all the divinity.

While syrup is cooking, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Once the sugar mixture reaches 250 degrees, carefully pour a slow, steady stream of syrup into the stiffly beaten egg whites constantly at high speeds. Add vanilla and continue until mixture holds it shape. Stir in pecans

As Meme was cooking, I always wanted some pecans to eat. I can hear it now,
"Meme can I have some pecans? I'm hungry," I would say.

"No Allie, we have a pantry full of food and the pecans are for the divinity," Meme would say.

I replied,"But Meme, I really want some."

I can see it now, after she said no, I would go sneak just a few at a time. The pecans were so good and I just had to have some! Smelling the candy made me so hungry. I couldn't wait until it would be done.

Drop divinity onto wax paper. If candy becomes too stiff, add a few drops of hot water. You need to work fast. Cool candies on a rack completely. Can be stored in air tight container for 2 weeks.

My favorite part was here. She was finally done cooking and I couldn't wait until it cooled. Meme would need us to help her so she could work fast. She didn't need to have the candy harden without it being on the wax paper. We would hold the wax paper flat and she would spoon out some divinity. It looked so good, making me want it even more. We had wax paper in the tins and each one with a Christmas card made by Taylor or I. We loved this day more than anything else. A day spent with my Meme, is a day well spent. Most kids wouldn't want to help their grandma cook, but I loved it. It's like the sweet aroma of Christmas time came in and took over Meme's soul. She was so happy and cheerful.

After the candy cooled, it was our job to put the hardened divinity into the millions of Christmas tins we layed out. Meme had so many tins, its like she bought out the whole store! When Papa came home he was surprised at how much we had accomplished in one day. We made enough divinity to give to the whole town of Crawfordsville! Tomorrow we would go to our family and friends, giving them each the candy my Meme worked so hard to make. Some might not appreciate it, but our family does. This one recipe told a lot about our family. We love giving and making others happy. Christmas was our favorite time. In the Vanvickle family, it's all about the divinity.