Sunday, February 20, 2011

The Butterscotch Sauce Recipe and the Art of Sharing


I have to admit, I debated about whether to post this butterscotch sauce recipe.  It's actually from my mother-in-law, who got it, as you can see from the recipe name, from her Great Aunt Ethel.  Maybe I was hoping she would tell me not to post it so that I wouldn't have to decide for myself whether or not to do so, but she said to go right ahead and let it out onto the great wide internet.  

So here I am, sharing this recipe with you.  Several of you have already asked me for it, and I have stalled or promised to make you more of the stuff myself.  (I made jars of these and gave them away as holiday gifts.)  And, when I really think about it, I fully believe in sharing good things, not hoarding them.  So, in the spirit of sharing, here it is:
Great Aunt Ethel’s Butterscotch Sauce
As the name hints, this recipe comes from Margie’s great aunt Ethel.  When Margie first poured this sauce on some vanilla ice cream for Steve and me, I fell in love instantly.  The sauce is thick and it solidifies when it hits the cold ice cream so that when the sauce enters your mouth it is ever so slightly crunchy.  Margie’s recipe book states that she gave this ice-cream topping as a Christmas gift in 1985 and that a triple recipe will make about 9 cups, or 9 small jars. 
4 T butter
1 ¼ c brown sugar
2/3 c white corn syrup
¾ condensed milk
Melt butter, add sugar and corn syrup and boil to 230° or until it forms a soft ball in water.  Add milk and serve warm.  Makes 1 ½ cups, which serves about 6 people. 

Do make it and let us know how it comes out.  

I would also like to share with you some other wonderful things.  I am constantly inspired by the blogs around me and grateful that people have the courage to share themselves with those around them, something that I am slowly learning how to do.  It's not an easy thing for me, but reading what others have shared makes the endeavor that much more doable.  

First, you should check out Jules Blogspot, a new blog by a woman who I know will share some great lessons with us, along with recipes and photographs from her travel.  I always appreciate this woman's willingness to share herself with others, from giving tons of time to her work and her community to being open about herself and her own life.    

After reading Jules' blog, do visit my cousin Lauren's blog, Write a Pumpkin, Bake Some Prose.  The author of this blog posts constantly, and I love that she simply snaps a picture of whatever it is she made that night for dinner or dessert and immediately puts it out there.  This is a place you can return to often and always find something new.  Also, Lauren used her own jar of Great Aunt Ethel's Butterscotch Sauce on this Coconut-Banana Cream Pie that looks heavenly.  I haven't made this yet, but I plan to soon.  Talk about sharing the love and paying it forward!  Thank you for this wonderful gift, Pumpkin Prose.  You can find her pie recipe here.   

Once you have decided on a recipe to try from Pumpkin Prose, you can pop on over to More Than a Weed, a hilarious blog written about pregnancy, motherhood, and life by another cousin of mine, Christy.  Christy began this blog while pregnant with her daughter, Purslane (not a weed!), and made me literally laugh out loud while reading it.  Now that Pursy is an adorable 7 or 8 month old, Christy posts about many other things besides pregnancy.  Like Jules from Jules' Blogspot, Christy has a unique gift for sharing herself with those around her.  It has been a treat to hear her thoughts via More Than a Weed.  

By the time you are finished digging into these three places, hopefully the snow will be melting and your mind will turn to what mine always turns to...weddings!  Yes, despite this crazy winter we are having, the snow will be replaced with green grass and sunshine.  Those of you who are engaged, are helping the bride as a bridesmaid, or who just love to look at beautiful wedding pictures (great ideas for other non-wedding events, too) will find this site and blog, Down the Aisle, to come in handy.  Christine is woman I met more recently who used to be in health insurance and realized that what she really loved to do was plan weddings.  She now owns and manages her own successful wedding planning business, Down the Aisle, LLC, and is an inspiration to all of us who want to cut our own paths towards work we truly love.  

Another woman who quit her job as the art director at a publishing firm to do what she had always wanted to and open her own successful cookie business is Ricki Hellner.  She owns Haiku's Luscious Cookies and graciously agreed to take me on as a baker this past summer when I had quit my teaching job.  You can find her cookies at the Whole Foods stores in CT, RI, NY, and MA, and at many small specialty food stores in Connecticut.  To find specific store locations, go here.  You can even find a picture of me on the Haiku site if you go here!  A portion of the proceeds from the cookies goes to help wild mustangs--another example of a woman doing inspiring work that positively impacts those around her.  

After wedding dreaming and finding and sampling some of Haiku's cookies, you need to make time to visit Eyes Peeled Always, a blog written by a young woman that I have known since first grade.  While we don't talk any longer, we do visit each others' blogs, and I think of her often.  Hers is one of the most inspiring blogs I have read, and her words are a constant reminder to me about what is truly important in life.  Last summer when I was gearing up to return to teaching, reading this woman's blog helped realize it would be my last year of teaching and helped me gain the courage to quit.  

If you are not already full of all kinds of share time inspiration, or even if you are, you should not forget to look at Cup O' Cake Designs.  I put this one last on the list because it is here that I come full circle.  Reading this woman's blog in January of 2009, I was inspired to create my own baking blog.  If she could do it, then couldn't I?  And so her blog is really the reason I began my own and highlights the true joy in sharing.  Since this blogger is pregnant and thus soon to be immersed in newborn baby activities, I imagine she will be very busy over the next few months.  However, perhaps she will share with us some of the things she creates for the baby and some of the things she makes for herself along the way!

Finally, do put yourself out there and share the blogs that have inspired you by posting links to them in the comments section.  And, if you are one of those people who has been thinking about starting your own blog, now is a good time to do so.  Once you've got your first post, please let us know!

2 comments:

brubaker wildflower said...

My Aunt Ethel and Uncle Dudley lived in Cleveland and she taught in their toughest inner city high schools for years. My Uncle Dudley played Santa for all our children's Christmas parties in the 50's. They never had children of their own and I think she would be thrilled to know this bit of her legacy was still being passed on. Thanks for sharing, Elena.
xoxoxo

rissykay99 said...

First, I want some of that sauce.

Second, I am so honored and touched to be included on your list. I haven't posted anything in ages, and I feel awful about that. I'm always thinking "I need a blog post!" Here's hoping that after I finish the curtains, laundry bag, and sleeper for the baby this week I can actually get off my rear and post them.