Finger Licking Good!

I have this CD that Gonzo and I bought the first year we were married.  It's a Texas Country artist who was really a nobody at the time and we loved his music.  When I was packing up my classroom in Kaufman to move to Arlington I played that CD on my computer over and over.  Now, anytime I hear a song from that CD on the radio it takes me back to my classroom.  I can almost smell the room!  It always blows my mind how vivid those memories are when the music hits my ears.  I think to myself why are those memories so impressed in my mind.  Was it the music?  Was it the excitement of moving to a new town?

What about looking at pictures?  Do you have some of those same experiences when you look at pictures from a certain time in your life?  Every year my sister in law and I make a photo album for my parents. When the album came in the mail and I looked at it I was overwhelmed with emotions from the last few months of 2013.  I saw certain pictures and could remember even the emotions I was feeling on the days the pictures were taken.  I remember conversations that I had on those days.  I remember prayers I prayed on those days.  I have no doubt that the reason those memories are sooooo vivid in my mind are because of the weight of life that was on our back at that time.

My favorite thing that brings back memories is food!!!!  I mean let's be real here!  I LOVE food!  I love to cook!  I love to bake!  I love to try new restaurants!  I love to try new food!  I think food brings back memories more than anything else.  The recipe I am fixing to tell you about has many memories behind it.  It's a family recipe and from generation to generation the memories have continued with it!

It started with my Granny who got the recipe from a friend of hers when my dad was a little boy.  They were hooked and started fixing it every Saturday morning for breakfast while my dad and his sisters would watch cartoons on their black and white tv.  My dad was in second grade when he remembered these special Saturday morning treats.  He talked about times when his friend Steve would come stay the weekend on the farm and she would fix it to pour over Texas French Toast before he and Steve would spend the day hiking the farm.

My memories of this syrup are from summers at my Aunt Sam's house (my Dad's little sister).  When I taste it I think about wading pools that we swam in on the back porch, pallets on my cousins bedroom floor, coke floats every night, and bike rides after dinner.  Everything comes back when I taste this syrup.  For me the syrup is Aunt Sam's Syrup.  For my Dad and Aunt Sammye it's Mom's syrup (aka Granny's Syrup).  With each generation there are memories!  Good, deep, and sweet memories! 

Here it is
Granny's Maple Syrup
1 stick of margarine (I use salted butter)
1 Tbsp. of flour
1 cup of water
2 cups of sugar
1 tsp. maple flavoring (Mapleine is what we use)

In a saucepan, melt butter.  Add the flour and mix until it's smooth.  Add water and stir.  Bring to a boil over medium heat.  The mixture will be smooth and thick.  Turn off the burner and add the sugar.  Stir to combine and continue stirring until  the sugar dissolves.  Add the maple flavoring and stir to combine.

 In a saucepan melt one stick of butter and add the flour.

Stir until smooth and the flour is mixed in.

 Pour in the water and stir to combine.

 Bring to a boil and cook on medium heat until the mixture begins to thicken.

 Turn off the heat and add the sugar.

 Continue stirring until the sugar has dissolved.

 Add the maple flavoring

 Stir to combine

 We had breakfast for dinner tonight and decided on waffles!

It's good on anything...waffles, pancakes, french toast, ice cream, bread pudding, on a spoon, in a straw!!!!  No seriously it's delicious!

Here is a warning for anyone brave enough to introduce this to your family!

I warned you!!!!!

Now go eat and make memories!!!