Ma's Fudge - a Slightly-Biased Opinion of the Best Chocolate Fudge

Thanks for the Fudge, Ma (and the Memories)

My mother made the best fudge. No, really, I'm not kidding. I've had fudge from all over the United States and several countries of the world, so I know my fudge. I don't know where she got the recipe, but I do know that she'd been making it for at least as long as I've been on this earth. My sisters and I have tried to duplicate it and while we've had decent results, it never did quite measure up to Ma's. For that matter, there are probably a number of things I didn't measure up to in her eyes, and understandably so.

Ma would make 'her' fudge for every holiday and family gathering and no matter how many batches she'd make, it would disappear from 'the fudge dish' in short order. Yep, Ma had a special serving dish for her fudge and it was known as just that - the fudge dish.

What made Ma's chocolate fudge so special? The list of ingredients doesn't look much different from the many other recipes I've tried over the years. Even when others followed her recipe, it just wasn't the same. So what was it she did that made it 'hers'?

Heavy saucepan - check.
Wooden spoon - check.
Real Marshmallow Fluff - check.
Quality vanilla extract - check.

I've got it all, so what's missing?

Ma made her share of mistakes - as a daughter, wife, mother - as have we all. She rarely showed her love in a demonstrative way, but we never doubted that love. She displayed it in the things that she did for us, in the best way that she knew how. Working long hours in the mill for barely minimum wage to try to keep food in our bellies. Coming home after that hard day to tend to five children and a thankless husband, if he was even there.

And yes, simple things like making 'her' fudge.