I Must Be Moving On

OK, I've got a lot to do today!

*   Firstly - It's my bloggoversary (sort of)!  Yes eight years ago, two days ago, I wrote my first blog post (here)!  I had no idea how long I would go but it certainly wasn't this long.  It's been a lot of fun and as Forrest Gump once said "I'm pretty tired, I think I'll go home."  Yes, I'll probably do one more post to make it an even 500 and then I'll probably do as my gran-dad used to say "call in the dogs and piss on the fire," for as those Supertramp lyrics say "I must be moving on."  I may drop in on occasion but at some point you've got to realize you don't have too much more to say on a given topic and I've probably already said too much!  :)

*   Secondly (sort of) - This is my 499th post - oh wait, I already implied that.  But because I'm a slave to retail, I tend to mark time and efforts at odd intervals (see here).  This is sort of my Wal-Mart special, a loaf of bread for $0.99 or in this case a 500th post for the low price of 499 (psst, it's called psychology pricing or in this case blogging with a lack of cognitive purpose)!

*    Nextly -  Since I minored in English and enjoy thinking about words I don't know how to use, I always like to use this time to say a word about the word of the year.  This year the word of the year is:

Oxford - Toxic
Dictionary.com - Misinformation

These are good words for me and this blog. Finally a word that describes the reality of this blog, misinformation on how one should react to marital frustrations and the resulting pursuit of infidelity through "married dating" social sites and how to avoid the potential for toxic outcomes.  But really, aren't we so through with misinformation and toxic environments (along with other recent words of the year words like complicit and post-truth)?  I really want to get back to a time when we had meaningful words of the year like:

Well I think the best way to be complicit in moving past toxic misinformation in a post-truth world is to think about good things.  And the best thing to think about at this time of year is -

*    the real point of today, Lastly

 Which is -

 JZ's Annual Bloggers Holiday Cookie Post

Divinity - A True Southern Delight


Ingredients:

1 Cup      Boiling Water

3/4 Cup   Light Karo Syrup (btw, for Southerners there is no other corn syrup!)
3 Cups    Sugar
Pinch           Salt
2                  Egg Whites
1 Cup          Chopped Pecans
48                Pecan Halves, which in Mississippi you can usually just get in your back yard!
1 tsp            Vanilla

Instructions:
*     Heat water, Karo Syrup, Sugar, and salt to a gentle boil at 234 degrees (measure w/candy therm)
*     Separate out egg whites from eggs into mixing bowl (eggs should be at room temperature), beat/spank egg white vigorously (ask JZ how to do this) until frothy or turned on.
*     Add 1/2 of syrup to egg whites in mixing bowl, whisking constantly.
*     Continue heating remaining syrup to 270 degrees or until "crack" stage and by "crack" I mean candy, you won't be smoking this!
*     Pour "candy"/syrup mixture into egg mixture bowl, whisking constantly until high gloss turns to dull and let cool.

Not the Beaumont Mansion!

*     Fold in chopped pecans and vanilla into candy mixture.
*     Drop candy by spoonfuls onto wax paper.
*     If candy sets too fast add a drop of remaining boiling water to make creamy as you spoon onto wax paper.
*     For garnish, add a pecan half to top of candy just before it sets.

If you want a visual on this, JZ was good enough to alert me to a YouTube video on making Divinity, How to Make Real Divinity - The Hillbilly Kitchen.  This is a little different recipe but that Cream of Tartar is a good idea whenever making a meringue type recipe.  And I do like the idea of the Hillbilly Kitchen as this is real Southern!

Most people think about snow and the North Pole at Christmas.  But to me, growing up, Christmas was always about traveling south passing through Chattanooga, Birmingham, and Jackson in route to the most southern place in the world - Vicksburg and walking into my grandma's home where there would always be plates of fudge and of course Divinity.

Please check out our other cookie makers today!

Hi everyone,

Thanks again for playing along. (I love you guys!)

Here's the link list for you to include in your post.

I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone comes up with! :-)

Best,

Jz

Baker

Bogey and Bacall

Cat

DelFonte

Fondles

greengirl

Hermione

Jz

Katie

Kelly

Lindy

messymimi

Mrs. Fever

Olivia

ronnie

Ryan

Sassy

"Goodbye stranger, it's been nice;
Hope you find your paradise.
Tried to see your point of view,
Hope your dreams will come true......"

"Oh, I'm leaving,
I've got to go...."