Ran Into An Old Friend At The Grocery Store...

I was shopping for some raw peanuts the other day in order to make my annual Christmas Microwave Peanut Brittle and lo and behold, I ran into Betty!  She was standing right by the raw peanuts in the produce section with this confused look on her face.  I saw Betty's bewilderment and asked if she was ok.  She was fine...just couldn't figure out what these strange things were in the Melissa's Organic Fingerling Potato Medley bag. http://melissas.com/ We laughed and joked about these tiny odd looking potatoes that were oblong and all different colors.  Betty said, "They probably came from overseas like everything else does these days!"  Ah, Betty...such wisdom...I enjoyed listening to her as we discussed everything from our kids, to our multiple husbands, to our job choices to just about everything else under the sun that girlfriends do chat about.  You see, Betty was a widow before she was twenty years old with three young kids to feed, so she went straight to the fields to do the man's work left behind by her deceased husband, and when she was able, she gathered her kids and moved to Springdale, Arkansas to get a more pleasant indoor job at the turkey plant.  She's been retired for a while...Betty's going to be 79 in January. I felt a twinge of sadness as Betty told me about her daughters and their families who lived close by and how they were all so busy.  But we were also proud that  we both had raised our kids to be able to support themselves and have good lives on their own.  I told her, "Now, Betty, you know they work every day and it's so hard to get loose."  She said, "Yes, but just one Sunday for a short while wouldn't hurt!"  Betty did have a point.  We joked and laughed right there in the produce isle for about an hour as everyone shopped around us. As we prepared to leave and go our different ways, I told Betty I would come and see her sometime soon.  She was so excited. Today, I've made Di's Christmas Microwave Peanut Brittle and I'm off to find Betty's house.  She told me where she lived...not far from me...I'm sure I'll be able to find her place...you meet the nicest people in the grocery store...

Di's Christmas Microwave Peanut Brittle

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup white syrup

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup raw peanuts

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon butter

1 teaspoon soda

Put sugar in a glass bowl, add syrup, stir, add salt, stir, add peanuts, stir well, microwave for 3 minutes

Take out and stir, microwave again for 3 minutes.  Take out and add vanilla and butter, stir, microwave 1 minute.  Take out and sprinkle the soda over the mixture and stir. Quickly pour onto a greased cookie sheet. Allow to cool. Break into pieces and enjoy!