A Bag of Caramels

This week is Book Fair at the kids’ school and I co-chair the event with another mom.  Spending all day every day at school is not a valid reason to excuse myself from field meal prep.  So, in the wee hours this morning, I stumbled to the kitchen to put together calzones, brunch fruit and caramel-chocolate squares.

My fairy farm princess crept into the kitchen shortly thereafter.  Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she mumbled something like, “CanIhelp,mama?”

I set her at the table with a saucepan and a bag of caramels.  “Unwrap these.”

Now, I don’t have too many memories of cooking or baking with my mom.  In fact, she laughs that she failed in passing on kitchen knowledge to her girls.  We spent our time outside, in the garden, in the barn, in the pool. We can be rather self-sufficient that way.

But caramel-chocolate squares, I remember, specifically unwrapping the little brown cubes.  My sister and I would slyly pop a few in our mouths.  Mom would inevitably throw a stern, “Don’t eat the caramels” our way.  But we ate them, only a couple times getting in real trouble for consuming so many.  When we were older we’d stand at the stove stirring the melting caramel.

I don’t know why that simple thing triggers such a vivid memory for me.  Maybe because that small bag of caramels meant my mom, sister and I were together, sometimes quietly, sometimes in full on gossip mode.  Regardless we girls shared a moment – simple and sweet.

(And these brownies are sweet!  For the recipe, visit Field Meals.  Caramel –Chocolate Squares are on Menu 10.)

Read more 30 Days of Farm Girl Memories

• Kick-off
• Day 1: Surprise Kittens
• Day 2: The Men in My Life
• Day 3: Small Town Saturday Night
• Day 4: “Fall”ing in Love

And find other 30 Day bloggers starting with the one who got us into this – Holly Spangler from My Generation.