After a couple of weeks off from the column, there are some upcoming events to report to you this week.
There will be a blood drive for the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center on Saturday at the Milano Volunteer Fire Department banquet room. The drive will last from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Contact Devin Love at 512-820-8034 for more information. Sponsor code is; BVL7.
GRADUATION—There will be a post-graduation parade around Milano for the Class of 2020 starting at 8 p.m., after the ceremonies on Friday, May 29.
Due to the school districts requirements to follow COVID-19 guidelines for outdoor commencement ceremonies, the event will be private rather than public, with graduates only allowed a certain amount of tickets.
After the ceremony, the graduates will get in vehicles and travel as a parade through town. It will follow the normal parade route for city holiday parades, staring at the football field, under the viaduct, through downtown past the post office, around to the Baptist church and circle around back to through downtown and back to the football field.
Everyone is invited to line up along the parade route to wish the MHS seniors congratulations.
BACCALAUREATE— The parents of the Milano Senior Class of 2020 will host a Baccalaureate service at 6:30 p.m. Sunday under the pavilion at Milano First Baptist Church. Come out and join the seniors in this celebration.
CANCELLATION—The annual Knight Family Scholarship Volleyball Tournament has been officially canceled. The group is still hoping to give away a scholarship to a graduating Milano senior this year and this was their only fundraiser.
If you would like to donate to this scholarship fund, you may do so by mailing a check payable to Milano ISD and in the memo put Knight Scholarship. Mail donations to Milano ISD c/o Mary Honeycutt, PO Box 145, Milano TX 76556.
RECIPE, REMINISCING—During the time off from the column I received a phone call from my second grade teacher Carolyn Hafley. She said she enjoyed seeing the old recipes I had put in this space in the past few weeks and asked if I remember the one for the rock candy we used to sell as fundraisers in elementary school.
She and I reminisced about how popular those candies where and how different moms would make them. Some were just jagged pieces, some in circles, and my favorite, the ones shaped like ears of corn. They would be put in old cornbread molds to make the rock candy and the shapes were cool.
Several different flavors of rock candy were sold: red cinnamon, green mint, blue coconut, root beer and lemon, and those are just the ones I could remember.
I was not able to come across the recipe from the 1980s that most likely gave several grade schoolers in Milano Elementary more than one cavity (but man that candy was tasty). However, I did find one that sounds similar.
Rock Candy
4 cup granulated sugar
1-1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1-2 tsp. food coloring
2 tsp. flavoring oil
Spray whichever shape candy mold or a 15x10x1- inch cookie sheet with cooking spray and set aside.
Combine water, granulated sugar, syrup and food coloring in a heavy saucepan and continuously stir over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. On the food coloring, you can use more or less depending on what color you are looking for.
Next, bring to boil over medium heat, without stirring, until a candy thermometer reads 300 degrees (hard crack stage). It will take about 25 minutes
Remove mixture from heat, stir in the flavoring oil, or you can skip this part if no specific flavor is wanted. If using oils, do not inhale over the pot while adding the oil; it is very strong and can take your breath away. These oils can be found in most grocery stores.
Immediately pour into prepared molds or pan. Cool completely, about 45 minutes, or less if you put it in the freezer.
If using a sheet pan, break the candy into pieces using the edge of a metal mallet. If wanted, sprinkle both sides of candy pieces with powdered sugar. Store candy in airtight container.
Thank you Mrs. Hafley for the trip down memory lane and recommending to run this recipe in my column.
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