It’s perfectly OK to fudge the ingredients in this dessert recipe.
James Cady is providing a fantastic fudge recipe for holiday baking, but feel free to add whatever your
family fancies: peanuts, peanut butter, coconut, walnuts or blueberries.
“Raisins are a favorite, too,” said Cady, who is retired from county government, his own accounting
business and the Navy.
The original recipe comes from Diane Lake, his stepdaughter’s mother-in-law, who made it for the holidays
about three years ago.
“I got some … for Christmas and I thought I’ve got to learn how to make this, and one time a year wasn’t
enough to have it,” Cady said.
He changed it enough where Lake said she didn’t mind if he shared it in the Cook’s Corner.
“(She) used crème marshmallow and I use real marshmallow and put them in when it’s cooking.”
Stirring the fudge constantly while it’s cooking is key, Cady added. He recommended using a handmixer to
avoid fatigue and keep the fudge from slopping over the edges onto the stove.
“You’re supposed to stir it constantly (over 20 minutes),” he said. “By using a handmixer, it’s a steady
thing plus you don’t get as tired.”
Cady caters to his sweet tooth. Besides the fudge, he regularly concocts big batches of toffee.
“Fudge is strictly sugar, while toffee’s got a butter thing,” he said. “The one I make, it’s hard but not
brittle hardness.”
Cady’s known for his baking skills.
“His biggest pride and joy is pies,” said his wife, Leslie.
He uses a recipe from his late wife’s grandmother to prepare a light, flaky crust. Sandra, who did all of
the cooking for Cady and their two daughters, died Jan. 2, 2010.
Having little experience in the kitchen, Cady said he and his daughter, Linda, lived on TV dinners for
weeks. An illness forced him into changing their eating habits and to start cooking.
Cady readily admits he liked being married and missed the companionship greatly when Sandra died. James
and Leslie met through their church via an email on June 3.
They were married on July 3.
“I knew I didn’t want to be alone,” Cady said. “I was looking for somebody who had a love for the
scriptures. I believed that any two people can have a wonderful marriage as long as it’s based in the
gospel of Jesus Christ.”
The Cadys live across the street from their church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
Leslie Cady had worked with people with disabilities for 25 years and immediately took to James’ daughter
Linda, who has cerebral palsy. Linda now lives independently.
Leslie Cady has three children, one of whom lives down the street. Cady’s other daughter, Laura, also
lives on Conneaut Avenue.
The Christmas spirit abounds in the Cady household. The couple dresses up as Santa and Mrs. Claus to ask
for donations outside of Wal-Mart for the Salvation Army. The bell ringers collected so much cash that
they were asked to repeat.
A nativity tree in the living room stays up year round. The ornaments are changed with the season:
Snowmen for January, patriotic ones for Memorial Day through Fourth of July.
Another tree of note is painted on one whole wall of the playroom. All 18 grandchildren have a spot on
the family tree.
Eleven of those grandchildren live on Conneaut.
When the Cadys don’t have a house full of grandkids or aren’t at church, he can be found working on some
project around the house. He’s extensively remodeled the home he’s lived in since 1989. His latest
project is building a nativity scene for the yard.
One item Cady won’t be seen baking is bread.
“I haven’t mastered how you do yeast. I seem to kill it every time.”
Fudge
Ingredients
4 ½ cups sugar
1 can evaporated milk
1 stick butter (1/4 pound)
3 cups miniature marshmallows
1 package semi-sweet chocolate chips
Optional: coconut, walnuts, blueberries, raisins, peanut butter
Directions
Mix in a large pan: sugar, evaporated milk and butter.
Boil four minutes (rolling boil), mixing continuously with a handmixer.
Add miniature marshmallows, mixing and boiling for two more minutes.
Take off stove. Add one package semi-sweet chocolate chips and stir for four minutes more.
Add any of the amenities (below) and continue stirring for two more minutes.
Pour into pan and spread evenly.
To make it peanut butter flavored, add 2 tablespoons of peanut butter or add coconut, walnuts,
blueberries or raisins.