Cultural Artifact: Recipe

Nicole Tucker

Lisa Tucker, Ruth Johansen

The Johansen Family Cook Book

January 29, 2014

Title: “Oatmeal Candy”

Genre: recipe

Informant:  My mom scanned in this recipe to digitize it and then emailed me the jpeg file.  She was born in Provo, Utah in 1965 and lived there most of her life.  She went to Brigham Young University for some higher-level education when she got married at age 21 to my dad.  They lived in Provo, Orem, and now Lindon, Utah.  The original recipe was gathered for the Cook Book by my grandmother, Ruth Johansen.  She was born in 1928 and lived her childhood in Huntsville, Utah, later moving to Provo where she raised my mom. 

Context:   This recipe came from a book that was compiled of gathered recipes from family members in dedication to my great grandmother Seneth Johansen which was typed up and given to all of the descendants of her.  The recipe for “Oatmeal Candy” was a family favorite between my mom and her siblings when she was growing up; her brothers always talked her into making them.   She says she can still remember the specific pan she used to use.  The kids were allowed to make this recipe because it was a yummy treat that didn’t require use of the oven—it calls for stovetop application only.  Once they were old enough to operate the stove, this recipe was no longer off limits.  I remember the same for my childhood.  I would make this recipe all on my own (after my brother convincing me to do so).  We devoured the Oatmeal Candy with a big glass of cold milk on the side.

Text:

Oatmeal Candy

½ c. butter

½ c. milk

2 c. sugar ¼. Chocolate cocoa

Combine and cook for 3 min.  Stir so won’t burn.  Add: ¼ c. Peanut utter, 1 ½ tsp. vanilla, 2 c. oats (quick rolled).  Mix and drop.

Texture:  Oatmeal Candy was one of my childhood staples.  It was so chocolatey and sugary, as kids, we couldn’t get enough of it.  The peanut butter added just the right amount of zing, creating a creamy texture of chocolate goodness that was poured and mixed with the oats. Adding the oats tricked us into thinking they were healthy.  But as we grew up, we began to only put half the amount of sugar in because it was so rich. As the recipe instructions say “mix and drop”, we plopped the mixture onto cutting boards.  Once the oozing piles were dry and semi-cooled, we ate them with forks, right off the cutting boards.   After one or two “piles” the treat became so rich, a big gulp of milk was crucial.  I can still remember the satisfying taste it left in my mouth.

Meaning:

This assignment made me realize that this recipe is a part of my childhood memories and that it is also a tradition in the families before me.  It makes me want to teach my kids this recipe as soon as they are old enough to operate the stove.  It makes me feel sentiment, especially because it’s my grandmother’s recipe, and she died of cancer before I was old enough to know her.   The things she left behind are special to her kids because of the great person she was, this recipe is just one of the many things we remember her by.

Bonnie Moore

English 2010 10:30