Candy for sale

So what's the most ironic thing for a diabetic to take two days of vacation to do? Make candy, of course.

And not just any candy. I'm talking about good old fashioned peanut brittle, hunks of pure sugar watered down with corn syrup and a handful of nuts. Mmm!

Every year at my church, there's an arts & crafts fair. Two years ago, me and the missus decided that we could have a go at running a homemade candy booth. I, being a math nut, whooped up a spreadsheet calculating cost per square inch and break-even price point models, and then took two days off work to set upon the task.

That year, I made two sheet pans each (!) of peanut brittle, pecan brittle, cashew brittle, english toffee with almonds, and english toffee without almonds. Each of these was cut into baggie-sized bars (which has to be done while it's cooling), bagged and tagged.

Between batches, the missus made fudge. Lots of fudge. Lots of flavors of fudge. Chocolate, chocolate pecan, chocolate walnut, butterscotch, and peanut butter. All of it cut, bagged and tagged.

We managed to sell enough of the almost 400 pieces of candy to make it worth our while, so we decided to do it again the next year and again this year. Each time, we add something to the mix. Last year it was divinity and peppermint fudge; this year we're going to try a chile pepper brittle, pecan praline fudge, and (to the delight of diabetics everywhere) a sugar-free "fudge".

So don't call me or come by tomorrow or Friday, unless you want to help.