Chocolate Fudge

Food gifts are the best . . . I love to give them as well as receive them . . . especially sweets. Fudge is one of the perfect gifts to give anyone. The methods of packing and gift wrapping are endless . . . just about everyone loves fudge . . . it is one of those universal gifts . . .

When I quit working and suddenly had to adjust to being a one-income family, store bought gifts were the first thing to go . . . especially the past extravagance of Christmas. I was blessed with the ability to create cool and unique items that everyone in the family loved to receive. Handmade gifts are so appreciated by most people because they are special and made with lots of love. Teenagers into designer names are the exception . . . but I made them realize that setting the trends and being unique was more cool than being like the sheep who follow everyone else.

This is the only fudge recipe I use . . . CHOCOLATE . . . it is the only one I need . . . it is that good and relatively easy.  Even in my working days, we had a tradition of taking vacation days around the Christmas holiday, we baked and cooked non-stop in preparation for our annual Christmas party and made lots of food gifts for our guests to take home. I remember one year spending two days just making batches of fudge, one at a time . . . those were the good ole days for me! 





Makes 100 1-inch pieces


12 ounces German sweet chocolate, broken

12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate morsels

7 ounces marshmallow creme

4 1/2 cups sugar

13 ounces evaporated milk

2 tablespoons butter

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon vanilla

2 cups broken walnuts






Place chocolate bars, morsels and marshmallow creme in a bowl.

Combine sugar, milk, butter and salt in a heavy 3 quart saucepan. Bring to a boil on high, stirring constantly. When the mixture boils, lower heat to medium and set a timer for 6 minutes. Keep mixture boiling steadily and stir constantly during this time to prevent scorching.

At the end of 6 minutes, pour boiling syrup over chocolate and marshmallow creme. Beat until chocolate is melted and well blended. Beat in the vanilla and nuts.

Pour into a lightly buttered 13 x 9 x 2 inch pan. Let cool at room temperature for 24 hours. Cut into 1 inch squares and pack in airtight containers.







I have no idea where this recipe came from, but I have used it year after year since I was out on my own.

Fantasy Fudge

This is the original, older version of the Fantasy Fudge recipe from the back of the Kraft Marshmallow Creme jar.  Kraft has changed the original recipe, but I found it in my stockpile of old labels, newspaper clippings and old magazines.



Ingredients:


3 cups sugar
3/4 cup margarine
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 12-oz. package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 7-oz. jar Kraft Marshmallow creme
1 cup chopped nuts
1 tablespoon vanilla




Directions:


Combine sugar, margarine and milk in heavy 2-1/2 quart saucepan; bring to full rolling bail, stirring constantly. Continue boiling 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring. Remove from heat, stir in chocolate till melted. Add marshmallow creme, nuts & vanilla beat till blended. Pour into greased 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Let cool and cut into 1-inch squares.


Makes 3 pounds.

Deviled Eggs

Today is National Deviled Egg Day!

To celebrate the day, I have posted recipes  with variations and a  link for many more deviled egg recipes from the "Deviled Egg Gourmet"

Always keep your deviled eggs well-chilled, taking additional precautions in the summer months. Not a good idea to eat deviled eggs left out of the refrigerator for more than an hour or so, especially during hot weather.


Adapt the recipes to suit your lifestyle . . . use light mayonnaise to help cut down on the calories from fat to accommodate low cholesterol and low fat diet plans (with 50% less fat than regular mayonnaise). My choice is Hellman’s . . . regular mayonnaise will produce a creamier result.



Deviled Egg Recipe #1


Ingredients


12 large eggs, hard cooked, peeled, carefully sliced half
½ cup Mayonnaise
¼ cup Sour cream
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Prepared white horseradish
8 ounces Bacon, cooked crisp, drained, crumbled fine
4 Scallions, chopped fine




Directions


Put egg yolks into a small bowl and mash them with the back of a spoon.


Stir in mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard and horseradish. When yolk mixture is smooth, stir in bacon and scallions. Taste for seasoning. Using two spoons, stuff egg whites with the yolk mixture.


Source: Foodista






Deviled Egg Recipe #2


Ingredients


6 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and cut lengthwise
¼ cup Light Mayonnaise or Salad Dressing
½ teaspoon dry ground mustard
½ teaspoon white vinegar
1/8 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Paprika for garnish




Directions


Remove the egg yolks to a small bowl and mash with a fork. Add mayonnaise, mustard powder, vinegar, salt and pepper and mix thoroughly. Fill the empty egg white shells with the mixture and sprinkle lightly with paprika.


Cover lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to one day before serving.


Source: DeviledEggs.com . . . this website has lots of deviled egg recipes!






My Deviled Egg recipe


I don't measure!


Remove the egg yolks to a small bowl and mash with a form. Add mayonnaise, a bit of sour cream (optional) and a splash of pickle juice until desired texture and taste is achieved. 


Spice with a little salt and a dash of cayenne pepper to taste . . . use black pepper if you don't like spicy hot. Finely cut pickles and add to the mixture. 


Fill the egg whites with the mixture, sprinkle with paprika or cayenne pepper and garnish with a pickle slice cut in half.

Garlic Dill Potatoes

Potatoes are tossed  in a garlic dill butter before serving in this  awesome side dish

Ingredients

8 medium red potatoes, cubed

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

Place the potatoes in a steamer basket, 

and set in a pan over an inch of boiling water.

Cover, and steam for about 10 minutes, 

until potatoes are tender but not mushy.

In a small bowl, stir together the 

butter, dill, garlic, and salt.

Transfer the potatoes to a serving bowl, 

and pour the seasoned butter over them.

Toss gently until they are well-coated.

Source:  AllRecipes