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I can make food stuffs, too
Tis winter (though you'd never know by stepping outside. Seriously, coastal Carolina, the entire month of November was freezing but December is beach weather?) so that means I venture into the kitchen and attempt... things.
First I made the Fudge Kit I bought at work. It was okay on the first day and super yummy on day three. It was also really easy to make, so if you come across the Carnation Famous Fudge kit, it's probably worth the money if you don't want a ton of fudge, you don't want to spend a fortune, and you can wait at least 24 hours before biting into anything beyond maybe one piece. It also comes with the pan (cardboard but that just means you don't have to worry about retrieving it at the end of the day/night) so for $4.99? Definitely worth the price. (It was on sale.)
That prompted me to make my absolute favorite fudge recipe. It's the Fantasy Fudge recipe that used to be on the back of the Kraft Marshmallow Creme jar but then they tweaked it, so... make at your own risk?
However, the Internet is our friend.
Makes about 117
3 cups sugar
3/4 cup margarine
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 12-oz. (340 g) package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 7-oz. (198 g) jar Kraft Marshmallow creme
1 cup chopped nuts
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Traditional method:
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 until blended. Pour into greased 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Let cool and cut into 1-inch squares.
Microwave method:
Microwave margarine in 4-quart microwave-safe bowl on HIGH (100%) 1 minute or until melted. Add sugar and milk; mix well. Microwave on HIGH 5 minutes or until mixture begins to boil, stirring after 3 minutes. Mix well; scrape bowl. Continue microwaving on HIGH 5-1/2 minutes; stir after 3 minutes. Stir in chips until melted. Add remaining ingredients; mix well. Pour into greased 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Cool at room temperature; cut into squares. Makes 3 pounds.
Note: Can be made in a smaller pan for thicker squares (yield will be reduced).
Sometime in middle school I realized a few things about fudge. One, it's delicious. I remember sneaking downstairs to the fridge and snitching some from the pan Mom would make for Dad every year.
Two, Mom hated to make it. She told me so herself when I begged her to make a second batch one year.
Three, I make a damn fine fudge if I don't make it when it's too hot/humid here. I think it was decided that since I liked making it, loved eating it, and could handle the stirring, I would be the maker of the fudge.
I've tried a variety of recipes over the years and this is the best one I've tried. It's stupidly simple and endlessly adaptable. If you can focus on one task for fifteen minutes or so, you can make this. The hardest part is mixing the marshmallow into the chocolate mixture, and that's only because you've just spent the last six minutes stirring the mixture from one stage to another. Yet every year I forget that it's not that much of a pain to make and by the time it's fudge making time again, I've built it up to this horrible task. I'm going to guess one of the past recipes really was hard to make or I've gotten better at focusing on the task at hand.
That said, I make it on the stove so I can't comment on the microwave instructions.
The boy handed over a piece of fudge that he proclaimed the family fudge and I was asleep, so I put it by the bed and went back to bed. Ate it this morning. Yeah. Mine is tastier.
And on a less sugary note, I tried my hand at the "totally Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuit Knock-Off Recipe!" from the Top Secret Recipe 2 book. (I'm too lazy to look up the actual name of the book.)
It's been so long since I had the real thing that I have no frame of reference for how well they stack up, but Mums made some Saturday. They were pretty yummy (the second batch moreso than the first due to a timing issue) but didn't taste all that much like the Real Thing. Mine were even tastier, which is funny since baking is my kryptonite. (I get so bored and easily distracted.) I'm not sure how close they are to the real ones, but good lord, I just want to eat all 12. SO GOOD.
Ingredients:
2 ½ cups Bisquick baking mix
¾ cup cold whole milk
4 tablespoons cold butter (1/2 stick)
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
1 heaping cup grated cheddar cheese
Brush on Top:
2 tablespoons butter, melted
¼ teaspoon dried parsley flakes
½ teaspoon garlic powder
pinch salt
Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. Combine Bisquick with cold butter in a medium bowl using a pastry cutter or a large fork. You don't want to mix too thoroughly. There should be small chunks of butter in there that are about the size of peas. Add cheddar cheese, milk, and ¼ teaspoon garlic. Mix by hand until combined, but don't over mix.
3. Drop approximately ¼-cup portions of the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet using an ice cream scoop.
4. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until the tops of the biscuits begin to turn light brown.
5. When you take the biscuits out of the oven, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a small bowl in your microwave. Stir in ½ teaspoon garlic powder and the dried parsley flakes. Use a brush to spread this garlic butter over the tops of all the biscuits. Use up all of the butter. Makes one dozen biscuits.
Recipe courtesy of Todd Wilbur, "Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2," Plume Books.
So yummy. And they're the perfect thing to eat while reading about crazy Margo trying to kill the Wakefields. Woo!
First I made the Fudge Kit I bought at work. It was okay on the first day and super yummy on day three. It was also really easy to make, so if you come across the Carnation Famous Fudge kit, it's probably worth the money if you don't want a ton of fudge, you don't want to spend a fortune, and you can wait at least 24 hours before biting into anything beyond maybe one piece. It also comes with the pan (cardboard but that just means you don't have to worry about retrieving it at the end of the day/night) so for $4.99? Definitely worth the price. (It was on sale.)
That prompted me to make my absolute favorite fudge recipe. It's the Fantasy Fudge recipe that used to be on the back of the Kraft Marshmallow Creme jar but then they tweaked it, so... make at your own risk?
However, the Internet is our friend.
Makes about 117
3 cups sugar
3/4 cup margarine
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 12-oz. (340 g) package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 7-oz. (198 g) jar Kraft Marshmallow creme
1 cup chopped nuts
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Traditional method:
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 until blended. Pour into greased 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Let cool and cut into 1-inch squares.
Microwave method:
Microwave margarine in 4-quart microwave-safe bowl on HIGH (100%) 1 minute or until melted. Add sugar and milk; mix well. Microwave on HIGH 5 minutes or until mixture begins to boil, stirring after 3 minutes. Mix well; scrape bowl. Continue microwaving on HIGH 5-1/2 minutes; stir after 3 minutes. Stir in chips until melted. Add remaining ingredients; mix well. Pour into greased 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Cool at room temperature; cut into squares. Makes 3 pounds.
Note: Can be made in a smaller pan for thicker squares (yield will be reduced).
Sometime in middle school I realized a few things about fudge. One, it's delicious. I remember sneaking downstairs to the fridge and snitching some from the pan Mom would make for Dad every year.
Two, Mom hated to make it. She told me so herself when I begged her to make a second batch one year.
Three, I make a damn fine fudge if I don't make it when it's too hot/humid here. I think it was decided that since I liked making it, loved eating it, and could handle the stirring, I would be the maker of the fudge.
I've tried a variety of recipes over the years and this is the best one I've tried. It's stupidly simple and endlessly adaptable. If you can focus on one task for fifteen minutes or so, you can make this. The hardest part is mixing the marshmallow into the chocolate mixture, and that's only because you've just spent the last six minutes stirring the mixture from one stage to another. Yet every year I forget that it's not that much of a pain to make and by the time it's fudge making time again, I've built it up to this horrible task. I'm going to guess one of the past recipes really was hard to make or I've gotten better at focusing on the task at hand.
That said, I make it on the stove so I can't comment on the microwave instructions.
The boy handed over a piece of fudge that he proclaimed the family fudge and I was asleep, so I put it by the bed and went back to bed. Ate it this morning. Yeah. Mine is tastier.
And on a less sugary note, I tried my hand at the "totally Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuit Knock-Off Recipe!" from the Top Secret Recipe 2 book. (I'm too lazy to look up the actual name of the book.)
It's been so long since I had the real thing that I have no frame of reference for how well they stack up, but Mums made some Saturday. They were pretty yummy (the second batch moreso than the first due to a timing issue) but didn't taste all that much like the Real Thing. Mine were even tastier, which is funny since baking is my kryptonite. (I get so bored and easily distracted.) I'm not sure how close they are to the real ones, but good lord, I just want to eat all 12. SO GOOD.
Ingredients:
2 ½ cups Bisquick baking mix
¾ cup cold whole milk
4 tablespoons cold butter (1/2 stick)
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
1 heaping cup grated cheddar cheese
Brush on Top:
2 tablespoons butter, melted
¼ teaspoon dried parsley flakes
½ teaspoon garlic powder
pinch salt
Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. Combine Bisquick with cold butter in a medium bowl using a pastry cutter or a large fork. You don't want to mix too thoroughly. There should be small chunks of butter in there that are about the size of peas. Add cheddar cheese, milk, and ¼ teaspoon garlic. Mix by hand until combined, but don't over mix.
3. Drop approximately ¼-cup portions of the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet using an ice cream scoop.
4. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until the tops of the biscuits begin to turn light brown.
5. When you take the biscuits out of the oven, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a small bowl in your microwave. Stir in ½ teaspoon garlic powder and the dried parsley flakes. Use a brush to spread this garlic butter over the tops of all the biscuits. Use up all of the butter. Makes one dozen biscuits.
Recipe courtesy of Todd Wilbur, "Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2," Plume Books.
So yummy. And they're the perfect thing to eat while reading about crazy Margo trying to kill the Wakefields. Woo!