The Wilder Zone

The Best (and Easiest) Chocolate Fudge & Rocky Road Candy EVER

I've always loved this time of year, and everything that goes along with it and when my boys (now 18 & 21) were little I used to bake up a storm every year beginning just after Halloween. I made butter cookies with frosting and sprinkles, snowball cookies, cream cheese cookies, mini-cranberry, pumpkin, banana and blueberry breads, cheesecakes, butterscotch clusters, fudge and rocky road candy, just to name a few.

The boys would help with the prep and with packaging a variety of the goodies to give to neighbors, teachers, friends and family. It was quite the production and very time-consuming.

In recent years the list of goodies I make has dwindled significantly. The only two that have survived are the fudge and the rocky road candy. Why? Well...for two reasons...they're super simple and quick and they're incredibly yummy.

My oldest son moved to California back in Aug. '07, and I haven't seen him since. He flies in tomorrow night for the holidays. I couldn't be more thrilled. I can't wait to see him, to wrap my arms around him and give him a hug. That's not what he's thinking about however. He's thinking about fudge and rocky road candy.

In fact, the first thing he said when I told him I'd booked his ticket was not about how much he was looking forward to seeing me, or his dad, or his brother, or even his friends. He said, "You know you're going to have to make fudge and rocky road candy."

In fact, at one point last week, I told him I thought I might have lost the fudge recipe. His reply? "I will have to kick your ass if you don't find it! That is the BEST fudge EVER." He was laughing as he said it and he'd no doubt have forgiven me had I lost it, but for him, it's become one of those holiday traditions that he looks forward to, and has missed, since he moved. Thankfully, I found it.

I can't claim that the fudge recipe is an old family recipe handed down for generations. It's a recipe I stumbled upon and decided to try 15 years ago and it's become a family favorite. As for the rocky road candy... it has been a family holiday tradition since I was a kid. My mom made it every year. Where she got the recipe I have no idea, and I'd be surprised if she even remembers now.

I love good food of all kinds, and I love to bake and cook, and while I'm willing to give a complex recipe a try when I have the time and energy, my favorite recipes are those that are quick and simple, yet really delicious.

I've never understood why some people refuse to share a great recipe. To my mind, a great recipe is not something to horde. The more people that can enjoy it the better. It occurred to me yesterday as I was buying all the goodies that go into these two recipes, that I could share them here as my holiday gift and way of saying thank you to all of you fabulous peeps.

Granted, it's a bit last minute...but that's the beauty of these two recipes. You can whip up a batch of each in less than 20 minutes. And...(I love this part)...unlike many candy recipes, neither of these requires that you be proficient with a candy thermometer. (Something that always sounded like more trouble than I wanted to bother with.)

I can't begin to compete with the Pioneer Woman of The Pioneer Woman Cooks blog (hands-down my favorite cooking blog and chock full of other great holiday recipes), so you'll have to do without the gorgeous step-by-step photos, but these are so simple you'll do just fine without them.

Here we go...

Chocolate Fudge

• 2 cups milk chocolate chips
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• Dash salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Put the chocolate chips and the sweetened condensed milk in a heavy saucepan and melt the chips slowly over low heat. Stirring often. Remove from heat and add vanilla extract. Blend and pour into an 8 x 8 pan lined with foil. Place in refrigerator to chill. (Once the fudge is slightly chilled and set, you can lift it out of the pan with the foil to make the next batch.)

You can make this fudge with any combination of chocolate chips, depending on your preference and peppermint extract can be substituted for the vanilla for a twist on the traditional recipe. And, if you must, you can add walnuts. Personally, I think adding walnuts ruins perfectly good fudge. : )

Rocky Road Candy

Now, don't let the name fool you...I'm not a fan of Rocky Road ice cream and in fact, I'm not much of a fan of marshmallows, but trust me when I say this particular combination is to die for! Mmmm....

• 1 pkg. (12. oz.) of semi-sweet chocolate chips (milk chocolate chips are delish too - whichever you prefer)
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 3 cups mini-marshmallows
• 1 cup peanuts

In a large bowl combine the marshmallows and peanuts and set aside. Combine the chocolate chips and peanut butter in a heavy saucepan and melt slowly over low heat. Stir till blended and remove from heat. Pour the chocolate mixture over the peanuts and marshmallows and mix well. Spread in an 8 x 8 square pan lined with foil and chill till firm. (Once the candy is slightly chilled and set, you can lift it out of the pan with the foil to make the next batch.)

Yup, they're really that simple, and even better, virtually foolproof. I'll be making a half dozen batches of each in all of two hours sometime over the next couple of days. Give 'em a try and be sure to let me know what you think.

Happy Holidays!

Monday Mischief - Go Scrooge Yourself!

In the mood for a bit of mischief? Then take a moment to pop on over to Office Max where you can scrooge yourself for your own amusement or to provide a bit of holiday humor for your friends and family.

God's Way of Saying, "Have a Nice Day"

HassleMe - A Fun Way to Nag Yourself

If you haven't discovered this free service yet, you've got to check it out. I happened across it one day and just had to try it out. The site's tagline, "because sometimes in life you just need to be nagged," says it all. You fill in a simple form telling them what to hassle you about, how often, and where to send the emails.

Although I selected "roughly every day" for how often to hassle me to write a blog post, the other day I received 4 emails hasseling me about it and ironically I needed to be hassled that often because I'm just now writing that post. I had to smile each time I got one. It's a fun way to nag yourself. So if you need to remind yourself in a unique way to do something, if you're at the bottom of yet another pit of procrastination, give HassleMe a try. It might be just the thing to get you into action.

 

Choose Your Domain Name VERY Carefully

I just happened across a fabulous post titled, "Does Your Domain Name Suck?" by Wendy Piersall on her eMOMS AT HOME blog. I'm still laughing. It's hysterical and will make you wonder what on earth some of these folks could have been thinking when they chose their domain names. If you're in the process of choosing a domain name you've got to read this post. Even if you're not...take a moment to read it anyway. I can't think of a better way to wrap up your Monday than with a good laugh.

Before Coffee

A friend just sent me this image and I burst out laughing as I thought, "That's what I feel like before coffee!" Although I'm an early riser, I'm not one of those people who bounces out of bed fully alert and raring to go.  I roll reluctantly out of bed, groggily groping my way to the kitchen and the coffee maker before I do anything else. Attempting to engage me in conversation or activity before my morning coffee....not a good idea.

I just had to share this because I know I'm not alone and I suspect more than a few of you will be able to relate. It's one of those less-than-ideal things about me that I'm well aware of, and while it's nothing to brag about, it is what it is and I can laugh at myself about it. Some of those nearest and dearest to me may not be quite so inclined to laugh about it when they're trying to get me to respond coherently to something first thing in the morning, but they've learned that if they give me fifteen minutes of peace and quiet with my morning coffee, they're much more likely to elicit an intelligible response.

Fun Quote

The next time you find yourself feeling doubtful you can accomplish something you've set out to do, just remember:

All it takes is faith and trust and a little pixie dust. ~ Peter Pan

Friday Fun - 10.26.06

You may have heard the buzz about the Ok Go video, but if you haven't seen it yet, crank up your speakers and check it out. Who knows? It may even inspire you to exercise. It sure does make even the treadmill look like an awful lot of fun. Ok...Go!

Free Hugs

A short, heart-warming movie sure to start your day on an uplifting note:

http://www.freehugscampaign.org/

Smile for the Day

You may have already seen these floating around the web, and I'm not sure of their origin, but they're sure to start your day with a smile......