Favorite Fudge

This fudge tends to be a holiday treat around our house.  I like making it as a gift and putting it into mini foil loaf pans with sprinkles on top along with a knife inside the seasonal packaging.  That way, the recipient doesn't have to wait to get home to dig in!

Ingredients

½ cup butter
3 cup sugar
1 can (13 oz.) evaporated milk
2 pkg. milk chocolate chips
1 pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 (7 oz.) jar marshmallow crème
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla

Directions

Bring butter, sugar and milk to a full rolling boil in heavy 4 quart saucepan, stirring constantly.  Boil 5 minutes on medium heat, stirring constantly to prevent scorching.  Remove from heat.  Gradually stir in chocolate chips until melted.  Add remaining ingredients through vanilla; beat until well blended. Pour entire mixture into a greased 13" x 9” pan. Cool; cut into squares.

Giggles

This candy tastes very similar to a certain well known candy bar with peanuts, caramel, and chocolate. Since our kids prefer no nuts, my version is peanut free and has a name similar to but even cuter than the original ;) 

Ingredients

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 bag (10-1/2 ounces)marshmallows (miniature melt more quickly)
1 bag peanut butter chips or 2 cups
½ cup butter
½ cup peanut butter
1 bag milk chocolate chips or 2 cups

Directions

Line a 13" x 9" pan with foil and coat with cooking spray.  In a saucepan over low heat, combine the condensed milk, marshmallows, peanut butter chips, butter and peanut butter. Cook and stir until smooth. Pour into prepared baking pan; spread evenly. Scatter chocolate chips all over top. After a few minutes use a spatula spreader or knife to smooth chocolate over top. Cover and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes.  Lift foil out of pan; cut into squares. Store covered. Yield: 4 dozen.

Butterscotch Dainties

Here is a super easy recipe that is a hit with kids and adults. My older sister was given the recipe from a co-worker named Gloria over 25 years ago.

Ingredients

6 cups cornflakes
½ cup peanut butter
1 bag butterscotch chips
Optional – chocolate chips

Directions

Place corn flakes in a big bowl. Slightly crush them. Melt peanut butter and butterscotch chips together and stir until combined (microwave or stovetop is fine). Pour over corn flakes and mix until corn flakes are completely coated.

For bake sales, drop by teaspoonful into mini muffin/candy liners (Wal Mart, Target, Michaels and Hobby Lobby usually have these with cute characters and seasonal themes. I line them up on a half sheet pan and just fill them up, put them in the freezer until solidified, then transfer them to rigid containers or plastic bags. 

For home, drop them onto sheets of waxed paper by the teaspoonful. Chill to set. Eat some, freeze some! 

As seen in the picture, I melted some chocolate chips and drizzled on top to make these very simple cookies look fancier.

Note: I personally use a cookie scoop to make it go really quick (like the small size from Pampered Chef). Our kids love to help with this cookie and they are so addictive!

Turkey Time Chili

Offer this with a toppings bar of beans, cheese, sour cream, onions, Fritos, jalapenos and hot sauce to create a fun evening gathering for family and friends.

Ingredients

5 onions, chopped
¼ cups minced garlic
2 T. olive oil
2 T. seasoned salt
1 tsp. pepper
5 lbs. ground turkey
10 T. chili powder
12 oz. tomato paste
5 T. cumin 
5 tsp. oregano
6 lbs. diced tomatoes (#10 can)
2 green bell peppers, chopped

Directions 

Cook onions and garlic in olive oil. Add salt and pepper. Add ground turkey and break up as browning begins. Stir in tomato paste and spices. Once turkey is pretty well cooked, add tomatoes and green bell peppers and combine thoroughly. Bring to boil. Once boiling, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Cool.

T's Texas Sheet Cake - Half Sheet Size

I loved eating this cake growing up and have recreated it to fit into a half sheet pan to be able to serve a lot of people (or eat a lot!). It freezes really well also.  The recipe includes pecans as an option, but you can see by the picture I used sprinkles that add fun to any cake! (If you would prefer to make a smaller size cake, I have a post for a jelly roll pan size of this also.)

Ingredients 

Cake:

1 ½ cups butter        

1 cup water

½ cup coffee   

1/3 cup cocoa powder    

3 cups sugar

3 cups flour       

1 ½ teaspoons baking soda      

¾ teaspoon salt

3 eggs

¾ cup buttermilk      

1 ½ teaspoon vanilla                    

Frosting:                                                

½ cup butter    

¼ cup cocoa powder

6 tablespoons milk    

1 lb. powdered sugar       

1 teaspoon vanilla
Garnish: (optional)
1 ½ cups pecans, dry-roasted or
Sprinkles

Directions 

Cake: Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease and flour a half sheet pan. In a medium saucepan, bring butter, water, coffee and cocoa powder to a boil, stirring constantly, over medium heat. Remove from heat and set aside. In a large bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, baking soda and salt. Add the eggs, buttermilk and vanilla and mix well. Add the cocoa mixture and blend well. Spread evenly in the prepared pan and bake for 15 - 20 minutes. Prepare the frosting.

Frosting: In a saucepan over medium heat, bring the butter, cocoa powder and milk to a boil. Add powdered sugar and vanilla; mix until smooth. Spread over warm cake. If using garnish, sprinkle with pecans or sprinkles and lightly press into frosting.