Category: Food

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White Chocolate Gumdrop Fudge

Ok, all you dark chocolate purists out there…you may need to close your eyes for a few minutes, because what I’m about to say here, could–for you–border on blasphemy. I do apologize for that. Nevertheless, I feel compelled to forge ahead and share these daring words with you—you may want to sit down.

White Chocolate Fudge.

Be brave now–I was a non-believer once too, but not anymore because this stuff will have you singing Hallelujah along with a couple of angelic choirs. Smooth, creamy, melt in your mouth goodness with tiny gumdrop dabs mixed in–for good measure. Heaven, I tell you…pure heaven!

Oh, and did I forget to mention that this recipe is easy and whips up dang fast? Well, I’m telling you. Therefore, my dears–go now and make this, that your candy larders may be full against a time of fudge famine in all the land…

or something.

Gumdrop Fudge

Original recipe from Taste of Home

Ingredients:

1-1/2 pounds white candy coating, coarsely chopped

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

1/8 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract

1-1/2 cups chopped gumdrops– we used Dots

 

Directions:

Line a 9-in. square pan with foil; set aside. In a heavy saucepan, combine the candy coating, milk and salt. Cook and stir over low heat until chips are melted.

Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla and gumdrops.

Spread into prepared pan. Cover and refrigerate until firm. Using foil, remove fudge from the pan.

Cut into 1-in. squares. Store at room temperature.

Brothers and sisters—Can I get an AMEN?
 
White Chocolate Gumdrop Fudge
 
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Ingredients
  • 1-1/2 pounds white candy coating, coarsely chopped
  • 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
  • 1-1/2 cups chopped gumdrops– we used Dots
Instructions
  1. Line a 9-in. square pan with foil; set aside.
  2. In a heavy saucepan, combine the candy coating, milk and salt.
  3. Cook and stir over low heat until chips are melted.
  4. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla and gumdrops.
  5. Spread into prepared pan. Cover and refrigerate until firm.
  6. Using foil, remove fudge from the pan.
  7. Cut into 1-in. squares.
  8. Store at room temperature.
 
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Scotch Eggs

Saw this recipe online awhile back and was intrigued. Could there truly be something on the Scottish menu that isn’t deep fried or boiled in a sheep’s stomach? I can hear my little Scottish daddy laughing this very minute–because he didn’t think so. But I’m here to tell you that these tasty little breakfast bites are delicious—magnamoniously delicious–without frying.

No. Lie.

Simple ingredients too.

1 lb Bulk sausage

8 Hard Boiled Eggs

Bread Crumbs

Now, if you’re like me, you likely need a bit more flavor than boring old bread crumbs offer.

I had garlic croutons in the cupboard so we used them instead. Any flavor would work well. A food processor would have worked well too. I’m just saying…

Hard boil the eggs. Shell them–I shouldn’t have to tell you that, but I want to be clear.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Beat 1 raw egg in a bowl and set aside. 

Wrap a thin layer of sausage around each of the hard boiled eggs. I worried that this part would be hard–but the sausage was quite a team player and stuck to the egg very politely.

For further wise-woman insight, I’ll explain…

I used vinyl gloves for this bit because while the sausage sticks to the egg very nicely, it has a tendency to stick to your hands as well. Hence the gloves.  I roll about 1-2 Tbsps of sausage into a flat line from the bottom of my palm to the tips of my fingers. Lay the egg on top of the sausage and roll the sausage around it. Smush it around to cover the top and bottom of the egg. You’ll find that you’ll end up rolling it into a round ball. Now, dip your fingers into the beaten egg and gently spread over the sausage.  

Now, roll them in the bread crumbs.

Aren’t they cute? Bake them about 30 minutes–turning each one over after about 15 minutes, so that they cook evenly.

I thought maybe sausage gravy would be stupendous with these babies, but alas, we couldn’t wait. It was all I could do to get this picture before vultures started to circle. Warning Will Robinson–these don’t last long once the guys see them. I’m thinking they would make yummy lunch snacks…if you hide them.

Now go forth…

and make us proud.

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Happy St.Andrew’s Day!

(the patron saint of Scotland–of course!)
 
 
Scotch Eggs
 
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Ingredients
  • Bulk sausage
  • Eggs
  • Bread Crumbs
Instructions
  1. Hard boil the eggs.
  2. Shell them.
  3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
  4. Beat 1 raw egg in a bowl and set aside.
  5. If you are interested in more flavor you can mix a bit of sage or Ranch powder in with your sausage.
  6. Wrap a thin layer of sausage around each of the hard boiled eggs.
  7. Dip each sausage ball into the raw egg.
  8. Now, roll them in the bread crumbs.
  9. Bake them about 30 minutes–turning each one over after about 15 minutes, so that they cook evenly.
 

 

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Chocolate Pilgrim Hats

I know…I know. You’re thinking, “What?! Two cookie projects in one week?!! Launi, Launi–what are you doing?”

Hang on now–admit it. Aren’t these the dang cutest things you’ve seen in a long time? You know they are, so you see? I couldn’t help myself. Here they are…

Start with Fudge Stripe cookies, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups–the little ones,

Fruit roll-ups and Pez–any color. I was a bit disheartened to find that I only had pink Pez. Not sure how the pilgrims would feel about pink…but we forged bravely ahead.

At first, I thought we’d need frosting to glue everything together, but there is an interesting thing that happens when you put chocolate by more chocolate. They tend to stick. So, while I was mocking up the hats with sincere plans to make the frosting later, I came back and found that it really wasn’t needed.

I cut the fruit roll ups into strips with a pizza cutter, in a sort of rounded shape.

The better to lay flat around the hat…with.

Set the Pez up to the seam part of the fruit roll up. Again, I was thinking that we’d need frosting–and of course, you are welcome to use it, but these little beggars held together without it as well. And quite frankly, I’m not a huge icing fan–so why muck up a good thing if you don’t need to?

And there you have it my dears.

I think this yummy project would make lovely little diversions for the “kid’s table” on Thanksgiving.

What do you think?
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Mini Roadtrip

A Road Trip Tale

The other day, April called and said she needed to drive clear to the moon and back and did I want to come with her? You can’t actually make that long of a trip all by yourself, with two babies in the back seat. It’s not physically or emotionally possible without sacrificing a major portion of your sanity. Not smart either.

So, of course I wanted to come.

Besides the Logan trip is one of my personal favorites. Seriously, it’s quite a pretty, peaceful drive–as long as you can hand out fruit snacks to the two-year-olds in a timely enough fashion.

When we finally arrived at the shop, and April delivered her brand new quilt patterns, we decided that the day couldn’t possibly be over yet.

There was just more to see…and do…and buy…and…umm…nibble on.

So we scooted right on over to the Gossner’s cheese store, where we promptly bought out the rootbeer milk and squeeky cheese. No, there’s no more left. We got it all, so don’t even ask.

Still not satisfied–we kept right on driving until we reached the wicked, evil, marvelous, incredible cookie factory. I don’t have a picture of it for you because I was so excited to get there that my hands were shaking uncontrollably and it screwed up the picture.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

But this is what the car middle space looked like for the drive home. I don’t know exactly where all those ridiculous cookies and crackers came from. Perhaps the rapid intake of sugar impaired my memory some how. Pretty sure they were allll for the kids. {insert diabolical laughter}

It did make the drive home more interesting…that is until the sugar highs plunged down to the sugar lows. But never you fear. Because just as we were about to sink into the depths of much-too-much-junk-ism, we found a lonely little fellow at a roadside stand–with a fresh-picked supply of…

Autumn raspberries!! Oh happy day!

We were saved!

Now we could drive all the way home in corrected blood sugar level peace and safety…or something.

In fact, we bought so many raspberries that we could eat our fill and do it again and STILL have enough to share with the neighbors and all of you guys and the cat! We could send you all a package, just as soon as we got home. What a great idea. Watch for them in your mailbox.

Oh, sorry. Beckham said no.

The End.

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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Before this last week, the only Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookie I’d ever tasted was born at the grocery store. They were ok, fine, swell even. But I really wanted to find my own recipe and make it mine–to share with you.

Found it–tweaked it in a couple of places and ate them…all. Ok, with some help from the Bald Kid. But still…

Ingredients:

1 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter

1 egg

2 cups flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1-1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. vanilla

1-1/2 cups milk chocolate chips.

Combine pumpkin, sugar, butter, and egg. In a different bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well. Add vanilla and chocolate chips.

Drop by tablespoons on to greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until lightly brown. Cool on pan for about 3 minutes before moving to cooling rack.

I asked the bald kid if he liked the Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookies and he said,

“Dude. I ate 12 of them.”

I’m thinkin’ that’s a yes.

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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
 
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:
Ingredients
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin
  • ½ cup white sugar
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup butter
  • 1 egg
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1-1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 2 tsp. vanilla
  • 1-1/2 cups milk chocolate chips.
Instructions
  1. Combine pumpkin, sugars, butter, and egg.
  2. In a different bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, spices and salt.
  3. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well.
  4. Add vanilla and chocolate chips.
  5. Drop by tablespoons on to greased cookie sheet.
  6. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until lightly brown.
  7. Cool on pan for about 3 minutes before moving to cooling rack.