My final fudge of the day - Ziplock Bag Fudge

Sometimes you just want a no muss, no fuss treat.  As my third type of fudge for my Valentine's Day cooking program, I am making Fudge in a Ziplock Bag.  No bowls, no clean up and you can eat it right out of the bag. Here we go...

Put one pound (yes, that is ONE POUND) of powdered sugar in a large ziplock bag.  Add 3 ounces of cream cheese.

Two tablespoons of butter

Measure out 1/2 cup of cocoa powder and put it in the bag

Squish all the ingredients together in the bag.

It is not as easy as it sounds.  Mix until smooth.  This next picture is after 10 minutes of smoooshing.

Keep smooshing until smooth. This is after 15 minutes.

You can now eat your fudge out of the bag or press into a flat container.

Fudge made with pinto beans???

Each month I try to find a different "theme" for the cooking program at the library.  For February, I thought it would be nice to do a Valentine's Day theme, so we're doing three kinds of fudge and making an origami box to put it in as a gift to the participants' valentines. One of the many request from the attendees is to have healthier recipe options. I scoured the internet and found No Bake Pinto Bean Fudge on www.food.com and decided to try it.  Here are the steps to make this fudge.

Mash the contents of one 15.5 ounce can of pinto beans.  I did mine in the food processor until smooth.

Add 3/4 cup of cocoa powder

Melt 1/2 cup margarine (or butter) and pour into food processor.

Add 1 tablespoon of vanilla and 2 pounds of powdered sugar.

Add the equivalent of 1 pound of sugar substitute*.

Turn on food processor and mix until all ingredients are incorporated.

Doesn't that look yummy?  Hard to believe there are pinto beans in there!!!!

Pour the mixture into a greased 9" x 13" pan and spread evenly.

Chop up 4 ounces of walnuts (optional)

The recipe I have from www.food.com mixes the walnuts into the fudge. I thought it would be nicer sprinkled on top.  What do you think??

No Bake Pinto Bean Fudge
www.food.com

Ingredients:

1 - 15.5 ounce can of pinto beans
3/4 C cocoa powder
1/2 C margarine/butter, melted
1 tbsp vanilla
2 pounds powdered sugar
1 pound sugar substitute (or equivalent to 1 pound of sugar*)  I used splenda baking blend
4 ounces walnuts, chopped (optional)

Directions:

1. Mash beans (I did mine in the food processor)
2. Mix together all ingredients
3. Grease a 9' X 13" pan, spread mixture into the pan
4. Put in the refrigerator and chill thoroughly
5. Cut into squares and enjoy!

*Make sure to read the sugar substitute package to get the correct measurement to equal 1 pound of regular sugar.

 

Red Velvet Cake Batter Fudge

If you like cake and you like fudge, you have to try making Cake Batter Fudge.  One of the coolest things about this recipe is that you can change the flavor of the cake mix you use to make many different kinds of fudge.  Today I decided to make it with Red Velvet Cake mix.

In a microwave safe bowl, mix 1 cup of cake mix with 1 cup of confectioners sugar.

Add 1/4 cup butter, cut up, and 1/4 cup of milk to the bowl.  DO NOT MIX...yet.

 



Microwave cake mix, confectioners sugar, butter and milk for two minutes. 

Stir immediately until completely combined.

Add 1/4 cup sprinkles and 1/4 cup of chocolate chips. Fold in gently as to keep sprinkle from bleeding into cake mix.

Spread mixture into a greased pan and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Cut into pieces and enjoy.

Cake Batter Fudge

Ingredients
1 C cake mix of your choice
1 C confectioners sugar
1/4 C butter, cut into small squares
1/4 C milk
1/4 C chocolate chips (or white chocolate, butterscotch, cinnamon. Make it go with your cake mix choice)
1/4 C sprinkles

Directions

1. Mix cake mix and confectioner's sugar in a microwave safe bowl. Add butter and milk. Don't stir.
2. Microwave for 2 minutes. Stir immediately until completely mixed. Add sprinkles and chocolate chips. Do not over mix as sprinkle color may bleed.
3. Spread into greased pan. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Cut into squares and enjoy.

This makes on 6" x 6" container, or double for an 8" x 8" pan.

Note: If the batter comes out too runny, stir in 1 tsp of sugar or cake mix at a time until stiff. If too thick, slowly add 1/2 tsp of milk at a time. The batter is supposed to be thick.

I am thankful for...

It's been a pretty rough year. Between family health issues, horribly weird weather, and major work stress, it's been hard to find things to be thankful for this year.  I have decided to take some time out of my day off to ponder what I am thankful for and share them with you. Here they are, in no particular order.

1. I am thankful for my wonderful husband Mike.  In October we celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary and I fall in love with him all over again every day. He is stood by me through illnesses, a car accident, major surgery, triumphs, and tragedies. He has taught me to enjoy the little things in life.
2. I am thankful for the technology that allows me to "visit" with my family up North. Skype and Facetime has made it so I can actuall SEE that my Dad is doing well after his hip surgery. They let me see how fast my neices and nephews are growing up. While it is not the same as seeing them in person, it helps to take away some of the sting of being so far away from my loved ones.
3. I am thankful for having a job. It isn't a horrible job, a fantastic job, or my ideal job, but it is a job. At the library I see so many people who are hurting because they can't find a job. When I am having a bad day at work I try to remember these people and how lucky I am. 
4. I am thankful for my family. It is so hard to be so far away - especially when Dad got so sick. I really appreciate my brothers and their wives who were able to step in where I was unable.
5. I am thankful for my parents neighbors. During Dads illness the Hersteins, Mrs. Dickson, and the Stackpole family have done wonderful things to help my Mom and Dad. I'll never forget that and I pray for them every day. 
6. My little dog Buddy. He is always there for me. His unconditional love has helped pull me out of the deep depression of living so far from my family and everything I've ever known and living in the horrible place we live. He is my little buddy.

To be continued...

Food blogging isn't as much fun when it becomes a job.

I've kind of gotten out of blogging regularly about my food adventures.  It's not that I'm not having those adventures, it is more that I haven't been enjoying the blogging part.  Besides this blog, I have a page on Examiner.com.  It is more of an informational page and it has a lot of rules, such as...you can't write in first person.  While I have done really well there and have managed to improve my writing, I enjoy writing at Mrs. H and Food Glorious Food a whole lot better.  Between the strict rules at Examiner and the whole blogging thing feeling more like a job, I believe I will be giving up on the Examiner page and just sticking to this one.

With the major "food holidays" coming up, I believe I'd rather concentrate on my fun site and leave the serious writing to the professionals. 

Here's to having fun with food again.

My crazy travel day comfort food

After 11.5 hours, we finally arrived safely in New Jersey. What did I choose to eat when we stopped at a REAL diner at 10 pm??? Yup, Taylor ham, egg, and cheese on a hard roll. The stressful day melted away as I bit into the delicious layers of pork roll, cheese, and egg on the flakey roll. Ahhh....delicious happiness.

And we're off...

Here we sit at the airport waiting to fly to New Jersey. We are ridiculously early, which is good. New Jersey food reports are in the future. I can't wait to see family and friends.