Peanut Butter Fudge

Whenever I think of fudge, I think of the old time candy shops down in Galveston, TX where they have things like rocky road fudge, classic chocolate, and usually peanut butter fudge.  I'm not entirely sure who's bright idea it was to have candy shops next to a place that requires women to show off every bulge to all of kingdom come, but when I was a kid with a metabolism it was a great place to be.  This recipe makes the creamiest and most decadent peanut butter fudge right in the comfort of your own bathing-suit not required home.  The great thing about it is that for the candy making novice I feel like it wasn't super difficult!  Please don't be frightened by the amount of sugar in the recipe, some things just require five cups of sugar to attain greatness...

Peanut Butter Fudge
from allrecipes.com

4 c. white sugar
1 c. light brown sugar
1/2 c. butter (1 stick)
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
1 (7 oz) jar marshmallow creme
1 (16 oz) jar peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Grease a 9x13 baking dish and set aside.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat combine the sugar, brown sugar, butter, and evaporated milk.  Stir constantly until the mixture reaches a boil (try to keep sugar crystals from sitting on the edge of the pan, they can crystallize and give you crunchy fudge).  Once the mixture boils stop stirring and let boil for 7 minutes without any stirring.  This part gave me a heartache because I just KNEW it was going to do something crazy, but just trust that it'll come out fine.  Remove from the heat and stir in the marshmallow creme until melted and well combined, then stir in the peanut butter and vanilla until smooth.  Spread in the prepared baking dish and let cool completely before cutting into squares and devouring the entire pan.

-D

Marshmallow Java Chill

I got this recipe out of the cookbook in the picture below.  It's old and has that smell like it's been in a library for years.  My grandma bought this cookbook back in 1950 and it contains recipes from the Woman's Club from Roswell, NM.  Among the pages are recipes like "Ham Loaf Special", "Creamed Tuna", and "Log Cabin Pudding". 

The recipe below was in a miscellaneous section and didn't have a title (hence the dorky name I gave it), and apparently was given to the recipe book by Mrs. W. W. Phillips.  She has two Ws in her name, that's how you know it's going to be legitimate.  I think I was intrigued by this because it only has a few ingredients, but mixed together I wasn't entirely sure what the texture would be.  After sitting in the fridge for awhile it's a creamy texture with just a hint of coffee, I think I'd even be tempted to pour some chocolate sauce on top.  This would be great on a hot day in lieu of ice cream or pudding, and I'm sure was served at bridge parties back in the day.

Marshmallow Java Chill

from Roswell Woman's Club Cook Book

1/2 lb Minature Marshmallows

1/2 c. hot coffee

8 oz. cream.

In the top of a double boiler melt the marshmallows.  When they are dissolved, remove from the stove and stir in the hot coffee.  Set aside and let cool.  Beat the cream until it becomes a whipped consistency.  When cooled fold in the whipped cream into the coffee mixture.  Put in the fridge* for several hours before serving.

-D

*As a side note, I put half of this in the fridge and half in the freezer, and both came out really well.  The one in the freezer tasted a little more like ice cream, and the one in the fridge was more like pudding.

Easy Blueberry Cobbler

The last time I visited my Grandma she pulled out dozens of recipe cards that she's had forever.  This cobbler was among those recipes and stuck out to me because of the way the card looked.  I mean this is a legitimate honest to goodness tried and true recipe!  You can tell it's been through a lot and fed a lot of people.

This cobbler is great for a last minute dessert and odds are you will have everything in your pantry to make it.  I am among the group of people who could eat cake batter and cookie dough all day long and this batter was no exception.  The great thing was that since there aren't any eggs in it you can eat as much as you want!!

Easy Blueberry Cobbler

1 c. flour
1 c. sugar
3/4 c. milk
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 c. butter
1 can of fruit (I used pie filling, but any fruit will work)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium sized bowl mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Pour in the mix and stir until combined.  Melt the butter and mix into the flour mixture until well combined.  Pour the batter into a baking dish and spread evenly with a spatula.  Pour the fruit on top of the batter and spread evenly.

Bake for 40-50 minutes or until fruit has sunk to the bottom and the top is golden brown.  I ended up having to cover it with foil to make sure the middle was cooked all the way through. 

Enjoy with a big scoop of ice cream!

-D

Tangy Cherry Fool

Dark cherries.  Heavy cream.  You can't really go wrong here, right?  This is the perfect (and quick) spring dessert.  Cherry puree layered with freshly whipped cream with a subtle hint of lemon.  Yeah, this feels right. 

Tangy Cherry Fool
adapted from Everyday Food

1 bag (16 oz.) frozen cherries, thawed with liquid drained
1/4 cup granulated sugar
coarse salt
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/3 cup confectioners sugar
4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

In a blender, combine cherries, granulated sugar, and pinch of salt.  Puree until sugar dissolves, about 1 minute. 

With an electric mixer, beat heavy cream and confectioners sugar on high until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes.  Beat in lemon juice. 

In six small glasses, alternate layers of cherry puree with whipped cream.  Using a skewer, gently swirl puree and whipped cream together.  Smooth tops and serve immediately.

{T}