The "F" Word

I'll admit it.

I use the "F" word a little more than I should. C'mon, we've all said it at one time or another. It's a word we use to fit a variety of occasions but let's face it, mostly we use it because it just feels great to say it. Some of us say it a lot more than others. I can't remember exactly the first time I heard the "F" word, but I do know that I learned it at a very young age from my mother. She used it a lot. She probably learned it from her mother. Now that I think of it, I've heard the word used many times in my immediate and extended family. The disturbing thing is that kids are no exception. It's shameful but I've found that nothing in the world will bring a smile to a child's face quicker than the "F" word.

Now if you are anything like me, when I am in a bad mood and I use the "F" word, it immediately makes me feel better. It's a terrible weakness I know, but the word itself brings such satisfaction that I just can't deny the occasional indulgence. Although I don't use the "F" word everyday, it feels so good to shout it out every so often, in fact, I feel a huge one coming on right now..........close your ears.........here it comes................

FUDGE!!!!!!

Well, what in the heck did you think I meant?

So now my secret is out. I've found that the "F" word can bring even the most reformed Chocoholic to their knees. Over the years I have collected many different Fudge Recipes from many different people.....and although there are many easier and quicker recipes, I always fall back to my old favorite that I've used for years. It's the one I started with about 40 years a long time ago. It's a little more time consuming, but in my humble opinion, it is totally worth it. This is the real deal. No shortcuts. This fudge is so good it could make a train take a dirt road. Oh.....so you don't believe me??? Try it and see....I double-dog dare you.

You will need:

2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1 cup milk (not skim or no fat...what's the point?)
4 tablespoons butter (not margarine)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Start by generously buttering a 5 x 9 pan....OR sometimes I use a round 8" cake pan. Whatever works for you...just do it. :) You can also use cooking spray to grease the pan.....it works just as well. Then set it aside and start the show!

Combine the sugar...

cocoa.....

..... and milk in a medium saucepan.

Stir to blend, then bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer. Do not stir again.

Hey! I said don't stir it again.

Hard to resist, isn't it??

Carefully attach the candy thermometer to the inside of the pan and cook over low heat until the temperature reaches 238 degrees F(114 degrees C) or the soft ball stage.

I can't believe that I am still using my mother's candy thermometer from the 50's. See the lady on the box...doesn't she look happy?? She's holding up the candy thermometer saying "Hi, I'm wearing pearls and making fudge". She must be medicated.

Anyway, if you are not using a thermometer, then cook until a drop of this mixture in a cup of cold water forms a soft ball. Feel the ball with your fingers to make sure it is the right consistency. It should flatten when pressed between your fingers. Keep in mind that it will take about 50-60 minutes at a low rolling boil, over low heat for it to reach the soft ball stage. Remove from heat. Add butter and vanilla extract. Beat with a wooden spoon until the fudge loses its sheen. Do not under beat. (If you want to make marshmallow or nut fudge, pour a little fudge into the pan, just enough to coat the bottom, then add the marshmallows and nuts before covering it all over with the remainder of the fudge.) Pour into the prepared pan and let cool. (Try not to stare at it) You should get about 60 pieces from one batch.

Then carefully step back, take a deep breath, spin around, click your heels three times and shout "FUDGE - IT!"

Feels good, doesn't it??

Now close your eyes and eat a piece.

Just one piece please.

See..didn't I tell you?

Ahhhhhh. Giddy Up.

The Baking Vortex

It all started innocently enough.


I have always been a lover of cookbooks, so in July of 2008 I decided to go all out for my nephew Cam's 13th birthday by baking these monsterous double chocolate covered cupcakes. I got the idea as well as the recipe from one of my beautiful cookbooks. I literally have about fifty of them in all shapes and sizes. The topics range from Cupcakes to Cake Decorating, from Baking to Fondant. I'll admit it. I'm a pushover for a great looking cookbook.

Now I think it's important for me to mention that I come from a large family of chronic chocoholics, including my parents and their parents and their parents before them.......and my sister and brother-in-law....and my niece and two nephews, and all of my aunts, cousins and uncles too. I am convinced that we have chocolate running through our veins, not blood. I'm serious. Growing up in my family, if someone dropped a dish and said, "Oh Fudge", everyone came running into the kitchen yelling, "Where?"

My many visits to South Carolina to see my Aunt Grace and her family always ended by baking something that contained chocolate. On one of my trips, after experimenting with several recipes from one of my aunt's well-worn and highly coveted cookbooks, I found it stashed away in my suitcase when I arrived home. The inscription says it all.....

Growing up, I avoided cooking or baking anything alongside my mother, unless you want to count a Creme Brule that had to be made for me to receive my Girl Scout Cooking Badge. My mother, being a bit of a control freak perfectionist, found it difficult to allow me to make mistakes, so she almost always did it herself. Actually, the Cooking Badge should have gone to her instead. I have always wondered, just how important is it to stir a sauce clockwise instead of counterclockwise?? Is it true that it can actually reverse the earth's rotation? Well according to my mother forty years ago, if I didn't stir it the "correct" way, yes....it could. So, for the most part my cooking and baking skills were honed while my parents were out of the house. Fudge was my specialty. Still is.

I recently took an Adult Education Course in Cake Decorating at a local high school. It was a very basic course, but enticed me with just enough information to whet my appetite for more. I got "the bug". I gathered up all of my cookbooks and researched the internet. I spent hours and hours looking at pictures of cakes, cupcakes, frostings and fondant. I have taped every episode of Ace of Cakes, Amazing Wedding Cakes and Food Network Challenge and I continue to soak it all in. I frequent web sites and baking blogs to study techniques. And while I constantly test recipes and attempt to mimic even the most difficult designs, my ultimate goal is to create my own original "niche". My co-workers are my taste testers. They tell me what tastes good and what tastes great. The best preparation for me in this new venture was to purchase this book at Barnes & Nobles on the science of baking.

Looks so easy, right? Mix ingredients together, bake it, take it out of the oven and presto.......magically it's done....but how does it happen?? What makes the cake rise?? What makes a cake fall flat??? I always wondered why so many recipes instruct you to cream the butter and sugar together first. Well, now I know. Do you?? This book explains the science behind it. I'm hopeful that each explanation will help me to become a better baker.

So now I am in this up to my neck. But I am enjoying it. It has provided me with another creative outlet and I am finding it quite challenging. It started with one person ordering cupcakes from me and now, it has almost taken on a life of its own. I work from referrals and since I already have a full-time job, I can usually only handle one or two orders a week.

For my sister Kathy's birthday this year, I surprised her by making a Purse Cake. This entire cake is edible. I read books, I looked at hundreds of online photos.......

I started by sketching it out....




then baking and stacking ...



...and frosting them .



...then I hand-carved it,



...and covered it with white fondant.






The "leather" bands are fondant which was stained with brown food coloring and vodka. I used the same technique for the "handles" which are made of gumpaste. I used a fork tine to punch "stitch holes".




I made a paste of gold dust food coloring and vodka and painted the purse "hardware".


Voila.

She loved it.