Easy Fudge

I've had very little time for keeping up these other sections of the blog, but Patrick just sent me this recipe and confirmed it is both easy AND delicious.  I think he should send some of the finished product my way so I can judge for myself!

Here's the recipe:


2 packages (11.5 or 12 oz package) of choc chips (1 milk chocolate, 1 dark or semi sweet chocolate)
1 can of sweetened condensed milk (14 or 16 oz)
3 tablespoons of butter
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans or peanuts(this is optional)

Combine first three ingredients in a microwaveable bowl.
Microwave on high for 3 minutes.
Stir everything up and add the nuts if you are using them.
Pour into a 9 by 13 pan (for thinner fudge) or a 9 by 9 pan for the ticker version shown above.

A French Treat

In 7th grade I took French (and 9th grade and 10th grade).  I loved that class.  The teacher remains one of my all time favorites and she did her best to include cuisine into our curriculum whenever possible.  One day when we showed up for class she had a baguette and a bar of chocolate.  She told us it was a common snack for kids when they got home from school.  A chocolate sandwich. 

Now, it's rare that we have a yummy piece of bread AND a plain chocolate bar laying around our house at the same time, but when we do, you can be sure I will make this:

My guess is that true French children have fresh baguettes from the local market and some sort of savory Belgium chocolate.  But, croissants leftover from one of my mom's parties and a Hershey's bar does the trick.  It might seem an odd snack but it's super delish!

Deep Fried Pickles

Another State Fair favorite of ours.  Another recreation from our party.  I know, they sound disgusting...or at least I thought they did.  Maybe you think they sound delish!  As a side note, if you haven't already, try these at the State Fair.  Only, order the ones that also have cream cheese in them.  We'll have to investigate this year how they accomplished this addition. 

To save myself some time, visit the onion ring recipe.  Now, instead of onion slices, use pickle slices. Dredge them in the flour mixture, just the same, and then the batter, and then the Panko bread crumbs.  Into the fryer, onto the paper towels, dipped in ranch.

Tedious, but another favorite from the party.

Deep Fried Snickers

About five years ago the State Fair introduced their latest stick creation.  Deep fried candy bars on a stick.  I had to try one.  If it's made with Snickers, there is a chance I will love it.

My thoughts were mediocre.  While tasty, it was WAY too much breading and just fell like a brick into the bottom of my stomach.

At our State Fair party we decided to try them ourselves.  Only, I suggested we just use fun size Snickers because I didn't want anyone feeling sick after trying it.  The results were outstanding.  I think I had four.

Ingredients
Snickers (pick your size, but the fun size worked well for us!)
1.5 c flour
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 c milk
2 T white vinegar
1 T vegetable oil (I used olive oil).

1. Freeze your candy bars.  Rock hard.
2. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. Whisk in the wet ingredients.
4. Coat the frozen candy bars in a thin layer of flour (or cornstarc).
5. Dip them in the batter, shaking off the excess but ensuring the candy bar is completely covered.
6. Fry until golden brown and then just a touch longer to make sure the inside is all melted and gooey.
7. Sprinkle with powdered sugar
8. Eat, repeat.

State Fair Corn Dogs

We recently hosted a "State Fair Warm Up" party with our neighbors.  We tried corn dogs, cheese curds, fried pickles, onion rings, and fried snickers.  Some recipes worked better than others.  The following was Riley's favorite (and Amy's too).  Riley worked her way through two large corndogs in a matter of minutes.

Ingredients
1 c flour
2/3 c yellow cornmeal
1/4 c white sugar
1 1/2 t baking powder
1 t salt
1 egg, beaten
1 1/4 c buttermilk
1/2 t baking soda
2 pounds hot dogs; room temperature
cornstarch
disposable chop sticks (wooden, found in your Asian section of your grocery store)

1. In a bowl, stir together flour, cornmeal, sugar baking powder, and salt.
2. Make a well in the center, and pour in the egg, buttermilk and baking soda.  Mix until everything is smooth and well blended.
3. Pour the batter into a tall glass and place in the refrigerator for about an hour.
4. Pat the dogs dry and coat them in a thin layer of cornstarch.
5. Insert a chopstick into each dog, leaving about 1/2 inch at the top.
6. Heat the oil to 365
7. Dip the dogs into the batter a couple times for a nice thick coating of batter. 
8. Place in the fryer.  The longer sticks should serve nicely when you want to flip them around (since they will stick out of the oil).
9. Drain on a paper towel and serve!

Onion Rings

I've recently decided that onion rings might be one of my favorite foods.  But, I'm very picky about them.  I don't like them too thick, or too greasy.  We have made the following recipe a few times and these onion rings are my absolute favorite.

Ingredients
Yellow Onion, sliced into rings (you decide the thickness)
1 1/4 cups flour
1 t baking powder
1 t salt
1 egg
1 cup milk
Italian flavor Panko bread crumbs (the Panko part is mandatory)
fryer

1. Heat the fryer up to 365 degrees. 
2. In a bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt.
3. Dip the onion slices into the flour mixture until they are all coated, set aside.
4. Whisk the egg and milk into the flour mixture. 
5. Dip the floured rings inot the batter to coat, shake off excess.
6. Coat battered rings in bread crumbs.
7. Deep fry the rings 4-5 at a time for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown. 
8. Remove and drain on a paper towl.

Serve with ketchup or ranch, or your favorite sauce!  Delicious!

Beef and Brocolli

I stole this one off the internet and tried it for the first time on Tuesday.  I'm sold.  It's good.  It's something I used to order every time at P.F. Chang's and this recipe is not far from the restaurant version.

I had to make a few changes, but I'm guessing if you follow the recipe it would only be better.

Jaden's Beef and Brocolli


1 lb (500 g) top sirloin or flank steak, thinly sliced into 1/8-in (3-mm)-thick strips
11/2 lbs (750 g) broccoli, cut into bite-size florets
1 tablespoon high-heat cooking oil (I just used olive oil)
1 tablespoon minced garlic

BEEF MARINADE

1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon cooking oil (again...olive oil here)
Freshly ground black pepper to season the beef

STIR-FRY SAUCE

3 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry)  (I had rice vinegar and used 1 tsp of this and 1 tsp of red wine)
2 teaspoons Chinese black vinegar (or balsamic vinegar)

1 In a bowl, combine the ingredients for the Beef Marinade. Add the beef and let mari- nate for 10 minutes at room temperature.

2 In a small bowl, mix together the ingredients for the Stir-fry Sauce.

3 In a wok or large sauté pan, add 1 inch of water and bring to a boil. Add the broccoli and cover to steam for 3 minutes. The broccoli should be bright green, crisp tender and you should be able to pierce the stem with a fork. Drain.

4 Discard the water in the pan and dry the pan well. Set the pan over high heat and when hot, add the high-heat cooking oil and swirl to coat. Add the garlic and fry for 15 to 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the steak strips, keeping them in one layer and fry 30 seconds. Flip the strips and fry the other side.  (I did my meat in three batches to prevent overcrowding)

5 Pour in the Stir-fry Sauce and stir to combine. Simmer until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 30 seconds. Add the cooked broccoli back into the pan and toss to coat well.

I served it with plain brown rice, but some asian noodles of some sort would have been delicious!