Two Minute Fudge and Remembering My First Microwave

I can remember when microwaves were first introduced for general home use in the late 70's. The secretary in our office who wore her fur coat and drove her Caddy to work so we would all know that her husband made good money and she was just there for spending money was the first to buy one. She raved about how good reheated coffee was but not much else. They were running about $300-$400 at the time so it seemed a bit pricey to heat water, bake a ham or warm leftovers.

When we moved to Charleston in 1978, I was shopping for an electric frying pan at a local appliance store when they announced a microwave cooking class was beginning. By the end of the class my son and I were hooked and wanted one. The prices were still pretty steep but I found one on sale at J. C. Penney's a few weeks later and bought it ($200).

The woman at the appliance store had taken hot dogs and cut them into one inch lengths and then cut an "X" on both ends. She nuked them in about a minute then added cocktail toothpicks and a small bowl of Heinz 57 sauce to the middle of the dish and passed them around. My son loved them and insisted on making them for years as an evening snack. I had to convince him that he only needed one fancy toothpick each time since he was the only one eating them. He was sure he needed to put one in each piece LOL.

She hooked me with what she called "Dump Fudge". She grabbed a large baking bowl, tossed in a box of confectioners sugar, made a hole in the middle and dumped some milk, Hershey's cocoa, and vanilla into it then tossed a stick of butter on top. She nuked it for 2 minutes, stirred it for a minute and poured it into a square pan and tossed it into the freezer. About 20 minutes later she pulled it out, cut it into squares and passed it around as the class finale. I was sold LOL.

My new microwave came with an excellent cookbook that told me how to make cakes (long before the m/w cake mixes), cookie bars, bread and lots of other things in the microwave. Did you know you could m/w those old aluminum tray TV dinners in most m/w's without having to dump everything onto a seperate dish? Just remove the foil cover and put the tray back in the box. Worked great.

Anyway, it also included this Two Minute Fude recipe that I make almost every year for my NY's Eve treat:

from the GE Microwave Cookbook 1977

1 box (one pound) confectioners sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup (1/4 lb) butter
Optional - 1 cup chopped nuts or other additives (diced cherries, white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, toffee pieces, etc)

In a 1 1/2 qt casserole stir sugar, cocoa, salt, milk and vanilla together until partially blended (mixture is too stiff to thoroughly blend in all of the dry ingredients). Put butter over top in center of dish.

Microwave at High for 2 minutes or until milk feels warm on bottom of dish.

Stir vigorously until smooth. If all butter has not melted in cooking, it will as mixture is stirred.

Blend in nuts or other additives if desired.

Pour into wax paper lined square or rectangle dish. (I don't line - I use butter spray.)

Chill one hour in refrigerator or 20 to 30 minutes in freezer.

Cut into squares.

This one is very, very sweet and a little gritty. For a super creamy fudge, try the next recipe. This is the one I made for church dinners and bake sales:

Two Minute Magic Fudge:

3 cups (18 ounces)semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed (not evaporated) milk
1/3 cup confectiners' sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup walnut pieces, chopped (could use other nuts or no nuts)

Grease an 8 -inch square pan. Microwave chocolate chips and the condensed milk uncovered in a 2-quart bowl on HIGH 2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Stir in sugar and vanilla, then the nuts until well bnended. Pour into prepared pan; spread evenly. Chill until firm, about 1 1/2 ouurs. Cut into sixteen 2 inch pieces. Store tightly covered in a cool place up to 2 weeks (like they will last that long)
*Receipe courtesy of WOMAN'S DAY 12.22.87.
(Thanks to my stepmom, Ellen, for finding this one. I had misplaced my copy.)

Enjoy,
Linda B:)

Orange Ham Glaze

In our house, ham has always been the traditional Christmas dinner. There are lots of great ham glaze recipes around made with maple syrup, molasses, and other flavors of ham glazes. Martha Stewart did a great sounding one using apricot preserves on her show Friday. My mother used syrup and my grandmother used molasses. They both insisted on putting cloves, pineapple and cherries on the ham. I didn't care for any of it so I was hunting for something different when I left home.

In the early 70's I discovered a recipe for an orange glaze. It is simple and I love it. All you need is a small container of frozen orange juice concentrate and some brown sugar.

Mix equal amounts of both in a bowl and spoon it over the ham after scoring it (making light criss-crossing cuts around the outside). I cover the ham and make sure to push it into the score marks before baking then cover with foil and bake following the instructions on your ham. About 20 minutes before it is ready I remove the foil and cover the outside with another thick layer of the OJ and brown sugar.

Hint: I mix the glaze in small amounts. When I put the ham in the oven I put the leftover OJ back in the freezer. When I am ready to put the last coating on, the frozen OJ keeps the glaze thick and allows it to seep into the scoring cuts better before it melts and slides down the ham.

Happy Holidays
Linda B:)

Quick & Easy Chicken Pot Pie

1 can cream of chicken with herbs soup
9 oz frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
1 c cubed cooked chicken
1 box ready to bake pie crusts

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Mix soup, vegetables and chicken.
Thaw pie crusts.
Place one crust on bottom of 9" pie pan.
Pour filling on top.
Place second crust over filling, sealing.
Cut slices into top of crust.
Bake 30 minutes or until golden brown.

__._,_.___

Egg Drop Soup & Wonton Soup

I have been making this for at least 30 years. It is one of the things I can still enjoy on my low carb diet.

I boil chicken breasts or thighs for about 15 to 20 minutes then sprinkle them garlic powder and put them under the broiler to finish cooking.

I take the broth from the chicken, add some onions (usually a sprinkle of dehydrated ones) and soy sauce. Bring it to a boil. Break an egg into a bowl and whip it a few times with a fork. Slowly drizzle the egg into the boiling broth. Remove from stove and serve.

Thats it. Add more soy to taste. If you don't want to boil the chicken, just use some bouillion (sp?) cubes with water or use a couple of cans of chicken broth.

I used to make wonton soup the same way just substituting wonton wrappers cut into small squares for the eggs. However a 3 1/2 wonton wrapper has 4.63 carbs and I worry that I would eat too much right now. I will add it back (carefully) when I get to maintenance.

I like lots of pepper and add that into mine. One friend adds a pinch of chili powder and another likes a few dashes of Tabasco in it.

Enjoy,
Linda B:)

Canning & Freezing Apples & Applesauce

A member of our church has taken over care of a small apple orchard. It has languished for 15 years without care or picking. Gary is cleaning it up, trimming the trees and generousdly offering lots of apples to the church members. There are 5 or 6 varieties including red/golden/yellow delicious, black Arkansas & winesaps.

For years my favorite sidedish has been chunky natural applesauce. I am back on low carb so I was concerned about how I could make small single servings since apples are high in carbs and could only be enjoyed as a now and then treat.

I stumbled onto this Pick Your Own site which is an amazing resource. They have lots of canning recipes for everything from jams & jellies to soups, salsas and more. You can also find basic canning, freezing, and drying instructions. You will also find a complete section on homemade ice cream including .pdf copies of service manuals for many ice cream freezers. Found one at the Goodwill but no directions? You might find the instructions here.

http://www.pickyourown.org/allaboutcanning.htm

http://www.pickyourown.org/applesauce.htm

http://www.pickyourown.org/pdfs/How_to_Make_Homemade_Applesauce.pdf

http://www.pickyourown.org/howtomakefatfreeicecream.htm

There are lots more things on the site including locations for farm mazes, food festivals, Christmas tree farms and more. Check it out.

And the applesauce.........well I found out I could make the applesauce, measure it into small servings in a muffin pan, freeze these for 24 hours then put them into a freezer bag to pull out and thaw one at a time. Another use for these is to keep 1/2 cup size on hand to use when substituting applesauce for oil in low fat recipes.

Bread and Water Diet LOL

I complain about bread and now I seem to be on a bread diet. I tore my achilles tendon and can barely walk so I loaded up on lunch meat, burger patties, hot dogs and lots of rolls. Each day I hobble outside to walk the dogs, check the mail, etc twice a day and stop off in the kitchen long enough to grab ice water and a sandwich. I am using styrofoam plates and paper towels for dishes but I may run out of silverware soon and have to break down and wash dishes *sigh*

The ankle is massively swollen and I am supposed to keep it immobile and elevated so I will be on the sandwich diet for another week or so. I did pick up some Bisquick to try the pudding cookies but I am waiting until I feel a little better.

Fried Cornbread and Fried Biscuits

I seldom eat bread. I love fresh baked bread, the smell of it, the taste of it, the feel of it. Every now and then I crank up my bread machine and bake a loaf of bread just for the joy of hot fresh hot bread and butter.

However I grew up in coastal SC on the GA border and it is extremely humid there. In the old days before central heat & air, bread after two days was already moldy. Anything you baked or bought had to go into the fridge within about 24 hours. To me refrigerated bread is good for only one thing - toast. (Yes, I know but I can only eat so many croutons and I'm not all that crazy about stuffing. So much work when all I originally wanted was a good sandwich LOL.) So I just got out of the habit of eating bread.

My son didn't much care. I would buy one loaf every two weeks on shopping day and we would have great sandwiches that night and maybe PB&J's the next. Later I would use up the rest for our Saturday morning breakfasts and for grilled cheese sandwiches.

I tried adding cornbread and biscuits to the menu but my son never developed a liking for either. As a single mother with an eye on the electric meter I could not see warming up and electric oven for 15 min and running it for another 20-30 minutes to bake biscuits or cornbread just for me.

I still enjoyed both at times when I made greens or pole beans so I found a way to make them cheaper. I would mix the batter and make a few "griddle cakes" or pancakes. There would be extra if my son decided he wanted some and leftover batter was fine saved in the fridge for a day or two. I still eat cornbread and biscuits this way.

Bulk Cooking

When my son was small I always tried to be super Mom so I learned to do a lot of bulk cooking on the weekends. I would do large pots of potato salad, a roast and some fried chicken, or get out the grill and do hot dogs, burgers and chops. Things we could make meals off of Sat - Wed night. Thurs night my son got a treat at the all you can eat pizza place and Fri night we went grocery shopping and usually picked out something from the deli or did a fast food stop on the way home. Isn't it always ironic, a car full of groceries and you stop for dinner LOL. I know, I know but it wears me out and then I still have to go home and put it all away. If there is anytime when a woman deserves to be treated it is grocery night.

In this vein, I never make pasta or potatoes for one dish. First I start with eggs. After all, pasta and potatoes make great salads so I boil eggs. When they are almost done I add the pasta or potatoes.

For pasta, I drain them and divide into at least 3 of the following dishes:
Pasta salad with fresh tomatoes, diced onion and diced bell peppers tossed with Italian dressing
Pasta & egg salad - mayo, eggs and pasta although many would want to add pickles and possible mustard
Pasta & Crab meat salad - mayo, pasto, diced crab meat, diced peppers/onions/celery
Pasta & Italian sausage salad - I cook a seperate bag of mixed veg (pick any Chinese or other blend - I like them all), mix the veggies, pasta and Ital sausages diced into 1/4 to 1/2 inch cubes, toss with Ranch dressing
Sphagetti - if you tossed a few Ital sausages in with the noodles you are set or you can do a saucepan of hamburger, drain and add pasta and sauce (I prefer Del Monte or Prego green peppers and mushrooms).

For potatoes, I drain them but save the liquid.
Potato salad - for me mayo and eggs is all I want but flavor with all the goodies you like
Mashed potatoes - I grew up on mash made with evaporated milk and still prefer that and I like them with a little bit of substance
Potato Soup - I toss a cup or two of cooked potatoes into the drained liquid and put it in the fridge. The next day I drain off most of the clear liquid from the top and keep the milky liquid in the bottom. I add one can evaporated milk and one can chicken broth to make potato soup. Sometimes I will add some finely diced onion which mean simmering a little longer. Or drain and rinse a can of oysters and add just before serving. This is not a runny soup but if you like it really thick you should add a pinch or two of corn starch.

Happy Cooking :)

Quickie - Pistachio Cookies

I am a big fan of quick cooking. I like recipes that call for 4 or less ingredients. I don't fool around with baking & desserts, but most other recipes I will drop a lot of the ingredients because who needs all that LOL.

Pistachio Cookies

1 1/2 c. Bisquick
2 sm. pkgs. instant pudding mix (pistachio)
1/2 c. cooking oil
2 eggs

Combine ingredients and mix until dough forms a ball. Shape into balls and roll each one in sugar. Place on ungreased baking sheet and flatten slightly with a fork.
Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.

I will have to experiment with these. I am wondering if you could substitute choc pudding mix or banana or lemon, etc. I am out of Bisquick right now but will test as soon as I can get some groceries.

Mudslide Cake

Normally I will only post recipes I have actually used but sometimes I will pass on something similar to things I used to make. I love chocolate and have made something like this. I don't know where my recipe is. Living alone I seldom make cakes anymore, mostly brownies or cookies or I just settle for trailmix and granola for my sweets these days.

Anyway I used to make something like this and if you are a chocolate lover you will greatly enjoy it. I think my crust called for crushed grahams or plain choc crackers instead of flour.

Mudslide Cake
1 stick butter, melted
1 c. Nuts, chopped
1 c. Flour
1 c. Cool Whip from 9 oz. Carton
1 (8 oz.) pkg. Cream cheese
1 c. Powdered sugar
1 (3 oz.) pkg. Instant chocolate pudding
1 (3 oz.) pkg. Instant vanilla pudding
3 c. Milk
1 (5 oz.) Hershey's bar (or chocolate sprinkles)

Mix together 1 stick butter, nuts and 1 cup flour and pat in bottom of 9 x 13 inch pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Cool

Layer 1: Mix together 1 cup Cool Whip, cream cheese and 1 cup powdered sugar. Spread on top of cooled crust.

Layer 2: Mix together 1 (3 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding, 1 (3 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding and 3 cups milk. Spread on top of first layer.

Layer 3: Frost with rest of Cool Whip and top with shavings from a 5 ounce Hershey's bar (or chocolate sprinkles). Chill 24 hours.

Stashing & Cooking

My son is almost 40 but I raised him as a single mother on a minimum budget and I have always had an obsession with keeping a well stocked pantry. I seldom cook by recipe instead making misc concoctions based on what is available. However I do run across a few good recipes now and then and some great suggestions for stocking your pantry. I will share them and any other ideas for around the house.