Grandma's Easy Chocolate Chip Fudge

OK, I'm not really much of a fudge person since it (1) usually takes too long to make and (2) is too sweet for me, but while visiting my grandma in the U.S. recently, she let me try a bite. It was WONDERFUL! And I couldn't believe it when I saw her super-easy recipe.

If I had access to chocolate chips in Brazil, I'd love to make this for everything: Christmas, birthdays, you name it. I might experiment with bar chocolate and see if that works. Delicious!

GRANDMA'S EASY CHOCOLATE CHIP FUDGE

1 can sweetened condensed milk
12 oz chocolate chips

Microwave on high for 1 or 1 1/2 minutes or until chocolate chips melt when stirred. Stir in:

1/2 cup nuts, chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla

Pour into a buttered 8"-square pan and cool. Cut into squares.

That's it! Could it be any easier?

A Recipe for Reminiscing ~ Raisin Pecan Pie

Today would be my Grandmother’s 85th birthday. Her name was Emma and she was a spunky little woman. Her favorite car was a red 1956 Ford Thunderbird. My Grandfather affectionately called her “Chicken”. She was passionately conservative, quietly religious and fiercely loving to her family. She passed away in Jan 2005. Life surely changed for me when Grandma passed on, my Mother became my Grandmother’s generation, I became my Mother’s, and my daughter became mine… scary thought.

My grandmother was not the rotund, apron-clad, cookie bearing type (that was my Aunt Arta) but she had her share of “signature” dishes. We could always count on her delicious mustard potato salad during summer picnics (which she preferred to eat warm!), my Grandfather’s favorite “macaroni & tomatoes” or fried hot dog sandwiches.

Most meals at my Grandmother’s house consisted of take out. Her favorite places were Sonic, KFC and Long John Silver’s. She didn’t go out to eat; she always brought it back home to eat it there. Needless to say, the heritage handed down to me from my Grandmother did not include copious stashes of recipes cards, but I do have a few that I cherish.

Below is my Grandfather’s favorite pie, I remember her making this for him for every special occasion. I left in the antiquated instructions (italicized) because that is part of the charm of this ‘antique’ recipe of hers. She gave me this recipe for my bridal shower. It is hand written in her beautiful penmanship and bears her signature. I keep it put up in a special book, so one day I can hand it down to my daughter, perhaps at her bridal shower.

Raisin-Pecan Pie

1 ½ C seeded raisins
1 ½ C boiling water
1 Tbsp flour
½ C sugar
1 C shopped pecans
1 tsp vanilla
1 T lemon juice
1 double crust pastry (boxed or homemade)

Wash raisins carefully. Cook in boiling water for a few minutes, cover & simmer for 30 mins, leave lid on & let cool for 30 mins. Add flour & sugar, mix well; cook a few minutes to thicken. Cool.

Add lemon juice, vanilla & pecans. Pour into pastry shell, cover with pastry. Bake in hot oven 450 degrees F for 30 min. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F for 10 min.

*Personal hint* a thin strip of foil formed around the edge of pie prevents the outer crust from becoming too done.

{This pie can be made gluten free, substitute rice flour for the flour and use a GF pie crust. Top with a crumb type topping and bake as above.}

Chocolate-Raspberry Bread Pudding

by Jenny Rogers Spinola

OK, I've never been a fan of bread pudding, but this was really good. And when I discovered I could use ALL THE LEFTOVER BREAD we had in the freezer or fridge, including stale hot dog buns, hamburger buns, and whole-wheat slices, and they came out beautifully delicious, I was hooked.

I made this particular recipe on Valentine's Day--which also happens to be our wedding anniversary. Sigh... :)

And it was fabulous. We scraped the baking dish clean. And of course, Ethan loved helping with every step. So here's how to make it:

CHOCOLATE-RASPBERRY BREAD PUDDING

4 cups cubed bread (stale is actually best, and anything you find in your fridge works - hotdog or hamburger buns or slices). Just check for mold first!!!
2 eggs
1/2 cups sugar
2 cups milk
pinch salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 c chocolate chips* (We used a bar of dark chocolate cut up into tiny squares, since we don't have chocolate chips in Brazil)
several teaspoons raspberry jam




First, make the creamy pudding sauce.

Preheat the oven to 350F/180C. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together milk and eggs, then add sugar, vanilla, and salt.


Now tear the bread into bite-sized pieces in a large bowl.


When all the bread is torn, pour over the milk mixture and gently turn with a spoon until bread is completely and evenly penetrated with the milk.

Add chocolate chips, or if using bar chocolate, cut the bar into tiny squares and add to the bowl. Turn several times with the spoon to mix, reserving a few extra chocolate chips for the top.

Turn everything into a buttered baking dish and sprinkle with a few extra chocolate chips. Spoon on the raspberry jam in small clumps, turning the bread pudding mixture over slightly with a spoon to let some raspberry jam under the top.


Bake one hour or until the custard has set.



This is good served warm, and it reheats well on low power in the microwave.



Jennifer Rogers Spinola lives in Brasilia, Brazil with her Brazilian husband, Athos, and two-year-old son, Ethan. She teaches ESL private classes and is the author of the "Southern Fried Sushi" series with Barbour Books (first book released in October!) Jenny is an advocate for adoption and loves the outdoors, and has previously served as a missionary to Japan.

Recipe: Apple Muffins from Author Karen Witemeyer

by Naomi Rawlings

Author Karen Witemeyer is with us today to share one of the recipes that appeared in her debut novel, A Tailor-Made Bride.

Topping:
2 Tbls brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Muffins:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup oil
2 large eggs
1 cup applesauce
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 Golden Delicious apple, peeled, cored, and finely diced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a 12-capacity muffin pan with cooking spray. Mix the topping ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

In a large bowl, whisk the 3/4 cup brown sugar and oil until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Add applesauce and vanilla.

Whisk in the flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the buttermilk, until combined. Gently stir in the apple chunks. Pour the batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling the cups nearly to the top. Sprinkle with the topping mixture. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles.

Bake for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in muffin comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Remove them from the pan to finish cooling.

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A Tailor-Made Bride is a finalist for both the prestigious RITA and National Readers' Choice Award.

Karen's newest book, To Win Her Heart, releases May 1st. Here's a little bit about it:

A blacksmith with a criminal past. A librarian with pacifist ideals. Do they have a fighting chance at finding love?

Having completed his sentence for the unintentional crime that derailed his youthful plans for fame and fortune, Levi Grant looks to start over in the town of Spencer, Texas. Spencer needs a blacksmith, a trade he learned at his father’s knee, and he needs a place where no one knows his past. But small towns leave little room for secrets. . . .

Eden Spencer has sworn off men, choosing instead to devote her time to the lending library she runs. When a mountain-sized stranger walks through her door and asks to borrow a book, she steels herself against the attraction he provokes. His halting speech and hesitant manner leave her doubting his intelligence. Yet as the mysteries of the town’s new blacksmith unfold, Eden discovers hidden depths in him that tempt her heart.

Levi’s renewed commitment to his faith leads Eden to believe she’s finally found a man of honor and integrity, a man worthy of her love. But when the truth about his prodigal past comes to light, can this tarnished hero find a way to win back the librarian’s affections?

If you're interested in this latest book, check out a review or order it online. And don't forget to eat one of those delicious muffins while you're reading it.

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A summa cum laude graduate with an English Education degree, Naomi Rawlings has been writing inspirational romance for over two years. Her latest completed manuscript, Her Journey’s End, has finaled in several writing competition. Naomi lives in Michigan’s rugged Upper Peninsula with her two young boys and her wonderful husband, who pastors a small church.