The Standards

With Christmas fast approaching and the economy screeching to a halt now seems like a better time than ever to share some recipes for delicious home-made goodies. Here are some of my tried-and-true favorites: Peppermint Bark & Grandma Bea's Fudge. These make for simple weekend baking, travel brilliantly, and are great gifts.

Peppermint Bark
Who need's Williams Sonoma when this treat is so easy to make at home!?

1/2 dzn. crushed candy canes
2 pounds white chocolate
peppermint extract to taste

Put candy canes in a zip-top bag and break into 1/4" or smaller pieces. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Combine candy cane chunks with chocolate (add a drop or two of peppermint extract at this point if desired.) Pour mixture onto a cookie sheet layered with parchment or waxed paper and place in the refrigerator for 45 minutes or until firm. Remove from cookie sheet and break into pieces.

Extras: Try layering adding a layer of dark chocolate underneath the white chocolate. Simply, half the amount of white chocolate (1 c.) and supplement with that amount (1 c.) of dark. Or substitute the white chocolate all together for dark .. or the peppermint pieces for espresso beans .. You get the gist, this is a wonderfully flexible recipe.

Grandma Bea's Fudge
Word has it that this fudge recipe came at quite a price. A friend of my grandmother was eating at a restaurant in Georgia and enjoyed their fudge so much she asked for the recipe. She left her address in hopes of receiving a copy. She did - along with a bill for $200! A little more than irked, she now shares the recipe with anyone she gets a chance to. I just thought I would pass it along.

4 1/2 c. sugar
1 c. milk
1 1/3 stick of butter
2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 jar marshmallow cream (I recomend Jet-Puff)
2 c. pecans

In a sauce pan combine milk, sugar, and butter and bring to a boil. As soon as it reaches a boil set a timer for 8 minutes (timing at exactly 8 minutes keeps it from setting to hard or soft). After 8 minutes are up, remove from heat and combine chocolate chips and marshmallow cream. Stir until smooth. Add pecans & pour into a buttered dish (pyrex works just fine) & let cool at room temperature for several hours. When cool remove from dish & cut into cubes. Just try not to eat it all in one sitting!

I'll share some newbies after a test run this weekend.

Image rgbdream.com Peppermint Bark recipe adapted from Paula Dean