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Original Chocolate Fudge - A Chocolately Treat!

Original chocolate fudge

I’ve sung the praises of peanut butter fudge on here before, but now it’s time to talk about the creamy, the delicious, the original: chocolate fudge. What started out as an “oops” in the kitchen from a bungled bunch of caramels has become one of the country’s most beloved treats. You can eat and sample different flavors and kinds, but it always comes back to the original, and the original can be a very picky difficult candy to try and master. Chocolate fudge – like toffee, divinity, caramel, and brittle – begins with sugar. You add various other ingredients to the sugar depending on the candy and boil until the desired consistency is reached. A lot more goes into making fudge then just the right ingredients and flavors and time and stirring. There’s also a bit of science and weather involved. You shouldn’t make fudge on a humid day because this could cause the chocolate fudge to be grainy. And if you know anything about the South – particularly the Gulf Coast, it is always humid here. So, what can you do? And then there is the problem of boiling sugar tending to crystallize. Now, thank goodness there are things that can be done to slow down crystallization – not much luck with the humidity though. The most popular way is to add corn syrup and cream to the mixture. And yet another is to brush down the sides of the pan with cold water if there are any crystals forming…and do not stir the syrup once it boils. And if you manage to boil your sugar mixture without the dreaded crystals forming, you still must take utmost care to prevent it from cooling too quickly because that will also affect the chocolate fudge’s texture. So, why would you go through all this trouble for a piece of candy? Because it is worth the care and trouble it takes to make chocolate fudge. One bite and you would agree.

Old Fashioned Chocolate Fudge:

2 cups white sugar

1/2 cup cocoa

1 cup milk

4 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Grease an 8×8 inch square baking pan. Set aside. Combine 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. Place candy thermometer in pan and cook until temperature reaches 238 degrees F(114 degrees C). 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. Remove from heat. Add butter or margarine and vanilla extract. Beat with a wooden spoon until the fudge loses its sheen. Do not under beat. Pour into prepared pan and let cool. Cut into about 60 squares.

This is a really great and delicious recipe, but it can be somewhat difficult if you are not familiar with sugar candy cooking. There are easier chocolate fudge recipes out there…ones that call for ingredients that minimize the chance of crystal formation and some you can even make in the microwave:

Easy Microwave Fudge

4 cups confectioners’ sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup butter

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Grease a 9×9 inch dish. In a microwave safe bowl, stir together confectioners’ sugar and cocoa. Pour milk over mixture and place butter in bowl. Do not mix. Microwave until butter is melted, 2 minutes. Stir in vanilla and stir vigorously until smooth. Pour into prepared dish. Chill in freezer 10 minutes before cutting.

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Holiday Gift Baskets - A Great Gift Idea!

Holiday gift idea

It’s hard to believe that fall of the year will soon be here… and with that, the holiday season right on it’s heels. As I stood in line to register my child for school thinking that it was too soon to getting my little man ready for school. But no, it was the end of July and with school starting in a few weeks… fall was right around the corner. So, if school snuck up on me so quickly, what would the holiday season do? Come running up out of nowhere in a huge sneak attack from behind and clobber me? Yeah, it probably would. So while my mind wondered while standing in the endless line of parents and children I thought of something… holiday gift baskets. What a great idea. With holiday gift baskets, I could go as big or as little or as personal as I wanted to. Tanners Pecans already has such a variety of holiday gift basket to choose from the only problem would be selecting one. I send holiday gift baskets for nearly any and every occasion. Doesn’t just have to be at holiday time. My mother received one on Mother’s Day, my son’s teacher at the end of the school year, my friends for their birthday… I can always find a holiday gift basket for whatever it is I have coming up. And what I love is their versatility. If I’m going to send a family group gift, I can go with our Southern Creation holiday gift basket. It is chock full of yummy southern traditions. It has mini pecan pies, chocolate pecan fudge, peanut butter fudge, and our award winning brownies… Oh my goodness, the brownies. Who doesn’t like brownies? Add nuts, peanut butter, caramel, or cream cheese icing… whatever… brownies are just the best!

Grandma’s Brownies:

3 / 4 cup butter

2 cups packed brown sugar

3 eggs

4 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup all – purpose flour

1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Grease 8 x 8 inch baking pan. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and eggs until light and fluffy. Stir in the unsweetened chocolate and vanilla until well blended. Mix in the flour, and then the walnuts. Spread batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack before cutting into bars.

Now, our Southern Creation holiday gift basket is our top of the line… filled with just about everything including the kitchen sink… Kidding about the sink of course, but this gift basket is sure to be packed full of goodies that the recipient will absolutely love. We have holiday gift baskets for sweeter tastes and more gourmet tastes and even sugar free tastes. Holiday gift baskets that include everything from orange, butter rum, and cinnamon candied pecans to chocolate pecan fudge, brownies, and nuts to cheese straws, she-crab soup, and pepper jelly. Now my only problem is deciding who gets what…

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How to Bake Chicken and Its Health Benefits

Some people can imagine chicken delicious only when it’s fried. Granted one has to admit that it really does indeed taste great when cooked like that, but is it healthy? And if it is not healthy, is there another way to prepare chicken quick and easy which not only will taste great but also provide a much healthier option for those on a diet or who simply wish to watch what they and their families eat.

Well, in fact there is, there’s a much better alternative of cooking it fried and indeed just as delicious, if not more — the simple question then is: Why not bake chicken?

It is not hard as it sounds either. By following simple instructions you are on your way to a healthy and great tasting meal.

To bake chicken we need either a whole chicken or 6 chicken breast pieces. Wash the dressed chicken thoroughly and coat with olive oil. Sprinkle enough salt and pepper to taste. If we want, we may put some marinade mix, like a concoction of rosemary herbs, thyme or oregano, dried or fresh. For simple marinade, try soy sauce and lemon. As we’re doing these, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Now we’re ready to bake chicken.

-Put the chicken on the baking dish. Then place it in the oven and make sure it is uncovered.

-Bake chicken for an hour and a half in 350 degrees till we see the chicken skin turn into a luscious and juicy golden brown.

-Place inside a meaty part of the chicken a meat thermometer to check if the meat temperature has reached 170 degrees. If it has then we’re ready to take it out of the oven. To bake chicken thighs we need the meat temperature to reach 180 degrees. These standard meat temperatures make sure we bake chicken well with all parts cooked. Half-cooked chicken, or any meat for that matter, can cause stomach upset or even food poisoning.

-Then we cut the fleshy part of the meat deep. This should reveal white meat inside instead of pink and clear lip-smacking juice, not reddish. To bake chicken correctly all these tests should be satisfied. If not, we bake the chicken some more. Then we’re ready to serve tender and juicy baked chicken, in all its yummy goodness.

When we opt to bake chicken we come out with a healthy and tastier chicken than when we fry it. Deep frying may be a good idea. But baked chicken is still many times better. When re-heating left-overs through the oven chicken often comes out tasting better than if we re-fry left-over chicken.

When we bake chicken we can even opt to stuff it with potatoes, or garlic and onions. There are lesser chances of burning the meat or ruining the skin cover. Lots of times, we need breading to fry chicken—that’s added cholesterol. If we merely bake chicken there is no need for any covering on the skin surface.

So opt to bake chicken more often. It will surely do well for our taste, health, and family.

John Grant is a the author for a how to site where he is writing articles about how to bake chicken.

Learn the Secret Restaurant Recipes and Prepare Your Own Meal

Are you sick and tired of waiting in a queue when it comes to dining at your favorite restaurants? Are you sick of snobbish restaurant crews and you do not with to take a very long time to book a reservation?

Do you want to know the secret to making secret restaurant recipes? If you don’t know the secret, then it is about time you find out.

Most people find it very difficult to cook. Not because they don’t have the skills but also because they just don’t have the time or they don’t have the means to acquire the best recipes to make the finest dishes.

You don’t need to become a master chef when it comes to cooking delicious home cooked dishes actually.

Some master chefs take many years to perfect their recipes. This is good and all but for normal people like us, we do not have the luxury of waiting for a couple of years before we can taste a fine dish. The good news is, those master chefs have already spent the time building those recipes. All you need to do is leverage on their secrets if you want to create scrumptious meals and restaurant dishes.

All this changes with secret restaurant recipes. With secret restaurant recipes, you are able to tap into the minds of famous recipes used in Billion Dollar Restaurants franchises such as the Cheesecake Factory, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), The Olive Garden, PF Chang’s, Red Lobster and even the Hard Rock Caf

Where to Find Awesome Mexican Recipes

Feeding you, your family, and your friends means having something delicious that is also healthy. With the healthy awareness of our society, feeding those you care for a healthy meal is a vital part of living life to its fullest. Mexican recipes offer a tantalizing way to not only feed those you care about healthy meals but it also is a colorful addition to any type of meal.

When it comes to finding the best Mexican recipes for your needs, you will find there are copious ways to get the meals you want. Whichever you choose, you will have found a perfect method for your needs. Sometimes, using a combination of methods will serve you best.

Take a look at a few of these great ideas when it comes to finding the Mexican recipes you need for your needs!

Good old-fashioned cookbooks will never go out of style. Cookbooks change over time as do the methods of cooking. When cooking with some of the older cookbooks, it is important to realize that a lot of the ingredients may not be as healthy as they once where. These also help find those specialty meals you want such as those on a vegan diet or low-fat diet.

Cookbooks can be on a specific cuisine or a combination of meals ranging from breakfast to dessert. The type of cookbook you purchase will be well suited for your needs. Of course, make sure the cookbook fits your lifestyle! If you only have an hour in the evening to cook a family meal purchasing a cookbook where meals take all day is not going to be suited for your needs.

With the popularity of the internet, finding Mexican recipes online is another great method to get the meals you want. Delicious additions will be both gorgeously beautiful and healthy if you find the appropriate website for your needs. There are many websites specializing in nothing but recipes – even Mexican recipes!

When doing your hunt online, you will want to insure you have an appropriate printer, ink, and paper. In addition, what one person thinks is fabulous for them may not be fabulous for you. If you see an ingredient you know is not liked in a meal, do not automatically say, “No”. You can often find an appropriate substitute.

Mail order Mexican recipes are another popular addition to our modern society. Joining these types of clubs will get you a nice array of benefits from delicious recipe cards to a place to organize those cards into your own cookbook. Generally, these are mailed out every 6 to 8 weeks depending on the type of club you join.

Mail order is great, and it is always nice to get something in the mail, but you will find you are paying more for this type of Mexican recipe over the long haul. What you have to ask yourself is how much you like getting mail with a nice surprise that will feed the whole family.

Mexican recipes are extremely popular, and you too can insure you have the wonderful meals you need for your needs simply by keeping your options open.

More about Annie Dubois and great Mexican food or gift boxes can be found at Mexican Food & Gifts To Go.

Wonderful Mexican Recipes at Your Fingertips

Getting the most for your money means you need great deals for the home. Finding wonderful Mexican recipes for those delicious meals translates to a cheaper budget where you feed you and your family healthy recipes that are sure to please. From enchiladas to chimichangas, having the right recipe will make a world of difference.

Are you thinking of finding some Mexican recipes that are delicious but healthy for your whole family? Authentic Mexican food is a delectable addition to any home pleasing young and old alike. Unlike Tex-Mex cuisine, authentic style is not loaded with the copious amount of extra calories, fats, and sugars. Instead, authentic meals are a colorful meal idea with loads of healthy benefits.

Take a look at a few menu items you may want to investigate for your family!

Burritos are always delicious often consisting of a lean meat such as beef, chicken, and even pork. Vegetables are added with brilliant choices to choose from. Instead of just using those green bell peppers, try adding a unique taste as well as color with the brilliantly colorful red and yellow bell peppers.

Of course, many meals consist of flour or corn tortillas. Each type of tortilla has its place when it comes to Mexican recipes of a more authentic nature. One idea, if you have time, is to make your own tortillas with some of the kits on the market today. These kits generally come with a cast iron press and a bag of the appropriate flour to get you started.

Nothing says delicious like fresh, homemade tortillas!

Tacos are wonderful and a favorite for everyone. These are just as varying as anything else that has to do with cuisine from Mexico. In fact, you can make taco makings and let the kids make their own tacos. Definitely a delightful activity for the whole family.

Remember to avoid some of those empty calories; either negate the sour cream or simply go for a fat-free sour cream. Same great taste without all that extra fat that makes sour cream unhealthy.

Enchiladas are just as popular! Add your favorite ingredients, and you will find a dish of homemade enchiladas will become a favorite dish for just about any get together for church or family. There are a lot of thoughts on what makes the best enchilada, but with a little experience, you will find the pattern perfect for you and your family.

Another awesome factor when it comes to wonderful Mexican recipes is the fact garnishes go a long way. Garnish should be colorful with red, greens, or yellows. Regardless of your use of peppers, chilies, or other vegetables, the garnish is a wonderful way to make the presentation that much better.

When it comes to getting the best in Mexican recipes, the internet is a wonderful tool. Keep in mind that just because it is on the internet does not make it instantly perfect. The wonderful thing about this type of healthy cuisine is that you will make the dish better by exploring your own dishes. Soon, you will have a wonderful family tradition passed down through the generations.

More about Annie Dubois and great Mexican food or gift boxes can be found at Mexican Food & Gifts To Go.

Learn How To Use A Smoker And How To Smoke Meat Like The Professionals

Smoker grills are to the serious backyard barbecue enthusiast what power tools are to Tim “The Tool man” Taylor. Your backyard barbecues will become the talk of the neighborhood once you learn how to smoke meat the right way. Your hickory smoked chicken or mesquite smoked steaks will be not only in everyone’s satisfied stomachs, but on everyone’s lips come Monday morning at the water cooler. Forget the standard steaks, hot dogs, hamburgers and chicken on the grill top. Put smoked salmon on the menu and look out. We are talking about taking how to smoke meat to a whole new level.

If you can, get a combination grill, one that will let you grill your food the boring, traditional way, and give you the choice to smoke your food too. Traditional means grilling your meat over an open flame, using charcoal or a gas fire. But if you are going to learn how to use a smoker, you are going to have to heat up the fire box, put on your favorite wood — hickory, oak, cherry, mesquite, to name a few — and get to it.

These hardwoods, in the form of chips, are placed into the smoker’s firebox. When burning, they produce specific flavors when absorbed by the meats being smoked. This not only gets your mouth salivating, but the flavor cannot be bested by regular grilling methods. What’s nice about it is when you learn how to smoke meat; you learn that the fire never reaches the meat when it is being smoked. The downside of this aspect of how to use a smoker is that it takes longer for the meat to be ready to serve, but the upside is that none of the meat juices will cause fire bursts to reach up and blacken the meat, and your barbecuing reputation. The process of smoking generally takes about 3-5 hours for most meats, and up to 12 hours for larger cuts.

Another angle when learning how to smoke meat is that the heat from the smoker is lower. This means that you not only learn how to smoke meat, you can learn how to steam vegetables. What you end up with are vegetables that not only taste superb, but vegetables that keep all the good stuff in. All the nutrients stay with the vegetables. Good taste, and healthy for you to boot. When you learn how to smoke meat and vegetables, then you can move on to the more exotic eats like hickory smoked chili.

Part of learning how to smoke meat is learning how to choose the right smoker for your needs. There are several manufacturers, so you have many makes and models of smokers to choose from to learn how to smoke meat. They may not be low cost, but the investment in healthy eating, and tasty eating, is well worth the price you will pay to get just the right kind of smoker to learn how to smoke meat and vegetables, and anything else your healthy heart desires, all with less fat and cholesterol than with other grilling styles.

Robert Fox maintains a website with more information about how to use a smoker.

Making Milk Chocolate Fondue

Shop for Milk Chocolate Fondue

Talk about a child’s dream dessert, milk chocolate fondue is just a kid’s bliss. Minus the alcohol that might go into some recipes of course. I feel like I am in Charlie’s Chocolate Factory looking at that stream of chocolate. Milk chocolate fondue can be made with any type of chocolate really, Belgian chocolate, milk chocolate, or dark chocolate. There are inexpensive ways of making it. You can buy it from a well known vendor or make it yourself with homemade ingredients. And, what’s a chocolate fondue without some fondue dippers, like strawberries, bananas, pineapple, pound cake, and pecan, almonds, and anything else I suppose you could spear with a fondue fork.

They rank number one in the search engine and make one mean milk chocolate fondue, that is, Betty Crocker. When you think of baking and dessert making you think, Betty Crocker right? Their products are top quality and also very affordable. You can take the quick route to getting milk chocolate fondue, by purchasing from Betty Crocker. They have a great recipe for Chocolate Sour Cream Fondue as well.

Another great option for fondue is Nestle. They have such recipes as chocolate peanut butter smores fondue, a spiced chocolate fondue. Many of these brands offer advice on how to prepare such chocolate fondues, especially if you do not have a recipe book for them. Milk chocolate fondue is always delicious and a great treat to serve to guests at a special occasion.

Also keep in mind that by going with dark chocolate fondue over the milk chocolate versions, you will be receiving many health benefits. Dark chocolate is rich in antioxidants, which are able to fight off free radicals in the body. There is also the absence of milk in pure dark chocolate, which is beneficial to many lactose free individuals.

Remember, if you are making your own milk chocolate fondue, there needs to be a liquid mixed with the morsels or else they will stick to the pan and scortch. Some use half and half, others evaporated milk with other substances, spices, etc. This is key to creating a rich, creamy, chocolate fondue for all your family and guests to enjoy. Make a few weekend tryouts before serving for a special event in order to get the process right and perfected.

Many places have incredible recipes for making chocolate fondue, such as local stores, online stores, and personal websites posting some old-fashioned recipes. If you are in the market for something specific, then do some searching, if elogance is your goal. Remember, chocolate is chocolate, it is all about how it is prepared that elevates it above the norm. Presentation is also another factor. This is as important as preparation. Which you can use a good melting pot, or 2-quart household pot to prepare, add all the right ingredients. Then presentation takes it from there. But, when you are done, it is still chocolate, whatever type you chose. I worked in salad and desserts in an Italian restaurant some years ago, and I remember how big presentation was.

I will prove to you that is a big part of making chocolate fondue. How do you feel everytime you look at a website displaying it? It catches the eye, it has appeal, I want to make that, you say, right? Focus on preparation first, then presentation last. If it is made right, it will taste right, then it can be made to look right.

This text is a link to a page on the World Wide Web.

Sunday Afternoons With Chocolate Pecan Pie

Sunday afternoons in the South… fried chicken, black eye peas, mashed potatoes, homemade buttermilk biscuits, and chocolate pecan pie…Family gathered around the dinner table enjoying conversation and each other’s company. Is there anything more scrumptious? It’s funny how certain foods and desserts automatically conjure up images of the South. Chocolate pecan pie is a southern tradition, just like regular pecan pie, but with the little something extra. A sweet chocolate taste that delights the taste buds, served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Oh so delicious. The first time I tasted the chocolate pecan pie at Tanner’s Pecans I was taken back to those lazy Sunday afternoons with my grandmother in the kitchen and my parents and aunts and uncles talking and laughing and us kids playing without a care in the world. I would always sneak into the kitchen to help my grandmother cook and bake. How else was I supposed to become a good Southern cook if I didn’t help? She would always smile and welcome me and let me be her little helper. Sometimes I was more of a hindrance then help, but she did not care. And it was through her love and patience that I gained my love of baking and fine Southern cuisine. My grandmother never used a recipe. It always fascinated me how she just knew how much and of what to put in… never really used a measuring cup or spoons either. Just a little of this and a bit of that. The older I got, I would try my best to write down as I went along so that I could make her desserts on my own. Her chocolate pecan pie recipe always made two pies, but it is so easy to cut in half and make only one:

Chocolate Pecan Pie

* 3 cups granulated sugar

* pinch of salt

* 7 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa

* 4 large eggs, 1 tablespoon vanilla

* 1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk

* 1 stick butter, melted (8 tablespoons)

* 1 cup pecan halves, and 2 unbaked pecan pie shells – deep dish.

Mix sugar, salt, and cocoa together. Whisk together the eggs, vanilla, and milk; stir into the dry ingredients. Add melted butter and stir until well blended. Sprinkle pecan halves in the pie shell, about 1/2 cup in each shell. Pour filling over the pecans. Bake at 350

Have You Ever Tried to Make Your Own Chocolate Pecan Pie?

So, the question is, have you ever tired to make your own chocolate pecan pie, from scratch? The task is a little more challenging than it may seem, but I’m sure you’re up for it. First, I’m going to walk you through a freebie recipe for Chocolate Pecan Marshmallow Cake.

Can you say “Out of this world!”? Because this is one of my favorite desserts. This baked treat is sure to leave folks wishing for more, and definitely begging you for the recipe.

Are you ready? I’ll go over the recipe in the following steps:

Chocolate Pecan Marshmallow Cake:

* 6 ounces butter (3/4 cup, 1 1/2 sticks)

* 1 1/2 cups sugar, 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

* 3 eggs, 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour

* 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

* 6 ounces miniature marshmallows, about 3 cups.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy; beat in cocoa. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour, nuts and vanilla; mix well. Pour batter into greased and floured 9×13x2-inch baking pan. Bake chocolate marshmallow cake at 325

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