Oh, fudge!

Ask my co-workers, customers, family members and even casual acquaintances about their general experiences over the last two weeks, and they'll likely all say something along the lines of, "Has everyone been sipping crazy juice? Did someone forget to mention that we're long past the full moon?"

Yeah, it's been a rough two weeks.

And now...it's Friday the Thirteenth.

I certainly could have gone on today about the many myriad ways Friday the Thirteenth grips us by the lapels and gives us a good, urban-myth and superstition-driven shake. But I think we deserve better.

We deserve fudge.

For your baking pleasure, I am resurrecting my mum's fudge recipe. Go forth, and have a great Friday the Thirteenth, all! (And if you have any sure-fire recipes to help beat the bad-week and scary day blues, I'd love to hear about them!)



Now, before I get started I do want to give a warning – please DO NOT leave children unattended around this, or any other cooking fudge. When fudge is in its bubbly, liquid phase it can cause dreadful burns, mostly because its thickness causes it to cling when it lands on skin.

Marlene’s Traditional Fudge

• 2 Cups of sugar
• 1/4 Cup of water
• 4 Tablespoons of margarine (or butter)
• 2 Tablespoons of syrup (I use golden syrup. Lyle’s golden, specifically)
• 1 Can of condensed milk (the recipe calls for a 397g can, but I've used a 300g can of Eagle’s Brand condensed milk with great results)
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

1) Dissolve sugar and water over medium heat.
2) Add margarine and syrup to sugar/water mix, stirring occasionally until dissolved.
3) Add the condensed milk. Stir often until it comes to a boil.
4) Continue to boil over low-medium heat for 20-25 minutes, stirring almost constantly. DO NOT leave to boil unattended!
5) Remove from heat.
6) Add vanilla essence after removing from heat. Stir until thickened.
7) Pour into greased pan. Cut into squares when cold.

This fudge can also be crumbled or shaved, and turned into toppings for other desserts!

(Recipe originally posted on my own blog on October 17th, 2012. Too damn good not to share again and again!)

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Natasha is the author of the Lost Souls Series - available at Carina Press, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and Audible. Most days she can be found muttering about random topics over on Twitter.

Rebeka's Favorite Recipe

This is a favorite recipe of our bookish scholarly heroine, tossed back to the 17th century. Rebeka was ecstatic when she found the ingredients for this recipe on Doward’s wagon (the traveling tradesman). Imagine her surprise when Lord Arik brought home a fine salmon along with a strong appetite. She couldn’t wait to tempt him with her offering(s). Luckily for both of them, this recipe takes less than ten minutes. This is the 21st century version.

PS…Rebeka served the salmon to Arik in the Great Hall. Tantalized, he licked the sticky glaze from his fingers never taking his eyes off of her. But that’s a totally different story that you will find in Knight of Runes.

PPS…My son makes this recipe whenever he wants to impress his roommates, their parents, his current lady friend. With a side of whipped potatoes and a vinaigrette salad, all you need is a decadent chocolate cake to finish off the meal.

Rebeka’s Salmon with Brown Sugar Glaze

Ingredients:

 ¼ cup packed light brown sugar

2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill (or 2 teaspoons dried)

4 (6 ounce) salmon fillets

Salt and Pepper

Instructions: 

1. Preheat the broiler

2. Spray the rack of a broiler pan with nonstick spray

3. Mix the brown sugar, mustard and dill together in a small bowl.

4. Salt and pepper both sides of the salmon and place on the broiler pan and spoon the brown sugar glaze on top. (You will not use all of it – it keeps forever in the fridge)

5. Position the broiler pan about 7 inches from the heat and broil just until its opaque, about 6 minutes

NOTE: Don’t turn the fillet. The glaze works well on chicken and pork.

What are you going to cook tonight?