Ridiculously Easy Fudge

Quick and easy desserts are slowly becoming my "thing". My two year old has turned three, and now we're going to school at the library three times a week. My husband is back working a normal human schedule, which means dinner at a set time each night. I just don't have the time to stand over an oven for two hours making homemade chocolate fudge. Luckily for me, I don't have to.

I discovered this recipe when I had a sudden craving for chocolate fudge on a weeknight, and no time to go the corn syrup route.

Ingredients:
1 can condensed sweetened milk
1 package milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. vanilla flavoring

In a medium saucepan, bring the condensed milk to a simmer, stirring constantly. Add in sugar, stir until dissolved. Add vanilla and chocolate chips. Stir until combined and smooth. Pour into a 9x9 baking dish lined with parchment paper. Chill 2 hours. Slice and enjoy!

Tips:
* You can use semi-sweet chips if you like a slightly more bitter flavor. I don't. The sweeter the better!
*Yes, you HAVE to stir the milk constantly, or it will burn. You don't necessarily have to make it simmer, but it does have to be hot enough to dissolve the sugar. Which brings me to my next point...
*Dissolve the sugar!!! It takes a few minutes, but if you don't, the fudge will be crunchy and grainy. Not tasty at all. To see if it is dissolved, take a metal spoon and dip it in. If you can see grains, it isn't done yet. If you still aren't sure, taste some. If you can feel grains in your mouth, it needs more time.
*Pouring this into an unlined pan is not going to work, even if you butter it so much that Mrs. Paula herself would lick it. I like parchment paper for anything that is hot. Wax paper works for cold foods, but not this fudge. When wax paper comes into contact with heat, even from food, the wax melts and makes your food taste like a candle.
*One note on vanilla: real vanilla extract is much stronger than imitation. This recipe uses real vanilla, so if you are using imitation, double it.

Good luck and good cooking!

Cheese ball

My mom came home with this recipe when I was in high school, and had me make it for some party we were having. It soon became my signature recipe, and my grandma still asks for it several times a year. Could you tell an 82 year old woman no? I didn't think so.

Ingredients
2 packages cream cheese
1/2 sweet onion
1 green bell pepper
1 large can crushed pineapple
crushed walnuts or pecans

Place the cream cheese in a large bowl to bring to room temperature. Dice your onion and bell pepper to small pieces, and put on top of the cream cheese. Next, drain your pineapple and mix with the other ingredients. Stir well and form into a ball. Roll in the nuts and serve.

Tips
*Bringing your cream cheese to room temperature makes it easier to mix, but if the mixture is too soft to form into a ball, refrigerate for a few minutes.
*Wash your veggies. It seems common sense, but so many people pass over this step.
*Drain your pineapple by squishing handfuls in your hands. If you have a lot of juice mixed in with the cheese, you will get a dip instead of a cheese ball.
*The nuts are optional, of course, so if you are allergic, don't worry about that affecting the taste.

Good luck and good cooking!