Deep Fried and Smothered in Butter...My Southern Cooking Roots: New Beginnings start with Peanut Butter Fudge

Ready for 2014?

I must start off by saying welcome back to reading about my life and life lessons. One thing that I know for sure is that 2014 is looking bright and full of wonderful memories to be made. I am so excited to be back blogging again and really getting to share about my life and in addition to that - some good food!

Currently, I am in the transition phase of a promotion at ASU and I could not be more excited. I have taken on several hats while working in my current position (from Spirit Captain Extraordinaire to Guest and Conference Housing at Poly) so it will be a nice change for me to see what another part of our department looks like. David and I are trying to start planning our next steps and some mini-vacations in the near future - like Colorado :)

Over the holidays, we were able to take a long trip back to the south to see our families and I have to say it was a wonderful get away for us. We had time to visit people we don't ever get to see and actually visit more than 10 minutes, which is usually what our weekend trips look like. While at home, I thought often about the upcoming new year and what it would entail for the two of us. My job and David's school work, our move to a new house potentially happening, and then of course my own personal resolutions were all on my mind. I decided after we returned home and started to unpack that I wanted to start keeping my blog up again (at least once a week) with it being dedicated to my grandmother, Becky Roberts.

For those of you who don't know, my grandmother, "Bec" as we call her, is a huge inspiration to me and has had an even bigger impact on my life. She is one of the friendliest people, has a huge heart, and is the most amazing cook! Her restaurant, Country Vittles, is located in Crossett, Arkansas and serves a buffet style lunch and dinner meals. It is all traditional southern soul food and probably some of the best stuff I have ever eaten. With that being said, Bec has always wanted to share her recipes with the world and publish her own cookbook. She finds recipes all the time and alters them to fit her southern tastes and then mails them to me to type up for her book. I have collected tons of recipes since I moved to Arizona, not only for her book, but for me to use for parties, special occasions, and for my own dinners.

I am not a vegetable eater, so if you see me post about anything that rabbits eat, it will be because it is deep fried or smothered in butter - hence the new name :)

One of my all time favorite things to make is fudge - I have had some great trails and some not so great trials making fudge over the past 10 years and when it sets up right, it is some of the best tasting stuff!

Since I am starting my blog "over" with a new look and new name, I thought the best new beginning should start with Peanut Butter Fudge. Fudge is not scary - anyone can make it - but there are a few tricks to help you along the way. Try out the recipe below and comment how it goes! - Enjoy!

-HB

Peanut Butter Fudge

By: Becky Roberts

3 cups of Sugar

1 cup of Whole Milk

1 tablespoon of Vanilla Extract

1/4 cup of Butter

1/4 cup of Baking Cocoa

1 pinch of Salt

3 tablespoons of Karo Syrup

1 cup of Peanut Butter

Mix all ingredients in a boiler except the peanut butter. Stir together with a wooden spoon to mix well. Bring ingredients to a boil while stirring occasionally. The most important part is that you are stirring the mixture with a wooden spoon. Metal utensils will not work and will cause the fudge to have a grain like texture. The mixture should boil for about 10 minutes. To test it - fix a small bowl of cold water. Drip a couple of drops of the boiling mixture into the cold water. If the mixture clumps together and forms a mushy type of ball that can be picked up, then it is ready. If it does not make a ball, then keep boiling. Once the fudge ball forms in the cold water, take the boiling mixture off of the heat. Add the peanut butter and beat with an electric mixture until smooth. The mixture will start to harden and get thick fairly quickly, so be sure to add the peanut butter and beat well as soon as the mixture is removed from the heat. Once smooth, pour the fudge out onto a greased cookie sheet or plate to cool and set up. Once firm, cut and serve.