For all the baked goods I have created in the kitchen, nothing compares to the requests and reactions I get for fudge. I am forever puzzled by this, because of all the sweet confections I have made, fudge is by far one of the easiest. Then again, I get the same demand for no-bake cookies, which are even simpler than fudge.

To be fair, what I make is not the true candy experts’ fudge. I do not bother with thermometers or the whole soft-ball/hard-ball stage thing. What I do does not require the constant monitoring or scientific measurements. Don’t get me wrong, I measure, but I can also tinker with the recipe without disaster striking. Though one time, I tinkered a bit too much and produced a chocolate glob that resembled paste glue from kindergarten. It still didn’t taste that bad.

My secret? Mini-marshmallows. Yes, folks, miniature marshmallows is all it takes for terrific fudge. Add a can of evaporated milk, some butter, sugar, salt, and a bag of chocolate chips, and you have fudge. If you want to get fancy, you can add peppermint extract or cinnamon, maybe some peanut butter or chopped walnuts, but the basic recipe remains the same.

The lesson here? Cooking is not hard. It is not reserved for the elite. Cooking is for everyone, and nothing is stopping you from making your favorite dish or dessert but you. Does it take time? Sure. Will you mess up from time to time? Absolutely. But will you learn and get better? Of course! And you will probably enjoy it much, much more if you can make it yourself.

What to give it a go? Here are some of my favorite fudge recipes:

Famous Fudge Orignal Recipe

Chocolate Peanut Butter Glazed Fudge

Maple Walnut Fudge

Mocha Spice Fudge

So please, don’t be afraid to try, because the end results are oh-so Sweet.

Originally Beef-Broccoli Lo Mein from Cooking Light magazine, I found this recipe on MyRecipes.com and adapted it to the ingredients I had in the kitchen. I substituted cabbage for broccoli and used angel hair pasta instead of spaghetti. The result was a very delicious, easy to prepare dinner that was ready in no time flat. Feel free to use the vegetables you have on hand to make this dish a penny-saver.

During Veganomics, I had purchased red chile paste and lamented that I was afraid I would not use it again. I was glad to find another recipe that called for it, though the original recipe called for red chile paste with garlic. Either one would work fine in this dish. This is also an all-in-one type meal with vegetables, meat, and pasta all in the same dish, which saves time in the kitchen and avoids having to make unnecessary side dishes to compliment the main course.

Beef & Cabbage Lo Mein Noodles
adapted from Cooking Light

4 cups (8 oz uncooked) angel hair pasta
1 tsp dark sesame seed oil
1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and minced
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 head cabbage, cored and sliced
1 yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 lb beef, thinly sliced (cut for stir-fry)
3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp red chile paste
green onions, chopped (optional)

Bring a medium pot of water to boil and cook pasta according to package directions, omitted any salt or oil. Drain and toss with sesame seed oil, keeping warm. Meanwhile, whisk together soy sauce, brown sugar, oyster sauce, and red chile paste in a small bowl.

While pasta cooks, in a large skillet or wok, saute ginger and garlic in olive oil over high heat for 30 seconds. Add onion and saute for 1 minute. Add cabbage and saute until slightly wilted, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside in a large bowl.

Add beef strips to pan, sauteing on one side for 2-3 minutes. Add soy sauce mixture and toss to coat beef. Return cabbage mixture to pan and toss to coat. Continue to sauteing, adding cooked pasta, until beef is just cooked through (do not overcook). Serve immediately, topped with chopped green onions if desired.

This recipe originally came from Real Simple magazine, though I made a few adjustments. What better to compliment South African wine than with some local cuisine? To be honest, I am not sure how authentic this recipe really is, as African is one global cuisine of which I know the least. This soup, however, is an all-in-one dish of substance: vegetables, protein from peanuts and peanut butter, and grains. The peanut butter ups the calorie content, making it heavier than most soups, but offers a vegan stew that really sticks to your ribs (yes, pun intended).  

The original recipe called for chicken stock, which I substituted with Simple Garlic Broth. Another vegan option would be vegetable stock. Because I used garlic stock, I omitted the garlic in this recipe. If you are using chicken or vegetable stock, also add 1 clove of minced garlic and 1 tbsp of oil to saute. I also used diced tomatoes with basil and oregano for an earthier flavor.

African Peanut Stew
adapted from Real Simple

1 (28 oz) can chopped tomatoes (do not drain)
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
3 large carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
4 cups garlic broth
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup uncooked white rice
6 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped

In a large stockpot, combine tomatoes, tomato paste, carrots, peanut butter, broth, vinegar, salt, and cayenne pepper. Whisk together over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Add rice and reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 20 minutes.

Ladle into bowls and top with green onions and peanuts.

Winter in West Michigan is particularly brutal, mostly because the season stretches on for months and months. Typically, it starts snowing in November but some years there is significant snowfall before Halloween. Then it keeps snowing, reaching its peak near February, then continues until March and some years even April (one year, 10 inches of snow fell on April Fool’s day, I was not amused).

The days get shorter, grayer, and colder. Just when you think you’ve rounded the corner into spring, it snows again. We Michiganders usually don’t care much for spring either, which is a wet, muddy mess due to large amounts of (dirty) snow melting and causing massive flooding. Basically, we have six months of winter grime to look forward to until summer comes.

While it is usually abundant, the growing season is painfully short and often subject to unseasonable frost and snow storms. During these months, eating local is not really an option. Farmer’s Markets usually do not start until the end of May, and even then the offerings are meager until late June. Until then, what’s a local girl to do? There are only so many sweet potatoes and apples one can eat before going a little crazy.

Unfortunately, it’s only December and I have already had enough. Most of the time, I can make it through to the new year before becoming annoyed with it all, but significant early snowfall and a particularly heinous January-March of 2008 has left me jaded. Predictions of a blizzard-ridden 2009 do not help matters, as it appears I can look forward to more of the same. Plus, salt stains on the bottom of your jeans? So not attractive.

The forecast? So very Bitter (and cold).

The New York Times recently ran a recipe for “a simple broth with a mild kick,” full of heart-healthy garlic. The recipe looked like a great vegan alternative to chicken stock, so I decided to give it a try. The recipe is very simple, but a bit time consuming as the broth needs about an hour of simmering time to develop flavor. Aside from being a vegetarian option for preparing soup, this recipe also gives you complete control of the fat and sodium content (no mystery “msg” ingredients here). In total, I used less than 1/2 of a teaspoon of sea salt (a little salt is required to bring out the taste of the broth, as is a small amount of fat from the olive oil).  

The recipe called for a bouquet garni, which is basically herbs tied together with kitchen string and allowed to simmer in a dish to impart flavor. By tying the herbs together, it makes them easier to find and remove before serving. Since the broth already needs to be strained, I skipped that step and just tossed the herbs into the stock pot. Smashing the garlic cloves slightly allows the flavor and healthy benefits to steep into the broth, but do not chop or the broth will be too strong.

Simple Garlic Broth
adapted from the New York Times

5 cups water
2 heads garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
1 fresh bay leaf
2 fresh sage leaves
2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
salt, to taste

Separate garlic cloves and smash each one slightly. Peel garlic cloves and cover with water in a large stock pot. Add olive oil and herbs. Bring to a boil over high heat.

Reduce heat and simmer, covered tightly, for 1 hour. Remove from heat and strain, discarding herbs and garlic. Add salt, about 1/4 or 1/8 of a teaspoon at a time, whisking and tasting between additions.

If not using immediately, allow to cool to room temperature before storing, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Yeilds about 1 quart of garlic broth.

Instead of discarding the garlic, consider using in another recipe. The softened cloves will mash into a paste and would be great to mix into mashed potatoes or hummus.