Fudge Wreath

Last wreath for the year (I'm pretty sure) - perfect for holiday parties, dessert buffet, to give neighbors or co-workers... and like most of the things I make it's quick and easy! Note to self: I should count how many times I used the words "quick and easy" this past year!

I used Rachel Ray's recipe for 5 minute fudge with a couple changes I'll note after her recipe:

1 (12 oz) package semi-sweet chocolate chips
9 oz butterscotch chips (3/4 of a 12 oz. bag)
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 oz. walnut halves
1/2 cup currants or raisins
candied red and green cherries


8" cake pan, lightly greased with softened butter

1. Place a heavy pot on the stove and preheat it over low heat. Add chips and milk and stir until chips are melted and milk combined. Save the empty condensed milk can. Stir in vanilla and remove fudge from heat. Add nuts and currants and stir in immediately. 

2. Cover empty condensed milk can with plastic food wrap and center it in the greased cake pan. Spoon fudge into pan around can, making sure to recenter can if it drifts. 

3. The fudge will set up almost immediately. Garnish can only be added in the first minute or 2 the fudge is in the pan, so work quickly. Decorate your wreath with "holly" made from cut candied red and green cherries. A wreath left plain can be garnished with a pretty fabric bow when serving. Chill covered in the refrigerator and slice fudge very thin when ready to serve, a little goes a long way.

*My notes: I used the same donut-shaped cake pan from yesterday's cheeseball wreath sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. I substituted dried cranberries for the currant/raisins because I don't like raisins, and used walnut pieces instead of halves because I don't like big old bites of nuts, and I added  mini-marshmallows. My store only had green candied cherries so I just cut them in pieces to resemble leaves and made 3 little clusters on the wreath. This was a big hit at Dave's ukulele holiday party!

Grandma Jean's Pecan Pie

I have such nice friends. Out of the blue (which means without my nagging her LOL) Natalie sent me pictures of this beautiful pecan pie - she even took lots of pictures and walks us thru her Grandma's recipe with detailed instructions! YAY! Thank you so much for sharing Nat :).

PS to Natalie: I'm not nagging but if you want to share the recipe for the pretty latticed-top apple tarts you guys made I'm sure everyone would love it, wink wink!!!

Feel free to leave comments for Natalie and I'll make sure she sees them...ok, on to her post:

Here’s the recipe a baker can actually follow:

1/2 c. Sugar
1/4 c. unsalted butter, softened
1 c. Light corn syrup
1/2 tsp. Salt
3 eggs beaten
1 tsp. Vanilla
1.5 c. Broken and/or half pecans

Melt sugar, butter and salt over low heat, add corn syrup and stir thoroughly.

Heat to medium and continue to stir until mixture goes from white to more translucent and you can’t feel sugar granules on the bottom. Pull off heat and let cool for two minutes, then whisk in eggs quickly to avoid scrambling them.

Return pan to medium heat and continue stirring for 1 minute; whisk in vanilla, then stir in pecans and continue stirring over heat for 1 minute. Pull off heat and pour into uncooked 9” pie crust. Bake in 
preheated 350 oven for 60-70 minutes—until it doesn’t jiggle when shaken/knife comes out clean. 

Best 9” simple crust (can be doubled)
1 c. Flour
1/2 c. Chilled Crisco
3/4 tsp. Salt
1/8-1/4 c. Ice cold water

Whisk flour and salt together, add crisco and cut together until flour is incorporated into pea size pieces. Add 1/8 cup water and stir gently with a fork. Only add more water if the dough isn’t sticking together in a ball. Dump dough into plastic wrap—pat into a ball using the wrap—and wrap and chill for 30 minutes. Remove from fridge onto well floured surface—pat down to a 6 inch circle—then lift it—reflour surface and flip over. Flour rolling pin and roll out to an 11 inch or 12 inch circle. 

Fold in half (I use my metal scraper as pictured above to lift dough!) and place on 9” pie plate.
Unfold and create an edge.

I always fold 1/4” of the edge under to make it thicker and prevent burning before making a pinch or wavy edge.

Poke holes with fork for a precooked crust and add pie weights before baking,
 OR use as is for a raw crust like with pecan or pumpkin pie.