Cubicle kitchen: Berry Lemonade Fudge

Isn't it funny how often the things which are easiest to make are what get the most ooohs and aaaaahs?  This fudge is the easiest thing I think I've brought in, with several different flavor varieties, and each one has been a hit.

The basic recipe for the fudge is almost shamefully easy:

• 2 cups (or 1 bag) of chocolate chips
• 1 can of non-fat sweetened condensed milk (you can use full-fat)
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract

The chocolate and the milk go into a microwave-safe bowl and are melted together.  Carefully.  It only takes a minute or so, stirring at least every 30 seconds, because you don't want to burn the simple deliciousness.  When it's completely melted, stir in the vanilla, then pour into a parchment-lined pan (that you've already prepared because you read this all the way through before attempting, right?) and put in the fridge to firm up.

I originally found this on Sparkpeople through a Google search for easy fudge.  Even the first time I made it, I didn't just do straight milk chocolate and vanilla.  Instead, I did white chocolate with peppermint extract and added crushed candy canes.  Guess what time of year that was?

This time around, I made a berry lemonade version, since it's summertime and I try to keep things a little seasonal.  Weeks and even months fly by when you're spending them in a cubicle, you have to mark the time somehow, you know?  Here are the alterations and additions:

• White chocolate chips, still 1 bag
• Same can of non-fat sweetened condensed milk
• about 1 1/2 tablespoons of lemon zest and juice (I probably could have added more)
• 1/4 cup each of dried cranberries, dried cherries, dried blueberries, dried pomegranates, and candied lemon peel, chopped

The lemon juice and zest I 'did' myself with four lemons the other day.  There didn't seem much point in keeping the zest and juice separately since anything I planned on adding them to they would both be involved anyway.  So I have a magical citrus elixir for adding to my fudge.  I have to give credit to Dozen Flours for being my proof of concept that I could add the lemon juice and not destroy the chocolate/milk mixture when she posted a recipe for Key Lime Pie Fudge that is delicious.

The reason there are so many different types of dried fruit?  Because that's how many I had in the kitchen.  What can I say, I like to have variety in my fruit stock.

I was worried that I had chopped up more fruit than the fudge would take, but it turned out perfectly.

The instructions are the same: melt chocolate and milk together, then stir in the juice and then the additional goodies.  Pour into pan, spread evenly and count the minutes until you get to enjoy it.

But before you do that, you'll probably want to cut it into squares.

Or not, I won't judge.  But squares are easier for bringing into work and sharing.  My co-workers really loved it, I think the tartness of the lemon cuts the richness of the chocolate so that even people who aren't in the mood to indulge enjoy this.  And those who do like to indulge love it too.  I gave Mom a few pieces to take with her to her knitting group, so it's also crafter-approved.

I draw the line at spinning while actually on a bike

This Saturday marks the beginning of the 99th Le Tour de France, where cyclists from around the world pedal feverishly towards the yellow jersey.  While they do that, I and other crafters will be spinning fiber in solidarity with their efforts.  For the next three weeks, while they scale the Pyrenees, I will be facing my own challenge: to turn myself into a spinner.

In the latter half of last year, I decided that I needed to learn how to spin.  I blame Susan Fricks at Yarnorama for this, because she dyes such gorgeous roving.  You can only write about so many Colorways of the Month for Examiner before you simply have to have some for yourself.  And even though they make wonderful fluffy warm collars just as braids, they really should be made into yarn.

I did my best with a Knit Picks starter set and mass Google search for tutorials.  Unfortunately, I was having issues working the spindle and couldn't get my hands to 'click' with this new motion.  But I didn't want to get a nicer, more expensive spindle until I was good enough to 'deserve' it.  Local woodworker Jeri Brock makes the most beautiful spindles, and she told me that I shouldn't force myself to learn on a spindle I wasn't comfortable with.  Better tools make the task easier.  Thankfully, my mom bought me one  of her Turkish drop spindles for Christmas with squirrels carved into it.

As I've already mentioned, this year's crafting has been all about knitting for others, so I haven't had the time to really force myself into the habit of spinning.  Everyone has said that you just need to keep at it every day and eventually you'll get it.  So while others are going to spin enough yarn for a sweater, my goal is more humble: just spin every day.  For a few minutes, or for an hour, it doesn't matter.  Just keep repeating what feels awkward until it doesn't.

Here's what I'm starting with, my hand-made spindle and hand-dyed roving:

I've already created a leader and gotten a few inches into the spindle, so tomorrow I'll be all set to just start spinning.

And hopefully this tour won't have any horrific crashes.

Spaghetti squash and cheese

Does it count as a new recipe if I'm basically saying 'the same again, this time with cheese'?  Because that's what I'm saying.  This weekend was spaghetti squash-themed for Mom and I as far as dinners were concerned.  Saturday we did the same baked squash with tomato sauce that I've already blogged about.

And then on Sunday we kicked things up a notch.  Instead of adding tomato sauce to our scraped squash goodness, we took oven-safe bowls and mixed the squash with shredded parmesan cheese.  I also added a few other goodies, so here's the total list:

• 1/4 cup of shredded parmesan
• Garlic powder to taste
• Minced garlic to taste
• Salt to taste
• 1 triangle of Garlic and Herb Laughing Cow Light

Put that back into the oven and let that melt up for 5-10 minutes (or as long as you can stand to wait to enjoy).  I should also note that Mom and I split a squash, so this is for half of what was a very large gourd.

Mmm, it was good.  I'm thinking it's going to be worth the time and effort to invest in trying to grow my own spaghetti squash next year.

Added to the queue: Twist Pullover in knit.wear

Lately I seem to be drawn in by magazines in particular as a source of knitting patterns.  Anytime there's a newsstand I'm flipping through whatever is available in knitting.  And the past month or so, I've been picking up periodicals and taking them to the register more than I've been setting them back down again.

The latest addition to my library has been the Spring 2012 edition of knit.wear:

Photo credit: Interweave Press

While there are several very pretty patterns, my absolute favorite is the one on the cover there, the Twist Pullover, designed by Cecily Glowik MacDonald.  At first glance it looks like a cardigan/shrug with an oversized front that just hangs loose.  But take a look inside the magazine to see the real beauty of it:

Photo credit: Joe Hancock/Interweave Press

See that? The front twists around over your head!  I love this.  It's simple but special.  The twist gives it texture and instant interest without involving complicated stitch work.  Plus, it would keep me warm in my overly-A/C-ed cubicle.  I also love that the suggested yarn for this pattern is from an Austin fiber artist, Alisha Goes Around.  She has some gorgeous stuff that is showing up in yarn stores all over Austin and beyond.  I'm not sure what I'll use, but I know that eventually I'm going to get around to knitting this.  And the queue just gets longer...

For those in Austin, Gauge and Hill Country Weavers have this in stores now.  Other yarn stores, and some bookstores with a good craft magazine selection, should also have it.  Or you can always order it online.

It was a graveyard smash...

Thought I would point everyone to another Examiner article that I published at the end of last week.  It was about the release of 'Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter', and has a slideshow of a few other books that have come out in the past few years that are a part of this new genre of taking a classic story (in Lincoln's case, a true story) and adding in a monster or two.  So you end up with 'Pride and Prejudice and Zombies' and 'Little Women and Werewolves'.

Honestly, I have mixed feelings about this new subgenre.  On the one hand, I can't really begrudge anything that gets people reading the fabulous words of Austen and Alcott, even if they are sprinkled amongst the words of another author.  Taking books from syllabus must-reads to bestseller want-to-reads is always worthwhile.

But on the other hand, my self-righteous side doesn't like how these iconic authors are so often used as a shortcut to recognition and boosted sales.  An entirely original novel mixing an 18th-century tale of courtship with the eating of brains might make a blip on the literary radar for sheer inventiveness.  But toss in a little Jane, and suddenly reviewers are clamoring to give their take on your newest release.

To defy biology and take a third hand, it isn't as though this isn't a tried and true methodology.  People have been writing 'sequels' to Austen novels for quite a while, and outside of books, TV and film producers have been putting their own stamp and reaping their own profits from the seeds of someone else's genius with adaptations of many varieties.  When they're done poorly, I sulk with a sense of superiority as is the right of everyone who 'read it first'.  But when they're done well, I love them.

So I suppose I'm still ambiguous about it all.  I have to admire the creativity of turning a President into a supernatural slayer, but for the most part monster horror just isn't my thing.  So I'll leave fans to enjoy it and try and keep my teacherly tutting to a minimum.

It's your civic crafting duty

If you haven't already, please go vote for The Knitting Nest in the Mission: Small Business program to qualify them for a $250,000 grant.  For more information, you can read my Examiner article.

And while you're there, you can also vote for some other Austin businesses, like Sugar Mama's Bakeshop, which has the honor of having baked the cupcake that is featured in my Facebook and Ravelry profile pic:

Doesn't that make you want to vote?  Fiber and frosting, people!  They must be funded!

I really, really, really wanna zig-a-zig-ahh! No, really, I do!

This morning, Twitter had a present for me: the Spice Girls were trending!  Why, I wondered, fearing as always that someone had died.  I mean, that is the fastest way to trend.  Thankfully, however, Posh, Baby, Ginger, Scary, and Sporty are all alive and kicking.  They are making the news because there's a new musical based on their songs being launched at the end of this year in London.

I could say that the Spice Girls are a guilty pleasure, but that would imply that I feel guilty in taking pleasure in this pure pop display.  And I don't.  Because they are fabulous.  I have fond memories of belting out 'Wannabe' with my British cousins over the summer, and coming back to Texas obsessed with the Spice Girls before anyone else had even heard of them on American shores.  It may well be the only time I have every been ahead of the curve.

I went on to worship the girl group for several years.  I dressed up as Baby Spice for Halloween, though I think a few of the parents handing out candy probably mistook me for some kind of hooker.  Be that as it may, I never really turned away from the Girls.  I bought their last album together when there were only four, and I have a few of their solo albums.  I just barely missed the opportunity to see their reunion tour, something I will probably be a little bitter about for the rest of my life.

I probably won't make it to the Piccadilly to catch this show either, but if they ever make it into a major motion picture, I'm so there.  And hey, this time I won't make my dad take me.  Sorry, Dad.