WOW!  I am exhausted!  That is official.  I just thought I would share that with you before we get on to a very exciting post.  If you are watching your waist line you may want to browse off this post but don’t leave zesty entirely.  As the holiday baking has begun I wanted to share with you yesterday’s results of some yummy brown sugar fudge.  You do not need anything fancy to pull this dish off – just a few simple ingredients and a bit of time.

As you will see in the zesty tip down below, you do not even need a candy thermometer.  There should be lots of fun more holiday baking recipes to come and if anyone wants to see something in particular just holler at me and let me know.

Ingredients

• 3 Cups Brown Sugar
• 2 Tbsp. Corn Syrup
• 3/4 Cup Evaporated milk
• 2/3 Cup White Sugar
• 2 Tbsp. Butter
• 1 Tsp. Vanilla
• 1 Cup of crushed peanuts (optional)

Method

1. Grease baking pan (size of your choice) with butter and set aside.
2. Combine all ingredients except the peanuts in a 3-quart heavy saucepan and bring just to a boil over moderate heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
3. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring frequently, until mixture registers 238°F on thermometer  (this will take about 30 minutes).
4. Transfer to a heatproof bowl. Stir in the peanuts and beat until fudge is thick and smooth, about 2 minutes.
5. Spread evenly in an un greased 8-inch square baking pan.
6. Gently score the tops of the fudge in the sizes you want to cut.
7. Refrigerate, uncovered, until firm enough to cut, about 30 minutes.

Zesty Tip: If you do not have a candy thermometer – you can place a teaspoon of mixture dropped into a small bowl of cold water holds a soft ball when pressed between your fingers to determine that it is complete.

So there you have it!  I think you will enjoy this combination if you like fudge.  I myself prefer it without peanuts but they do give it a little crunch and flavor.  I am just going to head out to the grocery store and then to the house.  I hope you have a great day!  Hard to believe tomorrow is Thursday.

Take care

zesty

Happy Thursday!  This week is flying by and I am loving it!  Today I want to share with you somewhat of a “thought up dish” in a way to incorporate beef as well as the “finger type” food at the same time.

I chose the mushroom beef pastry as it seemed like something that would be easy to eat and relatively easy to prepare.  I created the filling the night before and then just warmed it through in a skillet before filling the pastry.  I chose to use pre-made puff pastry and cut the slices relatively small so the pastries were manageable without the use of a fork and knife.

These were a really big hit with the group as I served them warm and let them dollop their own sour cream.  Find the skinny on how to make these tantalizing beef mushroom pastries below.

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