Carnation Famous Fudge

Who makes fudge in May? Apparently I do. We have been without an oven for a month and the kids (and I) wanted something sweet, chocolate and homemade. Katrina gave me the idea of making fudge because of a picture that was on a can of evaporated milk. It was really good and has left me wanting more.

Carnation Famous Fudge
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cups (5 fl. oz can) Carnation evaporated milk
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups marshmallows
1 1/2 cups (9oz) Nestle Toll House Semi-Sweet chocolate morsels
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
1 tsp. vanilla extract.

Line a 8-in-square baking pan with foil.

Combine sugar, evaporated milk, butter and salt in medium, heavy-duty saucepan. Bring to a full rolling boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil, stirring constantly, for 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Stir in marshmallows, morsels, nuts and vanilla extract. Stir vigorously for 1 minute or until marshmallows are melted. Pour into a prepared baking pan; refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm. Lift from pan; remove foil. Cut into 48 pieces.

FOR MILK CHOCOLATE FUDGE:
Substitute 1 3/4 cups Milk Chocolate for Semi-Sweet chocolate morsels.

FOR BUTTERSCOTCH FUDGE:
Substitute 1 2/3 cups Butterscotch Flavored Morsels for Semi-Sweet morsels

FOR PEANUTTY CHOCOLATE FUDGE:
1 2/3 cups Peanut Butter & Milk Chocolate Morsels for Semi-Sweet morsels and 1/2 cup chopped peanuts for pecans for pecans or walnuts.

Pasta Alla Marlboro man (Pioneer Women)

I guess I could change the name of this recipe since I made changes to it, but it originated from Pioneer Women. I used what I had on hand and will also like to make it again using hamburger instead of the turkey (I had ground turkey on hand).

I was really the only one whom like this. Again, my kids don't like meat in pasta sauce and my husband HATES pasta all together.

PASTA ALLA MARLBORO MAN
2 TBsp. Olive Oil
1/2 whole large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 lbs ground beef (I used ground turkey)
Salt to Taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tsp. (generous) Ground Thyme
2 cans (14 oz) whole tomatoes (I used crushed tomatoes)
1/4 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese
1-1/2 punds (to 2 lbs) Rigatoni
Preparation:
Heat oil in large skillet or pot over medium-low heat. Add onion and cook a couple of minutes, until starting to turn translucent. Add garlic and stir, cooking 1 minute, making sure not to brown the garlic.
Add ground beef and cook until brown. Drain most of excess fat. Add salt, pepper, and ground thyme. Stir to combine. Dump in canned tomatoes with their juice. Stir, reduce heat to low, and cover pot. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring a couple of times. Uncover the pot and cook an additional 30 minutes.
Cook rigatoni according to package directions-don't overcook! (I think I over cook pasta all the time). Drain and place individual portions into bowls.
Stire in 1/4 to 1/2 cup grated parmesan into the sauce. Check and adjust seasonings. Ladle sauce over cooked pasta, sprinkle with more parmesan, and serve.

Olive Garden Salad & Dressing Copycat Recipe

I LOVE Olive Garden for their salad, breaksticks and fettucini alfredo. Have you ever tried re-heating the fettucini alfredo leftovers tho, nasty and oily. I have posted in previous blog an amazing alfredo sauce recipe (found in a weighht watches cookbook).

I was making a pasta dish this night and knew my husband (whom HATES pasta dishes) would love this. I didn't show him the ingredients though because of the corn syrup. He LOVED it though and I kept the ingredients a secret.

OLIVE GARDEN SALAD AND DRESSING
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup white vinegar
1 tsp. vegetable oil
2 Tbsp. corn syrup (I used light)
2 Tbsp. Romano cheese
1 garlic clove minced
1/2 tsp. italian seasoning
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. Sugar (optional)**Taste before adding the sugar...or add a little more mayo to change the taste.
1 bag American blend Dole salad (I used a head of lettuce, torn into pieces)
4 sliced rings of Purple onion (halved)
8 jumbo Black olives (pitted) I did not add these
6 Banana peppers (pepperoncini)
1/2 cup croutons (didn't add this either)
2 Roma tomatoes (quartered)
Parmesan cheese (freshly grated)
Pepper corns (freshly ground)