The Rules of Panic: Funny Friday

Today’s post is this month’s Funny Friday, a regular feature published on the last Friday of every month. Funny Friday is a collaborative project. Each month one of the participants submits a picture, then we all write 5 captions or thoughts inspired by that month’s picture. Links to the other bloggers’ posts are below, click on them and see what they’ve come up with. I hope we bring a smile to your face as you start your weekend.

 Here’s today’s picture. It was submitted by Dawn of Cognitive Script.

1. See the size of the fortune that says "Look! Good fortune is around you" and the size of the panic button in comparison? Yeah, that's about right.

2. Me (to Hubs): Out of chocolate? What do you mean we're out of chocolate? Press that panic button and let me tell you now, some chocolate damn well better appear.

3. Me (to son): Hell yeah a spider in the house is an extreme emergency. You stay and press that panic button, I'll be halfway to China by the time you're done.

4. Me (to Hubs): It's Monday? That's your extreme emergency? Get away from that panic button and go to work, that button's for real emergencies, like when we're out of chocolate. Or there's a spider in the house.

5. Me: Do those panic buttons multiply? 'Cause I think I need one in every room. Oh, and one for my purse. And my car. And . . .

 And now for something yummy: 

Dark Chocolate Cookies and Creme Crunch Fudge

Click on the links below and let some other bloggers make you smile:

Southern Belle Charm
Bookworm in the Kitchen
   Cognitive Script 
 The Bergham Chronicles

Dark Chocolate Cookies and Creme Crunch Fudge

   ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
2 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips
dash salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup Hershey's Cookies 'n Creme Crunchers

Directions:
*Line an 8 X 8 inch pan with plastic wrap, allowing it to fall over the sides for easy removal. Grease lightly.
*Put the sweetened condensed milk, the dark chocolate chips and a dash of salt into a medium sauce pan and heat on medium low while stirring until melted and smooth.
*Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
*Pour about half of this mixture into your prepared pan. spread out using a greased knife or spatula. 
*Sprinkle 1 cup Hershey's Cookies 'n Creme Crunchers over the top. Press gently and cover with the remaining fudge. Spread evenly.
*Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Use the plastic wrap hanging over the sides of the pan to remove the fudge from the pan. 
*Cut into squares, cover tightly and store in refrigerator.

Fear the Souvenir

Ever travel and bring someone back a souvenir? 

Ever travel and not bring back a souvenir? 

Ever had a souvenir strike fear in your heart? I never had, until just a few weeks ago.

Souvenirs are known for being a waste of money. The recipient is often challenged with trying to mask their dismay while simultaneously weighing their options . . . trash or re-gift.

But I have many souvenir gifts I love. I have shot glasses from many trips, some mine and some others'. When Hubs went into Tijuana to buy the medication I needed for IVF, he was pestered into purchasing a paper mache doll from a young boy who followed him around. I look at it and it reminds me of all we went through to have children.

And then there's the cone College Boy recently brought me.

College Boy had gone to Indiana to help his brother move in to his frat. He was only gone for a few days, but I really missed him. We talk a lot, especially during this election cycle as we both have similar views. College Boy and I are liberal. And we live with two other family members who are conservative.

It's interesting to talk politics with someone who thinks differently from you. They have points worth consideration whether I agree with them or not. I hate that we all, in our house, basically cancel out each others' votes, but that's how it works. As of yet I've never spiked anyone's food the night before an election, just for the record.

But it's fun to watch the national news with College Boy, to hear his point of view about all that's been going on. He's very intelligent and passionate. Although we're both liberal, the degree of our commitment to different issues, candidates and the party itself makes for interesting conversation. I do know who I'll vote for in the up0coming election. College Boy is still struggling and his thought process is a clear window into the thoughtful young man he's become. 

We talked here and there while he was gone, but more just to touch base about the trip than serious discussions. He was on his way home, about half way through the 10 hour drive when he let me know he'd stopped at a place I just wouldn't believe without proof. Just that, no further info. Oh, except that he'd bought me a souvenir.

Oooh, he'd been in Amish country, was it fudge? 

White Chocolate Toffee Fudge

Nope, not fudge. 

My son brought me . . . a traffic cone?

I'd say "just shoot me now", but considering the situation that could be dangerous.

White Chocolate Toffee Fudge

                                                                          ©www.BakingInATornado.com
 
Printable Recipe
 
Ingredients:
3 cups white chocolate chips
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk chocolate toffee baking chips, divided
1/4 cup butterscotch chips

Directions:
*Line an 8 inch square baking dish with plastic wrap. Use a large enough piece of plastic wrap that it hangs over the ends of the dish a bit.
*Heat the sweetened condensed milk, white chocolate chips and salt in a microwave safe bowl for 40 seconds and 60% power. Stir well. Continue to microwave at 20 second intervals until all of the white chocolate chips are completely melted..
*Mix in 1/2 cup of the toffee baking chips.
*Add the butterscotch chips and mix just briefly so they barely start to melt.
*Pour into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with remaining toffee chips.
*Refrigerate until completely set, about 2 hours.
*Run a knife carefully around the edge of the dish, turn the fudge out of the dish, discard plastic wrap, turn back over, slice and serve.
*Cover the leftover fudge and store in the fridge. 

Be My Guest: Southern Belle Charm

I'm continuing my Be My Guest series today. This series is a group of posts written by friends who have offered to gift me their words while I find my voice again following the loss of my dad.

I've mentioned before that I'm very picky about what goes on my blog. Good or bad, it's a reflection of me. So I don't take this guest post thing lightly. I have genuinely, in this series, introduced bloggers whose voices I value. It's a pleasure and a privilege to introduce them here on my blog and to publish a piece they wrote for me.

Today's guest was a surprise, Minette of Southern Belle Charm. A surprise because she went through an awful lot in the end of this past year. She suffered a loss that is just unfathomable to me. So the fact that she was willing to write this for me, well to me really, is a testament to the depth of her spirit.

I was thrilled when Karen accepted my offer of writing a guest post for Baking In A Tornado while she comes to terms with the death of her father and finds her voice again. I had all sorts of ideas for funny silly posts running through my head. Yet when I sit down to write them, the words leave me. As I want to be a writer, that's not a good thing.

This afternoon I realized that the reason I was struggling was because I wasn't writing from my heart for/to a friend in pain.

So, Karen, this is what I want to say to you as you work through all the emotions you are feeling right now.

You will find your voice again. It will be a different one because you are a different person. You'll still be our funny, sarcastic baking friend who makes us laugh and think and cry all at the same time. The sarcasm will be a bit more sarcastic, the thinking will lead you and all of us in different directions, the crying will be more painful and the laughter will be the sweeter for it. Hopefully the amazing recipes you come up with will keep coming . . .

 As we all grow up, we realize that one day we will lose our parents. We think to ourselves that we have time. Then one day we don't. As they age, they sometimes get sick and being sick changes them in ways we never imagined as a child.

I lost my Dad 9 years ago. It devastated me. It changed me in ways I didn't think I would change. My Dad just didn't wake up one morning. I didn't get one last time to say "Love you, Daddy" and to hear him say "Loveby".

As you navigate all the emotions running rampant and think about all the things you would change or love to do over, of all the words you might wish for him to say, forgive him. It took me a long time to realize that while it wasn't what I needed or wanted, Daddy loved me the best way he knew how. He hurt me, he ignored me, he didn't fight for me in ways I think a parent should, yet in other ways he never quit fighting for me.

Forgive yourself. Don't beat yourself up for what you did or didn't do. Even though you're an adult with children of your own, you're still a child in some ways and you always will be when it comes to your parents.

Easy Turtle Fudge

About the author:

Daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, figuring it out as she goes with Southern Belle style.
Follow along:
Blog: Southern Belle Charm 
Southern Belle Charm Facebook community 
Pinterest boards 
Twitter: @SouthBelleCharm
 

 

 

 When I saw the Caramel Eagle Brand Condensed Milk I knew I had to have some and do something with it, because, well, Caramel and Condensed Milk . . . 
After several trial and error messes, this is what I came up with:

Easy Turtle Fudge

                                            ©Southern Belle Charm
 
Printable Recipe


 
Ingredients:
2 cups (18 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 (14 oz) can Eagle Brand Caramel Sweetened Condensed Milk
Dash salt
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup pecans (you don't have to have them, but since I wanted the full Turtle effect, I added)

Directions:
*LINE 8 or 9 inch pan with wax paper.
*MELT chocolate chips with sweetened condensed milk and salt in heavy saucepan. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and pecans. Spread evenly in prepared pan.
*CHILL until firm. Remove from pan by lifting edges of wax paper, peel off paper. Cut into squares.

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Fudge

Today’s post is February’s submission to our monthly theme posts.

 

 

If you’re new here, this is how it works: there are a group of bloggers participating in this monthly project. Every month one of us picks a theme and each of us will post a recipe based on that month’s theme. All the recipes will be featured on my Facebook page so be sure to check there daily.
January’s theme was Dippin' through January 
February’s theme is Love and Food.
Today it’s my turn.

If you’re a regular reader here you already know that I’m not an expert, just a mom who bakes to relieve stress, takes crappy pictures to prove it, and blogs to spare my personal FB friends from having to see all these food pictures. OK, so now we’re all up to date.

My point is that I’m very limited in what I’m capable of in terms of participating in these monthly projects. I don’t know how to do candy and don’t even have a candy thermometer. But I can do fudge. So that’s what I did. With my own little spin on it, of course.

 

 

         

 

 

      

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Fudge

This fudge takes almost no time to make, but be sure to leave plenty of time for it to set and harden in he fridge. I added Chocolate Cake Vodka to the dark chocolate layers and Chambord to the raspberry layer. These are optional and easily just left out for a child-friendly version. I also used a heart shaped cookie cutter to make it perfect for Valentine’s Day.

As always, if you make one of my recipes, please feel free to take a picture of it and post it on my Facebook page. And be sure to check out the other Love and Food recipes that I’ll be featuring there. Six have already posted, 2 more are coming on the dates below:

2/4 Crumbs in my Mustachio’s Limoncello Cream Dream Cake

2/5 Tampa Cake Girl’s Nutella Frangelico Love Cheesecake

2/6 Hun . . . what’s for dinner?’s Cherry Blossom Chocolates

2/7 Lemony Thyme’s Cookie Cutter Chocolate Bark

2/10 Moore or Less Cooking’s Chocolate Pound Cake with a Chocolate Glaze

2/11 my Dark Chocolate Raspberry Fudge

2/12 The Rowdy Baker's Chocolate Covered Cherry Pie

2/13 Cooking from a SAHM's Sex and Candy Cake

 

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Fudge

                                        ©www.BakingInATornado.com

 
Printable Recipe
 
Ingredients:
1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk, divided
2 cups dark chocolate chips
Dash of salt
1 tsp vanilla
OPT: 2 TBSP Chocolate Cake Vodka
1 cup white chocolate chips
½ tsp raspberry extract
OPT: 2 tsp Chambord
OPT: 3 drops red food coloring
 
Directions:
* Line a 8 X 11 inch pan with plastic wrap and grease lightly.
* Put ½ cup of sweetened condensed milk and 1 cup white chocolate chips into a small sauce pan and set aside.
* Put the rest of the sweetened condensed milk, the dark chocolate chips and the dash of salt into a medium sauce pan and heat on medium low while stirring until melted and smooth.
*Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Stir in the vodka if using.
*Pour about half of this mixture into your prepared pan. Spread as evenly as you can and refrigerate for 10 minutes. Leave the rest of the chocolate mixture at room temperature.
*While the first layer is starting to set, heat the white chocolate chips and condensed milk mixture like you did the first. Once smooth, remove from heat and stir in the raspberry extract. Add the Chambord and/or food coloring if using.
*Gently layer this mixture on top of the chocolate layer and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
*When you’re ready to add the top layer, if it’s no longer of a spreadable consistency, heat and stir on very low heat until it is. Spread over the top of the raspberry layer. It’s OK if it doesn’t spread all the way to the edges or if the colors swirl together a little.
* Refrigerate for at least 1 ½ hours.
Remove the fudge from the pan. You can either cut into squares or, if you’re making hearts, lightly grease a heart shaped cookie cutter. Cut heart shapes, greasing the cutter between each one.
*With what’s left of the fudge, form into a rectangle (colors will run together). Refrigerate again then cut into squares. Store in refrigerator.