The Chew: Homemade Fudge

It's July, and as promised, I have a few new features coming to Sweet B's Impressions. Since I'm constantly trying out and adding my own twists to new recipes from around the blog world, my various cookbooks, mouth-watering pins on Pinterest and TV, I decided to start a few "Recipe in Review" posts. I'm aiming for a review or two a month. [But please don't hunt me down if I fall behind. I don't plan to....but life happens, ya know?]

My first such post had to be this Homemade Fudge I watched Carla Hall make on The Chew a couple months ago. (Love, love, love this show. It's definitely been my addiction since it first aired way back last October and, besides Rizzoli and Isles, is the only thing I watch on TV...well, my sports of course and the occasional Food Network show.)

Let me tell you about this fudge. But first let me just say that I am not a huge fudge-consuming person. (Except for my Grandma Bays' Peanut Butter Fudge, which sadly no one has been able to exactly duplicate since her passing a few years ago. And I long for her fudge every holiday.)

So when I heard Ms. Carla Hall say, "Who doesn't like fudge?" as she began her segment, I raised my hand. But then all these thoughts and versions started floating through my mind as I watched her create this super easy and quick fudge. I just had to give it a shot with my favorite ingredients which just happened to be lying around the kitchen.

And, yes, it is just as mouth-watering as it looks. So.freaking.good. LOVE.

I made it for a little get-together my friends and I had, and I was thrilled when everyone could taste the espresso...because I barely could. Next time I'm adding a whole shot and skipping the extract. (I like my espresso strong...like my men.) It was barely sweet, which I loved. And had just the right amount of nuts, which I, too, loved.

I had fully intended on saving some for when my friend Jessica and I next saw each other (because I told her all about it and she was dying to try some), but late at night I found myself sneaking into the freeze for a bite. I don't know what happened, but eventually all I had left was an empty container with chocolate smudges.

Homemade Espresso Fudge with Pistachios
*adapted from The Chew

1 1/2 c shelled pistachios
1 lb good quality dark chocolate, finely chopped (I prefer at least 65% dark chocolate...the higher the better my friends)
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pats
1 can sweetened condensed milk
Pinch salt
1 tsp almond extract
2 tsp strongly brewed espresso, or espresso granules (maybe a full shot next time and no extract)

Line an 8"x8" pan with two strips of parchment paper the width of the pan with at least a 3" overhang on each side. In a glass bowl, mix chocolate, butter, milk and salt.  Place bowl over double boiler with simmering water.  Stir until chocolate is smooth, about 5 - 10 minutes. Remove bowl from heat, dry bottom of bowl, and stir in extract and espresso.  Fold in pistachios. Pour mixture into prepared dish and smooth with spoon or offset spatula.

Chill in fridge until set, about 1 1/2 hours.  Cut fudge into desired size with a sharp knife.  After each cut, wipe knife with a damp paper towel.

*I'm thinking of adding dried cranberries and blueberries for a Christmas twist this holiday season.

  

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

7 Days 1 Challenge: Twenty-Eight

Okay. Sooooo, what habit did you get back into? I was able to get back into my crossword puzzle three days last week. I'm slowly getting back into it with my morning coffee....but sometimes my body would rather sleep just a few more minutes and then rush around like a crazy person before leaving the house in the mornings. Yet, I'm working on it.

But it's Monday and we're moving on!

*In case you're new to these challenges, the challenge starts on Monday and ends Sunday night. The following Monday I'll post a new challenge.


This week's challenge:

Morning Yoga

I can't wait to have the privacy of my own home to do my yoga outside.

I recommend everyone find a morning practice that works best for you. My yoga routine each morning is a max of 20 minutes. I do it right after I stumble out of bed (and having my mat right by my bed is a huge motivator), and it helps my body to wake up easily and more quickly. By the time I've finished, I'm full of energy and ready for my morning coffee. (Of course, there are a few days where my body would rather sleep just a few more minutes and then....well, see above.)

Who wants to take the weekly challenge? Let me know by sharing your thoughts/struggles and link ups below!

With Love and God Bless,

Brindi

Sunday Sweets

1. Mr. B and I had a great big bowl of mixed fruit for brunch this morning, consisting of grapes, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, peaches and kiwis. YUM.

And then Mr. B asked what else there was to eat.....so I made him an omelet.


2. House update: The sellers have finished everything we asked them to fix. So possible second inspection next week.....then closing? (eek!)


3. WHY is it soooooooo hot?!! I live in Ohio for a reason. I'm melting here people!

4. To beat the heat we went boating with Mr. B's parents last Sunday and on the 4th. They decided to do some rafting. Um, yeah, rafting does not seem like a good time. I'm fine on the boat, thanks.

5. I've been on a homemade pizza kick lately, and anyone who knows me is probably staring at the screen going, "What? You? Pizza?" I am not a pizza fan, but I'm obsessed with The Pioneer Woman's pizza crust. It makes enough for two large pizzas, so I've been halving it and storing the other crust in the freezer. Ta da! Two meals for the week! (And I like my crust thin....it's sooooo darn good. I'm addicted.)

6. I got lost on my way home from work Thursday because the construction workers decided to block off my exit ramp. I tried to bypass it but everywhere I went the ramps were all blocked. There were no "Hey, take this detour route" signs and I didn't have the GPS. It took me an extra 40 minutes to get home (+ the hour that it already takes me to get home). I was exhausted. Darn construction!


7. Guess who I got to spend most of my Friday with?

Baby Myles!!!! Well, he's hardly a baby anymore. How did he get so big!!?

8. And of course, his Mommy came too!

Jessica W. and I

9. Mr. B and I were at Kohl's the other day and they have the Skippyjon Jones books and stuffed animal. This was the first time Mr. B had ever heard of Skippyjon Jones, and me, as a children's librarian, was explaining everything to him...you know, how Skippyjon Jones is a Siamese cat who thinks he's a Chihuahua because of his big ears. Yeah, now Mr. B is calling Siamese Skippyjon Jones and he refuses to call her anything else.

Here's the link to Skippyjon Jones' Facebook page.


10. Oh, and in case you were wondering, I'll help you out. My birthday is in 11 days!! I like cash and cookbooks :)

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

A Coffee Party

Remember the Tea Party? (You can read all about that glorious time here.) Well after that hit, my friends and I decided another beverage party was a must. And what do I like more than tea?

Coffee!

Cup of Joe.

Espresso.

Brew.

Cafe.

Jamocha.

Java.

Yes, the hot stuff. (Actually, oftentimes I prefer mine iced.)

Now, we did not have the elaborate coffee selections as we did the tea (cough, someone wasn't a coffee drinker, cough) but we still had plenty of options....including iced, flavored, strong, with cream, without cream, and with or without Bailey's. (God bless, Emilia....that stuff was delicious. I am not an alcohol consumer, per say, but I make exceptions for wine and Bailey's. In moderation though.)

Here was our little set-up. We had fruit, chips with guacamole and sour cream, an array of chocolates, pastries, and an espresso cheesecake ice cream pie.

And Jessica H. went all out with the mini appetizer-ware, which I found to be quite cute.

Of course, we all brought our favorite coffee-drinking mugs. Mine is the tall and skinny blue one....I love it because it holds a spoon. Great for stirring in one's Bailey's.

And now let me tell you about this fan-freaking-tastic ice cream pie that you must make as soon as you stop drooling over your keyboard.

It had espresso!!!

It had Starbucks Coffee Ice Cream!

It had cream cheese!

It had chocolate drizzle! (Which I'm now thinking would have been even more fan-freaking-tastic with caramel drizzle!)

Espresso Cheesecake Ice Cream Pie
*adapted from Espresso and Cream

1 graham cracker crust
2 pkgs softened Neufchatel cream cheese, 8 oz each
1/3 c powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 c 1% milk or almond milk
1 pint Starbucks Coffee Ice Cream, softened
1 tsp instant espresso
Chocolate, for garnishing

With electric mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add in sugar, vanilla, and milk, and beat until creamy. Add in ice cream and espresso and beat until smooth. Pour mixture into prepared crust and freeze at least 3-4 hours, or until completely firm and frozen. Garnish with chocolate drizzle before serving.



*YOU MUST MAKE THIS!!!!!

Next time, I'm making this with Starbucks Caramel Macchiato Ice Cream!


With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

7 Days 1 Challenge: Twenty-Seven

I'm so glad I did the salad challenge this week because the heat index was ridiculous. It was sooooo hot I didn't want to cook or eat anything....except some cut up veggies and fruit which worked out perfectly. However, I did fit in a taco salad and a couscous green salad (which turned out to be a major disappointment).


Without further ado, here's this week's challenge.

*In case you're new to these challenges, the challenge starts on Monday and ends Sunday night. The following Monday I'll post a new challenge.


This week's challenge:

Pick Up a Habit You Used to Love

For me, this is my beloved morning crossword. I haven't done a crossword in months. I have a crossword desk calender that I get every Christmas and it's stuck on April 12th. I miss doing my crossword with my morning coffee. It was a stress-reliever and a routine I had become used to, preparing for my day.

Last week, while drinking my coffee and answering emails, I saw my crossword sitting in the back, pleading to be solved. So I'm going to do it. I'm going to get back into my crossword routine.

I encourage you to do the same, whether it's meditating in the morning, reading the Bible before bed, taking a 20-minute walk....whatever your old habit was.....pick it up again!

Who wants to take the weekly challenge? Let me know by sharing your thoughts/struggles and link ups below!

With Love and God Bless,

Brindi

Simple Saturday

Started my morning off with my iced coffee.

Sat down to meal plan and go through some coupons.

Larabars keep me going as I run errands.

Some of my grocery goodies....I'll share my shopping buys in another post soon!

I had so much to do today, but Siamese wanted attention. So she kept rolling around on the floor, meowing until I came over and finally rubbed her belly for like 5 minutes.

Oh, Siamese.

You crazy!

Once groceries were put away, I had a mountain of ironing.

But this Goat Cheese and Pesto Pizza was my delicious reward. YUM

My closet was so disorganized I couldn't stand it! So, I headed in.

1.5 hours later I knew it was going to take all night.

What did you do this Saturday?


With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

7 Days 1 Challenge: Twenty-Six

I have to be honest. I was only able to lift weights twice this week. I'm bummed. I really thought I could hit four days. Buuuut Wednesday I got a really good workout at work when I had to take out and put away like a hundred chairs for our Jungle Terry program. (It was packed!) Annnnd juicing 13 lemons by hand yesterday for the lemonade party also gave my arms quite the activity. So I'm technically seeing it as four days. :)


But, anyhoo, it's new challenge-day!

*In case you're new to these challenges, the challenge starts on Monday and ends Sunday night. The following Monday I'll post a new challenge.



This week's challenge:

Make at least one meal a day a SALAD.

Summertime is the most perfect time to eat your fruits and veggies. There are plenty to go around and are very accessible. One of my favorites around this time of year is black bean and sweet corn. I also love adding strawberries and blueberries to a salad with salmon. A-Mazing.

I've got a few salads in mind to tryout this week, one is of the couscous varieties, but today I'm having maple-glazed salmon with some ripe fruit. So good I don't even need dressing.

Who wants to take the weekly challenge? Let me know by sharing your thoughts/struggles and link ups below!

With Love and God Bless,

Brindi

Sunday Sweets

1. I had plain Greek yogurt with peaches, strawberries, flax seed and almond butter for breakfast this morning. With it being sooooo hot lately this has been my morning go-to.

2. I'm completely, ridiculously obsessed with this song. IN.LOVE. TobyMac = Brilliant.

3. Also, I'm semi-obsessed with this new Newsboys song. Check it out here. (Great workout tunes. BONUS.)


4. Preschool story time this week was a total failure. I was prepared, excited to share my fingerplays and jam out to the "Monster Boogie." Unfortunately, the kids were not as they laid in their caregivers' laps. After telling me all about their pool activities earlier that day (because it was like 96 degrees out!), I knew these kids didn't need story time, they needed a nap. I could have used a nap. So we cut story time short and went on to the crafts....which proved to be the perfect revival.



5. House update: Septic didn't pass inspection. We're still negotiating (we haven't given up yet!), so send prayers and positive thoughts this way!


6. I was stoked for Book Club this week. I haven't seen these girls in a month. Definitely not used to this. We must schedule more outings!


7. Fortunately, our Lemonade Party is today. Cheers! (Keep your eyes open for that upcoming post.)

8. We had Jungle Terry at the library this week as part of our Summer Reading Programs. There were over 300 people stuffed into our children's area...fire hazard? Yes. Even worse, when he brought out the huge boa, I was envisioning a stampede. But the kids just giggled and screamed for more while I was in the back calming myself down and repeating, Remember the snake's up there and you're back here, over and over again. I love my job.

9. It's so hot all I want is ice cream, ice cream and more ice cream. Mr. B and I actually had ice cream for dinner on Wednesday. Which is a total shock I know because we all know how Mr. B feels about ice cream. After a walk through the park, he enjoyed a vanilla cone and I a cookie dough flurry. Which we then discovered Mr. B actually likes cookie dough flurries...as long as I get them and he can then eat most of it.

10. Oh, when we got home, he then wanted to know what was for dinner. So I made some quick and tasty open-faced caprese chicken sandwiches. And he was all like "I want pizza bread," and I said "Okay, well try these...if you don't like them I'll put in your pizza bread." He ate all of them. He is such a little boy.

11. To prove my little boy theory, this morning he was upstairs lifting weights and watching cartoons. Bugs Bunny to be exact.



With Love and God Bless,
Brindi