Grandma Marie's No Fail Fudge Recipe

(This is the card that I wrote the recipe on that Grandma gave me)

1 Large Can Evaporated Milk

4 1/2 Cups Sugar

3 Packages Chocolate Chips

1 Jar Marshmellow Creme (8 oz)

1/2 teaspoon Vanilla

2 Cups Chopped Nuts

2 Cubes Butter or Margarine

Cook: The can of evaporated mild and sugar. Cook and stir constantly til boiling. Lower the heat and continue stirring and boiling for 10 minutes. Then combine the rest of the ingredients. Stir until the chips melt. 3 or 4 minutes. Pour into a well buttered pan. Let set for 4-6 hours.

Makes 5 lbs

Hope's Story:

Lee and I had been married for only a few months. We lived in Seattle, and it only took about 45 minutes to an hour to Grandma Marie's house in Arlington. I had a day off of work, and wanted to make fudge. I made 3 batches, and failed (in 1 day). I started to cry. Grandma Marie called just as I was starting to cry. She asked if I was okay-I told her yes, and that my allergies were bothering me (I lied). She asked "really?" and then I started to cry and told her about my 3 failed attempts at making fudge. She asked me to come over, and she told me she had several recipes to give me for fudge. So I drove over to her house. We had a nice afternoon talking. She was the best for talking and chatting. I would go to her house once a month after that. I went over her recipes and found this one. She told me it was one she made often. I didn't have anything to write on, so she gave me some of her recipe cards. I wrote the recipe down and made it. I have made this recipe for 17 years, every Christmas. I always think of her when I make it, and when I don't.

This recipe has failed once, and it was a year or two ago-when Wesley was making it. He was at my house, I gave him the recipe and the ingredients-told him how to do it, and he burned the evaporated milk and sugar and did something weird. I don't know what-I think the heat was too high.

Hope's Spagetti Sauce

4- 28 oz Cans of Tomatoes (crushed, diced, whole-but not sauce)

2- 6 oz Cans of Tomato Paste

1 Onion diced

1 package of Italian Sausage

2-3 Cloves of Garlic

3 Tablespoons Basil

3 Tablespoons Oregano

1 Tablespoon Thyme

dash of Nutmeg (I know it's weird)

1/4 Cup of Sugar

Veggies of your choice: Sliced Mushrooms, Zuccini, etc.

In a large pot, brown sausage. Half way through browning sausage, add onions. Brown sausage and onion until done. Add Tomatos, spices, garlic, sugar, stir until bubbly. Add Tomato Paste, stir until paste is dissolved. Add veggies of choice. Simmer for 30 minutes or so. The longer it simmers, the better. If you put in a Crock Pot all day-that's best. Serve over your favorite Pasta, or use in Lasagna. Serve also with salad and hot french bread, Yummy!

Makes: Alot

Hope's Recipe Notes:

Tomatoes: I use Trader Joes Whole Tomatoes and then crush them by hand. I have used Trader Joes Tomatoes for 7-8 years now, and they are organic. I made some sauce from a different brand of Tomatoes, and the sauce was alot lighter in color. It was a weird discovery. You can use whatever tomatoes you want. Trader Joes also has a good price on them.

Garlic: There is such thing as too much garlic. I have done this a few times, and the sauce turned out bad. If you add to much garlic, it won' t be as kid friendly.

Spices: I have always used dry from a jar. You can add as much as you like.

Veggies: I always put in Mushrooms. You can sneak carrots and other veggies if you have a picky eater who won't eat veggies.

Italian Sausage: You can use hamburger, ground turkey, or turkey sausage. I like Italian because when you cook it, it leaves behind some of the seasoning. Be careful NOT to get the HOT Italian Sausage. Unless you want it hot.

Hope's Notes: This is a recipe that I started making a couple of years after Lee and I got married. I started making it from a recipe from a cookbook, and then I added stuff. I have made this Sauce for years, without a recipe or measuring things out. So, it was a big deal to make it, and then keep track of what I was doing. I started doubling the recipe right away, because I worked full-time with a weird schedule, so it was nice to take some out of the freezer, thaw it out and have pasta that night. When I make Lasagna, and IF I make it from a Jar Sauce, Lee knows the difference. He has a defined palate now. And it kinda sucks.

Chicken Broccoli Casserole

3-4 Chicken Breasts (cooked)
1 16oz package of Frozen Broccoli (Chopped)
3/4 Cup Mayonaise
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1/4 Cup Evaporated Milk (you can use regular milk)
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
1 Tablespoon Curry (use more if you want)
1 Cup of Cheddar Cheese (more if you want)
1 Cup or more of Bread Crumbs

Bake Chicken (with bone or boneless/skinless) at 350 for 30 minutes to an hour in a 9x13 pan-until done. Remove chicken from pan to cool. Place frozen broccoli in pan (while pan is still hot) so broccoli can thaw a little. Shread chicken (or cut into cubes) and sprinkle on top of broccoli, covering the broccoli. Mix together Mayonaise, Milk, Lemon Juice, Curry, and Cheddar Cheese-the mixture will be a little thick. Pour and spread over chicken. Sprinkle bread crumbs over the mixture. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Hope's Notes:
I will bake the chicken in the morning or the day before I make this. I add more Curry and Cheddar Cheese. I use 2 pieces of buttered bread and throw it in the blender or food processer, I have also used store bought Bread Crumbs-plain not Italian. I also use regular milk. You can try to make this in a Lower Fat version-but it doesn't taste the same (ask Lee and his picky palate).

Hope's Story:
Patty made this for Lee and I the night when I first met Mike and Patty when Lee and I were dating. We also had her famouse Refridgerator Rolls with it. When Lee and I first got married, I couldn't cook. In fact, I introduced Lee to his first "T.V. dinner or frozen entree" our first week of marriage. Patty gave me this recipe telling me that this was Leelands favorite recipe, and it was and still is. At first, it was a pain in the you know what to make this. But now, it's easy and I never have to look at the recipe.