The Power Of Fudge.

My kids were at day camp for the past two weeks, and yesterday they had to bring something for a big potluck at lunch. Hmmm, what can I make, cheaply, for 40 people, that contains no nuts or gluten, and doesn't require refrigeration? The answer: fudge. (In fact, you would be surprised at how many times "fudge" is the right answer to so many of life's questions.)

This fudge recipe is courtesy of my friend, Big Liver Girl, and has been so appropriated by the Loudshoes family that we consider it now our own. It's quick, it's very easy and uses entirely mundane ingredients that hardly anybody is allergic to. It's only downside is that it contains about a million calories per gram. People are very happy when they get this fudge, and it's nice to make the world a happier place. It's my own little way to be more like Mother Theresa.

Fudge
Put 1/2 cup butter, (never, ever margarine), 1/2 cup cream (or evaporated milk) and 2 cups of brown sugar in a medium saucepan. Melt the butter and bring the whole mess to a rollicking good boil, stirring occasionally. When it's come to a good boil, time it for 6 minutes. Take it off the heat, and add 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. (Don't use imitation here, the real stuff will make all the difference. In fact, never use imitation vanilla extract, ever, in anything.) Give everything a good stir and let it cool down to warm. (I hurry this along by putting a couple of inches of cold water in the sink and putting the whole pot in.) When the fudge has cooled down sufficiently, beat the daylights out of it with an electric mixer, or if you are really ambitious, your own brute strength. When the fudge has become stiff and glossy and lighter in colour, pour the lot into a greased 8x8" pan and put it in the fridge for a couple of hours. Cut into teesy little squares (about 1x 1/2"), lest people get too big a piece and collapse into a sugar coma.