Friends & Orange Fudge

My Dear Husband and I attended an annual Christmas party 

hosted by friends from church on Friday night.  

Every year they serve Keith's World Famous Chile

and Lil's Pretty Good Potato Soup

and whatever their guests bring to share.

We brought a circle of Brie and Triscuits

and a bottle of Merlot, from Columbia Crest, a Pacific Northwest winery.

This classic Merlot opens with aromas of clove and exotic spices, leading to a palate with a velvety, seductive texture. Good integration of oak and fruit notes create a lingering, complex finish.

Each December, we look forward to this party because 

it's always a lovely, relaxed evening spent with dear friends.

Oh, and did I mention the Orange Fudge?

This creamy confection came on my radar last year.

I was sick and couldn't attend.

So the DH went by himself.

But he arrived back home bearing a plate of several delicious goodies

put together for me by thoughtful Lil .

Among them was this fudge.

What does it taste like?

Think of those orange and white 50/50 ice cream bars

that you used to hope your mom would give you

the money to buy from the ice cream man

on hot summer afternoons. 

Oh, yeah!  We're talkin' rich and creamy to the max.

I confess that I saved Weight Watchers points all week

in hopes that the Orange Fudge would make an appearance

this year, too.

I was not disappointed.

And, I met the perpetrator maker of the fudge,

Ruth, who, with her hubby,

grows Christmas and hazlenut (filbert) trees a few miles south of us.

At my request, she emailed me the recipe the next day.

[Cue the Hallelujah Chorus.]

On Sunday, we had the pleasure of taking a 15 minute drive

out to their farm to harvest a Christmas tree.

Contrary to the summery skies pictured above

-at a real Christmas tree farm in the Northwest-

it was drizzling lightly

as we were welcomed by Ruth, husband Al, and their son, RJ.

After the tree was safely bedded down in 

the truck we borrowed from Keith and Lil,

we were invited into their home for hot beverages and 

good, old-fashioned farm hospitality.

NON-FAT TREAT OF THE DAY:

We got the grand tour of their beautifully remodeled kitchen, too.

Nobody had to cue me to drool.  

Ruth graciously handed me the mop to clean up after myself.

Just kidding about the drooling and mop.

 My heart had been so blessed by these people
I didn't even cuss my kitchen when I got home!

That's a big deal for me.

I hear you saying, "I have a bunch of Christmas errands and ordinary life stuff to do today!

Give me the fudge recipe already!"

(Sorry I don't have the nifty print-ready gadget like Pioneer Woman.  Sigh.)

ORANGE FUDGE

3/4 cup BUTTER, NO SUBSTITUTES

3 cups sugar

3/4 cup whipping cream

1 package (10-12 ounces) vanilla or white chips

1 jar (7 ounces) marshmallow cream

3 tsp. orange extract

12 drops yellow food coloring

5 drops red food coloring

Grease 9x13 pan with butter.

1. In a heavy sauce pan (I use my Dutch oven sized pan), combine sugar, cream and butter.
2. Cook and STIR over low heat until sugar is dissolved.  Bring to a boil.
3. Using a candy thermometer, cook and STIR for 4 minutes to 234 degrees-sorry, I don't know what "stage" this is.
4. Remove from heat and stir in chips and marshmallow creme until smooth.
5. Remove 1 cup of this mixture and set aside.  This is to remain white, as the swirl mixture.
6. Add orange extract and food colorings to remaining mixture.  (NOT the 1 cup amount.)  Stir until blended.
7. Pour into prepared pan. 
8. Drop the reserved WHITE mixture by tablespoonfuls over the top of the orange mixture.
9. Cut through mixture with a knife to swirl.
10. Cover and refrigerate until set.  Cut into squares.

Yield:  2 1/2 pounds of fudge

Christ has 

No body now on earth but yours;

No hands but yours;

No feet but yours.

Yours are the eyes

through which His compassion will look upon the world.

Yours are the hands

with which He will bless others now.

Mother Teresa

How will you bless others today?

Lord,

give me the grace to be 

Your hands, feet, and mouth-piece 

today.

Love,

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