Knox Blocks

I never remember what proportions of Jello and Knox Blocks go in this recipe.  I made them a couple of weeks ago, though, and this recipe turned out just right.  Better write it down before I'm scratching my head and wondering again in a month.  Evan remembers this treat from childhood, and loves it.

Knox Blocks

3 envelopes Knox gelatin	4 cups boiling water
4 pkg. (3 oz. each) Jello

Mix gelatin and Jello in a heat-safe bowl.  Pour in boiling water and stir briskly until completely dissolved.  Pour in a 13x9 pan.  Cool in fridge for 4-5 hours.  These are very firm blocks, easy to eat with your hands!

You can choose any four flavors of Jello.  We like 2 boxes of grape and 2 boxes of cranberry, but it's fun to try new combinations!

Stove Top Macaroni and Cheese

While it does involve a little more measuring and grating some cheese, this is just as fast as Kraft Dinner.  From the time you first think about having this meal until it is making your mouth happy is less than 15 minutes. 

Alton Brown’s Stove Top Mac & Cheese

½ lb. elbow macaroni	1 tsp. kosher salt
4 T butter (1/2 stick)	Freshly ground black pepper
2 eggs	¾ tsp. dry mustard
6 oz. evaporated milk	10 oz. sharp cheddar, shredded
½ tsp. hot sauce

Boil salted water and add macaroni.  While the macaroni is cooking, grate the cheese and whisk together the eggs, milk, hot sauce, salt, pepper, and mustard.  Drain the macaroni when it is al dente and return to pot.  Melt in the butter and toss to coat.  Mix in the milk mixture, then add the cheese.  Stir over low heat for 3 minutes or until creamy.

Notes: You can't buy 6 oz. cans of evaporated milk.  I just use the five ounce can and dollop a little whole milk in.  Evan prefers this with a mixture of monterey jack and cheddar, although I love I with just cheddar.  I use Frank's Red Hot for the hot sauce, but next time I want to try Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce.

Doubled recipe:

1 lb. elbow macaroni	2 tsp. kosher salt
8 T butter (1 stick)	Freshly ground black pepper
4 eggs	1 ½ tsp. dry mustard
12 oz. evaporated milk	20 oz. sharp cheddar, shredded
1 tsp. hot sauce

Fudgsicles

I made these about a month ago, and it's kind of ridiculous that I haven't made them again. They are so yummy, and not that much work.

Our fancy-dancy popsicle molds.

The tongue is getting ready to taste.

In the heat, the best place to enjoy a popsicle.

This recipe is from the book On a Stick! by Matt Armendariz.  I found the recipe when Smitten Kitchen featured it.  (I doubled the recipe because... four kids in summer, duh! so if you want a single recipe, Smitten Kitchen's got it up here.)  I'd like to try other recipes from the book.  They look like a lot of fun, plus Evan bought 1000 Popsicle sticks in a crafting moment this spring.  They are going to be hanging around here until I am a grandmother if we don't get creative.

Fudgsicles

1.5 ounces (1/4 cup) choc. chips	2 ½ cups whole milk
2/3 cup sugar	Large pinch of salt
2 T cornstarch	1 tsp. vanilla
3 T unsweetened cocoa powder	1 T unsalted butter

In the bottom of a heavy saucepan, melt the chocolate chips over very low heat, stirring constantly, until smooth.  Stir in sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder, milk and salt and raise heat to medium.  Cook mixture, stirring frequently until it thickens, between 5 to 10 minutes (Smitten Kitchen said it took her five minutes-- I used all ten minutes, maybe because it's a doubled recipe).  Remove from heat, add vanilla and butter and stir until combined.

Set aside to cool slightly then pour into popsicle molds or Dixie cups.  Freeze 30 minutes, then insert popsicle sticks.  Freeze the rest of the way (several hours).

More Chocolate

These recipes are feeling left out, since they weren't included in my last post about chocolate. So, in the spirit of inclusion, here are two more yummy chocolate recipes.

The first recipe is chocolate dirt cake, which gets high marks from kids. I know dirt cake isn't exactly gourmet-- you usually throw some crumbled Oreos, chocolate pudding, and maybe Cool-Whip in and call it good. This recipe has some extras, like cream cheese, that make it yummy enough to serve to adults. You may, however, want to omit the gummy worms in the adult version. They're a little... different.

Marilla liked eating one of the extra Oreos while I made this. She did NOT, however, like me poking the camera in her face instead of getting her out of her high chair the minute she demanded it.

My other recipe is a fudge recipe. It was in our newspaper years ago, and I clipped it out, then didn't make it for three years. Part of the reason was that I had such an easy fudge recipe (Microwave fudge) that it seemed silly to look for another one. Wow, this is definitely worth the extra effort (and extra expense) to make it. It's called "Mamie's Fudge" (it was Mamie Eisenhower's favorite fudge recipe), but I think of it as "Moorish Fudge." One of our friends was here the first time I tried it back in April, and as she cut herself yet another little piece, she said, "This tastes like Moorish fudge." I was desperately trying to rack my brain, wondering if this was really an international delicacy, or whether "Moorish" was some sect like the Amish or something... Then I got that it was "More-ish" fudge because you always want a little more. I'm a little slow on the uptake sometimes. Even now, I picture it as "Moorish" in my head.

Chocolate Dirt Cake

• 1 (6 oz.) pkg. instant chocolate pudding
• 3 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
• 3 /4 cup butter, softened
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 12 oz. Cool-Whip, or 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, whipped
• 27 oz. (1 1/2 pkgs.) Oreos (Original or DoubleStuff)
  
• Gummy worms, optional

This is a great recipe to do in the food processor, ir you have one! (I've had mine for 14 months, and I'm still passionate about it!) Obviously, you can get by without one for this recipe. First, pulse (or crush) the Oreos into fine crumbs and set aside. Then, cut the butter and cream cheese into little chunks, and place in the food processor bowl with the pudding mix, sugar, vanilla, and 1 cup of the whole milk. Pulse until blended. Use a whisk to stir in the remaining 2 1/2 cups milk. Fold in the Cool-Whip or whipped cream. Spread 1/3 of the crumbs in a 13x9 pan, then top with half the pudding mixture. Sprinkle another third of the crumbs over that, pour on the remaining pudding mixture, and finish with the last of the cookie crumbs. If serving to kids, strew gummy worms all over the top!

Mamie's Fudge (Moorish Fudge)

• 4 1/2 cups sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1 can (13 1/2 oz.) evaporated milk
• 2 T butter
• 12 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
  
• 12 oz. German sweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 jar (7 or 8 oz.) marshmallow creme
• 2 cups nuts (if you like nuts in your fudge-- I usually don't!)

Combine sugar, salt, evaporated milk and butter in saucepan; boil 6 minutes. In a large bowl, combine the chocolates, marshmallow creme, and nuts. Pour boiling syrup over the chocolate mixture and stir until the chocolate is melted. Pour into a buttered 13x9 pan. Let stand a few hours before cutting. Makes about 40 (very rich!) pieces.