Hope everyone had a happy Santa visit! Mine was SUPER! Well, other than all the damn COOKING I had to do that is. But... it was a big hit (at least thats what was said to my face and that is all that matters, right?). I have been doing a bunch of NON-STOP baking and shopping and shipping and stressing for the past week+ but it's OVAH now!! I found this recipe for rocky road fudge that you can make in the microwave. I sent it to everyone in the family and would you believe it was a HUGE hit? I'll post it at the end of this entry in case anyone wants to make it.. (easy easy!)

Gads I'm so full. I cooked LOADS of comfort food.... we had baked ham, homemade (read FATTENING) macaroni and cheese, homemade broccoli/cheese casserole, green beans (with bacon and potatoes cooked til they're fallin' apart... oh GAWD they're good) and some field peas and cornbread. Sheesh... can you tell I'm a southern gal or what?? Get me some pork rinds and Nehi and I'm good to go. Anyway, now I'm up... uh.. yeah, I took a nap. Did you NOT see the food I listed above?? How was I supposed to stay awake after THAT?

Anyhoo... got the bestest present in el mundo from the hubster. He got me an AlphaSmart Neo (I always want to imitate Morpheus in the Matrix when I say that: "Neeeee-oh" but I digress), this is the coolest thing I've ever seen! It weighs maybe a pound and get this, it runs on 3 AA batteries!! I'm loving THAT!! I'm serious -it's the schnizzle! Check it out, ain't it cuuuute??


Here's some of the RAVE reviews it's been getting, too.... http://www2.alphasmart.com/company/reviews_2004.html

And get this... I started a NEW story! Yes I did! I did! DID!!! I don't care if you believe me or not, I'm done arguing with you because I GOTTA WRITE! I'm doing a first-person story this go-round and will pick up Serenity's Chance once I get back into the swing. As it is now, I'm just floundering with that story and "ain't feelin' the love" on that one -- for the moment. I fully expect to finish it up after I flush my brain out with something new. I just needed something new to spark the ol' creative juices and all that. Let's hope I can pull this one off.

Well, I'm off to write!! And get this... DH not only got me that marvelous gift, he also is in the porcess of updating my site! Okay, HE'S the schnizzle and the Neeee-Oh is pretty aight!

God, I'm hip.

Uh...


PEACE...OUT!

---as promised, here is the recipe! Lemme know if you try it.. it's YUMMMMMY!----

Super-Easy Rocky Road Fudge



Estimated Times:
Preparation - 10 min
Cooking - 2 min
Cooling Time - 30 min refrigerating
Yields - 48 pieces
Rich and truly divine fudge! The easy way is the microwave method. Each piece is made by a smooth mixture of chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, marshmallows and walnuts. Easy to make to bring to all of your holiday parties!

Ingredients:
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ TOLL HOUSE Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
1 can (14 oz.) CARNATION Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups miniature marshmallows
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts

Directions:LINE 13 x 9-inch baking pan with foil; grease lightly.MICROWAVE morsels and sweetened condensed milk in large, uncovered, microwave-safe bowl on HIGH (100%) power for 1 minute; STIR. Morsels may retain some of their original shape. If necessary, microwave at additional 10- to 15-second intervals, stirring just until morsels are melted. Stir in vanilla extract. Fold in marshmallows and nuts.

PRESS mixture into prepared baking pan. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Lift from pan; remove foil. Cut into pieces.