The best – and easiest – fudge recipe ever
Ever since I found this recipe and baked my first batch, I’ve associated the making of fudge with Christmas time. Whether you’re a chocolate-lover yourself or you’re looking for a present for someone who loves sweets (make a batch, wrap it in foil and place it in a tin canister with a ribbon around it…voila, instant present!) this fudge is easy to make and delicious.
*Full disclosure, apparently this recipe was created by NESTLE Carnation, maker of Nestle chocolate morsels and Carnation evaporated milk, although I found it years ago on a baking website. To give Carnation their proper due, however, I encourage you to buy their products, at least for this recipe [plug over].
Carnation® Famous Fudge
(makes 24 servings)
Ingredients
*1½ cups granulated sugar
*2/3 (5 fl.-oz. can) evaporated milk
*2 tablespoons butter or margarine
*¼ teaspoon salt
*2 cups miniature marshmallows
*1½ cups (9 oz.) milk chocolate morsels (feel free to substitute with butterscotch, peanut butter or semi-sweet chocolate morsels for different flavors)
*½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
*1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
*Line an 8-inch-square baking pan with foil.
*Combine sugar, evaporated milk, butter and salt in medium, heavy-duty saucepan. Bring to a full rolling boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil, stirring constantly, for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
*Stir in marshmallows, morsels, nuts and vanilla extract. Stir vigorously for 1 minute or until marshmallows are melted. Pour into prepared baking pan; refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm. Lift from pan; remove foil. Cut into 48 pieces.
If I had a million dollars
Have you ever played that game before? The one where you and your friends fantasize about all the things you’d do if you were to suddenly come into major money? In recent years we’ve upped the ante to $10 million but the concept is the same and it’s always fun to see what people would do if they didn’t have to worry about money.
Let me preface this by saying I’m far from a saint, but if I didn’t have to worry about finances I would love to spend my days as a modern-day Good Samaritan. I’ve always liked the movie Pay it Forward (the concept, not so much the acting) and it’s message of doing good things for other people without the expectation of anything in return.
Looking back at times where I’ve had the opportunity to do something nice for a stranger, I’ve always left the situation feeling happier. At the risk of sounding like an idealist, wouldn’t the world be a better place if everyone followed this maxim and pay it forward resulted in a neverending circle of kindness toward others?
Alright, I’ll come back to Earth now. But as I thought about this concept and the idea of having funds for random acts of kindness, I realized that I don’t really need to have $10 million. Even on a smaller scale, I could still bring a smile to someone’s face.
Which is why I created my “Random Acts of Kindness” (RAK) Fund earlier this week through ING Direct. On a weekly basis, I now have $5 automatically drafted from my checking account to this account and the money is specifically intended to be spent doing something nice for a stranger. Some initial ideas I have:
*Putting money in a stranger’s expired meter
*Buying coffee for the person behind me in line at Starbucks
*Buy an extra breakfast, lunch or dinner meal and give it to a homeless person
*Visit a retirement home with flowers
*Send a card or care package to a soldier
*Donate a gift to a child
*Give a little extra tip to a waiter/waitress/busboy etc. who seems to be having a bad day
*Compliment someone on their clothing, style, etc. (sounds easy but I so rarely talk to strangers unless I have to!)
*Give my gloves/scarf to someone who needs them more than I
Some of the challenges I anticipate:
*Paying attention to find opportunities - Like many people, I tend to keep to myself when I’m out and about and this inward focus prevents me from seeing where others’ need help.
*Getting people to accept my “gifts” - Sadly, in this day and age I think we have been taught to be suspicious of people who want to give us something for free or who go out of their way to do something kind. I’m anticipating more than one odd look…
*Making excuses for not doing RAKs and letting the money build up – To prevent this, I am requiring myself to use the money up in full each month.
So where do you come in? Feel free to share any suggestions for RAKs and don’t forget to keep me accountable! While true RAKs should be anonymous (since you’re supposed to do it purely for the joy in doing something nice) I figure this blog is anonymous and having to “report back” will ensure I keep my word. If I haven’t posted an update by January 18, 2009, send me a quick email or comment and feel free to be mean…I’ll deserve it if I haven’t blogged about it by then!
Filed under Personal | Comment (0)Credit cards here, credit cards there…
Credit cards everywhere. In the last 72 hours, I’ve been given the hard sell to open up a new credit card multiple times, and I’m not even including the offers that flood my mailbox on a daily basis.
With the state of the economy and the bulk of the media blaming it on Americans’ reliance on credit, one would think credit card companies would lay low. One would be wrong.
The people who approached me to open a new credit card had no idea I have excellent credit. Okay, maybe one of them (WaMu) has a good inkling of my credit worthiness, but still it seems somewhat amazing to me that credit card companies continue to push us to spend, spend, spend. Here’s the rundown:
Over the weekend I went to the mall to buy the last of my Christmas presents. At almost every store they asked if I would like to open up a [store name] credit card to save 10-15%. I already had a card at one of the stores (though I rarely use it unless there’s a promotion going on) and I declined at the rest without even thinking about it.
Then, at the airport on my return trip to Texas, I was walking through the terminal when a guy accosted me to see if I’d be interested in a US Airways credit card. As I rushed by, I politely told him I have all the credit cards I need but he persisted, yelling after me, “But this one will help you save money!” First of all, it wouldn’t because I use US Airways about 1% of the time I fly and secondly he obviously didn’t realize the irony of saying I’d save money by spending money that I don’t really have. Or at least that he didn’t know I had.
To make matters worse, I walked back by him about 15 minutes later to get to my gate and he gave me the same pitch, obviously not recognizing me or realizing he’d already tried and failed to sell me a new credit card. Better work on your sales skills, buddy…
Then yesterday I received a phone call (at work no less!) from WaMu telling me they were doing a “credit card blitz” and that I was eligible for a credit card charging 0% interest for 6-12 months, including free access to my credit report. While these might be attractive features to someone without a primary credit card, I am perfectly happy with my Chase Rewards Visa card. Another irony: technically if I was to take WaMu up on their offer, they’d be stealing my dollars from Chase, their new parent company.
There’s been a glut of stories in the last few weeks about credit card companies canceling unused accounts, lowering spending limits and turning down new applications to reduce their risk. In practice that sounds great, but in reality the companies seem to be pushing just as hard, if not harder, to bring in new cardholders.
If that’s the case, I just hope people – especially those who can’t afford more credit – are able to resist the temptation.
Filed under Uncategorized | Comment (0)80% off Restaurant.com gift certificates
If you haven’t tried Restaurant.com before, the way it works is you can buy “gift certificates” to a variety of restaurants in your area for a discounted price. The reason I put gift certificates in quotes is that there are a variety of stipulations attached to the certificates, such as a minimum spend, alcohol not included, blackout nights, etc. However, if you’re looking for a fun night out and you pay attention to the fine print, these can be a good deal.
Especially right now since the website is offering 80% off, making a $25 certificate – usually $10, although quite honestly I’ve always seen a special discount attached to these – only $2 and a $100 certificate $8. To redeem simply enter the coupon code “SANTA” at checkout.
One word of warning from personal experience: if you’re looking for a frugal dinner, these may not be the way to go since food minimums are designed to ensure the restaurant makes some money. These are great, however, for a special occasion or when you’re looking to splurge a little on a nice dinner without paying full price.
Filed under Deals, Saving Ideas | Comment (0)Selling myself, selling stock
Yesterday I sold myself and some stock and I’m not sure yet which was the better deal.
Hey, get your mind out of the gutter, reader…no matter how much I love saving I’ll never do that!
The selling myself was in the form of an out-of-state interview for a new job. Usually I enjoy the thrill of interviewing – and I think I’m pretty good at it – but for some reason everything felt off yesterday. Maybe it was the fact there was an “arctic storm” in southern California and it’s nearly impossible to look put together when your hair is stringy wet and your shoes are muddy, or maybe I was just tired from waking up so early. But I kept kicking myself mentally because words just weren’t coming together as I wanted them to and my mind seemed all jumbled.
Despite this, I still think they like me and their big struggle is with salary. I’m asking for a lot of money because of the difference in the cost of living and because I know this is my best opportunity to negotiate. Once I accept, they would have the upper hand since there aren’t a lot of jobs out there, especially in the niche I’m in.
So now it’s just a waiting game to see if I bungled the interview enough to make them rethink me as a top candidate. If I didn’t, the question is are they willing to meet me on salary and benefits? The good news is I think I’ll know sooner rather than later since they’re pretty anxious to get someone in this position.
As if yesterday wasn’t eventful enough, I also sold some stock at a loss to offset capital gains in 2008. The losses won’t cover all my capital gains but I was starting to get a little nervous about the stock anyway since it has lost a lot in value and a quick check on trading stats showed insiders have unloaded a lot of shares recently. When I bought it they were buying up shares hand over fist and not at option prices, so this was a big red flag for me. If I change my mind, I can always re-buy the stock in 30 days but for now I’m fine writing off the loss and sticking my money in safer investment vehicles.
Selling losing stocks to offset capital gains is just one way you can lower your taxes this year. Want more? Jim at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity had a great post earlier this month highlighting 10 year-end tax tips. Hurry, though, because you only have until Dec. 31 for most of these!
Filed under Career, Finances, Investing | Comment (0)