Velveeta Fudge-12 Days of Easy Sweets

When I was growing up, my mother always had a box of Velveeta in the fridge.  It was what our grilled “cheese” sandwiches were made from.  Mom also made Velveeta fudge at Christmas time.  In recent years, in my effort to try to eat more healthy, I have rarely purchased Velveeta.  Recently, however, I picked up a box to use in making Pork Sausage Meatloaf.  I had some left over and decided to make some fudge in memory of my mom.

This fits under the quick and easy recipe category that I like.  The Velveeta serves to make the fudge smooth and creamy.  There is no “cheesy” taste to the fudge, so no one will ever know that Velveeta is in there if they are not told.  I took a pan of this to work, and it was gone before my 4-hour shift was over.

Velveeta Fudge
1 c. (2 sticks ) butter, cut into 8 slices each
8 oz. pasteurized process cheese, Velveeta, cubed
1 1/2 lbs. confectioners’ sugar, about 5 c.unsifted.
1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa
1/2 c non-fat dry milk
2 t. vanilla extract
1 c. toasted, chopped walnuts or pecans

Place butter and Velveeta cubes in a large, heavy saucepan.  Place over medium-low heat and cook until butter and cheese are both melted, stirring frequently.  Meanwhile, measure and sift  confectioners’ sugar into a large mixing bowl.  Add cocoa and dry milk and mix well.  When butter and cheese are melted, remove saucepan from heat and add vanilla.  Mix well.  Stir in sugar/cocoa/dry milk mixture and mix until very well blended.  Add nuts and mix well.  Turn into a 9-inch square pan that has been lined with foil.  Chill in fridge until firm.  Cut into 1-inch squares.  Makes about 64 pieces.  Store tightly covered in refrigerator.

Do It Yourself Groceries-Cornell Mix

This is a formula that everyone should know about, but most don't, I think.  It is called Cornell Mix, and its purpose is to fortify baked goods with additional nutrients.  This is especially important if you have a family that does not want to eat whole wheat items. It can be used in all baked goods.

This formula was developed by Dr. Clive Maine McCay at Cornell University back in the 1930's or 40's.  At that time, I believe, white flour was not yet required to be fortified.  I have been using this formula since the late 60's, and think it is still important to use it today.  I use Bob's Red Mill Organic Soy Flour.  Be aware that soy flour and wheat germ can go rancid quickly and should be kept in the refrigerator or freezer as should the Cornell Mix.

Cornell Mix
1 T. soy flour.
1 T. dry milk
1 t. wheat germ

Place ingredients in the bottom of a 1 cup measuring cup before measuring out flour.  Repeat for each cup of flour called for in the recipe.

Since measuring out the individual ingredients for each cup of flour is kind of a pain, I developed the recipe below and only have to measure out a mixture of the ingredients.

Cornell Mix-large quantity for 20 cups flour (about 5 lbs.)
1 cup plus 2 T. soy flour
1 cup plus 2 T. dry milk
6 T. plus 2 t. wheat germ

Mix ingredients together blending well.  Place in heavy-duty freezer bag and keep in the freezer.  Stir mix thoroughly before measuring.  When using this, I do a little math.  I multiply the number of cups of flour needed by 2 1/3 tablespoons and use that amount of Mix.  I then reduce the amount of flour by the amount of Mix that was added.  Let the measured out mix come to room temperature before using. You can also, do as above, and put 2 T and 1 t. of the mix in the bottom of the measuring cup before you add the flour.

If you make your own bread, you might be interested in these links for making Cornell Bread.  The university recipe is here, and a couple of other sites have it here and here.

Tomorrow we go Cooking with the Journal-Tamale Casserole