I make no secret of the fact that I’m a die-hard chocolate
fanatic. (Even if I did, I fear my waistline might give me away.) Although I
sneak chocolaty treats into my diet all year long, there’s one mega-indulgence
that I only bring out during the holidays. It’s a creamy, super easy fudge
recipe that was elevated from great to fabulous one year by accident. I sent my
husband to shop for the ingredients, and he came home with milk chocolate chips
instead of my trusty old semi-sweet. I tried them out with a skeptical heart,
and the results rocked our world.
This fudge comes as close as I’ve ever gotten to duplicating
my absolute childhood favorite: the pan fudge sold at the candy stores at Disneyland.
Yum. Even better, it only requires four ingredients and no candy thermometer.
Ingredients:
24 ounces
(approx. 1 ½ bags) of milk chocolate chips
1 can (14
ounces) sweetened condensed milk
¼ tsp
salt
1 tsp
vanilla
Directions:
In heavy saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate chips together
with sweetened condensed milk and salt. Stir constantly to avoid scorching. As
soon as chips are melted, remove from heat, stir in vanilla, and pour into a
greased 8x8 inch pan. Chill until solid, cut into squares.
Makes about 24 squares (depending on the size of your cuts!)
Optional: add a handful of chopped nuts OR substitute the ½
bag of chocolate chips with flavored chips of your choice or about ½ cup nut
butter.
Holidays
Bite
By
J. Rose Allister
An erotic paranormal holiday romance
Get it now!
Amazon
Apple iBooks
Nook/Barnes and Noble
Bookstrand
What goes together more
naturally than vampires and Christmas?
When an annual holiday tradition turns into a near-fatal accident,
Stephanie regains consciousness to find herself alone in a cabin with her
rescuer, Thomas—a man who is gorgeous, dangerously sexy...and undead.
Despite the winter storm and her injuries, she knows she should
run. So why does she keep winding up in the powerful, seductive embrace of the
vampire who has exiled himself from humans to avoid his worst time of year for
temptation?
“...more
than just a Christmas tale...this is a story that can be read multiple times because
it has so many rich layers to be discovered.” –Happily Ever After
Reviews
Excerpt:
Stephanie
walked out of the bathroom with as little limp as she could muster, thankful
when a flood of adrenaline aided the cause. She wanted to give the impression she
was less helpless and pathetic than the picture she’d painted thus far. Thomas
stood by a newly stoked fire, and she ignored his searing gaze while she headed
for the couch. Her socks, boots, and parka lay nearby, tempting her. Donning
the latter now would be too obvious, however. She’d have to make a grab for the
coat on her way out.
“Brr,” she
said, making a show of rubbing her arms. “Cold after that shower.” She sat on
the couch and pulled a quilt around her shoulders to give the appearance of
settling in while she tugged on her socks and footwear. “But hopefully I smell
better now.”
“Stephanie.”
She went on
ignoring him and laced her boots tight.
“Stephanie.”
He moved toward her.
“Hmm?”
She threw
him a quick glance and a smile, refusing to meet his eyes. Then he knelt in
front of her and took hold of her chin so she couldn’t look away.
His eyes
searched hers. “I know what you’re thinking.”
“What I’m
thinking?” She tried to keep an innocent tone. “I don’t know what you mean.”
His arched
brow told her he knew she was lying. “You think I’m a vampire.”
She
laughed. “Vampires don’t exist.” Please,
God, let him laugh along. Her smile faded when he didn’t. “So, it’s true
then?”
He glanced
away, his lack of response providing all the answer she needed and didn’t want.
She shook
her head. “Guess I didn’t do a convincing job pretending I didn’t know.”
“We can
sense those who see us for what we are. It’s a built-in survival trait.”
“Handy
skill.”
“I’m sorry.
I didn’t want you to figure this out.”
She rubbed her
arms again, this time against a true chill. “You’re a vampire. That just
figures.”
“What
does?”
She raised
her arms. “Oh, just the old Stephanie Mars luck. I go for a simple outing and
get dragged off by a raging creek. I meet the perfect guy, and he turns out to
be an undead monster. No offense.”
His brow
rose. “You think I’m the perfect guy?”
She
shrugged. “What I think is that none of this is really happening. Maybe I
bashed my skull so hard that this conversation is all going on in my head while
I’m lying unconscious in a hospital somewhere. So yeah, if I have to be stuck
in a concussive hallucination, why not include the perfect guy?”
A smile lit
his dark expression out of nowhere and threatened to steal her breath. When
white teeth flashed, she couldn’t help but look for sharp points. She saw none,
and the smile vanished as fast as it had appeared. “So what if it turns out
this isn’t a hallucination?” he said. “What if your so-called perfect guy is
real, and he’s a vampire?”
About J. Rose Allister
I tend to dream up stories while
either lying in bed at night, sitting at my desk at work, or anywhere I happen
to be at the moment. It’s exciting to watch a story unfold, especially when my
characters say or do something unexpected!
When I’m not busy playing
chase-the-muse around my laptop, I enjoy spending time with my family, movies,
and reading books. I rarely go anywhere without a reading device, even if it’s
on my phone! I’m also a big fan of
chocolate and coffee, even better together—and best alongside a book!
Author links:
