Lemon Chocolate Fudge

I couldn't find a recipe on the internet that was what I wanted. There are chocolate fudge recipes out there and there are lemon fudge recipes (using white chocolate, I might add) out there, but there are no Chocolate Lemon Fudge recipes that I saw!

So, I looked around to get the basics of how to make a good fudge and then I created my own.

Here it is...

Ingredients:
4 cups packed brown sugar (I used light)
2 cups of butter (Yep, 2 whole cups)
1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup dutch cocoa
3 to 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 TBSP pure lemon extract

How to do it:
Spray a 9x13 pan with oil and then line with parchment paper. I sprayed the paper just to make sure it doesn't stick when you take it out.

In large pot, bring brown sugar, butter and milk to a boil. Let this boil for 2 1/2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for 2 minutes. Then add the lemon extract and stand back while you mix it in, the fumes can be overpowering...

Next, get you hand mixer and gently mix the cocoa and powdered sugar into the mixture. Blend til smooth.

Pour your concoction into the pan you prepared ahead of time. Let it cool.

When it's almost hardened, lift it out of the pan and cut into squares. How many you get depends on how big you cut them, but this makes a boatload because it's a double recipe...

Happy eating!

Looking through the fog...

In this picture, the fog was starting to roll in when I took the shot. Within a matter of minutes you couldn't even see the cross from where I was standing.

Lately, this is how I kinda feel in life.

Mom's in the hospital on a ventilator. No real idea from the docs what caused her to go into Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. She can't breathe on her own right now. During the day, she is responsive and then at night, her levels crash and my emotions are on the same roller coaster that her levels are on.

Keeping my eyes on the Cross of Christ is a challenge. When I am emotionally engaged in what is happening with my mom, I freak out. I can't see Him or what He's doing here.

If I step back and disengage emotionally, the rational side of me can agree that God's hand is Sovereign and good and He will prevail, no matter what the outcome.

I think the balance is learning to allow His Presence into my emotional wreck and let Him make sense out of my processing and trusting Him with her life and with my own.

And I know that eventually, the fog clears and I'll see clearly again.

Tomorrow, I will spend my day at the hospital watching her. Tomorrow night I will spend my time worshiping Him.

Trusting God with my mom's life...

                                                   

My mom's life is in the Cross. He holds the answer to whether we get to have her for a while longer or whether He takes her home.

My first reaction was a bit of panic.

Then fear tried to get a hold of me.

Then I prayed and peace came.


Psalm 28:7
The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.


Psalm 31:14
But I am trusting you, O Lord, saying, “You are my God!”


Psalm 71:5
O Lord, you alone are my hope. I’ve trusted you, O Lord, from childhood.


Psalm 84:12
O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, what joy for those who trust in you.


Psalm 112:7
They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them.


Proverbs 3:5
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.