How you doin’? Holiday time is fudge time and for football fans there isn’t a bigger holiday than the Super Bowl (February 8th). Which team are you rootin' for? My Packers were out early... I'm just hoping for a great game. 
 
My Crunchy Butter Bars combine a sweet swirl of chocolate, butterscotch and peanut butter paired with bits of Rice Krispies cereal. It’s quick and easy to make and very addictive—you won't be able to eat just one!
 
Fudge is 100% American! It is a confection that originated in the United States during the late 19th century. It is believed to have been first created in Baltimore around the 1880s when a confectioner accidentally "fudged" a batch of caramels, leading to the creation of this sweet treat.
 
The first documented recipe for fudge was written by Emelyn Battersby Hartridge in 1886, a student at Vassar College. She described making 30 pounds of fudge for a school auction, which helped popularize the treat among her peers. Later that decade, fudge-making became a popular activity at women's colleges, particularly at Vassar, Wellesley, and Smith. Recipes began appearing in periodicals, making it accessible to home cooks, too. In 1887 the first specialized fudge shops opened in tourist areas, such as Mackinac Island, Michigan, further spreading its popularity. Fudge has remained a beloved treat in American culture, often associated with homemade gifts and holiday traditions. Its versatility allows for numerous variations, making it a favorite among many.
 
Fudge is typically made from sugar, butter and milk, with various flavorings added. Popular flavors include chocolate, vanilla, and nut varieties. The simplicity of the  ingredients and the ease of making the recipe contribute to its widespread appeal.
 
Prep time:  10 minutes
Cook time:  3 minutes
Additional time:  10 minutes
Yield:  24 servings / 1 9x13-inch baking dish
 
Ingredients 
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I prefer Guittard)
1 (11 ounce) package white chocolate chips (I also like Guittard for the white chips)
1/2 cup butterscotch chips
3/4 cup crispy rice cereal (such as Kellogg Rice Krispies®)
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup marshmallow fluff (I prefer Kraft)
 
Directions

1. Read the recipe all the way through before starting. Measure all ingredients and have at your side.
2. Line a 9 X 13-inch baking dish with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
3. Place the semisweet chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl; heat in microwave until melted, about 1 minute in 30 second intervals. Stir chocolate until smooth.
4. Combine the white chocolate chips and butterscotch chips in a separate microwave-safe bowl; heat in microwave for 1-1/2 minutes. Stir the mixture until smooth. If chips aren't completely melted, continue heating in the microwave in 10-second intervals, stirring after each interval until smooth. Special Note: Do not scorch the chocolate in the microwave or you will have to start all over.
5. Stir the crispy rice cereal, peanut butter and marshmallow cream into the white chocolate-butterscotch mixture; pour into the prepared baking dish.
6. Spoon the semisweet chocolate in lines across the peanut butter mixture.
7. Run a knife in the opposite direction of the chocolate lines to achieve a tiger-stripe pattern.
8. Cover dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set, for at least 10 minutes.
9. Cut into small squares.

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ChefSecret:  When making plain fudge use an electric hand mixer to fully blend in the marshmallow and make the fudge light and heavenly.
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Quip of the Day:  Little Johnny’s mom doesn’t like it when he eats a lot of sweets. So, whenever she asks him how much he had he just fudges the numbers.
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/perspectives-on-food. 
We also have hundreds of archived Covid Era recipes that you can easily access using this link https://www.perspectives-la.com/Covid-19-Survival-Guide. Use the search box above our pictures to find what you’re looking for.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, kind, thankful, and stay well and safe. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, including those still suffering the effects of the recent hurricanes. Please consider donating to Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission, Samaritan’s Purse and/or American Red Cross.

#Confections #Fudge# #CrunchyButterFudgeBars #SemiSweetChocolate #WhiteChocolate #ButtscotchChips #PeanutButter #RiceKrispies #MarshmallowFluff #Guittard #Kraft #Kelloggs #SuperBowlTreats #Recipes2026 #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #ThreeSquare #RedCross #SamaritansPurse #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 

                                                   ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2026  

How you doin’? In previous posts you already know that Joan has been asking me to develop more salads and healthy recipes. Well, here is a Wisconsin Salad—just as Joan has asked—and it’s even from her native Milwaukee!
 
It’s a heaping bowl of chopped apples, Snickers and Payday pieces with a  burnt caramel drizzle. It’s time to Make America Fun Again (MAFA)!
 
Long before “candy salad” was a trend on social media, Midwesterners were dressing chopped-up fruit with whipped cream and pudding, adding in diced candy bars, and calling it “salad.” This one is one of the greatest of them all.
 
We can debate the merits (and I am sure I will have to) of calling anything dressed in whipped cream and topped with caramel a “salad,” but what’s not up for debate is how delicious this cool, creamy treat is and how perfect it is for midwestern potlucks and parties.
 
Unlike some other popular dessert salads like Ambrosia salad or Jello salad, Wisconsin Salad doesn’t have a clear origin story—maybe it just came out of my dreams. Some sources say it’s from the influence of Scandinavians who may have adapted their beloved römmegröt—a sweet porridge of cooked flour, milk and sour cream, often served with fresh fruit and nuts—with ingredients that they had in the American Midwest.
 
Couple that idea with a general trend towards convenience foods like instant pudding mix and Cool Whip in the 1950s, and dessert salads like this one were born.
 
I prefer vanilla pudding, but you can also try this recipe with other instant pudding flavors—cheesecake, chocolate and butterscotch are popular alternatives. As for whether the apple truly makes this dish a salad or not, Wisconsin Salad really depends on “which end of the table it is served on.”
 
Wisconsin Salad is made with just a few ingredients. It is a crunchy, creamy, sweet-and-tart dessert that will become at least once a year family favorite.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                      credit: Simply Recipes 
Prep time:  15 minutes
Chill time:  1 hour
Yield:  10 servings
 
Ingredients 
3/4 cup whole milk
1 (3.4-ounce) box vanilla instant pudding mix (I prefer Jell-O brand)
3 medium chopped Granny Smith apples (about 1 pound total)
4 full-size Snickers candy bars
3 full-size Payday candy bars
1 (8-ounce) container thawed whipped topping (such as Cool Whip)
1/2 cup homemade burnt caramel sauce, for serving (see recipe below)
 
Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the milk and pudding mix and stir until smooth. Set the pudding aside while you core and chop the apples and Snickers and Payday bars into bite-sized pieces.
2. Reserve about 1/2 cup of diced apples and Snickers and Payday for topping the salad.
3. Fold the whipped topping into the pudding mixture until mostly smooth.
4. Add the apples and Snickers and Payday pieces and stir to incorporate.
5. Chilling the “salad for about an hour until the pudding set completely.
6. Just before serving, sprinkle with the reserved diced apples and Snickers and Payday pieces on top
7. Drizzle with homemade burnt caramel sauce.
8. This salad holds really well refrigerated for about 2 days.

                                Choclatique Homemade Burnt Caramel Sauce
 
In just 12 minutes with only sugar, butter, and cream, you'll have the best caramel sauce you've ever tasted. By burning the sugar, you get a more nuanced flavor just like we used to make at Choclatique. Making your own caramel sauce from scratch is a lot easier than you might think! It takes practically no time at all.
 
To make caramel sauce, first you start by heating white granulated sugar in a deep, thick-bottomed, sturdy pan. As the sugar heats, it will melt and start to "caramelize" changing color and creating caramel flavors. Bring it up to the burn until it starts to smoke a little.  Once the sugar has dissolved and turned dark brown, add the butter. The heat of the burnt sugar will melt the butter and create even more wonderful flavors. After the butter has melted, carefully add the heavy whipping cream. This will turn the caramel mixture into a creamy sauce.
 
When you add cream to the caramel mixture the hot caramel will bubble up. You want to make sure you have a pan that will not overflow when this happens.
 
Safety First!  Be extra careful while cooking the sugar, as with any candy making process. Once the sugar has melted it is much hotter than boiling water.
 
Cook time:  12 minutes
Yield:  1 cup+
 
Ingredients 
1 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
 
Directions

1. Have all ingredients ready to go—making caramel is a fast process that cannot wait while you look for ingredients.
2. Heat the sugar on moderately high heat in a deep, heavy-bottomed 2-quart or 3-quart saucepan. The sugar will begin to melt in a minute or two. As the sugar begins to melt, stir vigorously with a whisk or wooden spoon. The sugar will form clumps and will start to melt at the edges of the pan.
3. As the sugar starts to melt, lower the heat a bit to keep the sugar from really burning.
4. Keep whisking until all of the sugar has melted. It will clump up quite a bit but just keep stirring. Once all of the sugar has melted, stop stirring. You can swirl the pan a bit if you want.
5. Use a wet pastry brush to mop down the sides of the pan as the sugar melts, ensuring every crystal is incorporated.
6. As soon as all of the sugar crystals have melted (the liquid sugar should be dark brown in color, almost burnt), add the butter to the pan.
7. Whisk until the butter has melted. If your caramel clumps up after adding the butter, keep stirring it over the heat until it’s smooth again before adding the cream.
8. Once the butter has melted, take the pan off the heat.
9. Count to three, then slowly add the cream to the pan and continue to whisk to incorporate. When you add the butter and the cream, the mixture will foam up considerably. This is why you must use a pan that holds at least 2 quarts, preferably 3 quarts.
10. Whisk until caramel sauce is smooth.
11. Let the caramel cool in the pan for a couple minutes, then pour into a clean, dry glass mason jar and let it sit to cool to room temperature.
12. Cover and store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
13. To reheat the caramel, microwave for 30-second intervals, heating just until warm and pourable.

ChefSecret:  If you are having problems with sugar burning before it is all melted, you might try adding a half cup of water to the sugar in the beginning of the process. This will help the sugar dissolve and heat more evenly. It will also take quite a bit longer to caramelize the sugar.

Safety First!  Be extra careful while cooking the sugar, as with any candy making process. Once the sugar has melted it is much hotter than boiling water.
 
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Quip of the Day:  I had a disturbingly long dream that I was making a salad—I was tossing all night!
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/perspectives-on-food
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to  Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross.

#Salad #Dessert #WisconsinSalad #CaramelSauce #Choclatique #BurntCaramel #Snickers #Payday #Pudding #GrannySmith #CoolWhip #PerspectivesOnFood #Recipes2025 #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #SamaritansPurse #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 
                                                                                ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2025

How you doin’? If you still have one of those paper calendars and you look up March 26th – that’s Wednesday – you’ll discover that it’s National Nougat Day. That’s the day we celebrate a soft and chewy or sometimes hard and crunchy confection often found at the center of a candy bar.
 
Making nougat is really pretty easy by whipping egg whites and adding honey or sugar, roasted nuts, and sometimes candied fruit. I love my nougats. Our Choclatique Toasted Almond and Dried Cherry Nougat was one of those truffles that never made it to the box. Our collection box of chewy caramels, nuts and nougats was already full, but I truly loved this flavor combination.
 
Some say nougat has been a sweet treat since ancient Rome. Today in Italy, it’s called Torrone. In Spain, a nougat is called turrón. The United States has a version made with corn syrup called divinity. Recipes range from the more traditional nougat made with almonds and honey to those with hints of citrus and cherries.
 
In the United States, large modern candy bar makers use different recipes than the traditional nougat because it is inexpensive to make and is used as a filler, i.e. 3 Musketeers, Mars, Snickers, Milky Way, Salted Nut Rolls, Reese’s Fast Break, Baby Ruth and others.
 
Observe the official day and become a nougat aficionado by making your own Choclatique Toasted Almond and Dried Cherry Nougat.
 
Prep time:  20 minutes
Cook time:  30 minutes
Yield:  4 dozen+ candies
 
Ingredients
2 cups granulated sugar
1-1/2 cups light corn syrup (I prefer Karo)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup water
2 large egg whites
2 sticks room temperature butter, plus more for the pan
1 cup chopped toasted almonds
1/2 cup roughly chopped dried cherries that have been rehydrated
 
Directions

1. Butter an 8 x 8 x 2-inch pan.
2. In a saucepan, over medium heat, combine the sugar, corn syrup, salt and water. Cook and stir until sugar is dissolved.
3. Continue cooking, without stirring, until the mixture reaches the hard ball stage, ( 250˚F to 260°F). This is when a small amount of the cooked mixture dropped in cold water forms a hard ball.
4. Meanwhile, in the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with a whip attachment, whip egg whites until stiff, but not dry.
5. While the mixer is running, add 1/4 of the syrup to the egg whites in a steady stream and continue whipping until mixture holds its shape.
6. Place the remaining syrup back over the heat and cook until the hard crack stage is reached, 300° F.  This is when the mixture separates into hard and brittle threads when dropped in cold water.
7. While the mixer is running, add the remaining syrup to the egg white mixture in a steady stream and continue whipping until the mixture holds its shape.
8.  Add the butter, a tablespoon at a time and whip until very thick and satiny.  
9. Fold in the almonds and cherries.
10. Press the mixture into the buttered pan, smoothing the top.
11. Let the confection stand until firm.
12. Turn the confection out of the pan and cut into 1-1/2 x 1-inch pieces.
13. Wrap each piece individually in waxed paper.

ChefSecret: Save the wax paper and individually wrap the nougats in edible rice paper instead.

Quip of the Day:  Whenever I try to eat healthfully, a chocolate bar looks at me and snickers.
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/perspectives-on-food.
-------------------------------------------
To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to  Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross.
 
#Confections #Candy #Nougat #Almonds #Cherries #AlmondCherryNougat #NationalNougatDay #KaroSyrup #Recipes2025 #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #SamaritansPurse #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 

                                                                              ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2025