This week to dinner is officially FIFTEEN YEARS OLD. Happy 15th Birthday Blog! To celebrate, I have a gift for all of you: Gram Maynard’s Homemade Hot Fudge Recipe. This recipe was a big part of starting this journey…
When I started blogging 15 years ago I only had one kid, blogs weren’t a thing, and I had an old iMac that Nate found at work to use in the kitchen (I really had no idea why I should use a computer (the kitchen). My good camera was a film camera, so I used a compact camera for the blog (please don’t judge the early photography on the blog, it’s humiliating). The blog started with a list of dinners I made regularly and a few weekly menus I wanted to share with my brother, who was still in college.
Then I noticed a strange thing – people were actually visiting the blog. I decided to design a logo, beautified my free blogger blog and asked friends to share the link with other friends. I’ve promised a copy of Gram Maynard’s Homemade Hot Fudge Recipe to those who shared it. You have been asked to do so Not post the recipe somewhere. It was our little secret.
Fast forward to today. I have three kids (the youngest is TEN), I’m a professional food writer and photographer, I’m a now Excellent Recipe writer, I’ve gotten all kinds of work through the blog over the years, I’ve met and had all kinds of people crazy amazing experiences, i started a podcast and this is me quiet Release of my weekly dinner menu. Most importantly, she are still here, sharing your menus and cooking right next to me. I’ve personally experienced ups and downs and my family still had to eat. I may not have always cooked because, well, life. But every week, the community on this blog kept the food game going. I was so thankful.
So thank you. And to show my thanks, I’m finally sharing Gram’s Homemade Hot Fudge recipe publicly! She was such a giver, she would have wanted that anyway. To be honest, it’s good for you that I’ve waited 15 years because it’s written a lot of better than when I secretly emailed it to friends.
Strangely, I can’t find my DSLR camera charger, so today’s photos will be taken with the modern version of a point and shoot, my iPhone. I’ll probably come back and reshoot this recipe once that damn battery is charged because, man, there’s nothing better real Camera.
Celebrating a 15th anniversary and decadent chocolate today, I’m in course Release of my weekly menu! You know the drill… share your menu in the comments below!
A note on this recipe: Gram had a few “or’s” throughout the recipe where you could choose which ingredients you wanted to use. I’ve decided on my ingredients and am sharing my version of the recipe. Also, the heating instructions in the recipe are important to the texture, so take your time and follow the directions. This is honestly my favorite fudge sauce of all time. Nothing else ever compares. (Thanks, Gram. I miss you every day.)
Gram Maynard’s Homemade Hot Fudge
- 8 tablespoons butter
- 3 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 5 ounces condensed milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- â…› teaspoon kosher salt
- In a small or medium-sized, heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt butter and baking chocolate over medium-low heat.
- Stir in the sugar and condensed milk over medium-high heat. Sift the cocoa powder into the saucepan and mix thoroughly.
- Increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring almost constantly, for about 5 minutes.
- Increase the heat to medium-high, whisking constantly, until the mixture is simmering and the sugar is completely dissolved, which will take about 2-5 minutes.
- Remove from stove. Let cool for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Mix in the salt and vanilla.
- Serve over ice cream, bread pudding, fresh strawberries, or whatever you like served with rich, amazing chocolate.
Store in the fridge.
Makes about 3 cups.
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MONDAY:
TUESDAY:
THE WEDNESDAY:
- Rigatoni with Italian sausage in a creamy tomato sauce
THURSDAY:
FRIDAY:
SATURDAY:
SUNDAY:
We look forward to your dinner plans for the week! As always, thanks for sharing and for being here!