The Mill Fudge Factory Fine Spirits Fudge

Your mom called. She wants fudge for Mother's Day. And if it's got a little hint of hootch, she's okay with that, too.


I recently got a chance to sample the 1-pound box of Fine Spirits Fudge from The Mill Fudge Factory, and I've got some for you, too.

Before I got the offer, I didn't know anything about the company, but I figured fudge can't be bad, so I said yes first and researched later.

The company is more impressive than I expected. They were highly rated by the Cooking with Paula Deen magazine, and the fudge is made from scratch in small batches in New Hampshire. And the 1-pound batch of fudge came in a nice box tied with a ribbon. Nice for gift-giving.

So that's good.

This Baileys fudge is one of "Fine Spirits" fudges.
Photo courtesy of Mill Fudge Factory

They have a number of different types of fudge, but the one I got had spirits (are they friendly spririts?) in three of the four types of fudge - and this is the same collection you'll be getting, if you win.

The flavors in the Fine Spirits box are: Scottish whisky, Little bit O' Heaven (with Baileys Irish cream), Cabin Fever (with maple whisky), and Belgian chocolate.

I wouldn't refuse any of them. They're all very different from each other, with flavors added by the whiskies they're infused with - but they're not going to give you a blast of alcohol or even a little whiff - all you get is the flavor without the buzz, so if the kids sneak into mom's fudge, it's not going to be a problem.

Well, not a problem for the kids. Mom might have a different idea.

The fudge is smooth, with just a little bit of texture. The company makes a Scottish-style fudge, so it's not as silky as some commercial types of fudge. But it's not grainy either.

The fudge is best when it's fresh, or you can freeze it for longer storage.

The GIVEAWAY

For the giveaway, the company is asking that you sign up for their newsletter, which also automatically gives you a 10% coupon for everything on their site, so you can buy lots and lots of fudge for mom, and you, and daughter, and you, and daughter-in-law, and you, and grandma, and you, and granddaughter, and you ... or something like that.

If you want to sign up for the newsletter and get you coupon, and you don't want to enter the giveaway, you can sign up for the giveaway here: http://themillfudgefactory.com/e-news.

If you're entering the contest, there will be a code phrase you'll get after you sign up. You'll need that to verify that you've subscribed for the contest entry.

Mill Fudge Factory provided samples for me and will ship directly to the winner at no cost to me.  You can find them on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMillFudgeFactory
Twitter: https://twitter.com/millfudge
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/millfudge/

Le Creuset World Cuisine Balti Pot

I like cooking vessels that are built for utility. A stock pot is a wonderful thing. But there are other cooking vessels that I think are drop-dead gorgeous. Sure, they're made to be used, but the design makes them ... more.

That's how I feel about the Le Creuset Balti Pots. They're part of the World Cuisine line that includes tagines, woks, and other interesting pots. When I saw the Balti, I giggled a bit. I loved the shape. I could imagine it with soup or risotto in it.

I had no idea what a Balti dish was originally used for, but I wanted it. And then I got it. It's good to be a blogger. Isn't the color stunning?

The Le Creuset site explained that it was used for curry-like dishes in Pakistan, and foods were served right in the pot along with some naan.

Well, okay then. It sure as heck was pretty enough to use for a serving vessel. I used it for serving the Miracle Pasta recipe, here. And I'm sure you'll be seeing it on my blog a lot more in the future.

And I used it for cooking soup. Somehow I didn't get a photo of that.

I'm planning on cooking a balti dish in the pot, at least once ... Le Creuset has one here that looks good.

Next up, though is risotto.

The Balti comes in two different sizes, and six different colors - two different blues, along with red, orange, yellow, and green. Make sure you check it out - and all the other new World Cuisine items. There are a few others I've got my eye on, that's for sure!

Who's it for: People who like stylish yet useful cookware.

Pros: It's cast iron but doesn't need seasoning.

Cons: Cast iron is heavy; some people don't like that.

Wishes: I wish I had the whole darned set.

Source: I received this from the manufacturer at my request.

Lékué Popcorn Maker

I like popcorn. A lot.

And, given the range of other possible snack foods, it's relatively healthy, particularly if you pop your own and control the add-ins.

I usually make popcorn on the stove in a regular saucepan. I like the flavor better than packaged microwave popcorn, but the pot needs some babysitting and shaking to get as much corn popped as possible, with minimal burning.

I spent some time perfecting my stovetop popping technique, but it's still hit-and-miss. Most of the time it's good, but sometimes the corn isn't as fluffy, or there are a lot of dead kernels. And then I have a pot and a lid and a bowl to wash. And whatever I melted the butter in.

When I got the Lékué Popcorn Maker to test-drive, it wasn't long before it was in the microwave, popping away. It's darned simple. Add popcorn - you can use a measuring cup or use the lines in the bowl. Add optional oil or salt for flavor. Put the lid on and zap it. Easy peasy.

The lid doesn't fit tightly - it sort of floats, so it sits down in the bowl at the beginning of popping and raises up with the level of popcorn. The instruction said it would take 2-4 minutes to pop the popcorn, and mine was done in about 3 minutes.

The second time I made popcorn, I wondered if I could use a little butter along with the oil to add buttery flavor. I wasn't sure if it would work or if it would burn, so I added just a little. Maybe a teaspoon. And - the butter didn't burn. Even more interesting was that the little bit of butter added a mild buttery flavor to the popcorn, so although there wasn't a lot of fat added, it wasn't as dull as air-popped corn.

The little bit of salt I added also seemed to be well-distributed on the popcorn - no pockets of too much salt, and no flavorless corn. There were, of course, some unpopped kernels, but that happens no matter what method you use. But there weren't many, and the popped corn was nice and fluffy.

Although we're just talking about a bowl and a lid, it has some nice features. Because the lid floats, it vents steam, which is essential for good popcorn making. The bowl is perfect for serving, too, and it's dishwasher safe. And, it folds down, so it takes less space for storage.

Although it's designed for popping popcorn, I could see using it for other things, like heating other foods in the microwave, or for those times you want to serve something in an unbreakable bowl. So it's not a popcorn unitasker. It is, however, pretty flexible, so I wouldn't recommend filling it with something like soup.

Overall, a pretty big success.

Who's it for: People who want to pop their own corn in the microwave.

Pros: It works! It collapses for storage.

Cons: Not huge. Wait. Maybe that's a "pro."

Wishes: As always, it would be awesome if it came in a wide range of colors. I'm not picky, but I know some folks keep their kitchens color-coordinated.

Source: I received this from the manufacturer for the purpose of a review.