Biscuits, Fudge, Divinity, and Chicken Spaghetti

Those were on today's docket in the kitchen.

The biscuits were OK, but not as good in texture as the first time I made them from the Wyatt Waters cookbook Mike gave me for Christmas last year, page 33. I think I put in too much flour during the kneading process. But they were nice and high: I attribute that to the letter-folds I did during kneading. They're also still very rich, possibly from the butter or the kosher salt. One teaspoon still seems like a lot.

The fudge was good, not as good as what my friend Linda made for Christmas last year, but good nonetheless. I got distracted, and it started to set up in the bowl, so it didn't get as many nuts mixed into it. But the good news is that it's creamy, yet it set up enough in the Pyrex dish that it never touched the sides. It was also the first time for me to use the Calphalon Contemporary on fudge, and I think it went very well. There was a bad burnt smell right after I poured it up on the butter after boiling to soft ball, but it didn't affect the final product at all. I think maybe something scorched in the pan.

The divinity was a learning process. I still can't do it as well as the first time around. I decided to put pecans in there because, well, I had pecans instead of walnuts. I had the candy beaten to a fair-thee-well; it had lost its sheen and was holding its shape. But I added the nuts and kept on beating in the mixer, and the sheen instantly returned, as did severe and complete loss of shape. As in, the final products are blobs instead of doots. I realized too late that beating the pecans in with the mechanical whisk released the oils of the nut, thereby messing up the whole structure of the candy. Damnit.

The chicken spaghetti was normal in taste (I've finally managed to remember the right amounts of ingredients! 8 ounces velveeta [forgive me, Great-Grandmother. I have sinned.], 1 can quartered artichoke hearts, 1 can black olives, 1 can mushrooms, 1 can rotel, 1 bag frozen three pepper and onion blend, a little olive oil, and a mess of chicken and noodles). I made it with farfalle instead of regular pasta. The last time I used bowties was in a crawfish nita I made about this time last year, and eating the pasta just reminds me how good that nita was. I need to (ha, no pun intended!) pull that recipe out again.