Ginger Fudge

In which I set nothing on fire.

Ok, yes. I made up this recipe based on the last fudge experiment which I admit did not turn out quite right - the top layer didn't set up quite and the bottom layer was a bit hard. So back to the drawing board.

Ingredients

2 bags semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tin (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk (I used Ong Tho because I was at an Asian food store undergoing a fit of nostalgia while I was buying it. I think this is less sweet than the typical American stuff. Also in Vietnam they sell low fat Ong Tho, which would have been great here, but they didn't have any at the store.)
1/2 c. marshmallow fluff (I feel dirty just typing that, but you need some corn syrup and I didn't want to actually own corn syrup so this has it in it. Does that make sense? Probably not. Sorry.)
1 box (~ 200g) candied ginger (you can find this at an Asian grocery store, which is why I happened to be there. It will be easier to find around Chinese New Year/Tet, so in late January-mid February, because dried fruits are very popular at that time of year; if you were feeling really daring and could find it, candied lotus root would also be good to add in to the mix.)
1/4 c. skim milk (approx.)
1 tsp. vanilla
a pinch of salt
spices to taste: cinnamon, Cayenne pepper, ginger, pumpkin pie spice, etc.

Methodology

1. If, like me, you have little strips of ginger, chop them into reasonable sized pieces. Put in a bowl and set aside. Cover 2 round 9" cake pans (or whatever) with tin foil and spray the tin foil with cooking spray.

2. Put the condensed milk and the chips in a pan over low heat. As they melt, stir in the marshmallow, the skim milk, the vanilla, the spices. Still stirring, bring it to a boil.

3. When it boils, turn off the heat and stop stirring. Count to 20 or something until it has stopped boiling and then stir in the ginger. Divide the mixture into the two pans, smooth the top, and put it in the fridge for two hours.

4. Cut and enjoy, or put back in the fridge to worry about.

Notes

*Initially I was too scared to estimate the number of calories. Then I figured out if I cut it into 40 pieces, it would be 130 calories/pc. Not too bad. But then when I cut it, I actually cut it into about 120 pieces, at about 50 calories per piece. The advantage and disadvantage of using a round pan is that at the edges the pieces are a bit smaller, so this is an average. Also when you're transferring the fudge to a container it's very tempting to eat the small bits from the edges.

*I will totally someday soon stop with this baking binge. At least from New Year's to Lupercalia, I promise. As it is, this is getting kind of dire. I've started stalking people primarily because if they're home I can give them baked goods to get rid of them.

*Most of the fudge is destined for Claire's family in St. Paul, as are the cupcakes I'm going to make tomorrow. Next year I'm going to find a boyfriend who celebrates this damn holiday so I'm not left up to my own devices for this long. Goddamn.

*The fudge came out pretty good - not too firm, but with a certain tensile strength. Next time I'm going to use an actual candy thermometer and it will be better.