Chocolate Covered Fences?

So, part of our fence sort of blew over. Or maybe a better thing to say would be the wind broke one of the supports to our fence so it started sagging. Either way, Dad came to help Dan fix it. It consisted of lots of digging (the support post was 2' into the ground), a Home Depot trip (thankfully Dad came down with his truck so the 8' support could be hauled home), and some quick-set concrete (which anchored aforementioned 8' support).

Setting the new support in concrete

Filling in the hole

Putting back the fence

Dan said that, aside from the digging which wasn't fun at all, the whole process wasn't as hard as he was fearing. Dad even said he didn't help much other than provide transportation. But hey, transportation is important! Especially since we asked for his help last night and, with a little bribing, he was up here not too long after church.

Now, the important question to ask after reading that sentence is "What did we bribe my dad with?" Well, beer, of course. That's a standard thank you between the menfolk. But we threw in a little extra (at Dad's request) - chocolate covered cherries.

Cherries!

Oh, did I mention they are homemade. By ME.

Ignore the express - check out the chocolate-covered hands (that was fun to clean off - I licked it off!)

Yes, I made chocolate covered cherries. And today wasn't the first time either! Every year for Christmas, I give Dad a box of chocolate covered cherries (store bought), but this year, I decided to make them. They were yummy! Dan wanted some and Dad wanted some more, so today I made a double batch. These suckers are rich but oh so good. And though they are time consuming (excluding the final time in the fridge to set the chocolate after dipping, they take about three hours), they are pretty easy. Especially since I figured out the whole double boiler thing for melting the chocolate.

And not that anyone will ask, but just in case someone is simply dying to know, here's the recipe:

Double Chocolate Covered Cherries
Makes 24 candies

1 (10 ounce) jar maraschino cherries (with stems if possible)

Chocolate Fondant
3 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, melted
2 teaspoons milk
2 cups confectioners' sugar

Coating
1 (12 ounce) package white chocolate chips (can use semi-sweet chips instead)
1 tablespoon shortening or 1/4 paraffin wax block

1. Drain cherries on several paper towels and press out excess moisture; allow to drain at least an hour.
2. Fondant: In a medium bowl, combine butter, corn syrup, chocolate and milk; beat until smooth.
3. Stir in confectioner's sugar (mixture will seem dry).
4. When most of the sugar is mixed in, turn out onto counter and knead until smooth.
5. Divide into 24 pieces (about 2 tsp each) and shape into balls.
6. Flatten each ball and mold around cherries, covering cherry completely (leaving stem out).
7. Refrigerate at least an hour or until very cold and very firm.
8. Line large cookie sheet with waxed paper.
9. In a small saucepan over very low heat or in the microwave, melt chips and shortening or wax until smooth.
10. Place pan or bowl over hot water to keep dipping consistency.
11. Holding stems (or use toothpicks if your cherries have no stems), dip covered cherries into melted chocolate and allow excess to drip back into pan or bowl.
12. Place on waxed papered cookie sheet to set.
13. Place in miniture muffin cups if desired and store in tightly covered container or in the refrigerator.

And let's just say you don't even want to know the nutritional information for one cherry, shall we?

So a fixed fence and a double batch of chocolate covered cherries. Not a bad day!