#MEwx Cooler today, sun and Pecan Butter Fudge

Good morning Augusta

My Personal Weather Station in  Augusta’s North end is reporting our weather conditions in real time here for your convenience.

This morning we have sunny skies with highs in the upper 30s. Northwest winds 10 to 15 mph with gusts up to 25 mph.

Tonight it will be clear and cooler with lows around 14°F. Northwest winds 10 to 15 mph this evening, becoming light and variable.

The readings from my weather instruments are:

The outdoor temperature is 29.3°F, the humidity is 24% and the Dew Point is -3.1°F.

The wind direction is North between 6.5 MPH and 10.2 MPH with a Wind chill of 29.3°F.

The Relative pressure is 29.97, the Absolute pressure is 29.77 and rising with a weather graphic indicating sun.

Visibility is 10.0 miles / 16.1 Kilometers with clear skies.

The UV rating is 1 out of 16, Sunrise is 6:33 A.M., Sunset is 6:57 P.M., Moonrise is xx:xx P.M., Moonset is 9:27 A.M. and the moon phase is Waning Gibbous being 76% illuminated.

Augusta’s RAW METAR readings are:

METAR KAUG 251053Z AUTO 30009G17KT 10SM CLR M02/M11 A3000 RMK AO2 SLP163 T10171106

We had only melting yesterday.

How about a slightly different type of fudge?

PECAN BUTTER FUDGE

By: Judith Olney (Yes, It’s Chocolate)

INGREDIENTS:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

½ cup heavy cream

2 ½ cups granulated sugar

6 tablespoons cocoa powder

Pinch salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

2/3 cup pecans, broken roughly in half

1.      Butter a 9 or 10 inch square baking pan.

2.      Place the butter and cream in a saucepan over very low heat and stir until the butter has melted.

3.      Add the sugar, cocoa, and salt, and stir continuously until the mixture comes to a slow, rolling boil, then time the fudge for 8 minutes.  Stir occasionally and briefly while the fudge cooks.  Have a cup of cold water ready, and at the end of 8 minutes, drop a bit of fudge into the water.  It should form a medium-firm ball.  If too soft, continue cooking for another 2 minutes.  DO NOT OVERCOOK.

4.      Remove fudge from the heat and stir in the vanilla and pecans.  Continue beating the fudge until it has thickened to the consistency of sluggish molasses, the quickly turn into the buttered pan while still pourable.  The fudge should be glossy.  Chill until firm, cut into squares and serve.