Oh! Fudge!
For a couple of years now, I have endeavoured to conquer one elusive culinary accomplishment -- fudge. Couldn't do it. Mostly I ended up with fudge sauce, though on one particularly frustrating occasion, I got fudge crumbs instead.

Since usually I can make foodstuffs do my bidding in the kitchen, it had become more of a fudge grudge.

I did enjoy one success a few months back with Velveeta Fudge.
From Southern Cooking at about.com:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened (I used unsalted and would definitely advise that, considering the saltiness of the cheez!)
8 ounces pasteurized process cheese, Velveeta, cubed
1 1/2 pounds confectioners' sugar, about 5 cups unsifted (I used 3 cups unsifted, which made a nice not over-sugary fudge)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup non-fat dry milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts (I used a 300g bag of choc. chips)

In a large saucepan over medium heat melt butter and cheese cubes together, stirring frequently; remove from heat. Sift together confectioners' sugar and cocoa; add to cheese, mixing well. Stir in non-fat dry milk, vanilla and nuts. (I used a mixer on low-med speed for mixing in the sugar, cocoa, milk powder & vanilla.)

Turn into a 9x9x2-inch pan; chill until firm and cut into squares. Makes about 3 pounds of Velveeta Fudge.

Not only did it have a correctly fudgy texture, it even tasted reasonably good -- at least as good as those other bizarre processed-food candies that tend to turn up everywhere round the Holiday Season -- and not in the least like Velveeta. (Though in fairness I must add that I occasionally noticed a slight smell of processed cheez once or twice when opening the refrigerated container for another piece.)

Anyway. That was that, but it in no way alleviated my burning desire to conquer Real Cooked Sugar Syrup Fudge.

I made a batch last night, from this recipe:

Chocolate Fudge

2 cups sugar
2 ounces chocolate (I used unsweetened)
2/3 cup milk (I used 1%, a bit of that being left over from the cake)
2 tablespoons corn syrup
2 tablespoons butter

Instructions from the recipe (poached from recipesource.com were rather spare, consisting of "Combine and cook over low heat to 240 degrees. Remove and cool to 110. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla and beat. Spread on buttered dish or pan."

Based on my other reading (I've researched fudge, let me tell you!) I added the following refinements: combined only milk, sugar and corn syrup, and heated till sugar was dissolved. Brought this mixture to a boil, then added butter and chopped chocolate, reduced heat, and cooked to 238? (that being soft-ball stage from other sources). I also added a pinch of salt, since I was using unsalted butter.

Following that, I diverted strikingly from instructions. Instead of letting the mixture cool in peace, I instead added vanilla, let it sit five minutes, and then, as with pralines, beat the heck out of it immediately. It set! It might be a little grainy for Fudge Purists, but I tend to like a more solid, European-style fudge myself, so that was all right.

My only complaint was that it didn't seem "chocolatey" enough. I liked the flavour of the cocoa one I tried to make last Yuletide much better, even though that was, texturally speaking, yet another Fudge Failure.