Chocolate Fudge Sundae and It Never Stops

After organising her costumes a few weeks ago, Arabella left for school this morning confident she had everything all sorted for Friday’s performance.  It’s just when she arrived at school she remembered she needed to bring her costumes with her as they were supposed to be photographed today.  That’s when I received the emergency call.

‘Mum, can you bring my costumes to school?’

‘No, I’m working’.


‘But I’m supposed to have them here today.  The teacher will be really angry’.

‘Well I’m working and I can’t get away.  And aren’t the suit pants at the dry cleaners?  You spilled tomato sauce all over them and so I had to get them cleaned’.

‘Can you pick them up?’

‘I can’t.  I’m working.

Chocolate Fudge Sundae

‘And mum, my friend with the white shirt isn’t here today so I can’t get the shirt but Archie has some old school shirts so can you bring one of those?’

‘There was a Council Clean-Up last weekend and I threw out all of Archie’s old shirts’.

‘And I’ll need your scarf for the cravat and the jodhpurs and riding jacket are in my wardrobe because she said I didn’t need to give them back until after my performance.’

‘I’m not running anything down to you.  I’ve told you three times now I’m working.  Get yourself together and get organised.  I’m not here to rescue you’.  So Arabella wasn’t happy.  But she slept in this morning and messed about not getting herself ready and she needs to learn that I can’t always repair her errors.

Having hung Arabella out to dry I then returned to my computer work and there, right there was a new email from Alfie’s school:

‘Apologies for the very short notice. The school has organised Wacky Wednesday for all students tomorrow. The children can wear big glasses, colourful socks or clothes, wigs/hats etc.  Please bring in a gold coin donation.’

With a cherry on top!

I’m not even going to bother to look for big glasses or colourful socks or wigs or hats because I know we don’t have any.   And the weather bureau is predicting a heatwave and having done a growth spurt through the winter, Alfie has no summer clothes that fit him.  Getting ready for Wacky Wednesday will be interesting.

And tomorrow morning I’ll have to remember that gold coin donation and also $10.00 for the Father’s Day stall.

It never stops!

I’m finding sugar helps me manage these wardrobe crises so I have made another ice cream dessert, again using the Queen Make-At-Home Gelato range – this time, chocolate!

Enough indulgences to soothe your cares away

Chocolate Fudge Sundae

This isn’t really a recipe.  Add 2 scoops of chocolate or vanilla ice cream to a sundae glass.  Pour over Hot Chocolate Fudge, top with Chantilly cream, sprinkle with chopped nuts and decorate with a glace cherry.

Hot Chocolate Fudge

  • 250mls (1 cup) thin cream
  • 100g (1/2 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar
  • 2 tbs golden syrup
  • 20g (1 tbs) butter
  • 200g good-quality dark cooking chocolate, chopped
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Combine the cream, brown sugar, golden syrup and butter in a medium saucepan. Stir over medium-high heat until boiling. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.  Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate until melted. Add the vanilla essence and use a hand whisk to whisk until smooth.   Serve warm.

This recipe is from Taste.

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Comments

  1. This looks like a great treat to help get through the week! love the combo of the peanuts and chocolate mmmm

  2. Minnesota Prairie Roots says:

    Bravo that you did not rescue Arabella. And the short notice from Alfie’s school is unacceptable. I wouldn’t worry about that costume either.

  3. Your adventures with your children are never ending! I think that you handled the Arabella situation very well…they definitely have to learn they can’t always be rescued by mum 🙂 I can’t remember the last time I had hot fudge, but now you’ve made me crave it so badly….

  4. Sweet Posy Dreams says:

    I want to come over and eat ice cream. Please?

    Good for you for being a strong mother. I would have been driving the costumes over, muttering under my breath the entire way.

  5. Good for you for holding firm on not leaving to handle all of those problems. It would have been easy to wear down and give in. I hope Arabella’s performance goes well in the end! As for Wacky Wednesday, who thinks up these things?

  6. Poor you! I would definitely run down to the dollar store (do you have them in Australia?) and pick up a few whacky things for you! I may even bring along a bottle of red to enjoy with the chocolate gelato! Arabella does need to learn to depend on herself, and these lessons are good life lessons!
    Several years ago 60 Minutes (US News Show) did an exposé on the birthrate in Italy and why Italian women don’t want to marry Italian men. There was one guy (a successful lawyer) who on Saturdays, packed up his laundry and took the 2 hour train home so his mommy could do his laundry. And he saw nothing wrong with that. I bet he was surprised that this show did not present him in a very positive light.
    Eva http://kitcheninspirations.wordpress.com/

  7. When you’ve had a stressful day … chocolate! 🙂

    What’s a ‘gold coin’ donation?

    And last minute announcements from school are SO annoying.

    http://a-boleyn.livejournal.com/

    • hotlyspiced says:

      We don’t have dollar notes for $1.00 and $2.00. They’ve been replaced with ‘gold’ coins. To participate in a mufti day you have to bring in a gold coin. xx

  8. Being a mom is not going to be easy at all. Poor Charlie. You deserve a good dose of chocolate!

  9. I’m pretty sure that chocolate can cure almost anything. I wanted to clap when you told Arabella “no”. For us moms, that word can be hard. I’ve been recently practicing it with our son. It’s exhilarating! And what better way to congratulate ourselves for holding our ground than with chocolate gelato?

  10. When in doubt, eat chocolate. When stressed, eat chocolate. Chocolate makes everything all better…and your sundae looks like a killer!

  11. Hot fudge will help me through any crisis! Guaranteed! What a lovely recipe. I know you already stated that your home doesn’t actually have a costume department, but I’m thinking it might be worth a little investment! It could save time in the future!

  12. Mandy - The Complete Cook Book says:

    A chocolate Fudge Sundae would definitely help – that and a bottle of wine!
    🙂 Mandy

  13. Victoria at Flavors of the Sun says:

    It never does stop when they are home. Then they are gone and you miss them. But surely chocolate will help! It helps me.

  14. Choc Chip Uru says:

    Wow I think after all the wackiness you deserve two of these stunning sundaes!

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

  15. I honestly think the best mothers are those who know when to dole out the tough love, and when to be there with a cuddle. You and my own mum clearly have that knowledge sorted 🙂

  16. yummychunklet says:

    Ah, we used to call that “Odd Dress Day” when I was a kid.

  17. Good for you, Charlie! 😉

  18. InTolerant Chef says:

    Yay for you Charlie! My dad would say ‘You’re big and ugly enough to fix your own problems now’ -now that’s tough love 🙂

  19. Claire @ Claire K Creations says:

    Oh Charlie I actually got tears in my eyes laughing at the email from Alfie’s school. I would love to have heard what you said to that email!

    Another delicious creation with the gelato mixes. They’re dangerously good aren’t they?!

  20. That chocolate fudge sauce could easily match and overcome any of Life’s troubles. I am definitely making some. Why wait for a problem?

  21. When my kids were in school (admittedly a gazillion years ago) the school had a policy that anything that parents had to “do” things for must be sent in writing and confirmed and we always had plenty of notice. I’d be really pissed off about “sorry for the short notice” as if it happened by accident.

    I love your chocolate sauce! I’m off to make vanilla gelato with crushed Oreos. how American is that??

  22. Nic@diningwithastud says:

    Well done for standing your ground 🙂 This looks so dleicious! Chocolate fudge sauce is dangerous for me. I could just drink it haha

  23. Sugar is my go-to when things get crazy. I was actually just thinking about whipping something up for myself tonight. The gelato looks fabulous!

  24. Suzanne Perazzini says:

    I am glad I only had one child and that I homeschooled him for most of his schooling years. The few years he was in school were just like you described – never ending demands on the parents on the part of the school. At University, there are endless demands on our financial resources for a continual stream of materials for models (last degree – architecture) and in this degree for photographic equipment (design degree). I feel you.

  25. Good on you for standing firm. Otherwise she will never learn. I love it when mothers say ‘I’m working!’ Very good modelling.

  26. Reem | Simply Reem says:

    The school reopens in 15 days after summer break and my dear I am just getting ready to all this madness..
    Got I am already scared..LOL
    B/W Sugar is my best friend too… This chocolate fudge looks divine!

  27. Purely.. Kay says:

    There’s nothing that a great sundae can’t fix :). I just love this… I need sugar in my life right about now lol

  28. Charlie, do you ever hear voices in your head calling: ‘psst hey, you over there…..wardrobe mistress’
    I’m surprised with all that’s going on you’re not posting recipes for martinis!
    As you know, the whole class was amused and delighted with Alfie’s Wacky Wednesday get up. It was hilarious watching him during sports time, running after the ball in his rather large boots. I did not allow him to suck on the Sherlock Holmes pipe during that lesson. Like I said, Alfie never disappoints – and neither do you!

  29. I’ve lost count of the amount of those phone calls I’ve had – they drive me mad and make me feel guilty when I put my foot down and say no.
    And don’t even get me started on special fundraising days at primary school – I’m glad those late night panic for costumes the next day are behind me.
    And, like you, I always turned to chocolate – and wine.

  30. Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella says:

    Goodness me! If I were you I wouldn’t answer my phone or my email. It sounds like there are always fire that require putting out at the other end of both! 😛

  31. I think I would be reaching for something stronger than sugar with your lot.

  32. so beautiful, so beautiful… I wished to be there 🙂 Thanks and Love, nia

  33. Denise is so right Charlie! 🙂 I love the sundae with the cherry on top! 🙂

  34. Jed Gray (sportsglutton) says:

    Am I missing something Charlie…what is a gold coin donation?

  35. Tina @ bitemeshowme says:

    I love this recipe! I want to make this tonight for dessert…

  36. ok ok I give…… I promise to go buy some Queen Gelato mix tomorrow!!!! 🙂

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