Why did I try this?

What possessed me to do this? I am sitting on the couch on a normal Wednesday night.  I was falling asleep when I remembered that we were having a fudge competition at work the next day.  I got up, put my glasses back on, and stumbled into the kitchen.  I googled a fudge recipe and got started. 

I woke up as the fudge started to boil. 

I looked back at the recipe and saw that it was labeled as "advanced."  (please note the beverage in the picture). What had I gotten myself into?  It turns out, I got myself into a 4 hour fudge recipe.  4 hours!!! Who does anything in the kitchen for 4 hours!!! 

Since I was already 20 minutes in, I decided to stay with it (and I was out of sugar so I couldn't start over).  I kept with it.  I watched for the boiling.  I waiting to take it off the stove until it started creating soft balls in cold water. I only used a wooden spoon.  I didn't stir when I added the butter even when every part of me wanted to.  Matt came home from work around midnight and I shocked him because I was still awake.  Finally it was time to taste it....and it was...was...

Gross.  Something was wrong.  Very wrong.  It was all granular and sugary, not fudgy.  It tasted bad.  I was hoping it would, I don't know, magically change over night so I didn't throw it away, I put it in the fridge overnight.  The next morning, I could not face the fudge.  On the way into work, I stopped by the grocery store and bought some professionally made fudge.  I put it on a plate and called it my own.  In addition to the store bought fudge, I took my "wrong" fudge in to work.  No one ate it and I would not admit to bringing it in.

The winner of the work fudge competition?  Me.  With my store bought fudge.  And I happily accepted the prize.