Mashed Potato Pancakes

Here's a great idea for your leftover mashed potatoes.  Super easy and good with scrambled eggs or omelets!  Mmmmm, I am hungry all over again!

Mashed Potato Pancakes
2 C, mashed potatoes, cooled is OK
1/2 C. flour, for dredging
salt and pepper, to taste, go ahead and mix in with the flour
2 T. vegetable oil (for frying)

Heat up the oil and add a dollop of mashed potatoes that first stopped off in the flour mixture.  Flatten lightly with a spoon, cook for 3-4 minutes, flip, then cook for 2-3 minutes until golden brown.  Yum!

PS I have also imagined adding other veggies to these (onion, fine-chopped broccoli, spinach, bell peppers) and I am sure that would be good and work well too!  

Broccoli Parmesan Fritters

I made these a while ago, just had the ingredients and the motivation at the same time.  They were good and definitely worth making again, although I liked them more than anyone else in the house.  They were on the slightly greasy side for my tastes, and I may try to figure out a way to bake them or use less oil or something, but they were really delicious and hey, its broccoli so it must be healthy, right? :-)

Broccoli Parmesan Fritters
3 C. broccoli, chopped (steamed, frozen or fresh)
1 egg
1/2 C. flour
1/3 C. parmesan, grated
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 t. salt, plus more to taste
pepper, to taste
olive or vegetable oil for frying.

Combine all the ingredients, mash the broccoli and all the ingredients together.  Add 2-3 T. of oil and heat it up (you know its ready when a drop of water sizzles!) and then scoop a mound of the mixture in to the pan.  Press it down slightly with a spoon, let it go for 3-4 minutes, and then flip and go for another 2-3 minutes.  Both side should be slightly golden.  Set on a plate with a paper towel to drain excess oil and either eat immediately or put in a 200 oven to keep warm.  Yum!

Sweet Potato Casserole ala Ruth's Chris

I made this today for Thanksgiving, and after trying several sweet potato casserole recipes, I think this is the winner.  It is very much like the Ruth's Chris version and fairly easy to prepare.  It was so good that I had more of the casserole for dessert instead of the pumpkin and pecan pie! :-) Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Casserole
3 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes*
3/4 C. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 C. butter, melted

Topping: 
1 C. brown sugar
1/3 C. flour
1 C. chopped pecans
3 T. butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350.  In large mixing bowl, combine the first six ingredients.  Spread into a greased 9x13 pan.  In a separate bowl, make the topping, and then spread over the top of the sweet potatoes.  Cook for 30 minutes uncovered.

*I boiled my potatoes after skinning and then rough chopping them, and from putting them in the pot with the cold water, cranking up the heat, they were ready to go after maybe 25-30 minutes.

Homemade Refried Beans

Homemade Refried Beans

Firehouse recipe from Jason, WAY better than canned and not too hard to do.  Clean and sort dried refried beans, as much as you want to make.  Rinse and add water, 1 cup of beans and 2 cups of water.  Bring to a boil, reduce to medium low and cook for about two hours or until beans will squish smoothly with your fingers.  Keep an eye on your water level and add more, if needed.  Get them past the grainy stage, you want them smooth.  Add milk, cheese and salt to taste.  Yum!

Slow Cooker Potato Soup

I have had this recipe saved for months, but today seemed like a nice, cloudy day and I knew we'd be home, so I gave it a go.  All four of us liked it a lot, and it was certainly easy.  I think this is a good one to make on a cool morning for lunch, maybe serve it aside panini's or grilled cheese.  I think it would be easy to make this vegetarian style too, maybe sub in cream of potato soup and veggie stock?   I told Jason I think he should make it at the fire house, especially if he can hide some of the bacon they fry up almost every day. :-)

Slow Cooker Potato Soup
1 - 30-ounce bag frozen potatoes, squared/southern style
2 - 14 oz cans chicken broth
1 - 14 oz can cream of chicken soup
1/2 C. chopped onion
1/3 tsp. black pepper
1 - 8 oz block cream cheese, softened
Optional toppings - green onion, cheddar cheese, crumbled bacon

Combine potatoes, chicken broth, chicken soup, onion and pepper in the slow cooker.  Cook on low for 5 hours.  Stir in cream cheese, cook another 30 minutes or so stirring occasionally until well blended.

Quinoa Fried Rice

Made this with my sister Kat and I think it is another one you could bulk up on, make a double batch and eat for the week.  Super easy and fast, and you can cook your quinoa in advance and then throw it all together.

Quinoa Fried Rice
1-2 T. oil whatever you prefer
cooked quinoa (maybe 2 C or more?)
frozen mixed veggies (peas, carrots, green beans, lima beans, whatever)
one packet of fried rice seasoning
2 T. soy sauce (to taste)
1-2 eggs
grilled chicken, optional

I cooked the quinoa in the rice cooker (cook the same way as rice) and added the cold quinoa to the wok with just a touch of oil. Stir it around, add the (microwaved and drained) veggies and seasoning.  Push to the side, scramble the eggs and then mix all together.

I thought it was excellent as is but some chicken would have made it even better.  Yummy and so healthy.

Sangria

So my girlfriend Nicole makes this amazing Sangria.  I am embarrassed to admit that I may have forgotten my manners at least once by drinking WAY more than my share of this stuff, but she still invites me over when she makes it so I guess I am forgiven. :-)

Nicole spent a summer in Spain and said that they use canned fruit cocktail juice to sweeten their Sangria.  She hasn't tested it as of yet so I am sticking with her original recipe because its my favorite. I've also had good Sangria at restaurants but definitely NOT fresh out of a wine-looking bottle, I dumped that whole thing down the drain.

Sangria

1.5 L (128 oz) Burgundy (cheap red wine, not sure if even Two Buck Chuck would work here)

4 oz Cointreau or Triple Sec

4 oz Brandy
1 large can of fruit cocktail

Fresh fruit (fresh oranges, lemons, apples but whatever you have should be OK)

Sprite to almost fill the jug and to sweeten (or fruit cocktail or simple syrup) 

Quick Turkey Quinoa Taco Stew

My sister Kat made this last weekend for me.  It took about 30 minutes start to finish and was so good that after having two servings for dinner, I had it for breakfast the next day too.  Clocks in at about 270 calories per cup (before the cheese avalanche that I add) and SO satisfying.  My plan is to make this on Sunday's and dish it out for my Monday-Thursday lunches.  Here is the original link.

Quick Turkey Quinoa Taco Stew
small onion, diced
ground turkey (recipe says 8 oz but I think we used 16)
1 medium zucchini (might be able to do 2)
1 sweet bell pepper (red, yellow or orange, might be able to do 2)
1 package of taco seasoning*
1 can (15 oz) tomatoes with chiles (Rotel)
1 can (15 oz) kidney beans, rinsed and drained** (might be able to do 2 cans)
1 can (14 oz) chicken broth (or beef or veggie)
1 C. quinoa, rinsed
1 Tbsp. lime juice
shredded cheddar, optional (as if)

Cook the turkey with onion over medium heat.  Add zucchini, peppers and taco seasoning.  Stir to coat all the veggies with spices.  Add beans, diced tomatoes, broth and quinoa.  Turn up to high heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until quinoa soaks up most of the liquid.  Stir in lime juice and serve!

* Make your own taco seasoning with this link
** You can use any beans you like or have, black, pinto, garbanzo, etc.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I do love pumpkin, especially in the fall.  And so naturally, I love pumpkin baked goods- muffins, breads, cookies, etc.  Here's what I don't like: the cakey texture that most pumpkin cookies seem to take on.  So I found a recipe for them that promised not to be cakey but instead, the chewy, gooey typical cookie texture that I adore.  Here is the original recipe but I like to have my own ingredient list ready to access any time, so I am copying it below as well.  Kinda neat that this recipe doesn't have any eggs, too.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
1/2 C. (1 stick) butter, unsalted, melted
1/4 C. light brown sugar
1/2 C. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
6 T. pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie)
1-1/2 C. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking sode
1-1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice, if you have it, no biggie if not
1/2 C. chocolate chips

Cream the melted butter and sugars.  Add dry ingredients.  Dough will be very soft.  Fold in the chocolate chips, which might not stick to the dough because of the melted butter, but it'll be OK.  Cover and chill for 30 minutes minimum, or up to 3 days.

Preheat to 350 and drop by rounded (two) tablespoons onto cookie sheet.  I did roll these into balls, then pressed down slightly so they would cook down very pretty, and it worked.  Bake for 8-10 minutes, taking them out before they look done.  You can flatten them now if you need to as well.  Allow the cookies to cool for 10 minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer to a wire rack.

The author of this recipe says to let them sit for at least an hour before serving, and that the chewiness and pumpkin flavor is even better on Day 2.  Not sure if that is true as there were no survivors through the night.  This is definitely one I will make again.

Kettle (or Regular) Stove Top Popcorn

A friend had a Bunco night get together a couple of weeks ago, and all the ladies brought a snack to share.  Imagine my amazement when one lady walked in with what looked like still hot, fresh from the Farmer's Market kettle corn!  We all swarmed in on her and got her to share the ultra-easy secret recipe:

Homemade Kettle Corn
1/3 C. olive oil*
1/3 C. white sugar
1/2 C. popcorn kernels

Heat up the oil and sugar and throw in ONE popcorn kernel and wait for it to pop.  Once it does, add the rest, cover with a lid (that isn't too tight) and shake vigorously until the popping slows down.  Make sure you use a BIG pot and crack the lid some so that some steam can get out, but watch out because it is HOT and sometimes those kernels get out too.  Takes about five minutes, start to finish, give or take.

She said she has a "Whirly Pop" cooking pot with a crank on it that makes it really easy.  They look to be about $20 at Bed, Bath and Beyond so I may ask Santa for one this year.

Kate swears that she prefers "regular" popcorn so you do it basically the same way, minus the sugar.

My sister-in-law Amber said she read something that said microwave popcorn is one of the very worst things you can eat, and this is so easy, that I might be done with the stuff!  Give it a try!

No Bake Cheesecake

Had this at Grandma Squires today and it was really, really good!  It's a "no-bake" cheesecake which makes it a perfect summer dessert!

No Bake Cheesecake

8 oz. cream cheese
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 C. lemon juice
1 t. vanilla

Cream together all ingredients and pour into a 9" graham cracker shell, recipe below.

1 package graham crackers
1/4 C. sugar
1/2 C. melted butter

Mix together and press into pie shell.

Grandma made a GIANT one in a lasagna pan and tripled the recipe.  She also added a fresh strawberry glaze.  It was excellent!!!

Optional:
Fresh strawberries, blueberries (I might at least add some sugar to sweat the sliced strawberries)
Chocolate syrup?
Caramel?
Lots of options!

Crepes

Sometimes, you just need crepes.  Here's a basic recipe that worked well for me.  It is all staples that we all have on hand and they say that the batter keeps in the fridge for a few days.  This recipe makes about 8 crepes.

Crepes

2 eggs
1/2 C. milk
1/2 C. water, plus a little more to make it a runny, crepe consistency
1 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbsp. butter, melted, plus more for greasing pan
1 C. flour
1/4 tsp. salt

In large mixing bowl, mix eggs, milk, water, vanilla and melted butter.  Gradually add in dry ingredients.  Add a little water if needed to make it more runny.

Use a frying pan on medium heat, grease it with butter preferably but spray will work too.  Add 1/4 C. mixture and spread it around so that it is super thin.  Cook for about a minute or so, then flip and cook for maybe 30 seconds more.  I use a metal spatula with these, even though I use a nonstick pan.  Just be careful.

I like to spread on Nutella and if I have them, fresh sliced strawberries and/or bananas.  The possibilities are endless!  My kids approved, too. :-)

Enjoy!

Green Monster Smoothie

  


My sister Kat turned me on to the idea of sneaking spinach into my kids smoothies.  I used to always do it in blueberry-banana smoothies because the purple would mask the green.  Then she sent me a recipe for a drink called the "Green Monster" where the spinach is front and center.  The creative marketing name appealed to my son, and since he was game, of course his little sister was in.  Now Christopher is always trying to get Jason to try this, saying "you can't even taste the spinach!" ;-) Which is just about true.  These are yummy and healthy and a good way to get a lot of veggies in with minimal effort, and the kids fight over who gets to help make them.  I love seeing them so excited to eat spinach!

Green Monster Smoothie
1 frozen banana
1/2 C. vanilla greek yogurt
1 C. milk, roughly
1-2 Tbsp. peanut butter
2-4 C. fresh spinach
ice

Put bananas, yogurt, milk and peanut butter in the blender and mix it up until smooth.  Fill the rest of the blender with spinach (no joke, it is probably 2-4 cups really) and then blend it again.  You might have to help poke the spinach down but it will pulverize it pretty quickly.  I usually add some crushed ice at this point for texture, blend again until desired consistency, and serve!  This one drink I split three ways and it is a fair amount for each of us.  You can also freeze it to have the next day (takes about an hour to thaw) but it isn't as good as on Day 1.

I definitely recommend freezing the bananas ahead of time, preferably in bite size chunks.  Vanilla yogurt is FAR superior to plain, found that out the hard way.  A little honey will help if all you have is plain.  Regular (non-Greek) yogurt works too but I figure the extra protein helps.  The original recipe calls for Almond Milk and I've made it with that before, and its delicious, but we don't always have it so I just use regular milk now.  The peanut butter is really what gets you on the calories, but it is really good so I just go for it.

Lasagna

This is so easy, I just follow the directions on the box.  But Jason asked me to blog it and I like to have all of my wonderful ideas in one place, so here it goes.  From memory, no less. :-) I'll update it if I find any errors.  If this comment (about memory!) is still here when you go to make this, double check the box of lasagna noodles.

Lasagna
1 box of no-boil lasagna noodles (this is WAY easier than the alternative!)
1 big container of cottage cheese
1 egg
salt and pepper
Italian seasonings (or basil, oregano, etc.)
1 jar spaghetti sauce plus 1 C. water, per the no boil box directions
1/2 C. parmesan cheese
16 oz mozzarella, shredded, divided
Optional - ground turkey and sausage, black olives,  fresh spinach, fresh or frozen broccoli

Combine cottage cheese, parmesan, about 1 C. of mozzarella, egg, seasonings.  Cook meat and veggies as needed.  I found that fresh spinach worked well and I used frozen broccoli florets, making sure to squeeze all the extra moisture from them.  I'd pre-cook the broccoli if it was fresh, too.  Jason is a meat guy and so we made ground turkey and mild italian sausage, and a can of black olives, sliced.  Grease a big 13x9 pan, I use cooking spray.  Spread some sauce on the bottom of the pan, then add a layer of noodles.  It is OK if they overlap a little.  Add some of the cottage cheese mixture, then sprinkle with other toppings.  Ours are always half veggies, half meat and black olives.  The veggies side gets a little taller but it works.  Then cover with another layer of noodles, then sauce, then repeat.  I think the sauce goes on top of the noodles always but it could go before, I suppose.  Double check the box. :-) So you repeat the layers until you run out of filling.  I usually get two sets of filling, and three layers of noodles, including the bottom.  After you put your top layer of lasagna noodles on, dump on any remaining sauce and then sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and if you want, a little more parmesan.  Cover with foil and cook at 375 (?) for 60 minutes.  I always take the foil off for the last ten minutes so it gets sort of browned, but Jason said he heard that can dry it out.  Your choice.  Let it stand for 5-10 minutes when you take it out.  Freezes well, leftovers are amazing.  Another nice thing is that you can make this a day in advance if you like, or the morning of, then just heat it up when you're ready.

Hell's Fire Chips

So my good friend Nicole had a birthday a few weeks ago and we all went to her favorite spot, AZ88 in Scottsdale.  She's been raving about their food forever, specifically these Hell's Fire Chips and get this- their Grilled Cheese!  After finally going to see what it was all about, I have to say she's right, even the grilled cheese knocked my socks off.  But these chips were the star of the show.  The kids and I attempted to make them on my own the next day, unsuccessfully, but I think there's enough potential here that if I publish this, then maybe I can remember it and mess around with the recipe enough to figure it out.  Here's hoping!

Hell's Fire Chips
potatoes, washed and thinly sliced
Arizona Gunslinger hot sauce, or another brand - maybe Frank's would work?
bleu cheese crumbles (weird but it works)
cooking spray
salt and pepper

Wash and thinly slice the potatoes.  I don't fry things at home so spray a cookie sheet well, lay the potato slices down, being careful not to overlap, and then spray them again.  Salt and pepper and bake at 400ish (maybe more?) for 10-20 minutes, flipping once.  Ideally, they will get a sort of golden-brown.  I found that some did and some didn't, but the yummier ones did.  Let's assume that they all turn out.  Scoop them on to one cookie sheet, overlapping this time, sprinkle with hot sauce and bleu cheese, and then broil for just a minute or two, until the cheese melts.  Serve and devour!  :-)

Update: Talked again to Nicole about this and her Aunt asked them at AZ88 how they do it.  The trick is to fry them in peanut oil when it is SUPER hot (use the wooden spoon trick: dip the top of it in, if it bubbles, it's ready, if it doesn't, then wait a little longer, get a fresh wooden spoon and try again) and flash fry them.  Sprinkle the cheese immediately after removing from the oil.  They use Arizona Gunslinger Hot Sauce.  YUMMO. 

Wendy's Manicotti

Wendy makes great, healthy manicotti that is super easy and even better if you cook it first on Day 1, save it, and then heat it up again in the oven on Day 2.

Manicotti
32 oz cottage cheese
16 oz mozzarella
3-4 oz parmesean (1/2 C.)
1 egg
1 tsp. garlic powder
italian seasoning (oregano, parsley)
salt and pepper
manicotti or shells (it looks like they do sell the ones you dont have to boil first! check!)
2 jars spaghetti sauce
optional - spinach, broccoli, meat, etc...

Makes one 13x9 and one 8x8 pan.  Combine all ingredients (except pasta and sauce.)  Spread sauce on pan bottom, fill noodles and lay in pan, cover with sauce.   Bake at 350 for 45 minutes, covered with foil.

Jason and I like different things in our pasta (hers= spinach, broccoli, his=meat and cheese) so it is a good idea to make the filling and then divide it in two, or if you are doing cheese only for one of the pans (he's fine with that) then do that first, then add the veggies.

You can use fresh or frozen veggies but like all pasta dishes, make sure and drain any excess moisture so it doesn't turn out too soupy.

Yum!

Crustless Spinach Quiches

I like these because you can prep them in advance and then eat them all week long.  You can add whatever veggies or meats you like to customize.

Crustless Spinach Quiches

1 1/2-ish C frozen spinach, drained* (heated, squeeze drained)

1 C. cheddar, shredded

6 eggs or Egg Beaters could work really well here

1 1/2 C. milk

salt and pepper to taste

Optional - serve with salsa or pico (this was EXCELLENT when I had some leftover Chipotle pico)

Spray a muffin tin (you might have to do two tins) with cooking spray (or use muffin cups, might be smart if you know you'll be reheating these later) and preheat oven to 375.  Whisk the eggs and milk in a bowl, season with salt and pepper and then ideally, transfer to a liquid measuring cup with a spout.  (This will make pouring it easier.)  In each muffin cup, add some spinach and sprinkle with cheddar cheese over the top.  The muffin cups should be almost full of veggies and cheese.  

Pour in eggs, being careful to not go more than 3/4-ish full.  Put them in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown around the edges and a knife comes out clean.  Give them a few minutes to finish after you pull them out of the oven and then serve or store until later in the week.

These are super versatile- you can add any meats (crumbled bacon or sausage, even veggie sausage?) or veggies (I'm thinking sauteed onions and garlic, red or green peppers, asparagus, broccoli) or cheeses (feta? parmesan? swiss?) you like!  

I did read online that some people freeze their quiches.  Not sure if this would work for me or not since I have egg texture issues but it is an idea.  

When Kat and I made this, it made 18 quiche muffins, but mine had a lot of veggies (spinach and broccoli) so it added up to one egg in every three muffins.  Maybe an ounce of cheese over the three, so by my math it is about 180ish calories for three of them.  Would be less if we used egg beaters or less cheese. 

* I think it is important to get ALL of the moisture out of the frozen spinach, so I recommend heating it up in the microwave, then dumping the spinach into a cloth kitchen towel and squeezing it as hard as you can over the sink, a few different times, almost like you're wringing it out.  It will get even smaller and more compact than before!  That's OK!  It wont let off any moisture when it cooks this way.  Soggy eggs (or anything, really) is bad news for me, so I prefer it as moisture free as possible.  

Ribs

Jason made these a couple of months ago and no lie, I think it is the best thing he has EVER made.  Here are his instructions.  If/when I go through and make these on my own (I might leave them as his specialty!) then I will update with my own pizzaz.  Oh, these are just as good cold the next day!  
Enjoy!

Ribs

Country Style Pork Ribs
Au Jus sauce packet

Beef broth (to make the Au Jus sauce)

BBQ Sauce

Make Au Jus sauce with beef broth.  Put the ribs in a big, deep pan with the Au Jus.  Cover with foil and bake for 3-4 hours at 275.  Finish on the grill while brushing with BBQ sauce.  Let it get nice and carmelized, yummo.

Ranch Chicken Tacos

Made this yesterday and it was a huge hit!  So easy.

Ranch Chicken Tacos
3 lbs of chicken (give or take, I probably only used half this) - frozen or fresh
1 packet of Ranch Seasoning
1 packet of Taco Seasoning (of you could make your own)
1 15 oz can of chicken broth

Put the chicken in the crockpot.  Sprinkle with ranch and taco seasoning, then add broth.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.  Shred and serve!

I highly recommend squeezing some of the moisture out of the meat before adding it to tacos, so they don't get soggy or leak when you take a bite.

We served with
cheddar cheese
hard and soft corn tortillas
chopped tomatoes
spinach (faux lettuce)

This would also be really good to use for burrito bowls as planned leftovers.

Enjoy!

Inside Out Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Made these the other night with my Mom and they were easy and delicious.  I found this recipe on Pinterest and the lady who posted it originally had said that she was looking for a less messy and more chocolate-y solution, which this certainly is!  The trickiest part is washing and then coring the strawberries.  I thought they tasted a little better when the chocolate wasn't set all the way (I ate a few while we were making them they were amazing) but they were definitely worth making again.

Inside Out Chocolate Covered Strawberries
strawberries (bigger is better but sweet is most important)
chocolate chips

Take the stem and core out of the strawberries, and then rinse.  Let them dry on a wire rack upside down (so they drain) until they are completely dry.  Then stand them up in a mini-muffin tin, and add the chocolate.  You can microwave chocolate chips in 30 second increments, stirring each time, until soft.  We used spoons to add the chocolate.  You could also pour the chocolate into a plastic baggie and cut off the end and then "pipe" it in there, but the spoon method worked well too.  Let them set for a while, on the counter or in the fridge if you want them to harden.  Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars

These are AMAZING.  Very, very rich, and while they were yummy fresh out of the oven, they were significantly better the next day.  (The three that survived were.)

Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars

1 (18.25) package plain yellow cake mix

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 cup creamy peanut butter

2 eggs

1 (12 oz) package semi-sweet chocolate chips (1.5 cups)
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 Tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2) Combine cake mix, melted butter, peanut butter, and eggs in a large bowl using a mixer or spoon. Press this into a 9X13 pan reserving 1 1/2 cup of the mixture to crumble on top.

3) In a small pot, melt chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, and butter. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and coconut.
4) Spread chocolate mixture over the mixture pressed in the pan and then crumble the 1 1/2 cups of reserved cake mixture on top evenly.
5) Bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Amish Sugar Cookies

Amish Sugar Cookies

Made these with Christopher and his comment was that "they really do melt in your mouth!"

• 1 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 4 12 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cream of tartar

Bake at 350 for 7-9 minutes.  

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chicken Tortilla Soup

3 raw boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce 
1 medium onion, chopped 
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers 
3 cloves garlic, minced 
2 cups water 
1 (14.5 ounce) can 99% fat-free chicken broth 
1 TBSP cumin 
1 TBSP chili powder 
1 teaspoon salt 
1/4 teaspoon black pepper 
1 bay leaf 
1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn 
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Serve with sour cream and tortilla chips.

Combine all ingredients in a large slow cooker. Stir to combine. Cook on high 4-6 hours or low 6-8 hours.  Remove chicken from soup and shred. Return chicken to soup, and then blend this in batches or use an immersion blender to liquify it a little. I prefer to leave SOME chunks but if you don't blend it, I think this recipe is too watery.

We like things spicy and flavorful, so I also add in a dash or two of cayenne.

Number of Servings: 8

Hot Chocolate from Scratch

We didn't have hot chocolate mix one night, but the family needed it and Google came to the rescue.  Christopher thought I was a genius making this from scratch.  Add marshmallows or whipped cream. :-) 

Real Hot Chocolate

1/3 C. semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup sugar
4 cups milk

Break or chop the two squares of unsweetened or semisweet chocolate into smaller pieces.

In a saucepan, add: 2 chopped squares unsweetened or semisweet chocolate, 1/3 cup sugar and 2 cups milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring continuously. Once the mixture comes to a boil, add the remaining 2 cups milk and heat all the way through. Do not allow the hot chocolate to come to another boil.

Remove from heat and serve immediately.

Real Hot Cocoa
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/3 cup sugar
4 cups milk

In a saucepan, add: 1/4 cup cocoa powder, 1/3 sugar and 4 cups milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring continuously. Heat all the way through without allowing the mixture to come to a boil. When steam begins to build and a few bubbles escape along the sides of the saucepan, the cocoa is done.

Remove from heat and serve immediately.

Flourless Chocolate Cake

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• 
  
• Flourless Chocolate Cake
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• 4 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened)
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder plus additional for sprinkling
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strawberries, or other fresh berries on the side

mint leaves would be nice

Ganache (see note below)

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Preheat oven to 375°F and butter an 8-inch round baking pan. Line bottom with a round of wax paper and butter paper.  Using a spring form pan may help as well, or you can make mini cakes to freeze using muffin tins.

Chop chocolate into small pieces. In a double boiler or metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water melt chocolate with butter, stirring, until smooth. Remove top of double boiler or bowl from heat and whisk sugar into chocolate mixture. Add eggs and whisk well. Sift 1/2 cup cocoa powder over chocolate mixture and whisk until just combined. Pour batter into pan and bake in middle of oven 25 minutes, or until top has formed a thin crust. Cool cake in pan on a rack 5 minutes and invert onto a serving plate.

Dust cake with additional cocoa powder and serve with sorbet if desired. (Cake keeps, after being cooled completely, in an airtight container, 1 week.)

A chocolate ganache (butter, chocolate and vanilla, I think?) would really go well on this, and I'll update this when I find the frosting that works.  

• For Glaze:
• 2 1-ounce squares coarsely chopped semisweet chocolate squares
• 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 teaspoon milk OR light coconut milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Agave syrup OR honey
• 1/8 teaspoon vanilla
• 1. To prepare the glaze, melt 2 ounces of chopped chocolate and 1 1/2 tablespoons of unsalted butter in the same saucepan you used to make the cake. When melted and smooth, remove the pan from heat. Add milk and Agave syrup OR honey and vanilla and stir until smooth and glossy. Let the glaze cool for about 3 minutes before pouring it on the cake.
  2. Pour all of the glaze in the middle of the cake. Use a silicone or rubber spatula to spread the glaze evenly over the cake, allowing the glaze to evenly run down the sides of the cake.

Pumpkin Roll

This is a fairly involved recipe but he outcome is worth every step.  Enjoy! 

Pumpkin Roll

• CAKE
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar (to sprinkle on towel)
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
• FILLING
• 1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Powdered sugar (optional for decoration)

FOR CAKE:
PREHEAT oven to 375° F. Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan; line with wax paper. Grease and flour paper. Sprinkle a thin, cotton kitchen towel with powdered sugar.

COMBINE flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in small bowl. Beat eggs and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle with nuts.

BAKE for 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. (If using a dark-colored pan, begin checking for doneness at 11 minutes.) Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool on wire rack.

FOR FILLING:
BEAT cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until smooth. Carefully unroll cake. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.

COOKING TIP:Be sure to put enough powdered sugar on the towel when rolling up the cake so it will not stick.

Nutritional Information

• Serving Size
  1/10 of recipe
• Calories 370
• Calories from Fat 150

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

% Daily Value *

• Total Fat 16g25%
• Saturated Fat 10g50%
• Cholesterol 105mg35%
• Sodium 280mg12%
• Carbohydrates 52g17%
• Dietary Fiber 1g4%
• Sugars 43g
• Protein 5g

• Vitamin A50%
• Vitamin C0%
• Calcium6%
• Iron6%