Friday, January 22, 2010

Chocolate Toffee Cream Cake


Lisa made this delicious looking cake and shared the recipe at Stop and Smell the Chocolates.  It sure looks like a winner.  Here is the recipe:

Chocolate Toffee Cream Cake (from Duncan Hines)

1 pkg. Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix
3 eggs
1 1/3 cups water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 (6 oz.) pkg. milk chocolate English toffee bits, divided
1 (12 oz) container extra creamy non-dairy whipped topping, thawed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 9-in. round cake pans.

Blend cake mix, eggs, water and oil in large mixing bowl until moistened. Beat at medium speed with electric mixer for 4 min. Pour into prepared pans. Bake 30-33 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 15 min. Remove from pans. Cool completely. Reserve 1/4 cup toffee bits; fold remaining bits into whipped topping. Place one cake layer on serving plate; spread with 3/4 cup topping mixture. Top with remaining layer. Frost sides and top with remaining topping mixture; garnish with reserved chips. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Friday, January 8, 2010

Quick Made From Scratch Rolls

2 - 2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 pkg. or 1 Tbsp. yeast
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup water
2 Tbsp. margarine

Mix 3/4 cup flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Heat milk, water and margarine until very warm (120° - 130°). Add to dry ingredients and beat 2 minutes on medium speed. Add 1/4 cup flour. Beat 2 minutes on high. Stir in enough flour to make a stiff dough. Knead 2-3 minutes. Place in a greased bowl. Let rise 15 minutes. Divide dough into 12 pieces and shape into balls. Place in an 8 inch round cake pan. Let rise 15 minutes. Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes. Makes 12 rolls.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Homeade Chicken Soup

I finally nailed it! The best pot of chicken soup ever! Yeah....

Here are the ingredients:

Cooked chicken
onion
celery
chopped carrots
garlic
crushed red pepper
chicken bouillon cube
can of chicken broth
can of cream of chicken soup
egg noodles
parsley
dash of turmeric
chicken stock if available (can use broth from boiling chicken or juice from baked chicken with fat skimmed off)

In a large pot put chicken stock, chicken bouillon cube and about 1 cup of water. Add chopped onion, celery, carrots and garlic and simmer until vegetables begin to get tender. Add chicken, cream of chicken soup, egg noodles and crushed red pepper and cook until noodles are done. Add turmeric to add color and a dash of parsley to garnish.

Make a large pot of this soup and freeze in individual portions. This is a great comfort food for cold weather and helpful for those suffering from colds or sickness.

Pineapple Ginger Pork Chops

This recipe is quick and easy to prepare. You can have this dish table ready in half an hour. The sauce with this dish makes it perfect with rice, also easy and quick to prepare. Steam some broccoli for a side dish and you have a delicious meal to serve your family or friends in half an hour.
1 can (20 oz) unsweetened pineapple tidbits
1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
4 bone-in pork loin chops
1 Tbsp. butter 1/2 cup orange juice
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/8 tsp. salt
1/4 cup water

Drain pineapple, reserving 1/4 cup of the juice; set aside. (Refrigerate remaining juice for other uses.)
Combine the pepper and ginger; rub it over both sides of the chops.
In a skillet, melt the butter, add the pork chops and brown for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Add orange juice, 1 cup of the pineapple, and the 1/4 cup of reserved pineapple juice. Bring skillet mixture to a boil. Reduce heat; cover the skillet and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until the meat is tender and cook through.
Remove the pork chops from the skillet and keep warm.
In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch, salt, and water until smooth. Stir the mixture into the pan juices and bring to a boil. Cook and stir for a couple of minutes until thickened.
Serve mixture over the pork chops.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Slow Cooker Mexican Chcken

Here is an easy, delicious slow cooker recipe that can cook all day and be ready when you are ready for supper!
Mexican Chicken
Boneless, skinless chicken pieces, amount needed to feed your family..(recipe is very flexible)
*sprinkle with salt/pepper or desired seasoning salt or mixture.
2 cups frozen corn
2 to 3 cups cooked beans ( pintos, black beans, red beans or a mix of all. You can cook the beans the day before or at night in the crockpot before bed so they will be ready in the morning)
1 can of Rotel spicy tomatoes
Cheese, grated

Place everything in the crockpot in order given except for cheese. Cook on low for about 8 hours. Sprinkle cheese over the top about one hour before serving. Serve over rice.