I made the cake!

I made Mom's Chocolate Cake and I had some issues.

First, I used a Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe mix, and that went well, although the cakes were done at around 25-27 minutes instead of 30-35, so I took them out. Lining the pans with parchment worked great. I used the 60% chips and melted them over simmering water (improvised double boiler), and that went well. I let the chocolate cool (even used my thermometer!) and added the sour cream that I had set out to warm up so that it wouldn't be such a shock going into the warm chocolate. It was going swimmingly and it was almost blended--and in about 1 second, it was solid. Solid as in there was no more whisking going on. Moment of panic. Sooo, back over the simmering water until it was spreadable again, and after that, it went well. Had good flavor, although my cakes were not as tall as I remember? Maybe that has something to do with the brand of cake mix?

Recipe Request

Boy has requested a "good" gingersnap recipe....anyone have a tried-and-true hand me down?

The Best Thing Ever (or as Betty Crocker calls them, Buckeye Delights)

Cookie Base:

1 bag sugar cookie mix
1/3 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg

Filling:

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt

Topping:

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons semisweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 36 mini muffin cups with foil liners. In large bowl, stir cookie base ingredients until it forms a dough. Press 1 tablespoon of dough into each cup and make a divot with your fingers or a tart tamper in the center (you will be putting filling in the divot later). Bake 8-9 minutes or until puffy and just set. Cool completely or about 30 minutes.

In small bowl, mix ingredients for filling until well blended. Press about 1 teaspoon of this mixture into the center of each cookie.

In saucepan, heat heavy whipping cream just to boiling over low heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of the chocolate chips. You may have to return to heat for them to all melt. Refrigerate until cooled, about 30 minutes. Spread about 2 teaspoons chocolate mixture over each cookie cup.

Place remaining 2 tablespoons chocolate chips and 1 tablespoon peanut butter in small bowl. Microwave on high until softened and stir to mix well. Drizzle over cookie cups with fork or knife. Refrigerate about 30 minutes until set. Store covered in fridge.


Comments: Sweet Baby Jesus, these are evil! But so very worth the 5648465468 steps you'll have to climb to burn one of them off. Also, if you get like me and think you're going to be cool and use the Mexican vanilla that's in your mom's cupboard, you're going to completely change the taste of these things. Not for the worse, mind you--just...different. The first time I made them I used a regular sized muffin pan (as I don't own a mini one) and they turned out just fine--I ended up with about 24 instead of 36. I don't have a tamper, either, so I used my fingers.

Cheesy Chicken & Rice Soup

1 can chicken broth
2 cups cold water
1/2 cup uncooked rice
1 can corn
1 can carrots
3/4 pound Velveeta, sliced
2 cups cooked chicken, chopped/diced

Combine broth, water, rice, corn, and carrots. Cover and simmer 20-25 minutes until rice is tender. Add chicken and cheese, stir until cheese is melted and soup is creamy. Serve alone or over biscuits or toast.

Comments: Ok, I use A LOT of cheese. My soup isn't so much creamy as it is gloppy. But it's sooo tasty. The original had mushrooms, I vetoed those. This is from one of the 58768 Mennonite cookbooks I ended up with.

Zucchini Herb Casserole

1/3 cup long grain white rice, cooked
2/3 cup water
2 tablespoons oil
1 1/2 pounds zucchini, sliced or cubed
1 cup sliced green onions
1 clove minced garlic
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Lightly grease casserole dish. Heat oil in skillet. Cook zucchini, onions, and garlic for 5 minutes. Add basil, salt, paprika, and oregano. Mix in cooked rice, tomatoes, and 1 cup of the cheese. Cook and stir until heated throughout. Transfer to casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.

Bake uncovered 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Comments: I used green and yellow zukes (squash, whatever) and doubled the cheese. Turned out well :) Took this to a Thanksgiving shindig and came home with an empty dish, so someone liked it. Relatively good for you...well, except for all the cheese. I'm having a hard time remembering where I found this one, but it was tasty.

Ham & Bean Soup

2 cans Great Northern or Navy beans
2 rounds ham, cubed
milk
1/4 to 1/2 cup butter
flour
salt
pepper
parsley


Melt butter in stew pot. Add ham, coat with flour to brown. Don't let the ham burn. Add beans, milk to cover, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer slowly for 20-25 minutes until thick. Garnish with parsley.


Comments: Serious comfort food for me. Always tastes better the second day. Quantities are not exact, I realize, but I have no idea what the measurements are. I do use a lot of flour, I will say that. Good with home-made bread. Came from a family member, although I'm not sure who anymore...Aunt Viv, maybe? At any rate, tasty stuff. Good for your heart! *wink*

Pepperoni & Cheese Crescents

2 cans crescent rolls
1 package sliced pepperoni
shredded cheese, any type that you would like

Unroll dough and split into pre-cut triangles. Place 2-3 pepperoni slices on each triangle at the wide end. Sprinkle with cheese. Starting with the wide end, roll up crescents as you normally would (a little tricky at first--need to hold on to the pepperoni and keep it in place) and place on baking pan.

Bake at 375 for 10-14 minutes, or until golden. Serve with pizza or spaghetti sauce for dipping.

Comments: Boy and I take these to our bible study on occasion. They're cheap and easy, and you can add olives or mushrooms or whatever else you can fit in there. Makes a nice snack that tastes better than any frozen pizza roll. I tried this one after I found it on the Menus For Moms website. Some seriously good stuff over there.

Pink Stuff....or Green Stuff...or Orange Stuff

1 large box Jell-o (sugar free is fine) - you can choose whatever flavor you want
1 small container cottage cheese

1 regular container cool whip

1 large can crushed pineapple (drained)

Mix together, chill and serve.


Comments: Got this from several people, name is determined by what flavor Jello you use :)

Cousin Marion's Tomato Tortellini Soup

2 14oz cans Chicken Broth
9 oz package refrigerated tortellini (in a package in the refrigerated section of your grocery store)
1/2 container 8 oz. tub chive/onion cream cheese , softened
1 can tomato soup (you can use regular or tomato bisque or cream of tomato)


Bring broth to boiling, add tortellini. Simmer uncovered 5 min. Remove 1/3 cup of the broth to a separate bowl and whisk with cream cheese until smooth, then return mixture to tortellini. Add can(s) of soup and mix well.

Cousin Marion said she likes to add more soup for more sauce.

Comments: I have the feeling that more creamy sauce would be good, so I'd probably go with two cans of soup and the whole thing of cream cheese. Really tasty with crusty bread!

Baked Oatmeal

1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten
3 cups oatmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk

Stir all ingredients together until well mixed. Pour into loaf pan or individual baking bowls/cups, leaving room at the top.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.

Serve with yogurt and fruit.

Comments: Infinite possibilities here! I add nuts, roasted flax seed, cinnamon, and vanilla. Mom adds dried fruit and I think she used buttermilk and somehow cut out the sugar. Boy likes to pour milk over it and have it like hot cereal with blueberries. I prefer vanilla yogurt. IF YOU ONLY ADD ONE THING, MAKE IT THE VANILLA. Trust me. I use the varying sizes of individual Pyrex baking bowls, as well as the small Fire King single-serving casserole dishes. These freeze very well in a zip-lock bag, and only take a minute or two to thaw in the microwave.
Oh, and for some reason, if you don't melt the butter and beat the eggs prior to adding them, things just don't turn out right. Don't ask me why, I'm not a chemist, it just doesn't turn out. This came from yet another Mennonite cookbook, and my mom's favorite breakfast place in The Homeland serves this in a huge bowl.

Mom's Chocolate Cake

• 1 Box Devils Food Cake Mix
• 1 Cup Water
• 1 Cup Ricotta Cheese
• 1/2 Cup Veg. Oil
• 2 Eggs

Mix Cake ingredients at low speed 1 minute. Scrape bowl, mix at Medium Speed for 2 minutes. Pour batter into round pans. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. Remove from pans, let cake cool before frosting.

• Frosting
• 12 Oz Quality Chocolate Chips
  
• 1 Cup Sour Cream

Melt Chocolate until Smooth. Let melted Chocolate cool to room Temperature. Mix in Sour Cream with wire Whisk. Frost cake.

This has become the family fav for birthdays!. Mom always uses Ghirardelli 60% Cocoa Bittersweet chocolate chips for the frosting.

Dutch Apple Pie

To make a 9 inch pie crust:

1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup butter, cold and cut into pats
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 to 4 tablespoons cold water

Mix shortening, butter, and flour until it forms crumbs. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough forms. Form a ball with your hands, and roll out onto a lightly floured surface. Use rolling pin to flatten to appropriate size and place in pie pan. Press down gently and crimp sides.

Filling:

5-7 apples, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup white sugar
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Combine sugar and cinnamon and mix into apples with hands, making sure to coat the apples as much as possible. Place apples into pie pan.

Topping:

1/3 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup flour
6 tablespoons butter, cut into pats
1/4 cup oatmeal

Blend brown sugar, flour, butter, and oatmeal until crumbly, and spread over apples to form a topping crust.

Bake at 375 degrees F for about 30-35 minutes, or until browned and bubbly.

Comments: Whew--I messed with this one a lot. I used both brown and white sugar to coat the apples. I also added a dash of nutmeg and a little more cinnamon to the topping to see what would happen---no one commented, so I am assuming that it was either not noticeable, or it was still tasty. It seemed to need more flour to make the topping crumbly. This pie looks pretty with shaped dough cut-outs placed on the topping as well. This is Boy's favorite apple pie so far. I found this in one of my church cookbooks--Mom calls it the "fat grandma" book because that's what is on the cover!

Honey Wheat Bread

2 cups warm water (110 degrees)
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup vegetable oil
5 cups AP flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add honey, and stir well. Mix in salt, vegetable oil, and the whole wheat flour one cup at a time. Work in the AP flour gradually. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for at least 10-15 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place in well oiled bowl, toss to coat, and cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Punch down dough and shape into two loaves. Place in two well oiled load pans and allow to rise until dough is 1 inch above pans.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes.

Comments: I had to pull these early as the tops seemed to be getting dark, closer to 22-25 minutes than 30. Was light, not very chewy. Sweet tasting as well. Buttered the tops, made two good sized loaves.

Simple White Bread

*I use fast-acting yeast that I don't have to proof because I'm usually too impatient.*

2 cups warm water (110 degrees F) ((I use a thermometer because I'm a terrible judge of heat))
2/3 cup white sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
6 cups bread flour (I used AP flour and it seemed to work fine)


In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in the warm water, and stir in yeast.

*If you use regular yeast, allow it to proof until it's foamy. If you use fast yeast, you don't need to wait.*

Mix salt and oil into the yeast. Mix in flour one cup at a time. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Place in a well oiled bowl and turn dough a few times to coat. Cover with damp cloth and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour

*My kitchen is so stinkin' cold in the winter I have to turn the oven on, let it heat up, and then place the bowl on the back of the stove for the entire time it needs to rise. I've been told a heating pad will work as well.*

Punch dough down and knead for a few minutes. Divide in half, shape into loaves, and place into two well oiled loaf pans. Allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until dough has rise about 1 inch above pans.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.

Comments: I used butter on the pans instead of oil, and they released fine. I removed them from the pans almost immediately after taking them out of the oven, and I brushed the tops with butter at that point as well.

Thai Beef Stew

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 pound lean stew meat or lean sirloin steak, diced
1/2 package McCormick beef stew seasoning mix
16 oz package frozen mixed vegetables
1 14oz can beef broth (use low sodium)
1/3 to 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

Heat the oil in a large heavy pot. Add the steak and cook on medium-high until it's well browned. Add the seasoning mix, stir in the vegetables, and raise the heat to high. Add the beef broth, bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-high and stir in the peanut butter until it melts. Add more if you want it to be a little thicker.

Comments: We really like this one--lots of protein and very filling. Don't fear the peanut butter!! It really is tasty. If I'm not mistaken, Boy got this from one of his Men's Health magazines.

Country Style Steak

4-6 pieces cube steak, special or otherwise
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon thyme

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F

Season both sides of meat with salt and pepper. Place flour in pie pan or shallow dish. Dredge meat on both sides in flour. Set aside.

Add enough oil to just cover the bottom of a 4 to 5 quart Dutch oven set over medium high heat. When the oil begins to "shimmer" add the steaks to the pan and don't over crowd them. (You may have to do two at a time.)

Cook over medium-high heat until lightly browned on each side. Remove steaks and set aside until all your pieces are cooked. (I had to add little bit more oil halfway through--steaks started to stick.)

Add the chicken broth and thyme to the Dutch oven and stir until it comes to just a boil. Put steaks back into Dutch oven and make sure they are all covered. (You may have to add more broth!) Cover the pot and put in in the middle of the oven for 1 to 1.5 hours, or until the steaks are extremely tender.

Comments: I served this with cheddar mashed potatoes and broccoli. Turned out well, although I bet I could have cooked it for 20 minutes or so longer than the 1.5 hours. Gravy was yummy and not too greasy. This is a variation on something I saw on the Food Network.