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.