Chocolate Swirl Muffin Cake

Although I am not planning to have this on Thanksgiving day, I do plan on making it one of the days during the Holiday weekend. This recipe came from a Betty Crocker Thanksgiving book 2005.

Filling -
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

Cake-
2 boxes (16.4 oz. each) Betty Crocker chocolate chip premium muffin mix
1-1/3 cups water
1/2 vegetable oil
4 eggs

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Generously great a 12-cup fluted tube pan. (I will be using a bunt pan.)
2. in 2-quart saucepan, cooking filling ingredients over medium-low heat 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until smooth. Remove 1/3 cup filling for glaze., set aside. Freeze remaining filling 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in large bowl, stir together cake ingredients. Spoon half the batter into pan. Remove filling from freezer. Carefully spoon filling in center of batter to within 1/2-inch of pan edges. Spoon remaining batter over filling.
4. Bake 50 to 65 minutes or until top springs back when touched. Cool 15 minutes. Remove from pan to wire rack. Spoon reserved 1/3 cup filling on cooled cake. (Microwave filling on high 10 to 15 seconds of too thick.)
16 Servings

Funnel Cakes

I have tried a few funnel cake recipes and one has been good, but I found this one and like it better...

Funnel Cakes - Alton Brown, Food Network

Ingredients -

1 cup water
3/4 stick butter (6 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour
1 cup eggs, about 4 large eggs and 2 whites
Vegetable oil, for frying
Powdered sugar, for topping

Directions -
Boil water, butter, sugar, and salt together in a saucepan. Add flour and work it in until it is all incorporated and dough forms a ball. Transfer mixture to the bowl of a standing mixer and let cool for 3 to 4 minutes. With mixer lowest speed, add eggs, 1 at a time, making sure the first egg is completely incorporated before continuing. Once all eggs have been added and mixture is smooth, put dough in a piping bag fitted with a number 12 tip. Heat about 1 1/2 inches of oil in a heavy pan. Pipe dough into oil, making a free-form lattice pattern; cook until browned, flipping once. Remove cake from oil, drain on paper towels, and top with powdered sugar. Continue until all of the batter is used.

Emilee's Cupcake Cake - 4th Birthday

So, here is what I wanted to make for Emilee's 4th Birthday cake...

And here is what I made for her 4th Birthday cake....similiar, but not quite it :)

I had to add a little bit of a TinkerBell Twist into it!!

Dinner Menu Week of August 16th

I got a new kitchen gadget so this week it is all about using my slow cookers (except for last night)...Love It!!!

Monday	Taco's
Tuesday	Chipotle-Lime Chicken with Jamaican Rice Hot Fudge Sundae Cake Apricot-Glazed Carrots
Wednesday	Tangy Pork Sandwiches with Spicy Slaw Macaroni and Cheese
Thursday	Maple Mustard Chicken Baked Potatoes Maple Sauced Pears
Friday	Crock Pot Pizza

I Love Costco...Happy Birthday to Me!!!

Shaelee's Birthday Cake

Here is Shaelee's Birthday Cake. One day I really wish to take cake decorating classes...but until then, I will keep plugging away at it. It was fun and she loved it and so did the neighbor girls :)

Pound Cake...YUMMMO!!!!

My husband and I have become Alton Brown Goo Roo's...literally!! So, one of my days in bed after my surgery I was watching recorded episodes of Good Eats. When I seen this one I had to make it...Pound Cake. Very good choice. I made it in 2 bread pans and froze one to keep on hand for trifle's or just toasted with some jam.

Banana Cream Bars

These are like HEAVEN!!! So, so, so GOOD!! My husband says they are cross between carrot cake and banana bread. The frosting is like that on carrot cake and cake like banana bread.

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, at room temperature
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla

3/4 cup sour cream
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda

2 large, or 3 medium-sized, very ripened bananas, mashed

Frosting
3 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
8 Tbsp. butter, softened
1 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups confectioners sugar
1/2 cup chopped nuts, optional

1. in a large electric mixer bowl, cream 1 stick of butter and 1-1/2 cups sugar together.
2. Add the unbeaten eggs, one at a time, beat each one throughly. Add 2 tsp. vanilla and sour cream.
3. In a seperate mixing bowl combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Add alternating with mashed bananas to the creamed ingredients. Mix well after each addition.
4. Spoon into a greased 15 x 10 x1-in. baking pan. bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool on wire racks.
5. Meanwhile, make frosting by beating together cream cheese, 6 Tbsp. butter, milk, 1 tsp. vanilla, and confectioners sugar. Spread over cooled bars and sprinkle with nuts if you wish.

No Dinner Menu This Week...

Because I have a bit much going on this week, I am not going to post a dinner menu. After tonight, I am not cooking for the rest of the week, but....here is what I made last night...
Chilli-Rubbed Steak Tacos with Avacado and Cucumber Salsa
and tonight I am making...
Skillet Lasagna with some french bread.

It is easy to see that the Chillie Rubbed Steak Tacos have become me go to recipe every week. They are a HUGE hit in my house and I do the meat in the crockpot, so it can be any tough piece of beef, cause at the end, it is nice and tender.

Also, this past Sunday I made the ever so rich Peanut Butter Brownie Trifle for my Brother-in-Law for his birthday. This go around I made it full blown peanut butter as the recipes calls. He says it is great, I did not have the sweet tooth to dare try it. I also made a chocolate eclair cake for my family. It is trusted favorite, can't go wrong kind of thing. It is so yummy....

Chocolate Eclair Cake

Family Favorite!!!!

1 box graham crackers
6 oz instant vanilla pudding (2 - 3 oz or the 1-5.1 oz works too)
3 Cups Milk
8 oz Cool Whip, Thawed

Fudge Frosting
1 Cup white sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/3 c. cocoa*
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup butter*
1 tsp vanilla

Liberally grease a 9 x 13-in baking dish and line with graham crackers. DO NOT CRUSH :) Mix together the milk and pudding; fold in Cool Whip. Pour half of this mixture over the graham crackers, then top with another layer of graham crackers. Pour the remainder of the the pudding mixture over graham crackers. Lay a third layer of graham crackers over the pudding mixture. Frost top layer with Fudge Frosting or other chocolate frosting.
Fudge Frosting: Combine Sugar, salt and cocoa and milk in a small sauce pan. Heat slowly; bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat; add butter and vanilla. Cool. Beat until smooth and spread over crackers.
*If using salted butter I would omit the salt. If using non-salted butter use the salt called for.

Dinner Menu Week of July 12th

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Monday	Hot Dog On A Stick & Sausage Buns Homemade French Fries Fresh Fruit
Tuesday	Chicken Parmigiana Caesar Salad Roasted Red Garlic Potatoes Garlic ToastTiramisu Delight
Wednesday	Tacos (Homemade taco shells)
Thursday	Caesar Chicken Salad Squares Corn on the Cob
Friday	Pizza (Papa Murphy's)

More Desserts...

How could I possibly forget these?? My oh my!! So Smith's has had blackberries on sale for $1 lately. I found this very easy and delish Blackberry Cobbler recipe, and the best part is the fruit is on top....not the bottom :)

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup flour
2 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
1 - 1-1/2 cups blackberries
1/4 - 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup fruit juice or water

Beat butter and sugar until well mixed. Stir flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into shortening/sugar mixture. Add milk and beat until smooth. Pour into a greased 8 x 8 baking dish, greased. Spoon blackberries over the batter. Sprinkle sugar over the fruit. Pour fruit juice or water over sugar. Bake at 375 degrees until golden brown, 35 to 45 minutes.

Also...I made my first fried ice cream and they were so good!! Good and easy!! Here is what I did...
Lined a cookie sheet with waxed paper then scooped out soften ice cream to desired ball size and placed on lined cookie sheet. Place back in freezer for a good hour or two - until the ice cream balls are frozen pretty hard. Then I took some egg whites and rolled the ice cream balls into the egg whites and then into crushed cornflakes. Then back to the egg for a second coat and then back into the cornflakes. Then back ont the cookie sheet to freeze for another hour or so. Then...heat oil in a large pan or frier to about 375 degrees. Fry coated ice cream ball in oil for 3 to 4 seconds, until it has achieved a golden brown color. I then had a bowl lined with paper towel and placed the fried ice cream in the bowl before serving with chocolate syrup and whipped cream, sprinked with cinnamon sugar. These are so great!!!

Desserts, Desserts, Desserts...

Here are few GREAT recipes that I have tried. Memorial Day we went to my sister's house for a BBQ, and she has a friend whose family is doing a sugar fast (staying away from sugar)....not something I think I could ever do. I volunteered to bring the dessert, so I had make a sugar free dessert. I chose to make the Wave Your Flag Cake...but making it all sugar free. Therefore, I could not buy the pound cake that it calls for, I made it. I found a Splenda Blend Sour Cream Pound Cake. Now I am no Splenda fan, but this was not bad at all. So, I made the cake, I used sugar free Jello along with sugar free cool-whip. It was a very good sugar free dessert....I WAS IMPRESSED :)

 

Now...these are nothing but sinful....mmmmhmmm!! Check out these yummy cupcakes - Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes. I made these especially for my brother-in-law who loves anything peanut butter. Besides, I needed some reason to make them :)

Oooooo.....yes!! Remember that Taste of Home Cooking School I brag about so much...this great recipe is from there. How about an Orange Chocolate Tart. Yep!! It was so delish....

What you need is -
6 Tbsp. Butter, cubed

7 oz. semi sweet chocolate, divided

1 sheet refrigerated pie crust
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. orange extract
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whipped topping
Orange Peel, Optional

How you do it -

1. In a microwave safe dish, melt butter and five chocolate squares. Cool for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, line 9-in. fluted tart pan with removeable bottom with pastry. Line pastry with a double thickness of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake at 450 degrees for 5 minutes. Remove the foil; bake 3 minutes longer. Reduce heat to 350 degrees.
2.  In a small bowl, beat eggs, sugar and orange extract until thickened, about 4 minutes. Stir in cooled chocolate mixture. Beat in flour, mix well. Pour into crust. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick interted near the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.
3. Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with waxed paper; set aside. Melt remaining chocolate. Pour melted chocolate into a ziploc bag; cut a small hole in the corner of bag. Pipe eight to ten small hearts onto waxed paper. Refrigerate until set. Spread whipped topping on pie; garnish with chocolate hearts and orange peel if desired. Refrigerate leftovers.

What I changed....I used a pie plate because I do not own a tart pan. It worked just as well. Then...for the orange extract I used the one I made....mmmmm, so good :) Then I used freshly whipped whipping cream in place of the Cool Whip for the whipped topping. If using whipped cream you could add the orange extract in place of  vanilla!!