Quick Chocolate Cake

If you need a quick and easy cake recipe, this is the one for you. It's super yummy, chocolate, and easily made with stuff you already have in your pantry. And the recipe makes an 8-inch cake, so it's perfect for a quick dessert, without leaving you with days of leftovers. It is perfect eaten as is, or with just a bit of powdered sugar sprinkled on top before serving. Icing is definitely not necessary. This was the quick treat I made for the kids to celebrate today's first real snow of the season. I cut it into 16 small pieces, so there's still enough for them to have another piece after dinner. Strawberries on the side would make it a perfect dessert!

Quick & Easy Chocolate Cake
1½ c. flour
1 c. sugar
3 T. cocoa
1 t. baking soda
½ t. coarse salt
6 T. vegetable oil
1 t. vanilla extract
1 T. white vinegar
1 c. cold water

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray. In medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. 

Make well in center of flour mixture and add oil, vanilla, vinegar, and water.  Whisk until well combined.  Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes.  Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

Yield: 8 servings

Chicken & Gravy + Homemade Bread

I made something so yummy yesterday, and it was just like what I remember from my elementary school cafeteria. And if you went to the same elementary school that I went to, then you'll know that our food was the bomb-diggity. We had a fall-festival every year, and our sweet cafeteria ladies would make a turkey and gravy dinner, with their awesome, homemade rolls. I haven't quite mastered the rolls as of yet, but I made something pretty close to the turkey & gravy. Only it was chicken. Which is basically the same thing, right? It's a crock-pot meal, and as easy as anything. And my whole family ate it and my whole family liked it.

For real, try it. 

Chicken & Gravy

(I might eat it for breakfast, it was that good.)

Mix the following ingredients in the crock of your crock-pot:

*4 (0.87 oz) packets dry chicken gravy mix

*2 (10.75 oz) cans cream of chicken soup

*3 1/2 cups water

*1/4 t. black pepper

Whisk it all together really well.

Place about 4 lbs. of uncooked, boneless chicken breasts into the crock, and coat them with the 'sauce'. Cover and cook 4-5 hours on high, or 8 hours on low. That's it! Soooooo easy.

I served this yummi-ness over a big glob of mashed potatoes, and served it with homemade bread. I planned to have peas with it, too, but forgot....so we just embraced the carb-a-licious, all yellow meal. I ain't ashamed. This recipe was enough for my gargantuan family of nine, so you might want to half it if you're one of the normal families of the world. Suzanne P....you'll need to keep it as it is. ;)

So this homemade bread....

Homemade bread is really not all that hard. I know people are intimidated by it, but I'm always sidetracked and rarely functioning with all of my brain cells, and I can whip out some bread like nobody's business. Maybe it works out because I'm not all that picky, and I'll eat anything warm out of the oven with butter slathered on it. But I bet you can do it, too. And this bread recipe is pretty easy, and doesn't require all day. Just try it. It's sweet and kind of dense & crumbly, and is great for sandwiches or toast or serving under this yummy chicken gravy stuff.

Amish White Bread

(I think I got this recipe from my How To Cook Everything cookbook.)

(mine looked like this, only way less pretty)

2 cups warm water - not hot, not cold :)

2/3 cup white sugar

1 1/2 T. active dry yeast  (or two of the little packets)

1 1/2 t. salt

1/4 cup vegetable oil

6 cups bread flour - yes, bread flour....I think it makes a difference

In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in the warm water, and then stir in the yeast. (I use my Kitchen Aid bowl.) Allow to 'proof' until yeast resembles a creamy foam...5-10 minutes.

Mix salt and oil into the yeast mixture. Mix in flour one cup at a time. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. (I use my Kitchen Aid to do all this mixing & kneading, letting it knead with the hook for just a minute or so after all the flour is in.) Place in a oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat both sides. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Punch down dough. (Just put your fist down the middle of it in the bowl. Or let the least dirty of your kids do it. It's kind of fun.) Knead the dough for a minute or so on a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into two pieces, and form each into a loaf shape. Try not to handle the dough too much. Place loaves into two well-oiled (I used Pam) 9x5 loaf pans. Cover loosely with a towel, and allow to rise for another 30 minutes or so. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.

We ate this, basically, right out of the oven and it was so good. And it's good the next day cold, too. I know, because I'm eating it right now. :)

Baked Chicken w/ Mushrooms & Parmesan

I'm sitting at the table with the laptop, cruising around Facebook, and completely inhaling my lunch of last night's leftovers, as if I hadn't eaten in days.  I've said in my head, "Oh my gosh.  This is so good," about a dozen times because

Oh my gosh.

It is so good.

I decided that I should share the recipe, because I want you to experience the yumminess.  And, it's a super easy recipe.  If you're on a New Year diet, then just move right along.  This is not the recipe for you.  I got this recipe from my Bestie Bethie, who only makes scrumptious stuff.  It's a sure thing.

Beth's Baked Chicken w/ Mushrooms & Parmesan

2 (8oz.) pkgs. sliced fresh mushrooms

6 T. butter

8 chicken breasts, boneless (I actually used 3 big ones, which totaled 2.5 lbs.)

2 T. melted butter (I only used about 1 T. because I over-microwaved it, and at least a tablespoon splattered all over the inside of my microwave.)

1 c. heavy cream

salt & pepper

2 1/3 cups shredded Parmesan cheese (I used part shredded Parmesan from the jar and part freshly shredded.  'Cause that's what I had.)

Saute mushrooms with 6 tablespoons butter.  Flour chicken breasts & put into a 9x13 baking dish.  Pour 2 tablespoons melted butter over the chicken, and top with the mushrooms.  Pour 1 cup heavy cream over the top.  Sprinkle with salt & pepper.  Sprinkle the Parmesan over the whole thing.  Bake at 400 for 30ish minutes.  

We eat this with some sort of pasta on the side (last night was egg noodles) and a veggie.  Or not.  :)  And then eat whatever is leftover the next day, because it's equally delish.  Enjoy!

 
It kind of looks like this, only less soupy.  I stole this picture from the internet because by the time I thought about a picture, I had this to deal with.

Oopsy.

And here's Miss Lucy....She decided that she needed to be right in my face, on the table, as I was typing.  (Ignore the two precariously stacked baskets of laundry.)  That's her way of letting me know that she wants to eat.  She sits her dirty behind on my kitchen table.

She has terrible manners. 

Camping Doughnuts

Actually, a better name is Campin' Donuts,

because that's how I say it,

but I'm one of those sticklers for proper spelling, punctuation, etc.  (Which doesn't mean I always remember  to use  proper spelling & punctuation....so don't go spell-checking me.  You can't have seven kids and retain all your brain cells.) Anyway, they are called Camping Doughnuts because they are what my family made when we went camping as a kid.  I can still see Momma or Mary Jo standing over an electric skillet frying these doughnuts.

Sweet memories.

They are so super simple and so super good.  You might just have to make an extra batch for the kids at 10pm sometime.  And then you'd remember that they were already in bed, and you'd have to eat them all yourself.  That's the kind of thing I do.  Because I am not the best mom ever!  

Directions:

Open a can of biscuits.  I use Grands....just don't use the flaky kind.  Cut a hole in the middle with something....I usually use a lid off one of the condiments in the fridge.  Washed first, of course.

Then fry them bad boys in about an inch of Crisco.

Then dip 'em in cinnamon & sugar.

Scrump-de-li-upmtious.

 

     

Racetrack Granola

('Racetrack' because the little boys had assembled one in my kitchen, which I had to step over about 12 times as I attempted to make this. All the while, listening to "Go! Go! Go!" and "Cool!" and "Awwwww yeah!" So there you have it . . . Racetrack Granola.)

4 c. old-fashioned oats
1½ c. sliced almonds
½ c. packed light brown sugar
½ t. salt
½ t. cinnamon
¼ c. oil
¼ c. honey
1 t. vanilla
1½ c. raisins or dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 300°. In large bowl, mix the oats, almonds, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon. In a saucepan, warm the oil and honey. Whisk or stir in vanilla. Carefully pour liquid over oat mixture. Stir gently with a wooden spoon; finish mixing by hand. Spread granola in a 15 x 10 x 1-inch baking pan. Bake 35-40 minutes, stirring carefully every 10 minutes, until deep golden brown. Transfer granola-filled pan to a rack; cool completely. Stir in raisins or dried cranberries. Seal granola in an airtight container. Store at room temperature for one week or in a freezer for three months.

Yield: 6 cups

Good stuff.

If you have any left after it cools - because we eat it and eat it and eat it before it ever comes off the baking sheet - it's good as cereal w/ milk . . with vanilla yogurt . . or by itself in a baggie to be eaten as you watch your boy dig for worms at ball practice.

My Story: So here's the Ractrack Granola, in the cereal box on the right. I'm showing this picture because I have a good Mommy Tip to go with it. Stickers on your cereal boxes.
Rather than the . . . .

"What cereal do you want?"

"Dat one."

"This one?"

"No. DAT one."

"This one?"

"DAT ONE!"

. . . conversation, put your cereal in plastic boxes and label them with some type of stickers that your child can describe - letters, numbers, animals, cartoon characters - something that they know and can say. So the new conversation . . .

"Which cereal would you like precious angel?"

"I'd like the bunny cereal you clever Mommy you."

"Coming right up, dear."

Purple Cows

So here's a yummy recipe for the kids.
(Or for you, if you're like me, and pretend like you make these yummy things for the kids when, really, they are for you.)

Purple Cows

1½ c. milk
¾ c. grape juice concentrate
2 c. vanilla ice cream

In a blender, combine milk and grape juice concentrate. Add ice cream; cover and blend until smooth. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings.

Yum.

Drink enough of 'em, and you may start to look like a cow.

Only just not purple.

Carrot Cake

Ooooh, so this is my first post on my new recipes blog! How terribly exciting! We'll see how many recipes I actually get on here, but my inaugural recipe is dum - da - da - dum . . . .

You Can Eat It For Breakfast Because It Has Carrots In It

Carrot Cake

(And if you eat the whole cake by yourself, you're getting three servings of vegetables!)

Ingredients:
4 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup applesauce - I used the Natural with no sugar added
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract - do yourself a favor and only buy pure vanilla extract...not imitation!
8 oz. can crushed pineapple - drain well & smoosh out all excess water
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 cups grated carrots - use the large holes on your grater
1 cup chopped pecans

Frosting:
1/2 cup butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.

In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, applesauce, brown sugar, white sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla and pineapple. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. Stir in carrots. Fold in pecans. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack -if desired- and cool completely.

To Make Frosting: In a medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Frost the cooled cake.

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My Story: I made this cake for Pop's 2010 birthday. (59! What?!) Momma & Pop currently have their kitchen torn apart, which means no oven, which means no cake. I offered to make the cake - or did she ask? - and Momma suggested Pound Cake or Carrot Cake, Pop's favorites. I decided on the Carrot Cake since it's one of my favorites, too. Duh. It's yummy. Even on day two and three and especially for breakfast. If there's cake in my house, I eat it for breakfast. As a rule. And usually for lunch, too, until the cake is gone. Enjoy!
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Happy Birthday, Papa!