Tripple Chocolate Birthday Cake (can also be made Gluten Free!)

 

I recently had a birthday... yeah, it wasn't my favorite. I am aging, slow but sure. Want to know what made me feel better about it?

My Mom made my favorite cake. Its not the typical kind of Birthday cake with tons of sugary overbearing frosting. It's a delicious dense chocolate cake, with a pudding/cream topping. Topped off of course with shavings of a chocolate Hershey bar.

One great thing about this cake, is it can be made way ahead of time so that the topping is very chilled before serving.... ummm ummm. Give it a try! It's a family favorite!

 

(Note: you can make this cake with a box cake if you want, I prefer the following recipe, as it creates a more dense and hearty cake. I think it goes better with the topping that way.

 

Recipe:
Mix two cups of sugar and two cups of white all purpose flour together in a bowl.
In a saucepan, melt a stick of butter and add 3 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder, 1 cup water, and 1/2 cup Crisco shortening. Bring mixture to a boil and pour over flour and sugar. Mix together with a mixer.
Add 1/2 cup buttermilk, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 2 eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla.
(if you do not have buttermilk on hand, substitute with homemade: 1/1/2 teaspoons lemon juice and enough milk to make 1/2 cup. let it stand for a few minutes to thicken)

Pour into a greased and floured 9x13 glass pan. Bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes. Toothpick test to check doneness.
 

 LET CAKE COOL COMPLETELY

 

Mix one large packet of chocolate Jell-O pudding. Let this chill in the fridge until very cool.

 

For the whipped cream, you can either use a small container of cool whip topping, or you can make your own by mixing a small carton of heavy whipping cream and enough powdered sugar to lightly sweeten.

 

 After the cake has cooled fully (DONT RUSH IT!) you can spread the chilled pudding on top. Then over the top of the pudding, spread your whipped cream. Be careful not to get any chocolate pudding on your spatula or it will make your pretty white topping look messy.

Next take a Hershey's chocolate bar and a cheese grater and grate chocolate all of the top of the cream. Its a beautiful finishing touch.

GLUTEN FREE VERSION: I like to use a boxed Betty Crocker Gluten free cake. It makes for a dense cake as well. The jell-O pudding is already gluten free and the whipping cream obviously as well.

 

Store cake in the fridge and serve chilled. If you have any left over (by some miracle) you can store in the fridge until the next day.

 

I hope you love this cake as much as I do!



 



Sloppy Chops on a bed of Asparagus

Are you afraid of making pork because it can be tough and flavorless?

I think that is a common fear... here is a recipe you can't mess up. The end result with give you a tender pork chop full of flavor.

 

I was playing in my kitchen like a chopped contestant (as usual :) and I came up with this sloppy chops dish inspired by a recipe from my mother. She used to add water to a pan with seared chops and slow cook them until tender. Here is my take on the recipe.

 

Slice one medium-large onion and sauté in  a little butter with salt and pepper.

 

 Turn your stovetop to medium heat and spray a large pan with a little cooking spray.

Season your chops with salt and pepper and a dash of dried thyme powder on both sides, and add to the hot pan. Once you drop the chop DO NOT MOVE IT. The key here is to get a good crust by searing each side.

Note: I always use bone in pork chops because they have so much more flavor.

 

See that beautiful browning going on? OH YEAH

Next, take a large glass of water and add a few tablespoons of Instant Brown Gravy mix.

(I know what your thinking... add beef gravy mix to pork? Yes. It sounds crazy, but try it!)

 

Once you have browned both sides of your Pork Chops, turn the heat to low and pour the gravy mix over the top. (Its going to splash and steam a little from the hot pan but just keep pouring!)

Now add your sautéed onions on top and cover with a lid.

 Keep heat on low-med heat and let the pork chops simmer for at least 1 hour covered.

Next remove some of your juice add a little corn starch to it to make a thicker brown gravy sauce to go on top.

Now, start your asparagus. Wash them and chop the ends off. Add them to a hot pan with melted butter. Season with salt and pepper.

Once they are softened, add some grated parmesan cheese on top. Toss consistently until cheese is lightly browned. Remove from pan and plate. Add your Pork chop and gravy on top.

Doesn't it look beautiful?

 

I hope this recipe inspired you try some pork chops for your family! It's a favorite at our house!

 

Note: This recipe can easily be made Gluten Free as long as the brown gravy mix you use does not contain any gluten.

 

 

It's the small things

 Today I had such a busy day. So many things to do and get done. This afternoon my son wandered in the kitchen and opened the drawer with all of my kitchen tools. He pulled out the whisk and said "Mama! chocolate cake, chocolate cake!" I let him help me mix a box of chocolate cake up last week and he just thought it was the greatest thing ever to see the whole process and then get the delicious slice of warm chocolate cake after.

To be frank, I just wasn't feeling like cleaning up the inevitable mess that happens when you cook with kids... BUT he gave me that sweet puppy dog face and I couldn't help it.

I flipped through my Betty Crocker cookbook and we agreed on some Apple cinnamon muffins that looked so delicious.

 

 

 As I found patience and let him pour the ingredients in the bowl (and spill) and slowly stir the mix and be so proud of himself, I couldn't help but feel like there was a little bit of divine intervention happening in my kitchen. Isn't it so important to enjoy the little things? Sometimes in life we think "in a few years, I will have more money, and things will be happier." or "someday when I have all the things I've dreamed of, I will feel content"

 

---------------

 

I am making a goal to enjoy small moments in every day, because some day, and someday soon, I wont be able to make messes in the kitchen with my 3 yr old.... SO- here's to messy hands and happy faces, and a delicious recipe that will warm your heart!

 

 

Recipe:                                                                               Streusel Topping:

3/4 cup milk                                                                        2 tablespoon butter

1/4 cup vegetable oil                                                          1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 large egg                                                                          1/4 cup flour

2 cups all purpose flour                                                      ( I used 1/8 cup flour and 1/8 cup quick

1/2 cup sugar                                                                        oats to add texture to the topping)

2 teaspoons baking powder                                                

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1 medium  apple peeled and chopped

1/2 tsp cinnamon

 

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a Muffin tin. (I filled each tin almost full so it only made 9 muffins). Make streusel topping, and set aside.

Beat milk, oil and egg in a large bowl. Stir flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Do not over mix. Add 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1 medium peeled and chopped apple (I used pink lady's). Divide evenly in muffin cups.

Crumble streusel topping evenly over the tops of batter.

Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

 

 

Viola! Served warm, these little babies are packed with steamed chunks of apple and tasty goodness!

 

NOT SWEET ENOUGH FOR YOU? TRY THIS:



   I added a light glaze (I say light because its not frosting, and saying light makes it seem like its less fattening... right? RIGHT!)

Glaze: I added some powdered sugar in a small bowl, and just a tiny dash of milk... not too much, you can always add more. Mix it up and drizzle over the tops of the muffins.

 

 

 

 Enjoy this recipe and remember... It's the small things!

 

 

Spicy Lasagna Roll-ups

 

This dish was invented when I was in the middle of making lasagna, and realized half way through I wanted to switch things up a bit... make it a more interesting and visually pleasing dish. I thought, how can I make this more interesting, using the ingredients I already have in front of me...?

Maybe its just the chopped champion inside of me, but I like to think I had a little stroke of genius... How about ROLL-UPS?

They have a little more whimsy then just a big square slice of lasagna on your plate and they look like a fancy restaurant quality dish.

So here we have it... Spicy Lasagna roll-ups!

 

With this recipe I am not specific on measurements because you can add more of each ingredient depending on your family size and it cant be messed up... I promise.

    Recipe:

    I used 3 parts lean ground beef, 1 part Italian sausage.

    1/2 of a chopped yellow onion

Cottage cheese (with 2 dashes of dried basil)

Shredded pepper jack cheese, shredded cheddar cheese

Prego tomato sauce

6-8 lasagna noodles (add 2 extra noodles to however many you need, in case one splits apart)

 

Brown your ground beef and sausage together. Season the meat with salt, pepper and a dash of onion powder. Add them to a bowl and add enough tomato sauce to bind everything together.

Chop 1/2 of a yellow onion and sauté until translucent. Add to the tomato sauce mixture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Put the cottage cheese (with a dash or two of dried basil OR chopped fresh basil if you have it) in a bowl.

Shred your pepper jack and cheddar cheese and add to another bowl.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Boil lasagna noodles until al dente. (You don't want to over cook them or they will split while rolling) After done cooking, carefully put the noodles on a plate covered with a kitchen towel to soak up extra water.

Grease a 9x13 pan and set it by your "roll up station" :)

 

 

UPDATE: A friend of mine who tried this recipe mentioned to me a great idea. She thought that if you use a couple of quart sized zip locks and cut the corner off, filling one with the meat and the other with the cottage cheese mixture, it may be easier to "pipe" the sauces onto the noodles making for a more even portioned and quicker assembly.

Light bulb!

 

Next, add some of the meat mixture on top of the noodle. Keep it pretty light because if you have too much, it will become hard to roll up.

Next, the basil cottage cheese.

 

 

 

And last, the pepper jack and cheddar cheese...

 

 

Ready for some MESSY BUSINESS? I don't know a good chef who never got her hands dirty... so let's get to work. ROLL ROLL ROLL. Try to keep the noodle as tightly wound as you can and don't worry about a litte fillin' spillin' out the sides :) Just keep rolling, just keep rolling... tight as you possibly can!

Place the lasagna roll in the pan, making sure the seam is on the bottom so it can't come undone. Place it against the edge of the pan, until you have a few more rolls to lean it up against.

  Keep rolling those little babes up until you have used all of your filling and noodles. I set each roll up against the edges of the pan, until I had enough to scoot them together and lean on each other to prevent un-rolling. Once you have them all together, sprinkle extra cheese on top.

 

 

 

 

 

Cover the roll ups with tin foil while baking so that the noodles don't re-harden.

Heat your oven to 350 degrees and bake them for 30-35 minutes or until heated through and the cheese is bubbly and lightly brown on top... MMMMmmmmm yummy

 

 I like to plan on 2 for each adult.

Aren't they darling? TASTY TOO!

 



GLUTEN FREE VERSION: Everything can be made the same, just exchange the noodles for gluten free lasagna noodles!

Note: The Italian Sausage and the pepper jack cheese are what make this dish a little on the "spicy" side. We love a little spice at our house BUT, if you want to make a more mild version for your family, replace the pepper jack cheese for all cheddar cheese, and replace the Italian sausage with lean ground beef. Still really tasty :)

Enjoy this recipe and I hope you feel inspired to try new things!

Happy experimenting!

 

Country Buttermilk Cornbread

 

 I have tried a lot of different cornbread recipes. There are a few homemade from scratch that I like, but sometimes the short cut store bought, "just add water" are just as good... BUT IF YOUR'E GONNA DO IT RIGHT- give this one a try!

I came across a new recipe that includes buttermilk, and I cant believe the difference it makes in the moistness and chewiness of the bread. Most cornbread just crumbles apart... not this one. It is bouncy and bread like. The other thing I like about it, is it's not too sweet, so if you wanted, you could make it a savory corn bread and add jalapenos, corn or whatever other little goodies you want to make it a more hearty savory bread.

Today  I wanted sweet, so I made it with honey butter, and it was so tasty.

 

Recipe Country Buttermilk Cornbread:
Recipe source: Emmy in her Element
 

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups yellow corn meal

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups buttermilk (Don't have any buttermilk? just add 1 tablespoon lemon juice and enough milk to make 1 cup... let stand for a few minutes)

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons sugar

(Any extra ingredients such as jalapenos, corn, cheese, craisens...etc.)

 

Mix all ingredients together with a wire wisk. Heat oven to 450 degrees, and pour into a 8x11" greased pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden on top.

 

HONEY BUTTER:

3 Tablespoons (room temperature) butter

1 Tablespoon Honey

2 "shakes" ground cinnamon

Mix together and enjoy on warm Cornbread

 

 I cheat a little and drizzle extra honey on top :) This recipe is a wonderful and fast little side dish that your family is sure to love! I hope you enjoy it.

 

 

Mini Apple pies

 I love experimenting with food and recipes. Today I decided I wanted to make apple pie, but I didn't want a full pie. I wanted something smaller and with a little more whimsy. I grabbed my cupcake pan, and thought maybe mini pies? Why not?

 

Go Here for my Grandmother's Pie Crust recipe

Then come back....

 

 

Roll out your dough, and use a cookie cutter OR (in my case) the lid from my flour jar. It is  4 1/2" in about diameter. That makes for a perfect little circle to fit in the cupcake pan.

 

I cut out 7 circles and this was just the right amount so that I still had enough left over for the tops of the mini pies. Then grease your cupcake pan, and lightly push them into each cup, leaving the excess dough around the top so that you can attach the lids.

 

Please forgive my very old and very used cupcake pan... Its not dirty, just old! Its had pam sprayed and baked on to it about a million times. MOMMA NEEDS A NEW PAIR OF PANS PEOPLE!

 



Next, take a fork and prick the bottoms of the pie shells. This will ensure that they don't puff up during baking, and they will get a nice crispy crust all the way through.

 



I used a canned apple filling... cheating I know. One jar will fill up 7 mini pies perfectly. I have yet to find a homemade recipe that I absolutely love, so for now I am playing it safe. Semi-homemade is still delish!

 



 

Next, roll out the remaining dough. Then take a glass out of your cupboard (mine are about 3 1/4" at the top) and cut 7 tops.

 

Lightly press the edges of the small circles on the top of your pies... PERFECT FIT. Push toward the center with two fingers. It will make filling go toward the center of the pie instead of squishing out the sides.
 

 

I love how rustic they look. THEY DO NOT HAVE TO BE PERFECT TO BE BEAUTIFUL!!!

 

Now you need to take a sharp knife and create a little vent out the top so the steam can release during baking. I also took a fork and pressed a little design around the edges. This will help seal the pies as well. Brush the tops with egg wash (1 beaten egg and a splash of milk or water), and the will be a perfect golden brown when done.

 

Bake them at 375 Degrees for about 35-40 minutes or until they are golden brown on top.

1 tip I would share: after you brush them with egg wash, be careful to watch the vents to make sure the egg wash doesn't bake a "screen" over them and prevent the steam from releasing. As you can see in my picture, a little of the filling came out the sides because my egg wash baked over my vents. You can open the oven after they have been baking 10 minutes or so and re cut the vents, or make sure they are still open.

 These turned out very country rustic, just what I wanted.

 

The possibilities are endless with the fillings you could do! Cherry, coconut cream, chocolate, or even a chicken pot pie!! Wouldn't the kids love to have their own little one for dinner?

 I think they would also be fun for a ladies lunch, or a bridal or baby shower.

 

 I hope you enjoy this idea! p.s. Do you have a favorite apple pie filling? I would love to try your recipe!

Saturday Morning Puffy Oven Pancake and Breakfast Pizza

 

My Hubby could hardly wait long enough for me to snap a pic before he dug into this beauty.

 



 I experimented with this on Saturday morning because I wanted to make something special for breakfast... and quick. I found the recipe in my Betty Crocker Cookbook.



First, put two tablespoons of butter in a pie dish, and heat your oven to 400 degrees. Let the butter melt inside the dish while the oven heats. When it is melted, pull it out and brush the butter up on all sides.

 



 

Lightly beat 2 eggs together in a medium bowl with a wire wisk. Beat in 1/2 cup of ALL PURPOSE FLOUR (do not use bread flour, wheat flour, or self rising flour), 1/2 of milk, 1/4 teaspoon salt and lightly mix all together. DO NOT OVERBEAT or pancake will not puff.

Pour into buttered pie dish and bake for 25-30 minutes.

 

 

When you pull it out, put it on a plate with some lemons and powdered sugar sprinkled on top.

I added some chopped strawberries for color, and it looked and tasted beautiful.

 

 

Making this made me feel like a fancy chef, and my family loved it. It is such a special recipe that you could use for Fathers/Mother's day/Birthday breakfast.

Want to hear about my puffy oven pancake FAIL that turned out to be a breakfast pizza?

The first time I made this recipe it worked perfect.... The second time I made it, I tried it with bread flour. Bread flour has a higher content of gluten making for more dense and heavy bread, so the pancake didn't rise as much as it did with the all purpose. The third time (this morning) I made it with whole wheat flour.  The pancake only bubbled as you can see. I was disappointed when I first saw it, but when I cut a slice, it tasted delicious. I decided to turn it into a "Breakfast Pizza" and slice it, instead of tossing it in the trash. A little creativity can go a LONG way, especially when you have kids.

 What kid wouldn't want pizza for breakfast right?

 

I still added the powdered sugar, lemon and strawberries. The lemon juice mixed with the sweetness of the sugar and the butter that baked onto the pancake tastes... well.... HEAVENLY to say the least.

 



 

Happy experimenting!