peppermint stick chocolate cake

once upon a time, about 2 weeks ago, i stumbled upon this blog post and new immediately that i needed to consume this peppermint stick cake. i decided to wait until i was in CO for xmas to make it. i pretty much followed the instructions on the original blog post.

my mom completely smashed to smithereens some mini candy canes while i made the cake. i used devils food chocolate cake mix, betty crocker style, cuz that was what was in the cupboard. i seriously contemplated using red velvet but decided to save that for another day. 

the cooling cake

as usual, i modified it a bit- following the cake recipe on the box exactly, i substituted the oil for applesauce, cuz that was what was in the cupboard, baby food plums would have been preferred. it was chunky applesauce, grimace, but turned out to not matter at all. i baked it in a 9x13 pan, cuz that was what was in the cupboard. anyone sensing a theme here?



while the cake was cooling (for hours) i whipped up the pint of whipping cream. i added a lid full of peppermint extract. i didnt do all that 'keep the bowl cold' bs while whipping. and i forgot how long and annoying it is to whip a pint of whipping cream. just like the directions on the original blog post said, once it started to get a lil firm i added the candy cane smithereens, they dissolved pretty quick and mixed in just fine. i used all the candy canes we had, it was about 1/2 cup but not quite.

the bottom layer

apparently 'hours' were not long enough for the cake to cool cuz it was still warm and sticky when i tried to cut it into layers. but appearance was not my desire, consumption was, so i didnt care about what it would look like. i cut it in half down the middle of the cake pan, and then cut those halves in half thru the middle to create 2 thinner 'layers'. really it ended up being more like chunks of cake due to the not cool enoughness. so now i had 4 layers to work with, i put the worst looking one on the bottom, slathered on the cream, then another, more cream and then the third layer and most attractive layer and then doused the entire thing in all the cream that was left. yes that means the 4th layer aka cake chunks, i had wasnt used.

getting creamed up

slathering all the surfaces

the cake was divine. the cream was not overly-sweet nor heavy nor thick nor rich like frosting ewww i hate frosting it was fresh, minty, light and perfectly complimented the warm extra moist thank you applesauce chocolate cake. i did not add any sugar to the cream, the candycanes were more than enough in the sweet dept.

i ate a bunch right then and put the rest in the fridge. i continued to eat it every day for breakfast and midnight snack. the third day was actually the best. the cake was ridiculously moist and all that wonderful mintyness had completely been absorbed by the cake. yummmmmeeeeee

i repeat, presentation was not of concern! 

definitely making this easy peasy delish cake again. except next time ill do a gluten free one, cuz thats whats in MY cupboard! ;-)

thank you cybele at candy blog for this fabfab idea!!

ooey gooey chocolatey chewy brownie mix- healthy

healthy brownies. really?! yes. because i said so. 

gluten egg wheat dairy nut bean free = healthy!! ;-)

these brownies are made by the cravings place. i get them at the local grocery store, but i live in one of the healthiest eatings places in the universe, portland OR, consult the website to see if you too can obtain this yummyness at your locale.

these are by far my fav brownies in the healthy-for-you-realm, and ive tried a lot of brands. and they are not lying when they say ooey gooey chewy- the batter is so thick you cant really pour it into the pan, at all, you have to scoop and scrape, and the lick the spoon.

 i follow the recipe on the back of the bag, except that i ALWAYS add peppermint extract. however much you desire, i use a lid full, its a tiny lid on a tiny lil extract bottle. stir it in taste it and add more if you want. i always bake in the 9x9 pan.

if i have it on hand, i use applesauce or plums - babyfood style, instead of the oil. i still use some of the oil, just not all, cuz your brain needs the fat from the oil to function properly. serious. i always use olive oil,  cuz its the best for you- dr school hasnt made me biased at all, if you arent used to baking with olive oil it might take some getting used to, it def adds a different flavor. not bad, just different.
**by all means do NOT use vegetable oil, i repeat: DO. NOT. USE. VEGETABLE. OIL.  (ever) it is very very unhealthy for you. very.

the batter all 'smoothed' out

anywhoo back to our brownies. i like to serve them warm and ooey gooey with fresh fruit poured all over, esp raspberry compote, or even better served with a side of  dairy free hemp ice cream, i heart the vanilla and mint chip and choco fudge flavors, muchas. tastes better than real ice cream, imo.

the back of the bag has lots of ideas for modifications.





enjoy your brownies, im going to go enjoy mine now! happy healthy baking!

look at all that ooey gooey yummyness calling your name. yup, thats a melted chocolate chunk staring at you. 

ps im pretty much anti baking from scratch, why bother when theres a bag like this sitting in my cupboard?!

the ingredients of the brownie mix

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Chicken Zucchini Casserole

So the other night I was STARVING! I had just gotten back from out of town and hadn't gone grocery shopping. I had the following ingredients in my fridge and I threw them together and it turned out AMAZING!!! Everyone scraped the pan clean.

Preheat oven to 375

Ingredients:
Zucchini (enough to cover the pan with thin slices.)
Bread Crumbs or Toasted Bread
Onion
Garlic
Cheese

Chicken
Italian seasoning or basil, oregano, garlic salt, and pepper
Olive Oil



Put olive oil or veggie oil coating the bottom of the pan.

Layer bread crumbs or toasted bread at the bottom of the pan.
Add Freshly chopped onions and garlic on top
Layer zucchini on top of that.
Sprinkle some more onions on top

Marinate chicken in olive oil and italian seasoning
grill it ( I used a george forman)
Cut it into strips

Put chicken on top of zucchini
Spread the rest of the bread crumbs on top
Cover in cheese (optional)

Bake for about 7-10 minutes.
Broil for 3-5 minutes

Eat!

Zucchini Bread! Seriously some of the best!

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 1/4 cups white sugar
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 1 cup chopped Walnuts, Chocolate Chips
  

Directions

1. Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
3. Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.
4. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.

Chicken Chalupas

This recipe is easy and delicious, very filling and it makes quite a bit.


2 large chicken breasts cooked and shredded or 2 cans of chicken
3 cups monterey jack cheese
1 pint sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
10 flour tortillas

Grease a glass/baking dish and preheat oven to 350.
In a bowl, combine 2 cups cheese, sour cream, and cream of chicken. mix well and then split the mixture putting one half in a seperate dish and setting it aside. Add chicken to the mixture and mix well. Fill tortillas, roll them up and lay them side by side in the baking pan. Pour other half of mixture that you set aside on the top of the tortillas to evenly coat them and sprinkle with 1 cup of monterey jack cheese. Cover will foil and bake for 35-40 minutes.

*Green chille sauce would be great with this too but I leave it out because my husband doesn't like it :)
.
Enjoy!

Oreo Cookie Cake-Jessa's Way!

This is such a yummy recipe! I got it off of Allrecipes a while back and I love it muchas!



Ingredients

* 1 (20 ounce) package chocolate sandwich cookies
* 1/2 cup butter
* 1 (16 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
* 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
* 1 cup confectioners' sugar
* 2 cups milk
* 1 (3.5 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix

Directions

1. Crush cookies into bite size pieces. Reserve 1 cup for top. Melt butter and mix with rest of cookies. Press into 9x13 pan. Put in freezer for 5 minutes.
2. Blend 1/2 of the whipped topping, all of the cream cheese and confectioners' sugar. Spread over crust and place cake back in freezer.
3. Prepare instant pudding with the milk according to package directions then spread over top of cake. Spread the remaining whipped topping on top of the pudding then sprinkle with the remaining cookies. Keep cake refrigerated.

Nutritional Information open nutritional information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 313 | Total Fat: 20.3g | Cholesterol: 33mg

Orange Chicken for Dummies (or the smart people who like easy recipes)

SO I love this dish and have made it successfully so many times it makes me feel like I can cook some mean Orange Chicken.
You need:
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
1 cup catalina salad dressing
1 cup apricot preserves
6 chicken breasts

Mix the catalina dressing, apricot preserves, and dry onion soup all together. (I mix mine right in the glass container that I will be cooking it.) Place your chicken in a oven dish and place mixture over the top. Place in oven and cook at 350 for 45-60 minutes. The time will depend upon the chicken. Just let it go until it is properly cooked. (I have mine cook for about fifty minutes and then cut it up and let it cook for five to ten minutes longer.) Once it is done you have some delicious orange chicken.
I like mine cut up and over some rice with a veggie on the side.

This is a quick easy meal and tastes really good as leftovers too!

Chicken and Biscuits

This is a tasty casserole style dish that is quick and easy . . . my favorite

Chicken and Biscuits

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1 can cream of chicken soup
3/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
2 chicken breasts in chunks
Salt and pepper

Mix this all together and pour into the bottom of a 9 by 9 baking dish

Place biscuits on top (I use bisquick to make them but refrigerated biscuits work also)
Sprinkle with additional cheddar cheese and bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

TIPS: I like to add broccoli to the creamy mixture to trick my family into eating vegetables. I have also used mixed vegetables such as carrots, potatoes and onion, etc to create more of a chicken pot pie style dish. Experiment with it . . .

Corny Ham and Potato Scallop Recipe

I made this the other night and it was Delicious.

Ingredients

• 5 potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 1/2 cups cubed cooked ham
• 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 2 teaspoons instant minced onion
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed Cheddar cheese soup
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Directions

1. In a slow cooker, combine potatoes, ham, corn, green pepper, and onion. In a small bowl, stir together soup, milk, and flour until smooth. Pour soup mixture over ham and vegetables, and stir gently to coat.
2. Cover, and cook on Low for about 8 hours, or until potatoes are tender.

skip to the bottom to see what i actually did, the recipe is a lil fancy schmansy if you ask me....
**quinoa is a gluten free grain**

Spicy Quinoa, Cucumber and Tomato Salad

By MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN

This refreshing summer salad can sit in the refrigerator for a few hours without deteriorating, so it makes a great choice for bringing to work or to a summer picnic.

1 cup quinoa

3 cups water

Salt to taste

2 cups diced cucumber

1 small red onion, finely minced (optional)

2 cups finely diced tomatoes

1 to 2 jalapeño or serrano peppers (to taste), seeded if desired and finely chopped

1/2 cup chopped cilantro, plus several sprigs for garnish

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 avocado, sliced, for garnish

1. Place the quinoa in a bowl, and cover with cold water. Let sit for five minutes. Drain through a strainer, and rinse until the water runs clear. Bring the 3 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add salt (1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon) and the quinoa. Bring back to a boil, and reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer 15 minutes or until the quinoa is tender and translucent; each grain should have a little thread. Drain off the water in the pan through a strainer, and return the quinoa to the pan. Cover the pan with a clean dishtowel, replace the lid and allow to sit for 10 minutes. If making for the freezer, uncover and allow to cool, then place in plastic bags. Flatten the bags and seal.

2. Meanwhile, place the finely diced cucumber in a colander, and sprinkle with salt. Toss and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Rinse the cucumber with cold water, and drain on paper towels. If using the onion, place in a bowl and cover with cold water. Let sit for five minutes, then drain, rinse with cold water and drain on paper towels.

3. Combine the tomatoes, chiles, cilantro, vinegar, lime juice and olive oil in a bowl. Add the cucumber and onion, season to taste with salt, and add the quinoa and cilantro. Toss together, and taste and adjust seasonings. Serve garnished with sliced avocado and cilantro sprigs.

Yield: Serves six.

Advance preparation: The quinoa freezes well, and the assembled salad will keep for a day in the refrigerator. The leftovers will be good for a couple of days.

Nutritional information per serving: 236 calories; 14 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 milligrams cholesterol; 25 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 12 milligrams sodium (does not include salt added during cooking); 6 grams protein

Martha Rose Shulman can be reached at martha-rose-shulman.com.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ive never cooked with quinoa before so i did, for the most part, follow the instructions about soaking and yes, i even placed a dish cloth btwn the quinoa and the lid. i did not however use the amts called for in all the rest of the ingredients. i dont like cucumber or tomato but they both have nutritional benefits and ever since ive returned from Turkey i find myself craving it - weird, i know.  so i used half of a cuc and half a tom. i used red pepper flakes cuz i dont like biting into jalapeno or serrano pieces. i dont take the time to measure stuff when i cook, so i splashed in some white and apple cider vinegar (thats what was in my cupboard) and squeezed out half a juicy lime into the bowl. i used scallions instead of onions, cuz im not a fan of red onion and i dont really like uncooked white onions. i used the entire avocado in the salad, i didnt garnish anything (why bother, its just for me tonight and school lunch tomorrow). i added chicken (hormel foods natural choice grilled carved chicken breast- cuz im lazy!) for some added protein. because i used less cuc and tom i needed only about 2/3 (if even that) of the cooked quinoa to make a nice grain/veggie ratio. i didnt follow the instructions as far as what-to-add-to-the-bowl-when, i dumped everything in and let it marinate while the quinoa simmered. (i did try the soaking of cucs in salt but did not drain them on towels or anything) My version didnt look nearly as elegant as pictured above. 

it all kinda clumped together into a goolash. I tried to fluff it rather than stir it when i added the quinoa to everything else. 

but it tasted super yummy, fresh, crisp and was quite filling. if i were to make it again id add garlic (i love garlic, you just cant go wrong with garlic) and something orange, maybe orange bell pepper or carrots, doesnt it look like it needs orange? id also add bacon if i was feeling really ambitious and wanted to take the time to make it as well. kalamata olives and some feta cheese would make it a very Mediterranean style dish. 

of course organic veggies/products and all natural hormone/nitrate free meats are the best way to go! enjoy! and id love to hear your additions/deletions/modifications if you get creative! 

i wouldnt have found this if it wasnt for my friend jon

Crock Pot Chicken Alfredo Lasagna

A family favorite!!!

Ingredients:

12 lasagna noodles (uncooked)
2 jars (16 oz. each) Alfredo sauce
1/3 cup water
1 1/2 cups chicken, cooked and diced
1 carton (16 oz.) ricotta or cottage cheese--we use ricotta
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese

Break 4 noodle to fit bottom of greased 6 to 7-quart slow cooker. Layer a third of Alfredo sauce, half water, and half chicken over noodles. Spread half of ricotta or cottage cheese and sprinkle a third of mozzarella over meat layer. Add another layer of noodles. Layer a third Alfredo sauce, remaining chicken, water and ricotta or cottage cheese. Sprinkle second third of mozzarella. Layer noodles, sauce and mozzarella. Cover and cook on low 4-5 hours. Do not cook more than 5 hours! Makes 10-12 servings.

Variation: Add a small can (2.25 oz.) of sliced olives between layers

Serve with hot garlic bread and ENJOY!

Butter Milk Syrup

3/4 Cup Butter Milk
1 1/2 cup white sugar
1 CUBE real butter (NOT margarine)
2 Tablespoons corn syrup
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla

add all ingredients in large sauce pan. Bring to boil and them turn to low, cook 8 min stirring regularly

Breakfast Sausage Casserole

I made this casserole for the first time on Sunday for Father's Day and it was a HUGE hit! My whole family came over for breakfast so it was the perfect dish since it makes a lot.

We are going camping this weekend and I can't wait to make it again in the dutch oven!

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

1 1/2-2 lbs turkey sausage (cooked and drained)
2 1/2 cups shredded cheese
1 cup milk
1 (26 oz) bag of frozen hash browns
8 eggs (beaten)
4 green onions chopped (optional)

In large skillet brown turkey sausage and drain. Mix ingredients together in a greased 9x13 or larger baking dish and bake uncovered for 40-45 minutes.

Servings: 6 people

Enjoy!

Syrup

Since I started making this my son will no longer eat store bought syrup...
1 Cup brown sugar
1 Cup white sugar
1 Cup water
1 teaspoon maple flavoring
2 Tablespoons butter

Combine all ingredients in large sauce pan. boil until sugar is dissolved.... Serve!

german pancakes - easy, fast and DELISH

ok heres the deal. im in naturopathic medical school so i sometimes eat a little bit differently than the majority of everyone else out there. so ill give you the original recipe and then my naturopathicly modified recipe!

1C milk
1C preferred pancake flour/mix
1/2 tsp salt
6 eggs

beat ingredients.
melt 6 Tblspns of butter and pour into 9x 13 pan, fully coating the bottom.
pour in batter.
bake at 450 degree oven for 20 min or until golden brown.
*pancakes will get really poofy in the oven and then collapse when you pull it out to serve, be careful to not let poofed up edges burn
serve with favorite pancake toppings
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Deshas 'healthy' version:

1C rice milk
1C gluten and corn free pancake mix/flour (large selection easily found at any whole foods/new seasons type of grocery store)
1/4 tsp sea salt
8 free range brown eggs

beat ingredients.
evenly coat 9x 13 pan with organic olive oil cooking spray
melt 3 Tblspns of organic butter and pour into pan evenly coating the bottom
pour in batter
bake in 450 degree oven for about 15 min or until golden brown
*pancakes will get really poofy in the oven and then collapse when you pull it out to serve, be careful to not let poofed up edges burn

i like to eat mine with unsweetened organic applesauce, agave syrup, various organic fresh fruit, vanilla goat yogurt and/or sodium/nitrate free bacon

Funeral Potatoes!! YUM!

• 32 oz bag of frozen shredded hash browns shopping list
• 2 (10 3/4 oz) cans cream of chicken soup shopping list
• 2 cups sour cream shopping list
• 1 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese (I like to use sharp cheddar cheese) shopping list
• 1/2 cup melted butter or margarine shopping list
• 1/2 c. chopped onion shopping list
• 2 cups finely crushed corn flakes shopping list
• 2 Tbs butter or margarine melted

• Grease 9x13 baking dish and preheat oven to 350
• In large bowl combine soups, sour cream, cheese, onions, and the 1/2 cup of melted butter.
• Gently fold hash browns into mixture.
• Pour mixture into pan.
• Combine crushed corn flakes and the 2 Tbs. of melted butter and sprinkle on top of potato mixture.
• Bake for 30 minutes.
• *If wanting to, you can use cubed potatoes instead of hash browns but you will need to increase baking time to 55 minutes.

I made this a couple days ago and it was DELICIOUS!! I love these so much!!

Basic Taco Casserole

This is another version of a taco casserole that is super fast, easy, and inexpensive to throw together.

- 1 lb. ground beef
-2 cups egg noodles
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce - - - - I use just plain tomato sauce because I don't care for tomato chunks, but if you prefer, you can do a 15 oz can of stewed tomatoes and an 8 oz can of tomato sauce.
- 1 can of beans of your choice (kidney, black, etc.)


Cook the egg noodles, brown the ground beef and season with taco seasoning and stir everything together. Spread into a 13x9 pan, sprinkle parsley, Italian seasoning, and cheddar and parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350 for twenty minutes.

Guava Mango Smoothie

These are super delicious!!
The recipe is from the executive chef from the Hutton hotel, Nashville

Ingredients:
6 oz Guava Paste
5 oz Frozen mango chunks
8 oz Apple Juice
1/4 Cup Water
7 Basil Leaves

1. Place all ingredients in blender and blend on high until smooth.
2. Pour into a glass and enjoy!

Grilled Chicken Tacos....From People Magazine :)

Serves 4

Ingredients:
12 cloves garlic, unpeeled
6 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 big pinch ground cloves
1 tsp dried oregano
Salt
1 lb skinless boneless chicken breast halves
2 bunches knob onions or large green onions
Vegetable oil or olive oil
12 corn tortillas
Lime Wedges
1 Cup tomatillo or pico de gallo salsa

1. In a small skillet over medium heat, cook the garlic until soft, about 10 to 15 minutes. When cool, peel and place in a food processor or blender along with oil, vinegar, pepper, cinnamon, cloves, oregano, and 3/4 tsp of salt. Process until smooth.
2. Lay the chicken in a pyrex or non-aluminum baking dish. Cover with half of the marinade and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 6 hours.
3. heat a gas grill to medium high or light a charcoal fire and let it burn until the coals are covered with grey ash and still very hot.
4. Brush or spray onions with oil and sprinkle with salt to taste. Lay the onions on the cooler side of grill, bulbous ends towards the heat. When the onions start to soften and turn golden (about 10 min) flip them and cook the other side. Remove onions and chop into two inch pieves.
5. Brush or spray oil over both sides of chicken and lay over the hottest part of th grill. Grill for 6-8 Minutes per side, turning once. Remove and cut widthwise into thin strips.
6. Fill tortillas with chicken and onions. Garnish with lime wedges and salsa.

Sinfully Rich Fudgy Brownies

This is a family favorite of ours. Not sure where we got it. My family has been making it for about 20+ years, so probably from a magazine or cookbook somewhere.

Sinfully Rich Fudgy Brownies

4 oz. unsweetened chocolate (we use the baker's brand that comes in the 8 oz. blocks)
1 c. butter
4 eggs
2 c. sugar
1 tblsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1 c. flour
Chocolate Marshmallow Frosting (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 13x9 pan. In a large saucepan combine chocolate and butter. Heat over low heat until melted and smooth, stirring often. Remove from heat. Beat in eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt until thoroughly blended. Stir in flour, blending well. Spread evenly in greased baking pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes. Brownies should be moist. Do not over bake. Cool in pan. While Brownies are cooling, make the frosting.

Chocolate Marshmallow Frosting

4 oz. Unsweetened Chocolate (this is the remainder of the bar)
2 eggs
1 (1lb.) pkg Powedered sugar (approx. 3 3/4 cups)
4 cups mini marshmallows
1 c. butter
1 tblsp vanilla

In a medium saucepan combine butter and chocolate. Heat over low until melted and smooth, again stirring often. Remove from heat. Add eggs, vanilla and powedered sugar, beating until smooth. Stir in Marshmallows.

Once the Marshmallow mixture is complete and the brownies are cooled top the brownies with frosting. Refrigerate for several hours. Cut chilled brownies into bars. Store in refrigerator. Makes 40 small brownies.

*Tip: If you cut the chocolate into small peices it helps with the melting process. Also, my butter was still hard so I cut that into small pats as well. By cutting both the chocolate and the butter it helps to control the melting process so that the chocolate doesn't burn.

Quick, easy, homemade pizza dough!

Since coming across this delicious recipe, we haven't ordered a single pizza from anywhere!

I love this pizza dough recipe because after mixing it together, it rises in only 10 minutes!!!
Every Friday night is pizza night at our house!


1 package quick-rise yeast
1 cup warm water
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
2 Tbsp. Honey
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp basil
1 tsp thyme (optional)

Preheat oven to 450. Combine yeast packet and warm water in a bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix until dough forms. Cover and let sit for 10 minutes. Knead dough in bowl for a minute or so adding a little bit of flour if it is sticky (about 1/4 cup) Spread dough onto a greased pizza baking rack.
Add your desired toppings and bake for 12 minutes....and voila!! perfect and delicious pizza!
My husband and our 3 year old love this, it's soooo yummy!

Go ahead and try it, you'll love it!

Tootsie Rolls!

Ingredients:
5 T. margarine, melted
4 T. cocoa
1/2 c. Karo syrup
1 t. vanilla
3/4 c. powdered milk
3 c. powdered sugar

Directions:
Wash hands very thoroughly. Mix all ingredients together. It will become a stiff dough that you'll need to mix and mash and knead with your hands. Pull off small pinches of it and roll into tiny logs. Wrap them individually in waxed paper or saran wrap. They are soft and chewy and fun!

Number Of Servings:Enough to share with friends!

Preparation Time:About a half hour

Taco Casserole!! Yummy!!

Description:
A great dish to take to large family gatherings or prepare it ahead of time for an easy Sunday meal.

Ingredients:
2 lbs ground beef
2 t. salt
2 t. taco sauce
2 t. chili powder
1 c. chopped onion
1 c. chopped celery, optional
2 1-lb cans stewed tomatoes
1 16-oz can tomato sauce
2 1-lb cans refried beans
1/2 lb jack cheese
1/2 lb cheddar cheese
Fritos chips
chopped lettuce
sour cream
black olives
salsa


Directions:
Brown the ground beef, drain. Season with salt, taco sauce and chili powder, to taste. Add chopped onions and celery. Stir in stewed tomatoes and tomato sauce. Let simmer a few minutes.

In large pan, layer meat mixture, refried beans, and cheese. Bake at 350 till hot and bubbly, about 30-45 minutes.

Serve over Fritos chips. Garnish as desired with other ingredients listed.


Number Of Servings: 8 - 10

Preparation Time: Less than half an hour; heat 30-45 minutes.

Chicken Rolls

These are amazingly easy and AMAZINGLY yummy! They are sooooo good!

Ingredients:
1 8-oz Cream Cheese Softened
1/4 C Butter Softened
3 C. Cubed or shredded cooked chicken
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3-4 T Milk
2 T Chopped Chives
2 Cans Crescent Rolls
1/4 C melted butter
1/4 C. Bread Crumbs (optional)

Gravy:
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1/2 C Sour Cream


Mix cream cheese and 1/4 C Melted butter. Add chicken, salt and pepper, 4 T. milk and chives. Mix well. Preheat oven to 350. Separate dough (around 16 triangles). Spoon a decent amount of mixture onto the crescent roll, add bread crumbs and melted butter on top (again that is optional). Bake on ungreased cookie sheet 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Gravy: Combine cream of chicken soup and sour cream in saucepan. Heat and mix well. Use as gravy over rolls.

Eclair Cake

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Cubes of margarine or butter
1 1/2 Cups of Water
1 1/2 Cups of flour
6 Eggs
8 oz of Cream Cheese
3 Tbsp Milk
2 Small pkgs instant vanilla pudding
3 Cups Milk
12 oz Cool Whip
Hersheys Chocolate Syrup

Directions: In a large pan bring water and margarine to boiling. Take off of heat and gradually add flour while stirrings. Add eggs one at a time beating with a mixer after each egg. Spread onto a thin pan. Cook for about 15 min on 350. Let that cool. Then mix the cream cheese, milk, pudding and let that set up. Spread on top of cake mixture. Then spread on the cool Whip, Drizzle with chocolate syrup.

Easy Crock Pot Pork Loin

This recipe is super delicious and REALLY easy! Whenever my mom makes everyone is very impressed.


1-3 lbs lean center cut pork loin
3 TBSP. Brown Sugar
1 can Cranberry sauce (the jellied kind)
1 Jar of chili sauce.

Put all ingredients in a crock pot and cook for 6-8 hours on low.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 C. Butter flavored shortening
1 C. Brown Sugar
1 C. White Sugar
2 Eggs
2 Tbsp. Water
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla
2 Cups Flour (can substitute all or part for wheat)
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Soda
3 C. of Oatmeal
1 Pkg. Chocolate Chips

Directions: Cream shortening and sugars. Add eggs, water and vanilla. Mix until creamy. Add dry ingredients, then oatmeal. Stir in chocolate chips. Bake at 375 degrees for 12 minutes.

from Lisa Ashton's Kitchen

If you take a recipe--Leave one too

I have had several people ask for some recipes lately and so I decided to create this blog. It will be an open author blog. This way we can all leave recipes for eachother. At the end of 6 months if we've gotten enough I will make a book from all these recipes. There will be tags/labels for each different cattegory:

Main Dish
-chicken
-pork
-beef
-vegetarian
-seafood

Side Dish

Dessert

Drinks

Miscellaneous

So please label them when you are posting so that it will be easier to navigate later on down the road. If you want to get on the author list just let me know!

Hope this works out as well as I hope :)

you can email me birthmothers4adoption@gmail.com with questions or if you want an invite!

BON APETIT!!