Million Dollar Chocolate Cake

I got this recipe at a Relief Society meeting a couple months ago.  I finally got around to giving it a try and it was pretty good. I'm not usually a fan of homemade cake because it tends to be so heavy.  This was heavier than the mixes I usually use, but still pretty good and the raspberry filling and the ganache topping were awesome!

Million Dollar Chocolate Cake

1 c. boiling water
3/4 c. cocoa
1 1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter
2 eggs
1 3/4 c. flour
1/4 c. cornstarch
1 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 c. any combination of buttermilk, plain yogurt and or sour cream
1 t. vanilla
raspberry preserves (I used freezer jam)
1 c. cream
1 1/2 c. chocolate chips (I used semi sweet)
Sprinkles (if desired)

Pour boiling water over cocoa and stir until smooth. Set aside.
Cream butter 1 minute, then add sugar. Cream 3-5 minutes (may still be a bit crumbly).
Add in eggs and mix another 2 minutes.
Pour flour, cornstarch, powder, soda, and salt. Whisk well until it looks "lighter" or you could sift!
Add the dry ingredients and sour milk alternately to creamed mixture. (I did 3 dry and 2 wet). Mix well, but do not over mix.
Beat in cocoa and vanilla until well combined.
Bake in 2 greased and floured 8 inch cake pans. Bake for 25 minutes at 375 degrees.

Cool for 5 minutes, then turn out on a cooling rack. Cool completely.

When cooled, even out cake tops with a serrated knife (this allows you to "sample!)
Lay first cake right side up and spread with raspberry jam. Use as much or little as you want!
Top with the next cake upside down.

Put chocolate chips in a bowl and set aside. Heat cream in a saucepan until it simmers.
Pour hot cream over chips and let sit 5 minutes.
Stir until combined. Let sit 5 more minutes.
When cooled, slowly spoon over cake, seeing that it drips over to cover the edge!

Let set 5 minutes.
When done, place a cookie cutter on the cake and sprinkle with colored sugar.
Use a spoon to get to the edges. When filled in, lift off cookie cutter.

Asian Lettuce Wraps

One of the local restaurants has the yummiest lettuce wraps!  When I found this recipe on one of my favorite sites, I knew I had to try it!  It's so yummy!  And pretty easy too!

Asian Lettuce Wraps
Recipe by Our Best Bites


2 tsp canola oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 lb ground chicken*
3 ounces mushrooms, finely chopped (about 8 small mushrooms)
1/2 tsp kosher salt
4 C bagged coleslaw mix or thinly shredded cabbage
1 8oz can sliced water chestnuts, drained, rinsed, and finely minced
1/2 C thinly sliced green onions
4 Tbs soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 lemon, zested and juiced (about 3-4 Tbs juice)
1/2-1 tsp sriracha or other hot sauce (1 tsp of Sriracha is fairly spicy in my opinion, so if you want less or no kick, just give it a little, or you can leave it out completely)
1/3 C roughly chopped cilantro
1-2 heads iceberg lettuce

*To prepare your own ground chicken, cut boneless skinless chicken breasts into large chunks and pulse in a food processor until ground.
*Callie's note: I had my local Macey's grocery store grind some chicken breasts for me!

Dipping/Drizzling Sauce
4 Tbs soy sauce
4 Tbs rice vinegar
3 Tbs water
2 tsp honey
1-2 tsp finely minced fresh ginger

Heat a very large skillet to medium-high heat on the stove top.  When hot, add vegetable  oil and then garlic and ginger.  Saute for about 30 seconds, until fragrant, and then add ground chicken, chopped mushrooms, and kosher salt.  Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until chicken is cooked through.  (*At this point, sometimes I have some extra liquid in the pan from the chicken.  If it’s quite a bit, I tilt the pan and spoon it out so the chicken can cook and not boil.) Add cabbage/coleslaw, water chestnuts, and green onions.  Cook for about 2 minutes, until cabbage starts to wilt.  Add soy sauce, sesame oil, the zest from the lemon and the lemon juice, and hot sauce to taste.  Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.
To prepare dipping sauce, combine all ingredients and whisk to combine.
To serve, carefully remove the individual leaves from the head of lettuce.  (The closer you get to the center, the easier it becomes!)  Place chicken mixture in the leaves and serve with sauce.
Yield: about 5 C chicken mixture.  Makes 14-16 lettuce wraps.

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Article printed from Our Best Bites: http://www.ourbestbites.com

URL to article: http://www.ourbestbites.com/2011/04/asian-lettuce-wraps/

Creamy Mints

My Mom used to make these little mints for special occasions when I was a little girl.  I loved them then and I still love them now!  This isn't her recipe, but  the end result is very similar.

Creamy Mints
30 minutes, makes about 3 dozen candies


3 tbsp. reduced fat cream cheese, softened
1/4 tsp. mint extract
4-4 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
about 1/4 cup granulated sugar


1. Beat the cream cheese until soft and fluffy (2 min.) Add the mint and desired food coloring and mix until well blended.
2. Add confectioners sugar, 1/2 a cup at a time, until it forms a stiff mixture.
3.  Form balls with about 1/2 tsp. of  mixture.  Roll in suar and flatten with thumb or fork tines or press into mold. Store in the fridge.


Here's a second recipe I found online.

Barrington Mints
Makes 150 mints

Ingredients:
8 ounces soft cream cheese (I used Philadelphia regular)
6 tablespoons soft butter (I used unsalted)
3/4 teaspoon pure peppermint extract (NOT mint extract)
2 pounds sifted powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 drops red food coloring (Mine is pretty strong, so I used only one)

Method:
Melt the cream cheese with the butter in a heavy 3-quart saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.  Turn off the heat, leaving the pan on the burner, and stir in about 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, food coloring, and vanilla. (My note: Add peppermint here as well.)  Stir in the rest of the sugar until well blended.

Line a large baking sheet with wax paper.  Push mint mixture into a pastry bag, icing syringe or squeeze bottle with a decorative tip.  Create desired shapes for mints.  Let set 1 hour.

Store between sheets of wax paper in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month, or in the freezer up to 4 months.  Do not store at room temperature.

Mexican Bean Dip

This is for you Emily!

1 can of refried beans
1-2 ripe avocados, remove seed and skin and completely smash the fruit, add a little lime juice (lemon works too)
1/2-2/3 cup sour cream mixed with a tbsp. or so of taco seasoning (start slow, taste it, you can always add more)
1-2 cups shredded cheese
2 finely diced tomatoes
sliced olives
finely sliced green onions or chives (I prefer chives, less of an aftertaste)

Spread in order listed above on a dinner sized plate or small platter.  Serve with your favorite tortilla chips and enjoy!

Butternut and Apple Harvest Soup

Justin found this recipe online and whipped it up for dinner last night!  I thought it was fabulous!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 large leeks (white and pale green parts only), chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 large potato, peeled and cubed
• 2 cups cubed butternut squash
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 1/4 cup dry white wine (optional)
• 1/2 cup light cream
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons chopped chives

Directions

1. Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in leeks and onions, and cook until the onion softens and turns translucent, about 5 minutes. Add potato, squash, carrots, apple, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the vegetables are soft, about 20 minutes.
2. Carefully puree the soup in batches in a blender, or use a stick blender to puree the soup right in the pot. Once the soup has been pureed, return it to the pot and stir in wine and cream. Season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper; simmer gently for 5 minutes. Ladle into bowls and garnish with chopped chives.

Chocolate Cut-Out Cookies

My favorite recipe blog has done it again!  They've provided me with another fabulous recipe that I know I 'm going to be using over and over again!  This time it's a cookie recipe!  When I saw this post on the chocolate gingerbread shaped skeleton/mummy cookies I knew I had to try it!  So today my second grader's class gets to make mummies for a Halloween treat during their Halloween party.  But, because I couldn't take cookies to school that had not been properly taste-tested, I've already eaten a sufficient number of cookies to be able to say that these chocolate cookies a delish!  And super simple to whip up too!  I got 24 gingerbread men out of one batch of cookie dough, because I wasn't quite sure if that was enough (dang big classes at our school), I made a second batch and made a few extra gingerbread men then put the rest of the dough in the freezer for another day.  Hopefully it freezes well!

Chocolate Cut-Out Cookies
Recipe slightly modified by Our Best Bites from Cookie Craft via Bake @ 350
Ingredients:
2 & 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. cocoa powder (dutch-process or natural works)
1 cup (2 sticks) regular salted butter
1 c. sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla


Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350. Line baking sheets with parchment or a silicone baking mat if you have either of those.
Cream together the butter and sugar until light an fluffy (1-2 full minutes). Beat in the egg and vanilla until well combined.
Whisk flour and cocoa powder together and then slowly add to the butter mixture by spoonfuls with mixer at low speed. Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl as needed.
Lightly dust rolling surface with coco powder or flour or a mixture of both.  (I use cocoa powder).  Roll dough about 1/4 inch thick.  It helps to roll soft dough in between sheets of plastic wrap or parchment and then place them in the fridge for about 15 minutes (or the freezer for 5-10) until firm.
Cut out shapes and place on baking sheets.  Bake for 8-10 minutes, until set.  Sometimes it’s hard to tell with chocolate cookies when they are done, so just watch for the dough to not look “wet” anymore and the edges should be holding their shape nicely.
Let cookies cool for 2-3 minutes and then use a spatula to place them on a cooling rack.

Muffins that Taste Like Donuts

Cake donuts are some of my favorite treats and this recipe tastes very similar.  I found this yummy recipe on a blog somewhere.  I finally got around to mixing them up a week or so ago and the kids loved them--so did I.  We'll definitely be making these over and over!  Oh...I would be happy if I could have muffins for breakfast everyday!

Muffins:
1 3/4 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup oil
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup milk

Topping:
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup sugar
2-3 tsp. of cinnamon


Combine flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon.Combine oil, sugar, egg, and milk. Add dry ingredients to wet and stir til just combined.  Spray muffin tins or use cupcake liners and evenly distribute batter between 12 spots. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a bowl.  Combine sugar and cinnamon in another bowl.  Remove muffins when done and shake from pan while still hot.  Dip muffins in butter, then in the cinnamon sugar.  Let cool a bit then eat and enjoy!

French Bread or Buns

I'm in love with this easy bread recipe from my Our Best Bites cookbook!  I've been making it to eat with BBQ chicken sandwiches this summer and they taste great together!


French Bread, Hoagies, and Buns

1 Tbsp. yeast

1 1/2 c. warm water

1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

4-5 1/2 c. flour

3 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 egg, separated

2 Tbsp. cold water

Go to OurBestBites.com for the instructions!  My only notes are that I don't let it rise anywhere near the amount of time mentioned in their instructions.  Every time I've tried, it's fallen when I put it in the oven and that does not make for great bread.  So I just let it rise in a warm place until it has risen to a bit more than double each time. Secondly, I don't think I've ever come close to using the 5 1/2 cups of flour.  My dough is usually just past sticky at about 4-4 1/2 cups, so be careful and add the flour slowly.  Finally, I can get a lot of hamburger buns out of this recipe.  Anywhere from 12-24 depending on the size.  24 is great for kids and just a cute little sized sandwich.  Bigger works great for adults with bigger appetites. I have yet to try to make a loaf of French bread with this recipe.  Maybe I'll try that next!

Shredded BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

Who would have known that I would be such a BBQ chicken lover?  But I am after trying this yummy chicken!  I love this easy and yummy recipe for BBQ chicken sandwiches.  I also LOVE that it makes a lot of chicken and I can have leftovers for lunch the following day and still have enough to freeze some for dinner another day.

5-6 lbs. of chicken
1 12 oz. bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce (my husband likes more!)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup Italian dressing
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 large yellow onion, diced
2-3 tsp. oregano

Put all ingredients in the crockpot and cook on high for 4 hours.  Remove chicken and shred.  Return chicken to sauce and cook for at least one hour before eating.  Serve on your favorite buns.  I like to make my own buns using this recipe!  YUM!

Cafe Rio Chicken

We had a little Cafe Rio style Primary dinner this week and I was in charge of the chicken.  I looked around a bit for a good recipe and nearly every one I found was the same, so I gave a it a try.  It turned out delicious and I'll definitely be making it again.

The original recipe is:
1 small (8oz.) Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 tbsp. cumin
3 garlic cloves, minced
5 lbs. chicken

Chili powder makes me nervous (I don't like my food spicy hot) so the first thing I did was decrease the chili powder. And you can really hardly ever go wrong with a nice diced onion so I threw that in just for good measure.  I didn't feel like the Italian dressing added enough flavor, so I ended up sprinkling part of a pack of dry Italian dressing seasoning in as well. Throw in a little salt and pepper and it was ready. The ingredients I used ended up being more like this:


1 small (8oz.) Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tbsp. cumin
4 garlic cloves, minced (I LOVE that pre-minced stuff you can buy at the grocery store)
1 yellow onion diced
5 lbs. chicken
1 packet dry Italian dressing
Salt and Pepper to taste

Put the chicken in a crockpot.  Cover with dressing, diced onion, and spices.  Cook on high for 4 hours.  An hour before eating, remove chicken breasts from juices and shred in a separate bowl. Some people have good luck with two forks, but I love to use my hand-mixer for this.  It works best if each chicken breast is cut into thirds or fouths, then just turn the mixer on low speed and watch how easily the chicken shreds.  Be sure to taste it and add more seasonings as needed.  I threw in part of  my dry dressing packet, added a little garlic powder, and some more salt and pepper.  Let the shredded chicken soak in the spices and juices for an hour before serving.

Zucchinni Fries

Our Best Bites is one of my very favorite recipe blogs.  Those talented ladies are always cooking up something delicious.  I saw this on their site a while ago and finally got around to trying it this summer.  YUMMY!  This recipe is definitely a keeper.  My only advice: don't bother with cutting all that zucchini into little fry sized strips, just cut into thin rounds instead.  This greatly reduces the somewhat time consuming process of dipping the zucchini pieces first in the egg then in the crumb mixture.

Baked Zucchini Fries
Recipe adapted by Our Best Bites from Aggie’s Kitchen

About 1 lb. zucchini
1/2 c. Italian-seasoned panko bread crumbs
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese (the crumbly stuff, not shreds)
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

Combine bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Set aside.

Whisk 2 eggs together in a shallow pie plate and set aside.

Cut the ends off the zucchini and then cut the zucchini in half so you have two short, stubby pieces. Set one piece on its end and cut it in half lengthwise. Cut that half in half, making 2 planks. Repeat with the remaining halves (so you’ll get 16 planks per zucchini).

Stack 2 planks on top of each other and cut into strips. Thicker strips will yield “meatier” fries with more zucchini flavor while thin strips will be crispy and taste virtually nothing like zucchini. When all the fries are cut, blot the pieces with a paper towel.

Working with a small handful at a time, dip the zucchini sticks in the egg, shake them to remove any excess, and then roll them in about 2-3 tablespoons of bread crumbs at a time, adding more as needed; you just don’t want to work with all the bread crumbs at once because they’ll soak up moisture from the egg and won’t stick to the zucchini. Place the coated strips on the prepared baking sheet and repeat until all the zucchini strips have been coated.

Bake for 10-12 minutes in the prepared oven then remove from oven, flip the fries, and bake for another 10-12 minutes or until the zucchini is not soggy and the coating is crisp and golden brown. Serve immediately with Pizza Sauce or Buttermilk Ranch Dressing. Serves 6-8 as a side dish.

Caramelized Green Beans

I haven't really been loving green beans for the last few years since one of my dear babies was born--until I found this recipe that is! I LOVE these green beans, but will probably never eat those nasty canned ones again if I can help it. Justin bought me the Our Best Bites cookbook for Mother's Day and that's where I found this delicious recipe. I've copied the recipe from their site, but you'll have to click recipe title below to go to their site and get all of their instructions.

Caramelized Green Beans

By Our Best Bites

1 lb. (actually, just a little bit more…maybe 1 1/8 lb.) fresh green beans
1/2 lb. bacon
1/2 red onion, sliced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
olive oil
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
Lots of freshly-ground pepper

My note: This recipe really is easy, especially if you leave out the bacon as I always do. I'm sure they're delicious with it, but I just never have bacon on hand and these beans are seriously good without it!

Crepes

This is our new favorite Sunday afternoon lunch recipe. With our church at 9:00 a.m. this year, we're lucky to get a bowl of cereal or toast before we run out the door. So we save our big yummy breakfast for lunch and this is by far our favorite. Even Justin, who isn't really into breakfast foods at lunch or dinner time, thinks this is delicious! We like to eat our crepes filled with whipped cream and fresh berries and other fruit! Plus, this is fun to eat because it reminds Justin and I of the yummy crepes we ate in Paris last summer!

Basic Crepes
Recipe by Our Best Bites

2 eggs
2 Tbs canola oil
3 Tbs sugar (omit if making savory crepes)
1 C flour
1 1/3 C milk

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend on low speed until combined, or whisk by hand until there are no lumps.

Heat a non-stick skillet to medium-high heat. Hold pan with one hand while you pour the batter with the other hand. Twirl the pan in a circular motion pouring just enough batter to coat the bottom of the pan. Place on cooking surface and cook until edges are set and you can easily run a rubber spatula around the edge of the pan, 30 seconds. Flip crepe and cook an additional 15-20 seconds. Remove crepe from pan and either keep warm in the oven or cool to room temperature.

Fill with your choice of savory (meat, cheese, vegetable) or sweet (pudding, mousse, pastry cream, fruit) filling. Top sweet crepes with with Strawberry Sauce, Buttermilk Caramel Syrup, Hot Fudge, or just a dusting of powdered sugar and sweetened whipped cream.

Unfilled crepes can be stacked between sheets of waxed paper and refrigerated or frozen. To thaw, leave at room temperature.

Makes 12-14 8″ crepes

Dessert for a Crowd

Gosh, I wish I could remember which fabulous food blog I found this on, but I don't. I made it this weekend though and it was delicious and oh so easy!

• 1 white cake mix (plus ingredient to make the cake mix)
• 2 (8 oz) packages of cream cheese, softened
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 (12oz) container of cool whip
• fruit topping *** see not below for options

1. Mix cake mix according to the package. Spray the bottom on a 13x18 jelly roll pan.
2. Pour batter into pan and spread evenly.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Let cool completely.
4. With a mixer, blend cream cheese and powdered sugar together. Add cool whip and beat until smooth and creamy.
5. Spread mixture on top of cooled cake.
6. Cut into pieces and serve with fruit topping.

Options for fruit topping

• canned pie filling
• danish dessert prepared according to fruit sauce directions with fresh fruit mix in
• Macerated strawberries (see directions below)
• any berry sauce recipe you like (I have a few on my site)
• or raspberry (blackberries would work too) sauce (see directions below)

To macerate the strawberries, place hulled and sliced berries in a bowl and sprinkle with granulated white sugar about 2 tablespoons per pint. Let the berries and sugar macerate at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.

For the raspberry sauce you need 2-3 pkgs of frozen raspberries (the kind in heavy syrup is what I have used, but ). In a sauce pan, mix berries with 1/2 cup sugar and enough cornstarch (like 1 Tbp cornstarch) to thicken sauce to desired consistency. Heat until sauce is just bubbly and thickened. Let cool.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

A friend made this for dinner at bunco and I loved it! It's super easy to make and when I make it, I split the ingredients into two 8x8 pans so I have one to eat and one to freeze. Then I have a great fast dinner later too.

5-6 chicken breasts, boiled and shredded or cut into chunks
white American cheese (regular or Swiss flavored)
thin slices of ham (lunch meat works great)
real Swiss cheese, sliced
1 cube of butter
1 box of chicken stuffing

Boil and shred chicken breasts then cover the bottom of the either a 9x13 pan or two 8x8 pans with the chicken meat. Place slices of American cheese over the chicken. Next layer the ham on top of the cheese. Then layer the Swiss cheese on top of the ham. You don't have to go overboard with the cheese, but you'll want to make sure the meat is covered completely. Finally mix 1 box of dry stuff with 1 cube of melted butter and sprinkle over top of the entire casserole. Bake on 350 for 20-25 min.

Texas Sheetcake

I made this last weekend and remembered how fast, easy, and yummy it is! I found this recipe on realmomkitchen.blogspot.com. I've halved the amount of cinnamon here.

2 sticks butter or margarine
1 cup water
4 heaping tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla

Grease a 15x10 inch jelly roll pan. Bring 2 sticks butter, water and 4 tablespoons cocoa to a boil in a large saucepan. While still hot, remove from heat and add to 2 cups flour and 2 cups white sugar. Mix well. Add in eggs, cinnamon, buttermilk, baking soda, and vanilla. Do not mix too long.
Pour batter into greased 15x10 inch jelly roll pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean.

Icing
1/2 cup butter
4 heaping tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons water
3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (if desired)

Bring 1/2 cup butter or margarine, 4 tablespoons cocoa, 3 tablespoons water, and 3 tablespoons milk to a boil. Remove from heat. While still hot, add confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and nuts. Beat well. Ice cake while icing is still hot.

Emily's Yummy Crockpot Chicken

My sister Emily shared this recipe with me--she got it from her mother-in-law. We recently served it at the annual Jones family campout and it was a big hit! I loved it served taco style with all sorts of taco fixings. Emily also likes it as the main dish served alongside veggies, rolls, and such.

6 chicken breasts
1 package taco seasoning
1 can of black beans
1 can corn or 1 bag frozen corn
2 cups salsa

Put ingredients in a crockpot and cook on high for 4-6 hours. If serving taco style, remove chicken when done and shred with a hand mixer. Then return to soak in sauces for 30 minutes.

Yummy Potatoes

Otherwise known as funeral potatoes. This is the recipe Justin's Grami Del always uses and it turns out perfect every time!

6-8 potatoes shredded in a 9x13 pan or one bag of frozen shredded hashbrowns (hashbrowns are super easy!)
1/4 cup margarine or butter, melted
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 pint of sour cream (I use fat free- It makes me feel better!)
1/3 cup chopped onions
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese

Stir all ingredients except potatoes together in and saucepan and heat. Put potatoes in a 9x13 pan and dump warm sauce mixture over top. Mix together. Mix 1/2 cup of crushed cornflakes and 3 tbsp. melted better together and sprinkle on top of potatoes. Sprinkle a little shredded cheese then bake at 350 degrees for 40- 50 minutes.

Chicken with Tarragon Cream Sauce

This is one of my mother-in-laws delicious chicken recipes. It's pretty easy, though a little time consuming. She makes it better than me, so I don't make it too often. Instead I just hope it's on the menu when we go and visit them.

3 chicken breasts, split
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup butter
2-3 tbsp. green onions thinly sliced
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 tsp. tarragon leaves
1/4-1/2 cup heavy cream

Combine flour, salt, pepper, and seasoned salt and lightly coat chicken. In a skillet, melt 3 tbsp. butter (or use olive oil) and brown chicken. Remove chicken when browned and set aside. Add green onions to pan and saute for 1-2 minutes. Add 1/4 cup chicken broth and stir well with onions and chicken drippings in pan. Add any remaining flour coating and stir to make paste. Add tarragon and remaining 1/4 cup chicken broth. Return chicken to pan and simmer for 25 minutes. Remove chicken, add remaining butter and cream. Stir with onions and other ingredients to make a sauce. Heat sauce thoroughly and serve over chicken.

Parmesan Chicken

This is a family favorite! I usually make lots of the bread crumb mixture up in advance and then use it a 1/4 or 1/2 a cup at a a time.

Bread Crumb Mixture
2 cups dried bread crumbs
1/4 cup flour
3 tbsp. paprika
4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. oregano

Combine ingredients and save in tightly sealed container in the pantry of the freezer.
When ready to use, mix equal amounts of bread crumb mixture and parmesan cheese. I usually use 1/3 cup of each for 3-4 large chicken breasts that have been split. Dip chicken in melted butter or beaten egg (your choice) and then dip in bread crumb/Parmesan mixture. Place coated chicken in a greased baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour or until done.

*We discovered this summer that this bread crumb/Parmesan cheese mixture also tastes delicious on zucchini and crookneck squash from the garden. After coating the squash with egg, then the crumb mixture, fry in a butter/olive oil combination in a frying pan til tender.

Jessa's Delicious Whole Wheat Bread

I'm not sure I'll ever be able to make this as well as my awesome neighbor Jessa does, but I'm going to keep trying. It's seriously some of the best bread I've ever had!

2 tbsp. dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (about 110 degrees)
3 heaping tbsp. gluten
5 cups hot water
2/3 cup oil
2/3 cup honey
2 tbsp. salt
10-12 cups freshly ground whole wheat flour (Jessa uses hard white wheat)

Combine 1/2 c. warm water with 2 tbsp. yeast in a small bowl. Allow about 10 minutes to become bubbly. Place 5 cups of hot water into mixer bowl with 6 cups of flour. Blend. Add yeast mixture and gluten. Blend 2 min. Blend in order: oil, honey, and salt. Add remaining flour until dough begins to clean bowl. Leave in mixer to knead for 8-10 minutes. Remove dough and divide equally into four loaves. Shape and place in well oiled loaf pans. Let rise til double (approx. 45-60 min.). Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minute. Remove from pans promptly and place on rack to cool. I like to rub some butter on the top of the loaf while it's still warm.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

My Mom always called these cookie bars, My mother-in-law calls them blondies. Either way they're delicious! I found this recipe here www.jamiecooksitup.blogspot.com and it looks like she found it here Mel's Kitchen Cafe. I made them today and they were fast, easy, and delicious!

Time: 45 minutes
Yield: about 30 bars

2 1/8 C flour
1/2 t salt
1/2 t baking soda
12 T butter (1 1/2 sticks)
1 C brown sugar
1/2 C white sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 t vanilla
2 C chocolate chips (I used semi sweet, buy you can use what ever suits your fancy- I also only used 1 1/2 cups and that was plenty of chocolate for me and believe me, I like chocolate)
You could throw in some nuts too, if that's your thing- it's not my thing though

1. Melt your butter in the microwave. Add the brown sugar, white sugar, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla to the butter. Whisk it around until well combined.
2. In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients.
3. Add the butter mixture to the dry ingredients and stir just until combined.
4. Fold in your chocolate chips.
5. Line a 9x13 pan with tin foil. Spray it down with some cooking spray and press your cookie dough into the pan. The tin foil is going to make it super easy to pull these bars out of the pan.
6. Bake at 325 for 24-28 minutes.
7. Let your pan cool on a wire rack for a bit. I didn't let mine get all the way cool before I cut them, and it worked out fine. I like to eat my cookies warm!
8. Pull the tin foil out of the pan and on to a cutting board. Cut the bars as desired. ENJOY!

Lesley's Parmesan Garlic Breadsticks

This is another fabulous recipe from my fabulous neighbor Lesley!  Ahh...these breadsticks are delicious!  I could probably eat an entire pan on my own.  And that would not be good.  So mix some of these up, share them with your family, and enjoy!  YUM!

1 tbsp. yeast
2 tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 warm water
3 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
3 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt

For Topping:
1/2 cup melted butter
1/4 cup mayo
1/4 tbsp. parsley
1/4 tbsp. garlic salt.
1/4 Parmesan cheese

Mix yeast, sugar, and warm water together.  I like to wait a few minutes and allow the yeast to bubble--just to be sure! Next add flour and salt.  Knead for 3 minutes.  Let the dough rest for 10 minutes in the bowl.  Spread out the dough in a greased sheet pan.   Mix topping ingredients together and spread on top of dough.  Sprinkle on 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.  Allow to rise for 30 minutes.  Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Sour Cream Enchiladas

Hey Emily, this is for you! Enjoy!

This is my dear friend Alison's recipe! I've been making it for years (since college) and it's so delicious. And yes, you can use rabbit meat instead of chicken meat(see comments)- Alison and I did just that once--in college. It was still delicious. So if you don't have any chicken handy, rabbit it a great option. My husband won't allow it though, so we're sticking with chicken these days!

8 oz. sour cream
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 cups cooked, cubed or shredded chicken
1 can of chopped green chili peppers
12-16 corn tortillas
Monteray Jack cheese (cheddar and colby jack works great too)

Mix the sour cream, cream of chicken soup, and chili peppers together. Put some of the mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Reserve a small amount of the mixture to cover the tortillas with before baking. Spray tortillas lightly with Pam spray and heat several at a time for 30-45 seconds in the microwave until just warm and easy to bend. Add chicken to the cream mixture and stir well. Put a few tablespoons of the mixture and some shredded cheese in each tortilla shell, roll up, then place in pan. Cover tortillas with remaining cream mixture and a little shredded cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes until sauce begins to boil. Serve with salsa.

Chile Lime Chicken Tacos/Tostadas

I found this yummy recipe on Real Mom Kitchen and it looked delicious, so I gave it a try and it was super yummy!

• 1 can diced green chilies
• 4 cloves of minced garlic
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. chili powder (I was nervous and used only about 1 tbsp.)
  
• 3 Tbsp. lime juice
• 1 diced medium onion
• 2 lbs. boneless chicken breasts
• 1 can fat free refried beans, warmed
• 10 tostada shells
• Desired toppings such as: shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, salsa, light sour cream, sliced olives, guacamole

1. Add chicken and onion to a slow cooker that is at least 3 1/2 quarts.
2. In a bowl combine green chilies, garlic, chili powder, and lime juice. Pour over chicken.
3. Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours.
4. Remove chicken from slow cooker and shred. Mix in 1/2 cup of juice remaining in slow cooker to the shredded chicken.
5. Spread warmed refried beans on tostada shells.
6. Top with hot chicken mixture and any other desired toppings.