Turtle Mocha Cake

My sweet friend Rebecca found this cake in a magazine and said, “Will you make this for my birthday?” It is a wonderfully rich cake and looks beautiful.

1 egg
1 c buttermilk, or add 1 T vinegar to regular milk
2/3 c vegetable oil (I used apple sauce)
2 c flour
1 ¾ c sugar
½ c unsweetened cocoa powder
1 T baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 c freshly brewed hot coffee
Chocolate Frosting (recipe follows)
1 ½  c pecans
½ c caramel ice cream topping

Grease three 9-inch cake pans. Dust with unsweetened cocoa.

In a small bowl, stir together egg, buttermilk and vegetable oil; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, ½ c cocoa, baking soda and salt. Gradually add the milk mixture to flour, beating with an electric mixer until combined. Gradually beat in hot coffee. Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 22 to 25 minutes or until set. Cool cakes in pas for 10 min then turn onto wire racks.

When the cakes are cool, make the Chocolate Frosting. Place one cake layer top side down onto a serving plate with a lip to catch excess icing. Spread some icing onto the first layer spreading to the edge of the cake. (It worked better for the icing to cool some.) Sprinkle with pecans and the drizzle caramel sauce over top. Repeat two more times. ( I have leftover icing.)

Chill cake for 1 to 2 hrs before serving.

Chocolate Frosting

In medium sauce pan, stir together 1 c sugar and ½ c milk. Add 6 T butter. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and had a 12oz. package of semi-sweet chocolate chips. Stir until chips are melted.

Note: I have recently made this recipe has cupcakes and they were beautiful and tasted great.

Momma B's Pecan Pie

by Liz Bruns

Refrigerated pie crust
4 large eggs
1 cup firm packed light brown sugar
1 cup light corn syrup (Karo)
½ cup melted butter
1 ½ tsp. maple flavoring
¼ tsp. salt
1 ¼ cup coarsely chopped pecans

Form pie crust in pie pan.

Wisk eggs & next 5 ingredients; stir in nuts.  Pour into crust.

Bake 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes.  After 40 minutes, protect the crust edges with foil or a crust shield.

Iced Oatmeal Cookie

Recipe given to me by my friend Rebecca. These are so good and stay moist for several days.

1 c. butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbs. baking powder
2 c. quick oats
2 c. flour

Icing:
2 c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. heavy cream
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

In food processor, add oatmeal and pulse until partly ground. Don't make into a fine powder, leave some chunks. I pulsed mine 6 times, at 1-2 seconds each. Set aside.

In mixing bowl, blend together butter with sugars. Mix 1-2 minutes until combined. Add eggs, one at a time. Mix in remaining cookie ingredients and blend until thoroughly combined.

Drop by several tablespoons onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 14-16 minutes.

To make glaze, whisk together powdered sugar with heavy cream and cinnamon until smooth. Frost each cookie and allow to harden.

Hershey's "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" Cake

Ingredients
2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil ( I use applesauce or coconut oil)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
"PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING (recipe follows)

Directions

1. 1 Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.
2. 2 Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.
3. 3 Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING. 10 to 12 servings.
   
   VARIATIONS:
   ONE-PAN CAKE: Grease and flour 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Heat oven to 350° F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely. Frost.
   
   THREE LAYER CAKE: Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost.
   
   BUNDT CAKE: Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely. Frost.
   
   CUPCAKES: Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Heat oven to 350°F. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. About 30 cupcakes.
   
   
   "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING
   
   1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
   2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
   3 cups powdered sugar
   1/3 cup milk
   1 teaspoon vanilla extract
   
   Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency.
   Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.

Homemade Bubbles

2 1/2 cups water and 1/2 cup light corn syrup

mix in a bowl together and microwave four minutes

Gently mix 1/2 cup dish liquid
(I was told Dawn is the best)

Dijon Chicken Marinade

1/3 cup Dijon mustard
2 T apple cider vinegar
2 T honey
1T lemon juice
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt

Combine mustard, vinegar, and honey in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Add spices and stir. Prepare chicken breasts and place in a large plastic storage bag. Pour marinade over the chicken, close bag and shake bag gently and squeeze to evenly coat chicken. Refrigerate one hour. Preheat grill, oil lightly and add chicken over medium heat. Cook 5-6 minutes and turn (if chicken sticks, give it another minute or so), cook about 5 minutes more until cooked through. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil for about 10 minutes to allow juices to redistribute.

Two Cheese Squash Casserole

4 pounds yellow squash, sliced
4 T butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 ½  c soft breadcrumbs, divided
1 ¼ c shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
1 c shredded cheddar cheese
¼ c chopped fresh chives (optional)
½ c minced fresh parsley
1- 8oz container sour cream
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
¼ tsp. garlic salt

Cook squash in boiling water to cover in a Dutch oven 8 to 10 min or just until tender. Drain well.

Melt 2 T. butter in Dutch oven over medium-high heat; add onion and garlic, and sauté 5 to 6 min or until tender. Remove skillet from heat; stir in squash, 1 c breadcrumbs, ¾ c parmesan cheese, and next 7 ingredients. Spoon into a lightly greased 13x9 baking dish.

Melt remaining 2T butter. Stir together melted butter, reaming 1 ½ c Parmesan cheese, and garlic salt. Sprinkle mixture evenly over casserole.

Bake at 350o for 35 to 40 min. or until set.

Olive Garden Salad Dressing

Ingredients:

1 packet Good Seasonings Italian Dressing

(Ingredients needed to make dressing; oil, water, vinegar)

½ tsp. dried Italian Seasoning

½ tsp. table salt

¼ tsp. black pepper

½ tsp. sugar

¼ tsp. garlic powder

½ tbsp. mayonnaise (no Miracle Whip, please)

¼ cup olive oil

2 tbs. white vinegar

1 ½ tbs. water

Directions:

Prepare Good Seasonings Italian Seasonings Dressing as it states on back

of package. Once prepared pour it in a medium bowl, then add additional

ingredients listed above (starting with dried Italian Seasoning).

Using a whisk, mix all ingredients until mixed thoroughly combined.

Serve with your favorite salad fixings.

Store unused dressing in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 4

weeks. Be sure to give the bottle a good shake before using.

Chicken Pot Pie

1 pie crust
1/2 stick butter
1/2 cup finely diced onion
1/2 cup finely diced carrot
1/2 cup finely diced celery
2 cups of cubed chicken
1/4 cup flour
2 cups low-sodium chicken or turkey broth
splash of white wine (optional)
1 cup heavy cream
Frozen peas – I used frozen mixed vegetables and omitted the carrots
Fresh thyme, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Melt butter in a skillet or dutch oven. Add onion, carrots, chicken and celery, and cook until chicken is no longer pink.

Sprinkle flour over mixture and stir. Cook over medium heat for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly.

Pour in chicken broth, stirring constantly. Splash in wine (you can leave this out if you’d like.) Pour in cream. Add mixed vegetables at this point.

Bring to a slow boil and allow mixture to cook and thicken for a few minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste (do not underseason), and fresh or dried thyme to taste. Do one final taste at the end and add what it needs.

Pour mixture into a casserole dish or deep pie pan.

Roll out crust so that it’s about 1 inch larger than the pan you’re using.

Place the crust on top of the pot pie mixture, and press crust into the sides of the dish. Cut vents in the top of the crust.

Bake for 30 minutes or until very golden and bubbly.
Allow to cool for a little bit before serving.
Tip: We double the recipe for our family of four. Use a use a 9x13 and two pie crusts. Also add only 2 c broth and 2 c cream. If mixture is too thick add more broth as needed.

Recipe given to be by Callie Granderson via PioneerWoman.com