Thursday, March 24, 2011

Molten Chocolate Lava Cake



Wow this is becoming a new family favorite and it is so simple to make!

If you are in the mood for gooey chocolate goodness- try this one out and don't wait!

1 Chocolate Cake Mix- follow the directions on the box to make the batter

1 can of chocolate frosting or you could make some frosting- I had left over chocolate cream cheese frosting that I had made to go with the Chocolate Sour Cream Cupcakes so I used that- it was heaven!

I got a deep covered baker from The Pampered Chef and I cooked my cake in the microwave!!! in 12 minutes!!!

Here is the link- http://www.pamperedchef.com/ordering/prod_details.tpc?prodId=13833&words=Deep Covered Baker

I poured the cake batter in to my pampered chef deep covered baker after I sprayed it with cooking spray to keep the cake from sticking to it. Then you use a spoon or a scoop to scoop balls of frosting on to the top of the batter- I did about 6 scoops of frosting- but they were big scoops (you will be using the whole container of frosting).

Then put the lid on the deep covered baker and pop it in the microwave- yes I said microwave. Cook for 12-14 minutes but keep checking it after 10 minutes- because you don't want to over cook it.


Dust with confectioners sugar before serving- you can serve warm or cold. Refrigerate leftovers of the cake.

It comes out warm and full of decadent gooey chocolate goodness. Enjoy with a scoop of ice cream or a glass of milk!

Linked to:
www.remodelaholic.com

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Link up with Gooseberry Patch!

Ok today at the Gooseberry Patch website- they are having a recipe linkup party- since I feel like I am still such a novice at the whole blog thing.... I can't get their cute button to work but I still wanted to share the link so for more delicious recipes please check this link....

http://gooseberrypatch.typepad.com/blog/2011/03/rru-quick-easy.html

Sorry it isn't the cute link button!

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Chocolate Sour Cream Cupcakes


I made these for dessert after our Sunday dinner today. Delicious!

1 package plain devils food cake mix
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder ( I will say that this gives your batter a more bitter taste- kind similar to dark chocolate so you may want to only put one tablespoon of cocoa powder or plan to add 1/4 C of sugar to your batter if you add 2 tablespoons and feel it is a little strong of a taste.
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line your cupcake pans (cupcake liners) or spray your pans with cooking spray if you don't want to use liners.

Mix all of these things together in a mixing bowl and then pour the batter into the lined cupcake pans, filling each cupcake line three quarters of the way full. Place the pans in the oven.

Bake the cupcakes for 28-30 minutes. The cupcakes are done when lightly pressed with your finger and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. After 5 minutes remove your cupcakes and place them on a wire rack to cool- it should take about 15 minutes.

During this time you can prepare the Chocolate sour cream or Chocolate cream cheese frosting.

Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting

4 tablesppons of butter
3 oz of semisweet Chocolate finely chopped
1/2 c sour cream
2 1/4 cups confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)
2 tablespoons hot water
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Place butter and chocolate in saucepan and melt over low heat 3-4 minutes. Stir the mixture until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Let cool slightly and then stir in the sour cream.

Transfer the mixture to a lartge mixing bowl. With an electric mixer on low speed and half the powdered suger and 1 tablespoon of hot water, mix it well. Then add remaining powdered sugar and water and continue mixing until the frosting comes together into a spreadable consistency without lumps. Stop the machine, add the vanilla and blend well, 30 seconds.

Use at once on the cake or cupcakes of your choice.


Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

1 package cream cheese
1 stick (1/2) cup of margerine or butter
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon pure almond or vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar

Soften your cream cheese and butter in the microwave for 30 seconds and when soft add the cocoa powder and the almond or vanilla extract (I used the vanilla extract because I thought the flavor would go better with the sour cream chocolate cupcakes)

Gradually add in the 4 cups of powdered sugar- but I didn't use all 4 cups- so add them until you have the consistency that you like- if the mixture is too thick you can add a few drops of milk to help thin it out a bit.

Frost your cupcake or cake! Enjoy!

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Lasagna Bread

I made this for dinner tonight with a green romaine lettuce salad to go with it. It was delicious! Do try this one soon! The thing I liked the most about it was that it was easy to make and it used ingredients that I always have on hand so no special trips to the grocery store to make it! :)

I took this picture after dinner because I forgot to take a picture when I pulled it out of the oven. This was all that was left after dinner- my family loved it- this will be added to our rotation! :)
I am sorry that the picture doesn't do this justice I am not a photographer and I don't have a really nice camera to take beautiful pictures of the food I cook. I did cook it on a Pampered Chef Stone- which I love! If you have never cooked on a stone before try it out!

1 lb of ground hamburger cooked (or I used ground turkey)
2 cups of grated cheese- I used a cheddar/ monterey jack blend
2 packages of Crescent Rolls
1 can diced tomatoes with juice
1/2 chopped onion
1/4 cup of chopped parsley (4 tsp of the spice)
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 can tomato paste
1 cup of cottage cheese

Brown ground beef and onion and mix well with spices diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Spread eight rolls flat on a cookie sheet or stone, making sure that the seams are pinched together and closed.
Layer half of the meat, then the cheese and then the meat and cheese. Cover with the other package of rolls and pinch around the edges or use a fork like I did.



Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

S'More Cookie Bars


I am taking a dinner to a family tonight and I needed a sweet treat to complete their meal and of course any chance I have to make a dessert I do ! :)

My daughter (4 1/2) and I made these together- this recipe would be an easy one to make with your kids!

3/4 Cups Margerine
3 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 pkg of semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup mini marshmellows (my daughter wanted to use the colored ones- hope they still taste good!)
1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz)



Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a 13X9 baking pan combine the graham cracker crumbs and the margerine and spread to cover the bottom of the pan evenly. Try to evenly sprinkle the chocolate chips next and then the butterscotch chips and then on top of that the sweetened condensed milk evenly over the mixture. Bake for 25 minutes or until bubbly. Let it cool completely before serving. You can also stick it in your fridge to cool- but if you bake it in a glass baking pan- let it cool down a bunch before you put it in the fridge- you don't want to risk your pan shattering.

Cut in to squares and serve! Yumm!