White Chicken Chili

5 boneless skinless chicken thighs (or 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts)
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 T. olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 can tomatoes with green chilies
3 T. all purpose flour
½ t. Garlic powder
½ t. Cumin
½ t. Chili Powder
¼ t. Black Pepper
2 cans cannellini beans
2 cans Swanson’s chicken broth
1 T. Lime juice
Cheese (optional)
Sour Cream (optional)
Chopped Avocado (optional)

Cook chicken all day on low in a crock pot with Cream of Chicken Soup. Remove chicken and shred. Discard liquid.

In a large pot, heat olive oil. Add chopped onion and cook for about 5 minutes- just until it starts to become translucent. While onions are cooking, drain beans and rinse with cold water and set aside. Once onions are translucent, add tomatoes with green chilies, spices, and flour. Stir well. Add beans and chicken broth.

Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and add lime juice.

Ladle into bowls and garnish with sour cream, cheese, and avocado.

Makes about 8 cups of soup.

Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

(adapted from Ina Garten)

Ingredients
30 extra-large white mushrooms
5 tablespoons good olive oil, divided
2 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, removed from the casings
6 scallions, white and green parts, minced
2 garlic cloves minced
1 1/3 cup panko crumbs
8 ounces cream cheese
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
2 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Remove the stems from the mushrooms and chop them finely. Set aside. Place the mushroom caps in a shallow bowl and toss with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and red wine vinegar. Set aside.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage, crumbling it with the back of a wooden spoon. Cook the sausage for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until it’s completely browned. Add the chopped mushroom stems and cook for 3 more minutes. Stir in the scallions and garlic and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the panko crumbs, stirring to combine evenly with all the other ingredients. Finally, stir in the cream cheese and continue cooking until it has melted and made the sausage mixture creamy. Off the heat, stir in the Parmesan, parsley, and season with salt and pepper, to taste, Cool slightly.

Fill each mushroom generously with the sausage mixture. Arrange the mushrooms in a baking dish large enough to hold all the mushrooms in a snug single layer. Bake until the stuffing for 50 minutes, until the stuffing is browned and crusty.

Squash Casserole

8 medium summer squash (or 12 small)
1 medium sweet onion
1 T. olive oil
1 egg
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 c. milk
4 T margarine
1 1/2 stacks Ritz crackers
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
Sautee sliced summer squash and onion in 1 T. olive oil until tender.
(Hint: Slice squash at least 1/2″ thick…they cook down a lot.)
Mix egg, 1 cup of cheese, milk, melted margarine, salt, pepper, and 1 stack of crushed Ritz in a bowl.
Spread this mixture in the bottom of an 8x8 casserole dish.
Drain squash and onions, and gently place on top of “crust.”
Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of cheese and 1/2 stack of crushed Ritz.
Bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes until casserole is bubbly and Ritz on top are golden brown.
*As pictured, recipe is doubled and in a 11x15 dish.

Strawberry Cake

1 white cake mix
1 (3-oz.) package strawberry Jell-O
3 T. flour
1/3 c. vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 (10-oz.) package sweetened strawberries, thawed (drain and reserve ½ cup of syrup for frosting)
½ c. cold water
½ c. butter
5-6c. confectioner’s sugar
fresh strawberries, optional for decoration
Cake
Mix white cake mix, package of Jell-O, and flour. Beat in oil and eggs. Drain berries and reserve ½ cup of syrup for frosting. Add berries and water to batter and mix well. Divide the batter between two 8” pans lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes and then remove to wire rack to finish cooling.
Frosting
Mix butter and reserved strawberry syrup. Add confectioners sugar gradually and beat until smooth, at least 2 minutes. Decorate with fresh strawberries if desired.

Blueberry Amazingness

(courtesy of Amy Lister)
1-1/2 c. all purpose flour
1 stick butter
1 c. pecans, chopped
2-8oz. pkgs cream cheese
2 c. sugar
12 oz. Cool Whip
2 cans blueberry pie filling (you probably won’t use the whole 2 cans, but 1 isn’t quite enough)

Mix the flour, pecans, and butter (softened) until crumbly and pat into a 9x13 baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes then cool. Cream together cream cheese and sugar (beat hard at least five minutes). Stir in Cool Whip. Pour the mixture over the cooled crust and chill. Just before serving, top with blueberry pie filling. (You can actually put the blueberry pie filling on top right away and just refrigerate the whole thing.)

Very Sweet Sweet Potato Souffle

(courtesy of Pam Jones)

3 c. mashed sweet potatoes
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 c. butter

Topping:
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. chopped nuts
1/3 c. flour
1/4 c. butter, softened

Mix above ingredients until smooth.
Place in souffle dish and sprinkle with topping.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Pineapple Casserole

(courtesy of Paula Dean)
1 cup sugar
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups grated sharp cheddar
2 (20-ounce) cans pineapple chunks, drained, and 6 tablespoons pineapple juice reserved
1 cup cracker crumbs (recommended: Ritz)
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted, plus extra for greasing pan
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease a medium-size casserole dish with butter.
In a large bowl, stir together the sugar and flour. Gradually stir in the cheese. Add the drained pineapple chunks, and stir until ingredients are well combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish.
In another medium bowl, combine the cracker crumbs, melted butter, and reserved pineapple juice, stirring with a rubber spatula until evenly blended. Spread crumb mixture on top of pineapple mixture. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Spinach Casserole

one 10 oz package of chopped spinach, drained.
one can of cream of mushroom
one stick of butter
one cup of stuffing mix (or bread crumbs)
one and a half cups of grated sharp cheddar cheese
one half of an onion, chopped and sauteed.
Mix the spinach and onions.
In a separate bowl, mix the melted butter and stuffing crumbs so that the crumbs are saturated. Spoon this into the spinach and onions mixture.
Mix in the cream of mushroom and grated cheese. Spread into a casserole dish and top with more stuffing crumbs.
Heat at 325 degrees until top is browned.

Fudge Brownies

(from the Better Home and Gardens Cook Book)

1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2 1-ounce squares unsweetened
chocolate, melted and cooled
3/4 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped nuts

In medium saucepan melt butter and chocolate.
Remove from heat; stir in sugar.
Blend in eggs one at a time.
Add vanilla.
Stir in flour and nuts, mix well.
Spread in greased 8x8x2 pan.
Bake 350 for 30 minutes
(Be careful not to over bake)
Cool
Cut into squares.

Pumpkin Bread

3 c. plain flour
2 c. sugar
1 T. cinnamon
1 t. allspice
1 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
1 c. oil
2 eggs
3 t. vanilla
1 can cooked pumpkin (15oz.)
1 c. pecans (optional)
1 c. raisins (optional)

Mix all dry ingredients.
Gradually add wet ingredients.
Bake at 350 in a well-greased pan for 45 minutes.
(or, I made 4 shallow mini-loaves + 12 muffins…
and drizzled them with thin cream cheese icing.)
Pair with Apple Muffins for a plate full of fall amazingness!

Banana Bread

1 stick butter, softened
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 bananas, mashed
1/2 c. pecans, chopped
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. sour cream
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Mix together all ingredients. Pour into two greased and floured loaf pans. Bake at 350 for approximately 1 hour. (Check w/ toothpick for doneness starting at 45 minutes.)

Apple Muffins

3 cups peeled, finely chopped apples
2 cups sugar
1 cup oil
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped, toasted pecans
Combine sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl. Add flour, cinnamon, soda, and salt, and stir until just blended. Stir in apples and pecans. (Batter will be stiff.) Spoon into foil or paper muffin cups. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Delicious with Caramel Icing.

Caramel Icing

1 stick butter
1/2 box brown sugar
Boil for 2 minutes.
Remove from heat.
Add 1/4 cup evaporated milk.
Return to boil.
Add:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Mix well.
Excellent when you add 1 cup toasted chopped pecans and 1 cup toasted coconut.
Pour over this cake. Or, omit the coconut and pour over these.

English Apple Pie

The best part of Thanksgiving at Gran’s was the dessert collection. I couldn’t ever decide, so I had small pieces of English Apple Pie, this, and this. Bliss, I tell you.

English Apple Pie

4 large apples (I use half Granny Smith, half Fuji.)
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

Butter a baking dish. Peel and thinly slice apples, place in dish. Mix sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over apples.

Cover with crust:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup self-rise flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
3 T. water
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Cream butter and sugar. Add other ingredients. Mix and spread over apples.
Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees.

Delicious served warm with high-quality vanilla ice cream.

Pancakes from Scratch

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 1/4 cups milk
1 egg
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg, vanilla, and melted butter; mix until smooth. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

These are also delicious when you add fresh blueberries and chopped toasted pecans into the batter…that’s my favorite way to eat them!

Perfect Pecan Pie

2 T. butter, softened
½ cup sugar
3 eggs
1 T. flour
1 tsp. vanilla
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup white Karo syrup
1 cup roughly chopped pecans
1 deep-dish frozen pie shell

Cream butter and sugar.
Add beaten eggs, flour, vanilla, and salt. Mix well.
Stir in karo syrup.
Place pecans in the bottom of the frozen pie shell, and pour liquid mixture over them.

Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 45-50 minutes, covering with foil after 30 minutes to prevent scorching. Pie will puff up and sink back down. Is done when center appears slightly set (which should be an internal temperature of approximately 200 degrees.)

Chicken Pot Pie

This is amazing.
Chicken Pot Pie
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (cooked)
(I cook them all day on low in a crock pot with 1 can cream of chicken soup, but you could just boil the chicken if you wanted to.)
1 small can peas & carrots
1 small can cut green beans
1/2 can Del Monte Summer Crisp Corn
1 can diced potatoes
½ chopped sweet onion
2 T. butter + 1 T. butter
2 T. all purpose flour
pepper to taste
About ¾ cup Chicken Broth
1 can Cream of Chicken soup

Mix chicken and (drained) canned vegetables in 2 quart casserole dish. Sautee onions in 2 T. butter until translucent. Add remaining 1 T. of butter. When that butter is melted, stir in 2 T. flour. When flour has cooked in a little, slowly stir in broth, making a roux. Stir and cook until thick. Add soup and pepper, stir until smooth. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Pour over chicken and vegetables; mix well. Set aside; make crust.

Crust:
1 cup self-rising flour
5 tbsp butter
milk - about 1/3 cup

Cut butter into flour. Add milk a little at a time until dough leaves sides of bowl. Cover dough with a little flour and place on waxed paper. Roll out about 1/4 inch thick on floured waxed paper. Move crust to pie, sealing edges. Cut crust to fit and use the extra pieces to seal edges to dish. Cut slits for steam, brush with milk. Bake at 350 until crust is brown and pie is bubbly, about 40 minutes.

Millionaires & Reese's Cups

I love making candy. Here are two of my favorite recipes.
Millionaires
Chocolate Millionaires – makes 75 - 80
1 ½ bags of Kraft caramels - 14 oz bags (21 oz caramels total)
1 can Eagle brand condensed milk
3 cups pecan halves
Use a double boiler to melt caramels and milk. Add nuts. Stir often over boiling water to melt. Drop by teaspoons onto BUTTERED cookie sheets – NEVER onto waxed paper or foil! Try to put two pecan halves in each spoonful. FREEZE. Drop frozen candies into melted chocolate one at a time. Work quickly or the caramel will melt into the chocolate. Let dry on waxed paper – not buttered. Touch up with chocolate it caramel comes through.
One thing to remember about all candy-making is that quality of ingredients is extremely important. Buy name-brand products. Look for the freshest, largest pecans you can find. (We order mammoth pecans from here.) Also, you can use chocolate melts from the store (Wilton)…the “wafer” chocolate pieces are already tempered. However, this year we ordered Guittard Chocolates online, because they carry a chocolate line for dipping that doesn’t contain hydrogenated oils. They’re absolutely delicious!
Also, NEVER sit chocolate on top of actively boiling water. It will ruin. To melt chocolates using a double boiler: Boil water in the bottom pan. Set the pan off on a different unit. Then set the top pan, containing the chocolate, on top of the pan of hot water. Within minutes the chocolate will melt and you can stir it smooth.

the finished product.

cracked open…

center view.

Reese’s Cups
Peanut Butter Cups – makes 80 - 100
¾ cup peanut butter
1 ½ tsp vanilla
1 stick butter
Cream above ingredients. Add 1 lb powdered sugar gradually. It may not take the whole pound. Mixture will be very dry but you need to be able to mold it into the flat circle centers.
Place ½ tsp melted chocolate in paper liners in small muffin pan, then peanut butter shape. Cover with more chocolate. Gently shake the pan and add more chocolate to completely cover the peanut butter filling. Tap pan on counter to remove all air bubbles. Candy is ready when chocolate hardens. Speed up the process in the freezer or refrigerator for a few minutes.
peanut butter amazingness.

Vegetable Steak Soup

1 eye of round roast
5 cans of Swanson’s Beef Broth
Steakhouse Seasoning (preferably in a grinder)
2 T butter
5 T flour
dash of black pepper, to taste
seasoned salt, to taste
1 can green beans (”VeggiGreen” at Publix are the prettiest.)
1 can Del Monte Summer Crisp corn
1 can diced potatoes
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1 small can of carrots, sliced or whole baby
1 small can of lima beans
And a handful of frozen okra (optional)

In the morning: Place roast in a crock pot. Pour one can of beef broth over roast. Dust the edges of the roast with steakhouse seasoning. Cook for about 10 hours on low.

Melt butter in a large stock pot. Stir flour into butter, and “cook” flour until it starts to lightly brown. (Making a roux.) Slowly add first can of beef broth, a little at a time, constantly stirring with a whisk. This should form a gravy-like liquid. Continue to add 2 additional cans of broth, very slowly, allowing the mixture to boil and thicken between additions. You want this “base” to be as thick as possible. Add seasoned salt and black pepper at this time. Once you have a big pot of gravy, add the entire can of petite diced tomatoes and stir. Drain all of the other vegetables, and add to soup. Remove roast from crock pot, trim all fat, and chop entire roast into bite-sized pieces. (If you slice it against the grain, it will crumble into pieces without you having to do much.) Place beef into soup. Add one more can of beef broth, stir well, and allow to heat throughout. Best served with cornbread, and serves approximately 8.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

1 medium sweet onion, finely chopped
1 c. baby carrots, finely chopped
3 cans chicken broth
2 cups water
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
¼ t. black pepper
2 T. margarine
3 T. flour
1 can cream of mushroom
1 can cream of chicken
1 8-ounce pkg. Velveeta Cheese
1 pkg. Mahatma Wild Rice
1 box. Uncle Ben’s original Wild Rice (not the 5 minute kind)

Cook the 4 chicken breasts with the can of cream of mushroom in a crock pot on Low for 8 hours. Remove chicken from crock pot and chop into small pieces. Set aside. Cook Mahatma rice as directed and set aside, and cook Uncle Bens according to package except only use half of flavoring packet. Set aside.

In a large pot, sauté 1 T. of margarine with chopped carrots and onion on low heat until onions are translucent and carrots are slightly tender. Move carrots and onions to the sides and add 1 T of margarine and 3 T. flour in the center of the pot. Mix flour into margarine, making a rue. Add 1 can of chicken broth very, very slowly…about a half-cup at a time, letting it simmer and thicken in between adding. This is very similar to making gravy. Stir continuously to prevent scorching and keep the texture smooth. Add the can of cream of chicken and the Velveeta, cut up into cubes, and stir until everything is melted together. Slowly add 2 more cans of chicken broth, and let mixture simmer for a few minutes. Drain rice and add to the soup mixture. Also stir in ¼ tsp. of black pepper and the cooked, chopped chicken. Soup will be fairly thick – add 2 cups of water to thin, and stir. Cook on low until heated throughout and serve.
Makes about 8 servings.

Optional additions:
steamed broccoli florets or sautéed portabella mushrooms

Potato Cheese Soup

1 small onion, chopped
2 tbsp. melted butter
6 medium potatoes, cubed
1 cup baby carrots, sliced
1 cups water
3 cans Swanson’s chicken broth
dash of garlic powder
dash of pepper
2 cups of milk
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Sautee onion in butter until tender. Add next 6 ingredients; cover and simmer about 20 minutes until vegetables are tender. Remove from heat and mash vegetables with potato masher. Add milk and cheese; cook, stirring constantly until cheese is melted. Keep temperature low as cheese will scorch.
Sprinkle top with shredded cheese and crumbled bacon when serving, if desired.

Optional: Sometimes I cut 3 additional medium potatoes, steak-fry style, and boil them in chicken broth with a pinch of salt until just-tender. Then I drain them and stir into the soup at the very end, creating a more textured soup. Steamed broccoli florets are also a nice addition.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2/3 cup shortening
2/3 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup tightly-packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans or M&Ms (optional)
8-12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
8-12 oz. ghiradelli milk chocolate chips (adjust chip amounts based on preference.)

CREAM shortening, butter, brown sugar, white sugar, eggs and vanilla. Stir in remaining ingredients. Drop by rounded teaspoon, two inches apart, on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes, or until light brown. Cool slightly before removing from sheet.

YIELD: about 6 dozen

Perfect Sugar Cookies

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
½ zest of one lemon (or 1 T lemon juice)
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs, lemon juice, and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight). Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets covered in parchment paper.
Bake approximately 5-6 minutes in preheated oven. Do not overcook! Cool completely.

Chewy Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Special Dark Baking Cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup Toll House Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1 cup Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate Chips (silver bag)
1 Ghirardelli White Chocolate Baking Bar, cut into small chunks

Directions:
PREHEAT oven to 325° F.

COMBINE flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in all chocolate morsels/chunks. Drop by well-rounded teaspoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE for 11 to 13 minutes or until cookies are puffed and centers are set. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes about 3 dozen.

Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie Bars

*CRUST*

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup packed brown sugar

*FILLING*
3 large eggs
3/4 cup corn syrup
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (11.5 ounce) package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
1. CRUST - Beat flour, butter and brown sugar in small mixer bowl until crumbly. Press into prepared baking pan. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned.
2. FILLING - Beat eggs, corn syrup, granulated sugar, butter and vanilla extract in medium bowl with wire whisk. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Pour evenly over baked crust. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until set. Cool in pan on wire rack.

Praline Breakfast Bread

When I was little, I thought this was SO cool. Okay, maybe I still do. It starts like this:

But in the morning, it looks like this:

Then you bake it:

Wait 10 minutes...

And flip it over on a platter.

Amazingness.

This is important:

No cheating. No off brands. And it must be cook & serve; instant doesn't work.

Go ahead; make your Christmas guests think you own a bakery!

Praline Breakfast Bread
1 pkg frozen yeast rolls
(little round circles…they have to rise…not the parbaked kind in the foil trays.)
1 small box butterscotch pudding mix
(Jello brand…sometimes hard to find; try Kroger or Walmart)
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Grease a bundt pan. Place frozen rolls in a circle in the pan, and sprinkle with dry pudding mix. In a glass bowl, melt butter in the microwave, and stir in remaining ingredients. Pour over rolls. Cover, let stand at room temperature overnight. The next morning, bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Let stand 10-15 minutes and then invert onto a platter. Serves about 8.

Hint: Put some foil on the bottom rack of your oven. Sometimes this bubbles over the edge of the pan, and you don’t want to clean burned, caramelized sugar out of your oven!

Nick's Favorite Chocolate Cake

Nick used to always talk about his friend’s grandmother’s rockstar chocolate cake making abilities, so one day I got the nerve to call her and gank the recipe. Now I understand; he was right! This recipe is amazing…people love it. It’s very rich. I usually use the chocolate icing throughout, but in this picture I used yellow buttercream between the layers to create a bumble bee effect.

Cake
2c. sugar
1c. butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 tsp. almond extract
2 eggs
2 1/2 c. cake flour
1 c. special dark baking cocoa
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/4 c. buttermilk

Beat sugar, butter, vanilla, and almond extract until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time.
In another bowl blend cake flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.
Alternate pouring flour mixture and buttermilk into sugar mixture, starting with flour and ending with flour.
Blend for 1 minute.
Pour into three greased & floured 9″ cake pans.
Bake 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees.
Cool completely before icing.
(Freeze layers for a few minutes if you’re going to slice them to make six thin layers, as seen in the picture…and to make six layers instead of three you’ll need more than one batch of icing.)

Icing
Cream the following ingredients:
6 c. powdered sugar
2 sticks of butter, softened
4-6 T. plain milk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
Once that’s creamed, slowly add:
1/2 c. special dark baking cocoa
1/4 c. regular hershey’s baking cocoa
(cocoa is difficult to blend in… it’s almost like it resists the icing. add slowly and be patient and it will work.)

*sometimes i add extra milk to make it easier to spread. the consistency should be spreadable like a thick frosting; you don’t want it to be crumbly or or so fudge-like you can’t spread it.
i usually cover the entire outside of this cake in mini-chocolate chips, as seen in the picture.

Homemade Ice Cream (no eggs)

i’m anti-raw eggs, so here’s a great ice cream recipe that excludes them:

1 can evaporated milk
1 can condensed milk
1 cup sugar
1/2 pt. whipping cream OR small cool whip
2 quarts milk
2 tsp. vanilla
8oz. chocolate syrup

Mix well, churn in electric ice cream maker.

*if you prefer vanilla, omit the chocolate syrup and use 4 T. of vanilla instead of 2 tsp.

Peach Ice Cream

another favorite…

1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 & 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
8 ripe peaches, peeled cubed
2 cups sugar (1 on peaches*, 1 in mix)
1/2 pint whipping cream
1 can evaporated milk
1 can condensed milk
Whole milk as needed to fill

*allow cubed peaches to marinate in 1 cup of sugar for 2 hours before making ice cream. they’ll become quite syrupy…pour off the syrup before you put the peaches in your ice cream mix or you’ll get unwanted icyness.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

1 cup Vegetable Oil
1 small box Instant Chocolate Pudding
4 Eggs
1 tbsp. Vanilla
1/4 cup Water
1 box Butter Yellow Cake Mix
8 oz. Sour Cream
6 oz. Chocolate Chips
Powdered Sugar

Mix all ingredients and pour into greased & floured bundt pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour or until clean toothpick. Cool for 10 minutes & turn out of pan. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with Cool Whip and fresh berries. (optional)