Hands Down BEST chocolate cake recipe

Hands Down Best Chocolate Cake

(found at: lifeloveandsugar.com)

                      2 c. flour  
                  2 c. sugar

                  ¾ c. Hershey’s Cocoa powder  
                  2 tsp baking soda

                  1 tsp salt   
                  2 large eggs

                  1 c. buttermilk                                  
                  1 c.  olive oil

                  1 ½ tsp vanilla
                 1 c. boiling water

1.     Preheat oven to 300

2.     Prepare buttermilk (I use 1 c. skim milk with 1 TB lemon juice let sit 5 minutes)

3.     Prepare 3 (8 inch) round cake pans by using circled parchment paper and grease sides of pan with cooking spray  or grease and flour the pans. It also makes 36 cupcakes.

4.     Add all dry ingredients to bowl and mix

5.     Add boiling water, milk, eggs, oil to dry ingredients mixing well. Add vanilla

6.     For Cake cook 30-33 minutes. For cupcakes cook 15-20 minutes

Ruth's Chocolate Buttercream Cream Cheese Frosting

1 c. (2 sticks) butter

1  cube cream cheese

2 1/2 tsp vanilla

1/3 c. milk (or heavy cream)

5-6 cups powdered sugar

1/3 c. cocoa (optional) if you want chocolate frosting

Soften butter, cream with cream cheese

Add 3 cups powdered sugar and a little bit of the milk until it all comes together

Add the cocoa and a little more milk

Then add more powdered sugar and  milk until you have the consistency you like for your frosting.

You may or may not use all the milk or all of the powdered sugar. This is just an idea (I ALWAYS eyeball my frosting. The times I have followed them exactly it turns graining or dry or wet or whatever. So I do my own thing. LOL

Waffles

(Kelly West recipe)

1 3/4 c. flour

1 TB baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 3/4 c. milk

1/2 c. oil

Zuppa Toscana

Zuppa Toscana 

(Olive Garden - knock off)

crock pot style

 1 lb. Italian sausage

 2 large russet baking potatoes , sliced in half, and then in 1/4 inch slices 

1 large onion , chopped 

1/4 c. real bacon pieces (optional)

2-4 garlic cloves , minced 

2 c. kale, chopped

3 -16 oz. cans chicken broth 

1 can water

1 c. heavy whipping cream

I boil the sausage until not quite done and then I slice and cut again quartering them) 

I then lightly fry them up with the onions and garlic and throw it all in the crock pot

Add the broth and water, potatoes, and bacon pieces and let cook on high 4 hours or low 6 hours. 

30 minutes before eating add heavy whipping cream and chopped kale

Let simmer 30 minutes and serve.

*I have also done this on the stove top. When I do I still brown the sausage, onion and garlic in the pot I plan to use. Then I add the broth and water, bacon pieces and potatoes and cook until potatoes are almost done. Then add cream and kale and cook until potatoes are soft. Serve

Bread

So I have tried several bread recipes. They were not always the "best" I would use recipes that others had used and I had tasted their bread but they would never turn out. I think I am finally getting the trick of this now. My first recipe is a White Pan Bread my mother in law gave me. I have tweaked it a little bit but not much.

White Pan Bread

(makes 2 large loaves and 1 small loaf or 4 small loaves)

8 1/2 c. all purpose white flour
3 1/2 c. warm water
4 1/2 tsp dry active yeast
4 tsp salt
6 TB sugar
4 tsp milk solids (I use non - fat dry powdered milk)
4 TB melted butter

1. Activate the yeast in 3 1/2 c. warm water with 1 TB of sugar. (mix lightly) and let sit for 5 minutes
2. Mix about 5 c. flour with remaining sugar, salt, butter & milk solids.
3. Add yeast mixture and mix until combined.
4. Gradually add 1/2 c. flour until you have a soft dough and it pulls away from the sides of the mixer (Bosch or Kitchen aide)
5. Once combined let knead in machine for 10 minutes on medium-low.
6. Cover with warm damp cloth and let rise until double (about 1 - 1 1/2 hour) in a warm location (I usually put my oven on the lowest temperature possible and let rise on top.
7. After the first rise. Punch dough down. Divide evenly among 2 large loaf pans or 4 small. Shape into loaves and place in greased pan. (I use Pam) I also really LOVE using parchment paper instead of Pam or oil.
8. Increase oven temperature to 400. Let loaves rise until double again (1 - 1 1/2 hours) in warm placed covered with warm damp cloth (usually at this point, I move them to the counter next to the stove)
9. After the second rise. Cook in the oven on 400 degrees for 20 minutes.
10. For a softer top crust, butter the top of the bread straight of the oven.
11. Remove from pans and place on cooling rack.

Wheat bread!!! This is the toughest kind of bread to find a good recipe for. I have looked and looked and looked and looked for a great one but have NEVER been able to find one. EVER! UNTIL NOW!!!!
I found this recipe on Pinterest by SixSisterStuff. I have heard rave reviews about this blog and the great recipes. But as I looked at the recipe, first of all it called for a SAF yeast which is self rising and doesn't require activating it. Well to be honest I am not about to go out and try to find that particular type of yeast. I have always used dry active yeast. It also calls for oil. I think oil has been one of my problems with bread making so I use butter. Then I decided to just add not fat dry milk solids because I have heard it is an enhancer. And ALL of the whole wheat bread recipes I have tried have all been SO VERY HEAVY.  I wanted a lighter bread that you can eat with a sandwich and not feel like you are choking it down or weighing yourself down just with the bread alone. Then on top of that it said to cook it at 350 for 30-40 minutes. That seems so long. And I have done that in the past only to get them crispy on the sides so I decided to use the same time frame and temp as my white bread. So I thought I keep messing up bread so why not give it a shot. AND. I. DID! Except I didn't expect it to work. But it DID!!!! (at least to my liking) the only other wheat recipes I have tried that I liked, they halved the flour and did white and wheat. I wanted a full on WHEAT recipe and so this is what I did and this is what I got. Personally I think it is DELICIOUS! So do my kids and so does my husband. So have at it. When I find/create a good recipe I share it! So here it is.

Believe it or not. It doesn't "look" wheat on the outside like the other breads I have made. But when you slice into it. I find perfection! And not dry and heavy like the other recipes I have made. YAY!

100% Whole Wheat Bread

(my own adaptation to a recipe by Six Sisters Stuff)

makes 5 large loaves or 8 small loaves

*warning...this makes ALOT of bread. If you do not own a Bosch mixer or something similar, you will want to half the recipe because your Kitchen aide or Sunbeam won't hold that much flour. My Bosch barely did. 

6 c. warm water

2/3 c. melted butter

2/3 c. honey ( I have actually made a recipe similar to this but not as good that suggested molasses instead of honey or in combination with honey 1/3. c. molasses and 1/3 c. honey) I LOVED the flavor of that bread I used molasses in. So next time I will try putting a 1/3 c. molasses in the next batch and see how it turns out)

2 TB dry active yeast

2 TB salt

14-18 c. whole wheat flour (I grind my own) but you can use store bought

2 1/2 TB non fat dry milk solids (powdered milk)

1. Activate yeast by putting yeast in 6 c. warm water. (I only have 4 c. measuring cups) so I divided 3 c. in each 4 c. measuring c.) activate with 2 TB sugar. (mix lightly) and let rest 5 minutes

2. Meanwhile, add 8 c. flour to Bosch with salt, honey, melted butter, and dry milk solids. Then add the yeast mixture to the Bosch and mix until well blended. Slowly add 1/2 c. flour at a time until it pulls away from the sides and cleans the sides of the bowl. After it is combined well. Knead for ten minutes in the mixer.

3. After 10 minutes. Remove and place in a greased (I use Pam) bowl and cover with a warm damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until double (about 1 - 1 1/2 hours) I usually put my oven on the lowest setting and let it rise on top of the stove.

4. When double. I remove the dough and divide evenly. (makes 5 large loaves) or possibly 8 small loaves). Shape into loaves and place in greased loaf pan (or use parchment paper...I prefer this as it doesn't brown as much on the sides and it is easier to remove from the pan). But I have also used Pam.  Let rise again a second time in loaf pans covered with a damp cloth and raise oven temperature to 400 degrees. I usually let the loaves rise next to the stove after turning up the temp. Don't let them raise on the stove at that temp or the dough will get "dry". The second rise takes 1 - 1 1/2 hours. 

5. Once risen double. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes.

6. Remove and butter top of bread for a softer crust and remove from pans to cooling rack. 

Cheesy Broccoli Potato soup

Cheesy Broccoli Potato Soup

4 Russet Potatoes peeled and diced
1  broccoli crown cut into small pieces
1/4 of an orange pepper,  minced
1/4 of a yellow pepper, minced
4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1/4 of a red onion, minced
1 cup whole milk
5 cups skim milk, 1 cup reserved
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup fat free sour cream
1 cup Colby jack cheese
1/2 cup Pepper jack cheese
1 TB butter
2 TB real Hormel bacon pieces (or you could bake your own)
salt
pepper
chives
chopped fresh parsley

Peel and cut potatoes and boil them in a pot of water just until soft. Add Broccoli in about 5 minutes into the boil. It will take potatoes about 10 minutes to boil. Once both potatoes are firm soft and broccoli as well. Empty into a colander. Using the same pan melt the butter in the pan and then add the peppers, garlic, and onion and saute for 1 minute then add 1 cup whole milk and 4 cups skim milk to the pan. Stir frequently as to not scorch the milk to badly. While milk is heat taking 1 cup cold skim milk and mix with a whisk the milk and flour and a 2 cup measuring cup. The consistency shouldn't be too thick but like a bit thicker than a heavy cream. Slowly add it in whisking it into the warm milk. Continue to whisk about 2-3 minutes and add the sour cream until combined. Slowly add cheese about 1/2 cup at a time until melted and you now have a creamy cheese sauce. Add the potatoes and broccoli and hormel bacon and salt and pepper to taste. Serve with dry/fresh chives or fresh green onions chopped and fresh parsley.

What I would do differently next time...for me it didn't have enough garlic I would up my garlic to 6 cloves. But I LOVE garlic! And probably a half of red onion. I LOVE red onion. I would also switch the measurements for Colby Jack to 1/2 cup and 1 cup for Pepper Jack. I like the extra "kick" but...I toned it down because I thought my kids would eat it but they wouldn't....so I think next time I might add some actual ham to it (with the bacon too) I just love "pig" LOL. I also used dried chives and fresh parsley next time I think I would prefer freshly chopped chives or green onion.

The next recipe to come will be my Pork Tenderloin recipe! It is SOOOOOO good that even the next door neighbor commented on the rich smell that Sunday...

Beef and a Leaf

This is actually an adaption to a Weight Watchers recipe Beef in a leaf.  We decided it was much easier to just pile up on top instead of trying to put in all in a leaf and rolling it. That and the recipe didn't call for a veggie and we found asparagus was the "perfect" compliment to the dish. So here is my version

Beef steak if you are working with fresh I have discovered that grilling it beforehand is the best but we also use left over grilled steak and just warm it up.  Season the way you like your steak and prepare accordingly. prepare angel hair pasta as defined on package and prepare asparagus to your liking as well. (all simultaneously of course). The recipe for the sauce is as follows you could probably use agave nectar in place of honey or just omit it or possibly use a bit of sugar)

Red Pepper honey balsamic sauce

2 TB honey
2 TB balsamic vinegar
2 TB soy sauce
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Combine and heat slightly (if re-heating left over beef or even if you grill it fresh) you could marinate the meat in this sauce but I would add more after. It is delicious. I often double the sauce recipe because I could eat the meal with just the sauce, pasta and asparagus and forget the beef. LOL. (although I love the beef too) really to me it is the sauce that makes the dish so yummy. Even my kids LOVE this meal! all of them!

Pasta Fagoli

recipe given to me by Janie Parkhurst

The thing I LOVE about this recipe it is so adjustable to your liking. I will post the recipe she gave me and then I will tell you how I personally like mine.

1 lb ground beef, Italian sausage or ground turkey

1 chopped onion

1 stalk celery, chopped

32 oz clamato juice ro V8

26 oz can pureed tomatoes

14 oz can chicken stock 

14 oz water

1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes

1 c. chicken broth

3 level TB chicken soup base

1 lb carrots, chopped

Bunch of asparagus

15 oz can cannelloni beans, kidney beans, garbanzo beans AND black beans

1 tsp each of oregano, basil, and paprika

1-3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 lb cooked pasta of choice

Spinach

1. Brown beef, sausage or turkey with onion, garlic and celery

2. Drain and add remaining ingredients minus the pasta and spinach and let cook and simmer while pasta cooks and until carrots and asparagus are tender/firm

3. Cook pasta according to packaged directions

4. Add pasta to soup or serve together separately (if that makes sense) leaving them separate until serving just because it saves better and noodles don't go squishy for left overs. Add spinach if so desire

I love this recipe. I personally love that it is so versatile. I personally like mine with Italian sausage or even chicken sausage. I also like to add spinach after I have combined my soup with my pasta just so the leaves barely go limp. So yummy. I personally like Cavatappi, Fusilli, Raditore pastas with this soup the most. As you can see I never took a picture of this soup myself so above it has Farfalle. Which is fine too but I like the pastas that are squirlie and have holes to hold the soup flavors. I also like fresh herbs vs. dried although you can use dried. I also like parsley in it. You can also add a variety of your own vegetable choices...squash..zuchinni...fresh green beans...etc...