Sunflower Peep Cake

I have never been very good at baking cakes but this one is so easy and the frosting is unbelievable!  This is a sweet recipe for Easter sure to put a smile on the faces of your families.  You could easily use any color peeps to make a different "flower". 

Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

 

2 cups flour

1/2 cup cocoa

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1 cup carbonated beverage (Coke, Sprite, 7 UP)

1 teaspoon vanilla

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup cocoa

pinch of salt

4 cups powdered sugar

Garnish

Yellow Peeps Chicks (enough to go around the top edge of your cake (I used 3 sleeves)

6 oz. chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt together.  Cream sugar, mayonnaise, carbonated beverage (I used Coke),  and vanilla.   Add the dry ingredients to the wet.  Stir until well blended.   Prepare two round 8" or 9" pans by spraying them with nonstick baking spray with flour in it or greasing and flouring them.  You can also ensure the cake will turn out by cutting two rounds of parchment or wax paper and placing in the bottom of your pans.  Spray paper and all with nonstick spray.  I used 9" pans.

 

Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Remove and let cool for about 15 to 20 minutes before turning them out of the pan.  

Prepare the cream cheese frosting while the cakes cool completely.  Beat cream cheese and butter together until light and fluffy.  Add the salt, cocoa, and vanilla and blend together.  Gradually add in the confectioner's sugar.  When your cakes have cooled, place them on your cake plate and frost.  Press the Peeps around the edge of the cake while the frosting is fresh and still soft.  Then sprinkle the chocolate chip in the middle for the sunflower seeds.  

Original recipe came from http://sweetteaandcornbread.blogspot.com/search/label/chocolate

Zuppa Toscana

• 1 lb. Italian Sausage – ground
• 1 onion, chopped
• ½ tsp. minced garlic
• ½ tsp. red pepper flakes
• 2 Russett potatoes – chop into very small pieces
• 2 cups chopped kale
• ¼ cup chopped bacon
• 16 oz. chicken broth
• 1 quart water
• 1¼ cups heavy whipping cream

Brown your Italian sausage in a pan. Drain and set aside.  Put chicken broth and water into pot.  Saute onions, potatoes, and garlic for a few minutes.  Add onion mixture into broth/water mixture.Cook on medium heat until potatoes are done. (15-20 minutes)  Add sausage and bacon and simmer for another 10 minutes.  Turn to low heat.  Add kale and cream.  Heat through and serve. Salt and pepper to taste. 

This is one of my absolute favorite soups.  You may know it from Olive Garden and this tastes exactly like Olive Garden's.  It is soooooooo good. Enjoy!

Cherry Delight

• • 1 cup whip cream
  • 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened 
  • 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
  • 1 (21 ounce) can cherry pie filling
  • Graham cracker pie shell

In a mixing bowl, whip together cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until smooth and fluffy. Fold whip cream into cream cheese mixture and spoon in graham cracker pie shell.  Spread pie filling over top and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

This simple dessert gives you a lot of bang for your buck.  Its rich creaminess works well with the tartness of  the cherries.  I had a request for this recipe last weekend, so I made two.  One went to a friends house and the other was devoured by my family.  Everyone got one serving and my husband was going to finish the dessert off.  Little did he know Jack our boxer/sheltie beat him to it.  Who knew puppies like cherry delight.  Jack is like Houdini when it comes to getting his paws on food in the kitchen.  He is stealth and stays low until the opportune time comes along, then he attacks.  Usually quick enough to not get caught.  He was caught this time though red-handed or should I say red-faced, the cherries gave him away!

Congo bars

My mother-in-law made a lot of wonderful desserts, she has passed away but I am lucky enough to have many of her hand written recipes.  Making her recipes bring back good memories for my whole family.  Tonight I made Congo bars, a family favorite.  They are ridiculously rich and so not good for you but isn't that the point of a dessert.  I hope your family enjoys these as much as mine do.

2/3 cup butter
1lb box of brown sugar
2 2/3 cup flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips

Melt butter with brown sugar in a pan over medium heat,  When completely melted remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, sift flour, baking powder and salt.  Add three eggs to the cooled sugar mixture, mix well.  Then add sugar mixture to flour mixture, batter will be thick.  Add chocolate and butterscotch chips.  Grease a 9x13 pan, pour mixture in the pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Apple Crisp

4 medium granny smith apples, sliced (4 cups)

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup Gold all-purpose flour

1/2 cup quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats

1/3 cup butter, softened

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Vanilla ice cream, if desired

Heat oven to 375ºF. Grease bottom and sides of 8-inch square pan with butter.  Spread apples in pan. In medium bowl, stir remaining ingredients until well mixed (except ice cream); sprinkle over apples.  Bake about 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown and apples are tender when pierced with a fork. Serve warm with ice cream.

All I can say is yummy!

Chicken Pot Pie

                                                              

1 bag small yellow potatoes, quartered

1 bag of carrots

1 rotisserie chicken, meat removed and cubed

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 cup Bisquick

1/2 cup milk

1 egg, beaten

salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Boil carrots and potatoes until done, drain.  Mix vegetables, chicken and soup, salt and pepper in a glass pie plate. In a separate bowl, mix the Bisquick, milk and egg. Pour batter on vegetable mixture. Bake for 30 minutes or golden brown.

I know everyone has a favorite chicken pot pie recipe and this is mine.  You can also add vegetables to this if you want.  I have to say I don't like canned vegetables for this recipe but if you are in a pinch they will work.  I like to use the rotisserie chicken because it saves so much time, but you could bake a couple of chicken breasts ahead of time too.
I served this with cooked cabbage, I love cabbage!  It is easy too I used a tablespoon of butter, 2 cloves of garlic minced, and a head of cabbage shredded.  Put the butter and garlic in a skillet for about 1 minute.  Then add the cabbage, stir occasionally on medium heat until wilted.  You could also cook this with bacon if you wanted.  Enjoy!

Graham crackers and icing

2 Cups Powdered Sugar
3 Tbsp. Milk
1/4 Stick Butter

To make the icing. Mix with a hand mixer the powdered sugar, milk and butter together until a relatively thick consistency is formed. If the icing is too thick, add a little bit more milk. If the icing is too thin, add more powdered sugar. Color your icing. Use food color to make your icing whatever color you want.

My son had ISTEP today and I wanted to make an easy snack for his class.  I'm not sure why I remembered this but when I was in fifth grade my Mom made graham crackers with green icing for my class on St. Patrick's Day.  All of the kids loved them and I was so proud that it was this snack that the kids always asked for after that.  It is amazing that something so simple can leave such a lasting memory.  I guess it taught me to never underestimate something you do for your child.  My Mom probably thought she was making a quick snack and yet I still remember those green iced graham crackers.  Enjoy!

Italian Meatballs

1 lb lean ground beef
1 lb ground pork
3/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
1 egg
1/2 cup shredded Italian cheese (Sargento)
1 medium onion (finely chopped)
2 garlic cloves (finely chopped)

1/4 cup white button mushrooms (finely chopped)
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried basil
extra virgin olive oil (for frying)
salt

garlic pepper

Mix all meatball ingredients together (by hand is the best way to make sure everything is combined). Shape meatballs to desired size.  Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Place meatballs into skillet and continue turning the meatballs until they are brown on all sides. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Take meatballs out of the skillet and place on paper towels.  Then place on a greased cookie sheet (I like to use aluminum foil for easy clean up.  Bake for 15 minutes until done.  When they are done I usually put them in a crockpot with marinara sauce on low until ready to serve.  You can use your own sauce or I really like Barilla Traditional sauce http://www.barilla.com/content/product/traditional-sauce.  Serve over spaghetti or linguine. Enjoy!

My son really wanted meatloaf this weekend and I had an Italian meatloaf recipe that I was really wanting to try out, so how did I end up with meatballs?  Well I made the meatloaf and meatballs out of the same recipe.  The only difference is that you pat the meatloaf out into a rectangle on a cookie sheet, making sure it is even.  Then you cover the top with marinara sauce and parmesan cheese.   Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  I had a meeting tonight so it was easier to bring meatballs and I left the family with the meatloaf.  Everybody seemed happy with the result.