Choc-a-lot!

Ok, I'll make this short and sweet, because that's exactly what this recipe is. If you love chocolate, you will love this. It is the perfect chocolate cake.

(picture by www.foodess.com)

For once, I didn't alter the recipe. You can find more detailed directions for this recipe at www.foodess.com.

Moist Chocolate Cake

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup hot coffee (or 2 tsp instant coffee in 1 cup boiling water, or simply 1 cup boiling water)

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

2) Grease two 9-inch baking pans and set aside. 

3) In the large bowl of a standing mixer, stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 

4) Add eggs, buttermilk, melted butter and vanilla extract; beat 2 minutes on medium speed. 

5) Stir in hot coffee. 

6) Pour batter evenly between the two pans and bake on middle rack of oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean. 

7) Cool completely on wire racks before frosting. 

Seriously, you've got to make this cake!!  Have a great weekend!

Crock Pot Creations

Happy Labor Day, everyone! I am enjoying the day at home. I got to sleep in, bake a cake, catch up on my DVR'd shows, and I'm about to go walk in this AMAZING 70 degree weather that hit us this morning!

Yesterday, I slaved away in the kitchen. Well, sort of. I've found this blog that has 365 crock pot recipes and I've been spending some time going through the list of recipes, checking out the ingredients, and "pinning" the recipes I like onto my Pinterest board that I've titled "Crock Pot Creations." This has been a lifesaver because I can spend a few hours on Sunday, or 30 min each night of the week, chopping and pouring the ingredients into gallon ziplock bags that I put in the freezer and then dump into the crock pot the next morning. When I get home and I'm exhausted, I don't have to stand on my feet for an hour in the kitchen. I just open the crock pot and enjoy. I still have to do a few dishes afterward....wah wah

When I think Crock Pot/Slow Cooker, I think Fall/Winter dishes. Soups, Stews, etc. BUT...I've found a few recipes to use up my summer vegetables and they were delicious!

*Don't forget to spray your crock pot with cooking spray or put some olive oil on the bottom before layering in your meal!

1) Balsamic Chicken with Spring Vegetables

 (photo from crockpot365.blogspot.com)

4-6 boneless skinless frozen chicken thighs (I used breasts)
1 whole head of garlic
2 zucchinis
2 yellow squash
1 orange bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
1 red onion
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 t Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper

 

1) Salt & pepper your chicken & place in the crock pot/slow cooker (my chicken breasts were frozen). 

2) Wash & cut all vegetables and place in a large mixing  bowl. Toss vegetables in balsamic vinegar & Worcestershire sauce. 

3) Peel the head of garlic, leaving the cloves intact, & toss into the crock pot. 

4)Pour vegetables on top of chicken in the crock pot. 

5) Cook on low 6-8 hours

Serve with whatever grains you'd like. We ate this over brown rice. This had great flavor, but was still a light dish from the lean chicken and the vegetables. My husband loved it, so that must mean it's good!

2) End of Summer Harvest Soup

 (photo from crockpot365.blogspot.com)

4 cups chicken broth (vegetable stock is fine!)
1 cup prepared pasta sauce
1 cup water
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 zucchini, washed well and sliced in 1/4-inch rounds
2 yellow summer squash, washed well and sliced in 1/4-inch rounds
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered (depending on size)
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1/3 cup dry white Cannellini beans (I used 1 can)
1/2 cup pasta (to add 20 minutes before serving)
salt and pepper to taste
garnish with Parmesan and Romano cheeses 

1) Wash squashes well, and slice in rounds. Place into slow cooker, with diced onion and tomato wedges. 

2)Rinse your beans in hot water, and add to cooker (must also rinse/drain if using canned beans).  

3) Add broth, pasta sauce, and water. Stir in Italian seasoning. 

4)Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until beans have reached desired tenderness. 

5) 20 minutes before serving, stir in raw pasta. 

6) Serve with grated Parmesan and Romano cheese.

This dish was also very delicious and the husband approved! He took the leftovers for lunch.

3) Pesto Chicken & Sweet Potatoes

 (photo from crockpot365.blogspot.com)

pesto:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
4 garlic cloves
2 cups fresh basil (I used assorted leafy greens found in my fridge)
2 tablespoons pinenuts, or walnuts, or sunflower seeds
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

4 chicken thighs, or breast halves
sliced mozzarella cheese (I used shredded)
aluminum foil or parchment paper
4 small sweet potatoes, washed well, skin on

1) In a food processor or blender, combine the ingredients for your pesto. When liquidy, taste. If you need to add more citrus or salt or pepper, do so now.

2) In the bottom of a large slow cooker, arrange your chicken pieces. Mine were still frozen. 

3) Layer on the mozzarella cheese. 

4) Pour pesto evenly on top. 

5) Cover with a layer of foil or parchment paper. 

6) Scrub sweet potatoes well, prick with a fork, and lay them on top of the paper or foil. 

7) Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or on high for 4-5. (If your chicken is frozen it will take a bit longer.)

Thanks to Stephanie O'Dea at crockpot365.blogspot.com for taking the 365-day crock pot challenge and providing these wonderful recipes, as well as "the verdict" on how they turned out! I'm so happy to have a go-to list since I'm crunched for time!

Pepperoni Piggies!

You all know what time it is? It's time to CALL. THOSE. HOGS!!!!!!!!

I could not be more excited that Razorback football is 3 days away! And high school football at our house starts in 2 days (Go Badgers!). I mentioned my Interest in Pinterest in a previous post and wanted to share one of the first recipes I made from this amazing website, Pizza Piggies. 

picture from www.cafechocolada.blogspot.com

It was originally posted on a blog called Cafe Chocolada, but the blog is recently open to invited readers only. Hmpphh! Good thing I was able to check out this recipe before viewing access was denied!

First, choose your dough. I used Bisquick Heart Healthy to make my dough because that's what I always use to make pizza dough; HOWEVER, I would not recommend this. 1) it was too bread-y  2) I couldn't roll it out thin enough so it was a little too thick for my taste. So...I would suggest using a refrigerated pizza dough or crescent rolls. Maybe even a pie crust, depending on what you're filling it with.

ROLL the dough out very thin and choose your "cutter". I used a wine goblet. You might want to use a different object to create a larger circle (plastic cup) if you want to place more "filling" in between your layers. Totally up to you!

Cut out a bunch of circles for the faces of the piggies (2 circles per piggie). 

Find a smaller "cutter" and cut out smaller circles to use for the piggies' snouts and also to use for the ears. (1 circle for each snout, 1 circle will make 4 ears) I used a small shooter shot glass for these smaller circles.

You could also use a bottle cap. Anything about this size, really.

Once you have all of your big circles cut out, make sure you have an even number so that you have one circle for the bottom and one circle for the top of each piggie (since you will be sandwiching your filling).

Spread each circle with ~1Tbsp pizza sauce (use your judgement). You don't want too much because then you won't be able to press the two circles together without the sauce spilling out.

Top the sauce on each circle with 1-2 pepperonis. 

Sprinkle the cheese on top of the pepperonis (again, don't overdo it). Too much will spew out once you bake them in the oven!

Top each circle with another large circle.

Press the edges so that they stick together (sort of like making a pie). This can get messy if you put too much filling in them. 

For the snouts, use your smaller circles (1 for each piggie). Take a fork/toothpick and make 2 slits in the middle of each circle for the nostrils. You can leave it at that, or use rosemary sprigs (I used caraway seeds) to make the nostrils more bold. Use egg wash to help the nose/ears stick to the piggies' faces.

For the ears, cut the smaller circles (same size as the circles used for the snouts) into quarters and place on the piggies. I did mine up-side-down, but oh well!

 Brush the faces with egg white. Top with peppercorns for eyes. (Totally edible and tasted great!)

Bake @ 350 degrees for ....ummm, this is horrible, but I can't remember the baking time. And since I don't have access to view this blog anymore, just watch them closely. Should take around 8-15 min.

As you can see, some of the cheese & sauce will spill out as they rise. This is okay. Just wipe it up!

 Dig In! I had to dip mine in more pizza sauce because I LOVE it! It also made mine taste a little better since they were so bread-y from the dough I chose to use.

Aren't they so cute! I will say it takes a little time to prepare them, but the options for fillings/seasonings are endless! These will be making it to the tailgate for sure! Feel free to comment if you have any questions or if you end up trying them. I'd love to hear how they turn out for you!!

Buffalo Blue Grilled Cheese

I know I mentioned at the end of my last post that I would share my Pepperonie Piggies recipe next, but I had these amazing sandwiches after church the other day and I just HAD to share the recipe. 

Raise your hand if you love buffalo wing sauce? (meeeeeeeeeeeee). I love anything that's vinegar-y and tangy. Everytime I go out to eat (rare occasion) or look up a recipe I'm drawn to the word buffalo because of my obsession with the kick and flavor it gives. I was "pinning" recipes on Pinterest (you can read about Pinterest HERE) and came across the most brilliant grilled cheese sandwich I've ever laid eyes on. 

The original recipe came from the blog, Grilled Cheese Social. It has a lot of ingredients and I wanted to simplify, as well as alter it to my preference and things I had on hand. You can always expect me to alter the recipe!  

*NOTE: this is by no means a "healthy" recipe, nor did I do much "healthifying" of the ingredients list.  

Is your mouth watering, yet? Here's how I prepared mine...

Buffalo Blue Grilled Cheese
-6 slices of Sourdough Bread (any thick, white bread will do)
-butter, for cooking the sandwiches in the skillet
-2 tbs ranch dip/dressing
-2 tbsp crumbled blue cheese (we used 1/4 cup and it was a little much)
-1/4 C shredded cheddar
-2 cooked, shredded chicken breast halves
-1/4 cup wing sauce (I used Kroger's Spicy Garlic Wing Sauce)

Directions:

1. Mix ranch, blue cheese, & cheddar in a small bowl until smooth consistency. Spread onto each slice (all 6) of bread.

2. In a medium bowl, mix shredded chicken and wing sauce until coated. Evenly divide chicken mixture among 3 slices of bread, mounding directly on top of the cheese mixture. Top with remaining 3 slices of bread (already spread with cheese mixture).

3. Butter outsides of each sandwich and place on a skillet/stovetop grill on medium-high heat until golden brown on each side.

4. ENJOY!!!

 

Here's what they looked like on the grill before I topped them off with the other slice of bread

This made 3 sandwiches for us...and I'm glad that was it, otherwise I would've kept eating it. It was that good. Go on, you know you want to go make one RIGHT NOW. You won't be sorry that you did!!

Italian Food

Like I said, I've still been busy in the kitchen during my absence from blogging. I've tried some great new recipes (and new recipe hosts, too) that I love and wanted to share. These Italian recipes come from Giada De Laurentiis, host of Everyday Italian and Giada at Home, on foodnetwork.com. One of my FAVORITE recipes so far is her tomato sauce, used in the first recipe below. You WILL NOT be disappointed! Trust me. It is very light, but has a creamy texture and I plan to make an extra batch to freeze for later!

Simple Tomato Sauce:

• 1/2 cup EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, optional

In a large casserole pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and bay leaves and simmer uncovered on low heat for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and check for seasoning. If sauce still tastes acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time to round out the flavors.

Add 1/2 the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce.* I used my blender here.

If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and pour 1 to 2 cup portions into freezer plastic bags. This will freeze up to 6 months.

Yield: 6 cups

And now on to three of my favorite recipes from Giada. I've tried all three of the following dishes and loved them, but of course, I made my own modifications. I included pictures of the ones I remembered to snap while I was making the dishes, but some of the pictures, obviously, are courtesy of foodnetwork.com. Enjoy!

Spaghetti with Olives & Tomato Sauce:

• 1 pound dried spaghetti
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 1/4 cups mixed olives, pitted and halved (I used black and pimento)
• 1/2 tablespoon red pepper flakes, plus more if desired
• 3 cups tomato sauce, recipe follows
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/2 cup basil leaves, shredded (I used dried basil, a couple teaspoons)

 I served with baked chicken seasoned with Italian herbs

Close-up shot if this goodness!

In a large pot, bring 6 quarts of salted water to a boil. When water comes to a boil, add pasta, stirring constantly for the first minute to help prevent spaghetti from sticking together. Cook until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. 

In a large saute pan, heat oil. When almost smoking, add olives and red pepper flakes. Saute for 3 minutes over medium high heat. Reduce heat to low and carefully pour in tomato sauce and simmer for 10 minutes.

Drain pasta in a colander, reserving 1/4 cup pasta water. Add pasta to the sauce and toss to coat completely. Add pasta water if you need to thin out the sauce a bit. Plate pasta and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and basil.

Click HERE to print this recipe.

Tomato-Basil Bread Pudding:

Filling:

• Butter, for greasing the baking dish
• 1/2 (8 ounces) multi-grain loaf, cut into 3/4-inch cubes (I used sourdough bread)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large or 2 small shallots, thinly sliced (I omitted these, for personal preference)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 12 ounces cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 packed cup chopped fresh basil leaves (I used dried)
• 1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded Parmesan

Custard:

• 6 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup whole milk (I used skim)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Filling: Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 9 by 13 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Add the bread cubes and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic. Cook, stirring constantly until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook until slightly soft, about 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the basil. Pour the tomato mixture and Parmesan cheese over the bread cubes and combine well.

Custard: In a large bowl, beat the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper together until smooth. Pour the custard over the bread mixture and gently toss to coat. Bake until slightly puffed and golden, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the pudding from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve.

Click HERE to print this recipe.

Linguine with Avocado & Arugula Pesto:

• 1 pound linguine pasta
• 2 medium avocados, halved, peeled, and seeded (about 12 ounces total)
• 3 cups baby arugula leaves (3 ounces) (I had spinach, so I used it, instead)
• 1 packed cup fresh basil leaves(I couldn't find this at my local store, so I used a few tsp dried basil)
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from 2 large limes)
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup grated Parmesan (4 ounces)
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted (I omitted these) 

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water. Place in a serving bowl.

Using a spoon, scoop out the flesh from the avocados and place in a food processor. Add the arugula, basil, lime juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth.

Pour the pesto over the pasta and toss together. Add the cheese and almonds and toss together until coated, adding the pasta water, as needed, to loosen the sauce.

Click HERE to print this recipe.


I sure hope you enjoy these Italian dishes as much as I did! Next, I'll be sharing my recipe for Pepperoni Piggies. All you Hog fans be sure to check back in and get the recipe before football season starts. You'll want to take this one to your tailgate!!!

Ciao!