Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

This is so sinful, but sooooooo good!!

2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup cocoa
1 cup water
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

Combine 1st three ingredients in a bowl, set aside. Melt butter in pan and stir in cocoa and water. Let cool a bit or put a little into buttermilk/egg mixture. Remove from heat and add to flour mixture. Mix with spoon, stir in vanilla.

Pour into a greased 13x9 pan. 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Cool 10 minutes on wire rack. Spoon peanut butter by rounded tablespoons over cake. Spread with knife. Cool completely,

Icing:
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup cocoa
1/3 cup buttermilk
1-16 oz (1 lb) powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Bring butter, cocoa and milk to a boil, stirring constantly. Add this mixture to powdered sugar & vanilla mixture into a container that pours. Pour immediately over cake.

Honey Orange French Toast

I saw Heidi's French Toast recipe and it reminded me of this one. This one you can bake, so fix and shove in the oven! Great if you have more than 3 people to feed at once.

1/4 cup butter
2 Tabl. honey
1 tsp cinnamon
3 eggs
1/2 cup orange juice
1/8 tsp salt
1 loaf French bread, uncut

Melt butter and hone in a 9x13 casserole. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Set aside.

In medium size mixing bowl, beat together eggs, orange juice and salt. Cut French bread into 1 inch slices. Soak bread in egg mixture and place on top of honey mixture (6-8 slices fit a 9x13 casserole). Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 20 minutes. Serve with warm honey or syrup.

Rice Casserole

1 cup long grain rice
1 can beef consumme soup
1 can French onion soup
1/2 stick margarine
1 can sliced mushrooms, small size - drain juice

Mix all together in casserole dish. Bake 350 for 1 hour

Aunt Georgia's Vegetable Soup

1 lb short rib or stew meat (if you get stew meat, you will want to buy a soup bone for flavor)
1 small head cabbage, shredded
2 medium onions, chopped
3 stalks celery with leaves, chopped
3 large turnips, peeled and diced
2- 8 oz cans tomato sauce
1- 6 oz can V-8, hot and spicy juice (I put in 2 or 3)
2 beef bouillon cubes
1 tsp marjoram
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp thyme
2 Tabl parsley
salt and pepper to taste
2 bags frozen soup vegetables
1 or 2 cans green beans (optional)

Cook bone & meat in water for 1 1/2 hours. Add cabbage, onion, celery and turnips. Cook 1 hour. Add tomato sauce, juice, bouillon and spices. Simmer 1 hour. Add 2 bags or frozen vegetables and green beans. (Aunt Georgia actually used stew vegetables, but I found that they didn't do well, they stayed hard in the soup. I like the soup vegetables better, but it is up to you.)

The Best Baked Beans (EVER)

4 cans (16 oz) pork & beans (they've downsized to 15 oz, I wind up putting in 5-15 oz cans)
1 pkg chilio mix (I buy French's original)
1 can Golden cream of mushroom soup
2 lbs ground chuck, fried and drained
1 small onion, chopped
14 oz ketchup
1 lb brown sugar
1 Tabl soy sauce

Combine all ingredients. Place in a casserole dish and bake uncovered for 1 hour at 350 degrees.

Gourmet Chicken Casserole

Amanda asked for this the other night. I don't think she wrote it down, so I thought I'd post here for everyone to enjoy!

4 half chicken breasts
1 (6 oz) box Uncle Ben's wild rice mix (original recipe), cooked
1 can cream of celery soup
1 (8 oz) can water chestnuts, sliced
1/2 cup mayo
2 Tabl. pimento, chopped
2 Tabl. onion, chopped
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup Chablis white wine (or any white that you have)
paprika

Cook chicken, cut into pieces.

Combine cooked rice, soup, mayo, water chestnuts, pimento, onion, salt, pepper and wine. Add chicken pieces and mix well. Pour into casserole dish and sprinkle with paprika. Bake, uncovered, in a preheated 350 degree oven for 25 minutes.

I add grated cheddar cheese for some more flavor! May prepare ahead 2 days. Freezes well.

Wine pairings

Ever wonder what wine to drink with what food? Here's a link to "The Cook's Thesaurus" and a list of white wines and the types of food you should eat with them.

http://www.foodsubs.com/WinesWhite.html

Let's not leave out the reds either!

http://www.foodsubs.com/WinesRed.html

Slow Cooked Pork and Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Apricot Glaze

Hooray for slow cooker Monday! We used a slow cooker liner for the first time today, and I cannot believe we haven't used them before! They're made by Reynolds and it took 10 minutes and 4 gallons of water off of our clean up time.

The combination of spices - featuring anise - a spice that tastes like black licorice, and the sweetness of the apricot nectar make the meal refreshing and sweet. I bet it would be great paired with a sauvignon blanc.

I also think the whole meal needs an additional vegetable, but I'm sort of stumped when it comes to deciding what to add. Pineapple and cottage cheese might be good or perhaps some broccoli and carrots with tarragon and salt and pepper (steamed in those new Zip Lock Zip n' Steam microwave steamer bags of course).

Ingredients

• 2-3 pound boneless pork roast - trimmed of fat
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon tarragon
• 1 teaspoon anise - crushed with mortar and pestle or a spoon
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 large sweet potatoes peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 can chicken broth
• 1/2 cup apricot nectar (located in the health/organic food section with the juice)
• 4 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/4 cup additional apricot nectar

Directions:

• In a small bowl mix together salt, tarragon, anise, pepper and garlic - rub the spice mixture liberally into the pork roast
• Layer sweet potatoes in the bottom of the slow cooker first and place the roast on top
• pour can of chicken broth and 1/2 cup apricot nectar on top of roast
• cook on low for 7 hours
• Prior to serving, remove the roast from the slow cooker and allow it to rest while you finish the meal
• Using a slotted spoon remove the sweet potatoes from the slow cooker, transfer to a bowl and mash using spoon or potato masher
• Transfer two cups of the juice from the slow cooker into a medium sized sauce pan and add 1/4 cup of apricot nectar and the cornstarch whisk together until the mixture becomes thick and bubbly
• Serve the pork on top of the mashed sweet potatoes and spoon the glaze over both

Suggestions for left overs:

"Pull" the pork and reheat later with bbq sauce for a quick sandwich - the mashed sweet potatoes would be a nice side.

What the French, Toast?

We had french toast (with an orange twist) this morning. It was pretty good, so I thought I'd post it.

Ingredients:

• 6-8 slices bread - I used a homemade honey wheat sour dough (which was wonderful)
• 6 oz egg beaters (that would be 1 and 1/2 containers of the individual serving) or three eggs
• milk - (I didn't measure, but about 1/2 cup)
• cinnamon (to taste)
• vanilla (to taste)
• the zest of one orange

Directions:

• preheat skillet
• in a shallow dish combine the egg, milk, cinnamon, vanilla and orange zest and whisk together until combined
• spray nonstick cooking spray on the skillet
• soak slices of bread in the egg/milk mixture - sprinkle with more cinnamon if desired
• place bread slices on the skillet and cook on each side until golden brown
• serve warm with your choice of toppings

Oven Fried Fish

This is a Weight Watchers recipe, but it doesn't taste diety (is that a word?)

1 1/4 lbs of halibut fillets (I can never find Halibut so I've used Cod and Orange Roughy)
1/8 tsp table salt or to taste
1/8 tsp pepper, freshly ground, or to taste
1 Tabl. dijon mustard, or more to taste
1/3 cup dried bread crumbs
1 Tbsp Mrs. Dash Grilling Blends Mesquite seasoning or similar product

Preheat oven to 400. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

Season fish fillets all over with salt and pepper; spread mustard all over both sides of fillets.

In a shallow dish, combine bread crumbs and seasoning; add fish fillets and turn to coat both sides. Transfer fillets to prepared baking sheet. Bake until fish is fork tender; about 10-15 minutes.

Multigrain pancakes

We just tried Multi-grain Buttermilk Pancake Mix with Milled Flax Seed and Soy from Hodgson Mill, and I must say it was pretty darn good. 1 serving has a decent amount of protein and omega-3 oils - the stuff that's good for you. Being the sucker for banana pancakes that I am, I added thin slices of banana and a little bit of strawberry flavored granola. Served up with some sugar free syrup, it was a pretty filling breakfast. I found the mix in the "pancake" aisle at the grocery store, but here's the link to the website w/info.

http://www.hodgsonmill.com/roi/673/Pancake-Mixes/Multi-Grain-Buttermilk-Pancake-w-Milled-Flax-Seed--Soy-02028.htm

Grilled Pizza Sandwiches

This is a twist on pizza and is as easy as making grilled cheese. This was a favorite of mine growing up on Home Street in Newport. My Mom would make these sandwiches and then cut them into halves and serve them on a large plate for us to grab and eat until we were full. Not only are these delicious, easy to make, but for me they bring back some great memories.

Ingredients:
Regular bread
Pizza sauce
Cotto salami







Mozzarella cheese
Butter or margarine


Heat griddle or large skillet to medium heat. Butter 2 slices of bread. Take 1 slice of bread and place it, butter side down, on the heated cooking surface. Quickly spread about 2 Tbs. of pizza sauce to cover the top surface of the cooking bread. Next, place 1 slice of cotto salami, then 1 slice of mozzarella cheese followed by the other slice of bread, butter side up.

When cooking side of the sandwich is golden brown, flip to cook the other side. Allow the sandwich to cool for a few minutes before cutting in halves or quarters and serving. Serve with chips or fries and garnish with pickles. Enjoy!

Taco Soup for my first blog!

Taco Soup
1 lb. lean ground beef or turkey
1 medium onion, chopped
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1 15 oz. can corn
1 16 oz. can kidney beans, drained
1 15 oz. can chili beans
2-14 oz. cans petite diced tomatoes
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 4 oz. can green chilis
2 cups chicken broth (reduced fat/fat free)

-Brown meat with the onion (I added a little olive oil to the skillet first and got the onion a little soft before adding the meat)
-Transfer meat/onion to crock pot, add the rest of the ingredients and stir! Voila!
-Cook on low @ 8-10 hours
-If you'd rather make it in a pot on the stove, I'd bring everyhing to a boil for about 10-15 minutes, then turn down the heat and let it simmer for 3-4 hours

Whatever we had in the fridge frittata

Obviously I'm off school for a snow day- hence the reason for the multiple posts. Today is Jason's birthday so to celebrate I decided to make breakfast. I wanted to make waffles, but we didn't have any milk - we didn't have any breakfast meat either, so I came up with this frittata. I actually really enjoy making fritattas (mostly because I like the name), and I usually do get pretty creative with the ingredients. Today, I basically used whatever I could find in the fridge; interesting to say the least.

Ingredients - the problem is I didn't measure anything - this is my best guess

• half of a red pepper - diced
• half of a red onion - diced
• 1 portobella mushroom - diced
• 1 shallot - chopped
• spoonful of chopped garlic
• 1/4 cup sundried tomatoes in oil -chopped
• 1 cup frozen artichoke hearts - thawed then chopped
• handful of chopped fresh Italian flat leaf parsley
• 1 cup (or more) cooked shrimp - chopped
• 1 1/2 cups egg substitute (or 6 large eggs)
• 1 cup reduced fat (2%) Italian cheese blend
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• Kosher salt
• fresh ground pepper
• tablespoon extra virigin olive oil OR margarine

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Heat olive oil or margarine in an oven safe skillet (cast iron works perfect). When skillet is hot sautee the cut up vegetables with salt and pepper until tender
• Add shrimp and parsley to skillet and sautee until warmed through
• In a bowl whisk together egg/egg substitute, water, Italian seasoning, and cheese
• In the skillet, flatten out the vegetables, and pour the egg mixture over the top
• Transfer the skillet into the oven and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes - until the eggs are firm
• Remove skillet from the oven and let the frittata rest 5 minutes before serving

Things you could add if you have them - just cut back a little on some of the other ingredients so it all fits in the skillet!

• spinach
• bacon
• feta cheese
• diced or shredded potatoes

Slow Cooked Pork and Potato Stew

I love coking home and smelling dinner when I walk through the door! We're making more slow cooker recipes right now b/c it's just easier - especially on the late nights at the gym. I make everything the night before and store it in fridge to save morning time. This recipe took a little extra time when I prepped it out the evening before, but it's worth it. It also made quite a bit, so we ended up using "food saving" and freezing about half; I'll thaw it out next week and re-heat! It was pretty good the way it was, but I was expecting a little more of a kick - next time I'm going to try a few different things - my suggestions are at the bottom.

Ingredients:

• apprx. 2 pounds pork tenderloin
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pound new potatoes, quartered
• 3 stalks celery sliced - including the leaves
• 1 1/2 cup of chopped carrots
• 1 yellow onion - chopped
• 2 green peppers - cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 jalapeno seeded and chopped
• 4-5 cloves garlic
• 1 carton of chicken broth
• 1 14 1/2 oz can diced tomatoes undrained
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
• fresh ground pepper to taste
• kosher salt to taste
• Brown rice or noodles for serving

Directions

• In skillet heat the olive oil. Trim the pork tenderloin of any fat and cut it into 1 inch (bite sized) pieces, and brown pieces in the skillet. Drain off fat.
• In bowl of crock pot combine all of the ingredients (except rice/noodles) and stir well.
• Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours.
• Serve over brown rice or noodles

Suggestions for next time:

This had a really nice cinnamon flavor, but since I was expecting more of a "kick" in flavor, I think I might add cayenne pepper next time. I would also suggest adding a bay leaf (or two) while cooking, and maybe right before serving add some frozen peas, turn the slowcooker up to high to heat through and then serve. This could definitely be turned into soup if you add more broth and cut back on the pork.

In fact, I have a container in the fridge to eat for lunch this week and I might add a can of chicken broth to it with some wheat pasta or orzo, and a sprinkle of nutmeg for a pork and noodle soup. I'll keep you posted!

Stuff I HAVE to have in my pantry

One of the things I first struggled with when I moved out on my own and began cooking was keeping things on hand that I could use in almost any recipe. This list is sort of tailored to my own tastes, but I have found that I can use almost any recipe or make anything as long as I have these items in my pantry at all times:

• artichokes - canned or jarred (currently I have frozen so I'm out of those in the pantry)
• almonds - slivered
• beans - canned - red, kidney, black, great northern, chili
• beef broth
• bread crumbs (plain - you can add Italian seasoning to it if you're making meatballs)
• chicken broth
• corn meal
• corn starch
• corn syrup
• honey
• white cooking wine
• red cooking wine
• vinegar
• apple cider vinegar
• flour
• sugar
• brown sugar
• shortening
• tapioca
• Extra virgin olive oil
• blended oil
• brown rice
• white rice
• wheat penne
• wheat angel hair pasta
• wheat lasagna noodles
• diced tomatoes - at least four cans at all times
• mac and cheese
• golden raisins
• couscous
• lentils (this is a new one for me)
• sesame oil
• peanut oil
• rice vinegar
• chocolate chips
• balsamic vinegar
• reduced fat jif peanut butter

Is there anything that you have to have that didn't make my list?

Turkey and Hidden Bean Burritos

If refried beans just aren't your thing, try "hiding" them in ground turkey for a higher fiber burrito alternative. You could also of course skip the meat altogether and mix this up with two cans of refried beans.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground turkey or chicken (or beef of course)
• 1/2 red onion diced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 green pepper diced
• 1/2 red (or any color) pepper diced
• 1 jalapeño - seeded and finely chopped
• 1 small can chopped green chiles
• 1 can fat free refried beans
• 1 package taco seasoning
• 3/4 cup water
• wheat tortilla shells

Directions

Brown meat with onion, peppers, garlic and jalapeno. When meat is no longer pink, drain and add 1/2 can refried beans, chiles, taco seasoning and 3/4 cup water. Stir constantly until warmed through and well combined (about 5 more minutes).

Serve in warm wheat tortillas (or taco shells or flour tortillas) with a little reduced fat cheese, reduced fat sour cream, lettuce, tomato - etc. I also suggest warming remaining beans in the microwave for 1 min. 30 seconds and spreading it on half of the tortilla before filling it.

Oh my God! I was able to get signed on and get to the blog place--by myself. How cool is that? I will put a recipe on soon.
Love, Aunt Deb

Pizza

You can't go wrong with this homemade pizza!

Pizza Dough: Use this dough and your choice of toppings to make two thin-crust or pan pizzas. (We usually make one and freeze the other dough)

2.75-3.25 cups all purpose flour 1 package active dry yeast 1 cup warm water (120 degrees - 130 degrees) 2 tablespoons cooking oil or olive oil

Directions: 1. In a large mixing bowl combine 1.25 cups of flour, the yeast, and .25 teaspoon salt; add warm water and oil. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed fo 30 secs, scraping bowl. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.
2. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Kneed in enough remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (6-8 minutes total of kneading) Divide in half; cover let rest for 10 minutes.

Thin Crust: Crease 12-inch pizza pan or baking sheet. On a floured surface, roll dough into a circle and then transfer to pans. Bake in oven at 425 degrees for about 12 minutes or until brown. Spread sauce onto hot crust; top with your choice of veggies and/or meat and cheese. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Not a Crock Crock-pot Lentil Chili!

Jason and I had this on Monday night - talk about a surprise! It's a vegetarian dish, but it tastes like meaty chili - go figure!

Ingredients

• 1 medium-size onion diced
• 1 red bell pepper seeded and diced
• 1 jalapeno seeded and chopped - watch out for those seeds!
• 2-3 ribs celery
• 1-2 cups carrots chopped (just depends on how much you like carrots!)
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 2 1/2 (1 small bag) dried brown lentils rinsed and picked over
• 2 cartons chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• salt to taste

Directions

• Combine all ingredient - except olive oil and salt - in a slow cooker
• Cover and cook on LOW 7-8 hours
• Before serving add olive oil and salt to taste

Serving and Leftover Recommendations

• This stuff tastes great served over brown rice
• You also might want to try serving it up with sour cream, chopped green onion and fresh tomatoes
• Next time I think we're going to add chick peas
• We're planning on using the leftovers tomorrow night in some vegetarian quesadillas or burritos with some cheese, black beans and maybe chopped broccoli

Vegetarian Fat Tuesday Idea - Baked Potato Chili Dish

Since this will be our first time making this, I can't vouch for this particular item; however thought I would share it since it is the recipe*we shall be trying on Fat Tuesday:

1.5 cloves of garlic
1.5 tablespoon of oil
1 14.5 ounce can of stewed tomatoes
.5 can of beer
.5 cup of water
4 ounce can tomato sauce
2 teaspoons chili powder
.5 tablespoon fresh oregano
.5 tablespoon dijon-mustard
.5 teaspoon cumin
black pepper
Several dashes hot pepper sauce
1.5 15 ounce cans of beans
1 cup frozen kernel corn
*We are also going to add in onion and green pepper to this particular recipe

Directions:
In a dutch oven cook garlic in hot oil for 30 secs. Stir in undrained tomatoes, beer, water, tomato sauce, chili powder, dried oregano, mustard, cumin, pepper and hot pepper sauce. Stir in beans. Bring to boiling, reduce heat. Simmer covered for 10 minutes.

Stir in corn, and return to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer covered for 10 more minutes.

Put the "chili" over a baked potato with condiments you prefer. (we'll be using salsa, cheese and maybe some sour cream)

This is also half the original chili recipe. We're going to make it in full and use the rest for 3-way leftovers.

Happy Eating!!!

*Chili Recipe taken from Better Homes and Garden Cookbook, Limited Edition, page. 505.
Chili Nutrition Facts: 330 cal per serving, 4 g total fat

Yeah!

What a great idea! I will post something yummy very soon! Thanks Heidi for putting this together.

Fat Tuesday's Skinny Red Beans and Rice

Hey all you lovers of cooking!

This is my first post, hopefully you'll have time to follow up with some yourself. Since Fat Tuesday's coming up, I thought I would share what I'll be making: Fat Tuesday's Skinny Red Beans and Rice

I made this one up a couple of weeks ago - yumm...

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 large cloves garlic lightly crushed and chopped
• 1 large red onion, diced
• 2-3 stalks celery - include leaves if you can!
• 1 green bell pepper - stemmed, seeded and diced
• 2 cans of red kidney beans
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon tarragon
• 1/4 teaspoon (or to taste) cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon (or to taste) cayenne pepper
• kosher salt - to taste
• ground black pepper - to taste
• 3-4 shakes/drops of hot sauce (or to taste)
• 1 can chicken broth - low fat/low sodium (fat free)
• smoked turkey kielbasa - sliced
• 1 boil-in-bag brown rice
• Italian flat leaf parsley or cilantro

Directions

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in large saucepan. Saute garlic, onion, celery, and bell pepper until tender with a little salt and pepper. Add kielbasa and continue cooking until heated through. Stir in kidney beans, spices, hot sauce and chicken broth - bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer while you cook the rice separately.

When rice is finished, fold rice and beans/kielbasa together - garnish with parsley or cilantro

As an alternative, you might try to add a can of diced tomotoes with the chicken broth