Chocolate Truffle Cake

I got this cake recipe off of Becoming Betty. It was so good! And really moist too!

1 box chocolate cake mix

1 small box instant chocolate pudding

5 eggs

1 sick butter, melted

16 oz. sour cream

1 bag chocolate chips

Combine dry cake mix and pudding mix in large bowl. Add eggs, melted butter and sour cream and blend well. Pour in chocolate chips and mix together. Pour batter in bundt pan sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 350F for 50-55 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Grilled Pizza

I saw this one on The Sisters' Cafe and have been wanting to try it. It has been so warm and humid the last few weeks we (meaning me) have not been wanting to cook...so we've been using the grill any chance we can. Today we tried this pizza and it was really good!

I used this bread dough recipe: (This recipe will make 4 pizzas. I doubled this to make 8 individual sized pizzas)

1 1/2 c. warm water
2 tbsp. sugar
1 pkg. yeast
1 tsp. salt
3 1/2 cups flour

Activate yeast in water and sugar, then add salt and flour, knead well and let rise once. Divide into 4 balls and roll flat to about 1/4 inch. I think mine were about 8 inches in diameter.

I brushed the dough with melted garlic butter to avoid sticking to the grill. Place on clean, heated grill for about 1 minute and then flip over using tongs. Cook for an additional 30 seconds. Watch carefully...I burned my first couple! Remove from grill and spread pizza sauce and then choice of toppings. Replace in grill for 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted. I rotated them around from the top shelf in the grill to the bottom to avoid burning. Serve with side salad and enjoy!

Sauce: You can use canned pizza sauce, it's easy. I used a can of tomato sauce with some garlic salt, dried onion, oregano, basil , pepper and parsley. I didn't measure anything...I think it was pretty much 1/2 tsp. to 1 tsp. of it all. Sorry....

Suggested toppings: sauce, mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, diced ham, black/green olives, onion, green pepper, mushroom, pineapple. Sprinkle with parmesan.

Meat Marinade {Shish-Ka-Bobs}

I used this meat marinade recipe to make shish-ka-bobs the other day...they turned out so good!

1/4 c. soy sauce

2 tbsp. worcestershire sauce

1/4 c. vinegar

1/2 c. BBQ sauce

1/2 tsp. dry mustard

1/2 tsp. garlic salt

1 tsp. dried onion

1 tsp. Montreal steak seasoning

pepper to taste

Mix well and pour over meat to marinade in a bowl or large zip-lock bag. Marinate for 2-3 hours in refrigerator.

Shish-Ka-Bobs:

*meat of your choice cut into bite size pieces (I use sirloin)

*mushrooms, green pepper, onion, cherry tomato and/or any other veggie you like on a skewer

*grill until meat is cooked to liking and veggies are hot!

Mexican Shredded Beef

2-3 lb. rump roast

1 1/2 c. water

1/3 c. orange juice

2 tbsp. Carne Asada seasoning (Chef Merito brand if you can find it)

Brown roast (do not season while browning), add water, orange juice and seasoning. Cover and bake at 350F for about 4 hours checking water frequently. Shred beef after about 3 hours and then return to oven. Can be used for shredded beef tacos, shredded beef enchiladas or tostadas. Serve with refried beans and spanish rice. Can also be slow cooked in crockpot. Reduce water to 1 c. and cook for 4-6 hours on high or 7-9 hours on low. Shred 1 hour before serving.

My Cakes

I made this one on the 4th of July...it is Lemon Pound Cake with Lemon Buttercream Icing, decorated with fresh raspberries and blueberries... SO GOOD!!!!!

This was my first attempt at a basket weave...I was not impressed. I definitely need to practice this one a little more...

This was actually my very first cake I decorated after my classes.

Smash cake...

Chocolate buttercream icing, yellow cake. My daughter wanted music notes so I used Wilton sugar to contrast the black.

This is my very favorite cake I have ever made. I used 16 cups of icing sugar to make all of the icing...

Two bundt cakes....

Made this in my Wilton class for my hubby who is the biggest sweet tooth you will ever meet and is also a dental student...

First time I made roses in my Wilton class

Red Velvet Cake or Cupcakes

I made these for Canada Day since they are red and go great with the holiday...they were really good and easy to make! I used this icing...I got both recipes from my friend JT (a.k.a. the cupcake queen!) These cupcakes are also perfect for Valentines Day!

2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cocoa powder
1 1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 c. buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. white vinegar
2 tbsp. red food color
Preheat oven to 350F. Line two 12-cup muffin pans with baking papers.

Sift flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and cocoa powder into a large mixing bowl and then set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl combine the oil, buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, vinegar and food color. With a hand or electric whisk, mix until thoroughly combined.

Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients. With an electric mixer, mix to combine the ingredients and then continue to mix until thoroughly combined, about 2 minutes.

Portion the batter into the paper lined cupcake pans. Bake until the cake centers are firm to the touch — approximately 20 minutes.

Remove for the oven and cool. When cool, decorate with icing and your favorite decorations.

Double Chocolate Brownies

I got this recipe from MS from church. She brought them to my daughter's primary class one Sunday, I think it came from a Martha Stewart cookbook. I doubled the recipe when I made them and used a 9 x 13 pan. I also skipped the parchment and just sprayed the pan with cooking spray. And, I just melted the chocolate and butter in the microwave. So, basically I didn't follow the instructions at all, but they were really good!

6 tbsp. unsalted butter

6 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped coarsley

1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 c. flour

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 c. sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a buttered 8 inch square baking pan with parchment, allowing and 2-inch over hang. Butter lining (not overhang).

Place butter, chocolate and cocoa powder in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until butter and chocolate have melted. Let cool slightly.

Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Put sugar, eggs and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale, about 4 minutes. Add chocolate mixture, mix until combined. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture, mix scraping down sides of bowl until well combined.

Pour batter in prepared pan, spread evenly with spatula. Bake until a cake tester inserted into brownie comes out with a few crumbs but is not wet, about 35 minutes. Let cool slightly in pan, about 15 minutes. Lift out, let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into squares.

Beef Florentine Pasta Soup with Basil and Cream

My friend DC told me to try this soup from Picky Palate. The whole family really liked it. I couldn't find the Campenelle pasta so I just used Penne.

2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

4 medium carrots, peeled and chopped

1 lb. cubed beef stew meat

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

5 cloves garlic, minced

5 c. beef broth

14 oz. can Italian diced tomatoes, with basil and garlic

1/2 lb. dry Campanelle pasta

4 c. fresh baby spinach leaves, coarsely chopped

1/2 c. heavy cream

1/2 c. fresh grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 c. fresh basil leaves, chiffonade

Place olive oil in large dutch oven over medium heat. Saute onion and carrots for 5-7 minutes or until slightly softened. Stir in stew meat, salt and pepper. Cook until meat is browned and cooked through. Stir in fresh garlic for 1 minute then stir in broth and tomatoes. Increase heat to medium heat until soup comes to a light boil. Pour i pasta, reduce heat to medium and cook for 10-12 minutes or until pasta is al dente. Reduce heat to low and stir in spinach leaves. Let simmer for 20-30 minutes. Serve each bowl of soup with drizzle of heavy cream, a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and basil ribbons.

Country Fried Steak

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I tried this one from AllRecipes.com. I try not to make too many meals that are fried. I liked this recipe but didn't LOVE it. My husband and kids like it a lot though. I think next time I'll leave out the baking soda and baking powder, it left an aftertaste. I also may try it with chicken instead of steak. Also, when making the gravy, I didn't save the 1/4 c. oil it says to. I drained it all but did use the remnants on the bottom of the skillet.

4- 1/2 lb. beef cube steaks

2 c. flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. black pepper

3/4 tsp. salt

1 1/2 c. buttermilk

1 egg

1 tbsp. Tabasco sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 c. canola or vegetable oil for deep frying

For Gravy

1/4 c. flour

4 c. milk

kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste

Pound the steaks to about 1/4-ince thickness. Place 2 c. flour in a shallow bowl. In a separate bowl mix together the baking powder, baking soda pepper and salt, then stir in the buttermilk, egg, Tabasco sauce and garlic. Dredge each steak first in the flour, then in the batter, and again in the flour. Pat the flour onto the surface of each steak so they are completely coated with dry flour.

Heat the oil in a deep cast iron skillet to 325F. Fry the steaks until evenly golden brown, 3-5 minutes per side. Place fried steaks on a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Drain the oil from the skillet, reserving 1/4 c. of the oil and as much as the solid remnants as possible.

Return the skillet to medium-low heat with the reserved oil. Whisk the remaining flour into the oil. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a spatula to release solids into the gravy. Stir in the milk, raise the heat to medium and bring gravy to a simmer. Cook until thick, about 6-7 minutes. Season with kosher salt and ground black pepper. Spoon the gravy over the steaks to serve.

JoLynne's Icing

I got this from a friend JT, she uses it on a lot of her yummy cupcakes!

1 c. unsalted butter, softened

6-8 c. powdered sugar

1/2 c. milk

2 tsp. vanilla

Place softened butter in large mixing bowl. Add 4 c. of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla. One medium speed of electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 5 minutes. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 c. at a time beating well after each additional cup, about 2 minutes until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly.