German Chocolate Cake- Our Version

German chocolate cake is the birthday treat of choice for most people in our family. The traditional version features the coconut frosting covering the entire cake.  Mom always made it inside-out, with the coconut frosting in between the layers and on top of the cake, and chocolate frosting covering the outside.  This cake is DE-LIC-IOUS!

Deliciously Moist Chocolate Cake
Yields two-layer, 9'' chocolate cake 
(Recipe adapted from here)
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• 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 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.

2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.

3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely before frosting.

Coconut Frosting:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 cup Pecans
1 1/2 cup shredded coconut

In a medium saucepan, mix the first five ingredients together. Stir on medium heat until thickened.
Remove from heat and stir in nuts and coconut.

Chocolate Frosting:
1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.

Cake Assembly:
Fill a thin layer of coconut frosting in between the two 9 inch round cakes. Stack cakes and frost completely with chocolate frosting. Spread the remaining coconut frosting on the top of the cake. Enjoy!

Skinnny Chicken Divan

Growing up my mom always made this healthier version of Chicken Divan that cuts out things like cheese, sour cream and bread crumbs used in traditional chicken divan.  I far prefer this version, and surprisingly, so does my husband!  There's so much flavor in the sauce, it's really yummy, and this is a super easy dish for a weeknight meal. 

Ingredients:
4-5 chicken tenders, grilled
3 cups cooked white or wild grain rice
1 bunch fresh trimmed broccoli
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup Greek yogurt or mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp curry powder

Spoon rice into 8x8 casserole dish. Layer grilled chicken tenders on top of the rice.
Place the broccoli in a small saucepan with 1/4 cup of water. Blanch until bright green, 2-3 minutes.
Layer broccoli on top of chicken.
Make the sauce by mixing the soup, mayo or yogurt, lemon juice and curry powder. Pour sauce on top of casserole.
Bake at 350 F. for 20 minutes.

Peanut Udon Noodle Bowls

This recipe is a must for first time Udon noodle makers. The ingredients are simple and the recipe is really easy. Oh, and it also tastes SOO good! :)

Yields 4 servings
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9 oz package of dried Udon noodles (or you can use pre-cooked noodles and boil for a few seconds)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 Tbs. minced fresh ginger root
3 Tbs. soy sauce
3 Tbs. peanut butter
1 1/2 Tbs. honey
2 tsp chili oi or chili paste
3 cloves garlic, minced
4-5 chicken tenders, cooked and cut into small pieces
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
1/4 cup chopped peanuts
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

  1.   Bring a large pot with lightly salted water to a rolling boil. Drop the udon in a few noodles at a time and return to a boil. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain; return to the pot.
  2. While the udon noodles are cooking, whisk the chicken broth, ginger, soy sauce, peanut butter, honey, chile oil, and garlic in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, whisking until the peanut butter has melted. Pour the sauce over the noodles. Add the chicken and red bell pepper; toss until the noodles are evenly coated in the sauce. Sprinkle with green onions, chopped peanuts, and cilantro to serve.

The BEST Chili and Cornbread

Let me preface this by saying there are very few times when I will refer to recipes as "the BEST". I'm not so naive to recognize that many variations of a certain dish may be just as good as the recipe I use.

However, these chili and cornbread recipes really are the BEST! Like mouthwatering good...like, make a huge batch of chili just so I can put the leftovers in the freezer for a rainy day, good.

You will NOT be disappointed! Promise. Plus, they are both extremely simple recipes.

Note: This recipe makes enough to feed a small army, which I don't mind because it freezes well. Also the recipe has a bit of a spice kick to it. Add less jalepeños, green chilies, or chili powder to lessen the spice.

Caputo's Almost Instant Chili
Yields 8 servings
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1 Tbs. Olive Oil

2 Onions, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb. ground meat (beef pork, turkey, any work well)

8 oz. bacon, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

4 stalks celery, sliced

1 Tbs. ground cumin

1/4 cup chili powder

1 Tbs. oregano

salt and pepper to taste

1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 8 oz. can green chiles

1 7 oz. can diced jalepeños

1 14 oz. can black beans, drained

1 14 oz. can pinto beans, drained

1 14 oz. can kidney beans, drained

1 14 oz. can corn, drained

2 Tbs cilantro, chopped

Top with shredded cheese, sour cream sliced limes, tortillas or anything else!

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large soup pot. Add the onions and garlic and cook over medium heat until transparent, about 5 minutes. Remove the onions and garlic and set aside.

Turn the heat up to high and add the ground meat and chopped bacon. Cook until browned, then drain grease.

Add the reserved onions and garlic and the rest of the ingredients. Cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes.

Grandmother's Buttermilk Cornbread 

Recipe adapted from here. 

Yields 9 servings
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Ingredients:

1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter

2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup white or wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt  

Note: if you don't have buttermilk on hand, mix 1 Tbs lemon juice or vinegar with 1 cup of milk- a perfect substitution.

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease an 8 inch square pan.
Melt butter in large skillet. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Quickly add eggs and beat until well blended. Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir into mixture in pan. Stir in cornmeal, flour, and salt until well blended and few lumps remain. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Pumpkin Waffles with Cinnamon Cream Syrup

So I'm one of those people who loves breakfast for dinner. Really though, I could eat breakfast at any time. This poses a problem because Jeff does not like breakfast for dinner. So the other night, I had to take advantage of his absence and make this waffle recipe that has been causing my mouth to water for days! Recipe adapted from here.
Some may say it's to early to break out the pumpkin recipes, but I'm really eager for fall to come! And, lets be honest, you really can't go wrong with pumpkin anything!

Yields 4 waffles
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Waffle Ingredients:
1/4 cup light brown sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp cinnamon (I used 2 teaspoons)
1/4 tsp ground cloves (I didn't use this)
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 egg yolks
2 egg whites- beaten stiff
1 cup milk
1 cup canned pumpkin
4 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions:
1. Spray waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray and heat to desired temperature.

2. Combine brown sugar and cornstarch in a large bowl. Whisk together to break apart the cornstarch. Add the remaining dry ingredients and whisk to blend.

3. Separate the eggs. Add the pumpkin and milk to the egg yolks; whisk to blend well. Add the melted butter; whisk to blend and set aside.

4. Whip the egg whites with a hand mixer on high until stiff peaks form, 1-1 1/2 minutes. Set aside.

5. Add the pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients and mix them together until just combined. Gently fold in the egg whites until blended.

6. Pour the batter on the heated waffle iron and cook to perfection!

Note: You can freeze leftover waffles and then pop them in the toaster later.

Cinnamon Cream Syrup:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
1 5-oz can evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup, and water. Bring it to a boil over medium heat and cook, stirring often, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, and stir in the evaporated milk, vanilla, and cinnamon.

Lime Chicken with Garlic Veggie Pasta

Perfect for a weeknight meal--easy, fast and delicious!

Yields 6 servings
Print recipe here

•  6-8 chicken tenders or 4 chicken breast halves pounded thin
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2  tsp olive oil
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 1 Tbs brown sugar
• 3 Tbs lime juice, divided
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 2 Tbs water
• 1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
• 1 Tbs  butter

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add chicken; cook 4 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove from pan; keep warm. 

Add chicken broth, sugar, 2 tablespoons juice, and mustard to pan; cook over medium heat, scraping pan to loosen browned bits.

Combine water and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add cornstarch mixture to pan; stir well with a whisk. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cook 1 minute or until sauce thickens slightly. Whisk in remaining 1 tablespoon lime juice and butter, stirring until butter melts. Return chicken to pan; simmer 2 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly heated. Garnish with fresh cilantro.

Garlic Veggie Pasta
Ingredients:
Pasta of choice
Vegetables of choice (zucchini and tomato are my favorites with this)
2 Tbs. Olive Oil or Butter
1/4 cup Chicken Broth

Season to taste with:
Garlic powder
Italian Seasoning
Parsley
Oregano

Directions:
Cook your favorite pasta according to package instructions. 
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add vegetables and cook until soft and browned. Add noodles to pan with veggies. Add olive oil or butter, chicken broth, and seasonings.

Coconut Rice for Veggie Stir-fry

This is such a great idea if you want something yummy and quick for dinner!


Coconut Rice:
Yields 4 servings
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2 cups water
1 1/2 cups canned unsweetened coconut milk
2 tsp (packed) golden brown sugar
1 tsp salt
2 cups Basmati rice (about 13 oz.), well rinsed, drained
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut, lightly toasted

Combine 2 cups water, coconut milk, sugar, and salt in heavy large
saucepan. Bring to simmer, then stir in rice.
Cover, leaving slight opening for steam to escape. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 12
minutes.
Remove from heat, cover tightly and let stand 10 minutes.
Transfer rice to bowl; sprinkle with toasted coconut.

***Top rice with stir-fried veggies, grilled chicken, tofu, or shrimp.