Triple Chocolate Bunt Cake

My mother-in-law makes this delicious bunt cake that she calls Death by Chocolate cake. It's always a crowd favorite and there is never anything more than crumbs left over. It comes out of this little paper recipe book that she has and we all love it. I finally got my act together and called her up to get the recipe for a party that I was hosting and I'm so glad that I did. I renamed it, because you use three different chocolate ingredients and I think that it rolls off the tongue nicely. 

Triple Chocolate Bunt Cake

Source: Sue Peaden 

Ingredients: 

1 chocolate cake mix

1 small instant chocolate pudding mix

3/4 cup sour cream

4 eggs

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup oil

1-2 cups of chocolate chips

Directions:

Grease and flour a bunt pan. (This cake will sometimes fall apart if you don't grease it well - so be generous). In a medium mixing bowl, combine eggs, sour cream, water, and oil. After mixed thoroughly, add pudding and cake mix. Stir in chocolate chips and pour into bunt pan. Bake for 45-55 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove from oven and let cool for no more than 5 minutes before flipping the bunt pan over to remove cake. Top with a light sprinkling of powdered sugar. Enjoy!

Sweet & Sour Chicken

When I was in high school, I made a cookbook for a Young Women in Excellence project. It was titled "A Recipe Book of Favorites". I collected all of my favorite recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner - typed them up and put them in a binder. That binder went to college with me and I have been grateful for it many many many times. However, in the almost-five years that David and I have been married - I've never once made this dinner for us. (Something to do with the fact that David doesn't like pineapple, soy sauce, or chinese food.) However, I've thought of it often and this week when I had a couple of peppers that needed to be used I decided to pull it out. Oh. My. Goodness. I can't believe that I have let so many years pass without enjoying this delectable goodness. I love it. I was immediately reminded why it made it into my recipe book of favorites. I'm pretty sure that the recipe came out of my family's old tattered copy of the Betty Crocker Cookbook. I love that cookbook. The pages are covered in grease/food and are all falling out but it has some of the most wonderful recipes. The new book isn't nearly as good. David didn't love it - for the reasons listed above - but he loves me and told me that I could make it whenever I wanted. Which I will be doing again soon. If you are looking for a delicious and fairly easy meal - this is it. SO good.  

Sweet & Sour Chicken
Source: Betty Crocket Cookbook/The Walker Family

Ingredients:
2 large chicken breasts
2 Tbs vegetable oil
1 can pineapple chunks, drained (reserve syrup)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup vinegar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp soy sauce
2 carrots cut diagonally into thin slices
1 red or green bell pepper, cut into 3/4" pieces
1/4 onion chunked

Directions:
Cut chicken into 3/4" pieces. Heat oil in fry pan(I use a high edged electric skillet),  add chicken and brown. Right before chicken is done, add onions. When onions are slightly see-through, remove onions and chicken, set aside and keep warm.

Add enough water to reserved pineapple syrup to measure two cups. Heat syrup mixture, brown sugar, vinegar, salt, soy sauce, and carrots in fry pan. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until carrots are crisp-tender (about 6 minutes). Mix cornstarch and 2 tbs cold water; stir into sauce. Add chicken, pineapple, and green/red pepper. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Serve warm.

Caramel Apple Slices

I love caramel apples, however, I'm always a little disappointed in them for two reasons: they are hard to eat and they don't have the right apple to caramel ratio. These Caramel Apple Slices solve both of those problems and make a yummy and fun fall treat!  

Caramel Apple Slices

Ingredients: 

5 apples 

1 bag of caramels

1 cube chocolate almond bark

Directions: 

Cut apples in half and scoop out core. Melt caramel according to package direction. (Remove wrappers, place in microwave safe bowl with 1 tbs water, stir every 30 seconds until caramels melt.) Spoon melted caramel into the hollow apple and place in fridge to set up. Just prior to serving, cut apples into slices (this can get tricky - if the caramel pops out of the core just set it back in - it will set up nicely). Melt almond bark in microwave then transfer to a plastic baggie. Snip a small hole in the corner and drizzle over each apple slice. Enjoy!

 (Tip: Refrigerate until serving. It will make the caramel a little hard- but otherwise the caramel will start to melt like in these pictures. Originally the caramel was at the same level as the chocolate.)

Chocolate Cool-Whip Birthday Cake

I found this recipe when I was looking for the perfect birthday cake for my baby's first birthday. It turned out fabulously! We all loved it so much, but when David's birthday rolled around and he requested the same cake - I knew it was a real winner. And SO yummy. 

Chocolate Cool Whip Birthday Cake
Source: My Stubborn Miss (She has awesome step by step pictures that are really great. I'd recommend jumping over to her website to check them out.)

Ingredients:
1 tub of COOL WHIP Whipped Topping
1 box chocolate cake mix (and the ingredients listed on the box)
Melting chocolate or Almond Bark

Directions: 

Mix the chocolate cake batter according to the instructions on the box. Bake in 8- or 9-inch rounds and let cool. Slice each round in half to make four circular cakes. (If you happen to break one, don't worry, you can put it back together with your melted chocolate.) 

Melt your chocolate according to the package directions and spread it between the layers of cake you just cut apart, then reassemble the two round cakes to create two circular cakes with a layer or chocolate in the middle of each one. Let cool. 

Assemble the cake with COOL WHIP between the two cakes, then frost all over the outside. Top with sprinkles.

Want to see a flashback to Lydia's first Birthday party? I made a large cake for everyone else and a small cake just for her. It was so fun and really did turn out perfectly. I dare say this cake is a new family favorite! 

Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip

This is one of my all time favorite party appetizers. I love the taste and texture. It's delicious with toasted baguettes or tortilla chips. The only sad part is that David doesn't like it - so I only really make it to take to a party where there will be other people who enjoy it as well. However, I just learned that it freezes really well, so I may just start making a batch and then freezing it in small portions so I can eat them whenever I'm in the mood. There are a million recipes out there but this one is fairly simple and so so good. (Also, I sometimes replace the mozzarella with cheddar if I want to keep my costs low.) 

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Source: Adapted from My Epicurean Adventures

Ingredients:
8 oz cream cheese

1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayo
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
14 oz marinated artichokes, chopped
1 box (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
* You can also saute fresh spinach and garlic instead of using frozen spinach.

Directions:
Chop artichokes and spinach. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and transfer to baking dish. Top with parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-30 minutes, uncovered.

Ranch Chicken and Rice Soup

I found this from one of my favorite food blogs, Picky Palate. Its recipes are aimed at finding yummy foods that even picky eaters will like. We made it on a nice rainy fall evening and loved it very much. It's got a nice flavor and is super filling. Perfect when you need something delicious to warm you up.

Ranch Chicken and Rice Soup
Source: Picky Palate

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
3 stalks of celery, chopped
3 Tablespoons fresh minced garlic
2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 Cups cooked rice
2 cans chicken broth
1 Tablespoon dry Ranch Dressing seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard

Directions:
Heat oil in a medium sized pot over medium heat. When hot, saute onion, carrots and celery for 7-10 minutes or until softened slightly. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in chicken breast and rice then pour in chicken broth. Stir, then season with ranch seasoning, salt, pepper and add in Dijon. Reduce heat to low and simmer until serving. Taste and season accordingly.