Chocolate Lava Cake

Ingredients:
#1:
*12oz chocolate
*1/4 cup sugar
*1/4 cup margarine

#2:
*4 eggs
*1/8 tsp. salt

#3:
*1/2 cup flour
*1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:
1.  Melt #1 in a double boiler. Stir until smooth. Remove from heat.

2.  Whisk eggs and salt together. Whisk into chocolate. Whisk quickly so eggs don't cook.

3.  Stir in #3.

4.  Pour into greased 8oz Ramekins.

5.  Bake for 17 minutes** at 400 degrees.

6.  Dump onto plates. Top with vanilla ice cream.

Notes:  **17 minutes is perfect in my oven at this temperature. You may need to make adjustments to get the consistency you desire.

Recipe Source:  Adapted from The Kitchy Kitchen.

Tomatofredo Sauce

*1-8 oz can tomato sauce
*3/8 cup powdered milk
*2 cups water
*1 Tbsp. butter
*2 oz. cream cheese (I use 1/3 less fat)
*1 tsp. salt (Note: If you're sensitive to salt, only use 1/2 tsp. or 3/4 tsp.)
*1 tsp. basil
*1/2 tsp. garlic powder
*pepper, to taste
*1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
*1/2 pound ground turkey
*1 pint diced tomatoes, drained (optional)

-In sauce pan, combine all ingredients except meat and diced tomatoes.

-Cook over medium heat until boiling.

-If your sauce is lumpy, put it in the blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.

-Brown and season meat.

-Add sauce to meat.

-Add drained tomatoes, if desired.

-Continue to cook over low-medium heat until sauce thickens.

-Serve over pasta.

From the Critics
Brittany: 4

Brooklyn: 10

Damon: 10

Flour Tortillas

I love these. I think they're better than anything I buy in the store.

*4 cups flour (I use whole wheat.)
*1 Tbsp. baking powder
*1/4 cup shortening
*1 1/2 tsp. salt
*1 1/2 cups warm water

*In a mixing bowl, combine flour and baking powder.
*Cut in shortening until evenly distributed.
*Add salt to warm water and add to flour mixture. Mix.
*Knead with hands. (You could probably put the dough in a mixer, but its really not too bad to do it by hand.)

My recipe says to let it sit for at least 30 minutes but I skipped that part this last time and it still turned out great.

*Roll dough into 16-20 balls.
*Flatten and roll out with rolling pin until paper thin.
*In a frying pan or on a griddle, cook over medium heat for 30 seconds on each side. Do NOT over cook!

I make Stacey's Enchiladas and I use these tortillas. This is the best enchilada recipe I've ever come across. I love it. If you're looking for one, check it out.

White Chili

*1 lb chicken breast, cubed
*2 cups water
*1 Tbsp chicken bouillon
*1 can white beans
*1 can chick peas (garbanzo beans)
*1 white corn or about 1 cup frozen yellow corn
*1 can mild green chilies (optional)
*1 pkg. Italian dressing mix (optional)
*salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin to taste

Place chicken, Italian dressing, water, and bouillon in slow cooker, cook until chicken is done. Add all other ingredients. Cook on low 2-3 hours.

From the Critics
Brittany: 1

Brooklyn: 1

Damon: 1

Orange Soup

Jodie served this soup once when we went to their house for dinner. It was so yummy, I had to get the recipe. The original name of soup is Cheesy Potato Chowder (or something along those lines). I changed the name to "Orange Soup", and this is why: Brooklyn was probably about 3 at the time and she would not eat anything if the name of the food had any kind of vegetable in it. All the veggies in this soup are pureed so she couldn't actually see them in the original form, but if I told her the name of the soup, she wouldn't eat it. So I started calling it "Orange Soup" and she ate it right up.

The measurements are approximations; use more or less, depending on your tastes.

Ingredients:
* 1 large onion, chopped
* 2 cups carrots, chopped
* 3-4 cups potatoes, peeled and cubed
* 5 cups chicken broth
* parsley
* dill, to taste
* salt and pepper, to taste
* 2 cups cheddar cheese, grated (I actually use less than a cup.)

Directions:
1.  Cook veggies in chicken broth until very tender. Add parsley.

2.  Pour soup through strainer, saving broth.

3.  Put veggies in food processor and puree until smooth. Add broth as needed.

4.  Return soup to pot, adding additional broth until soup is desired consistency.

5.  Add salt and pepper and dill as desired.

6.  Gradually stir in cheese until smooth. Do not boil.

Serving Suggestion:  Serve with bread sticks or rolls. Also goes great with a chicken Caesar salad.

Recipe Source:  My friend, Jodie Pinsent

Oatmeal Cake with Maple Frosting

Once again, my pictures just didn't do justice for this yummy dessert so I'm not posting any.

This cake is similar to a spice cake, my grandma used to make it all the time and its one of my favorites. My kids and I do not like pie, so I always make this cake for us on Thanksgiving. (Brent also does not like pie, but he doesn't like sweets in general so we don't have to share the cake with him either.)

*1 1/2 cups boiling water
*1 cup oats (quick oats work best)
*1/2 cup margarine
*1 cup brown sugar
*1 cup sugar
*2 eggs
*1 1/2 cups flour
*1 tsp baking soda
*1/2 tsp salt
*1 tsp cinnamon
*1 tsp nutmeg
*1 tsp vanilla

Pour water over oats. Add margarine and both sugars. Let cool slightly. Mix and add eggs. Beat well. Add all dry ingredients. Blend well. Pour into greased 9x13 pan. Bake 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees. Let cool before frosting. Store in fridge. I think this cake best when its served cold.

Maple-Cream cheese Frosting:
*4 oz cream cheese, softened (I use low fat, but not fat free. Its gross.)
*1/2 tsp maple flavoring
*2 - 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Mix all ingredients until smooth.

Note: If you don't care for the maple flavor, use vanilla instead of the maple.

From the Critics
Brittany: 8

Brooklyn: 10

Damon: 8

Pumpkin Cookies

*1 1/2 cups brown sugar
*1/4 cup shortening
*1/4 cup applesauce
*2 eggs
*1 3/4 cups flour
*1 Tbsp. baking powder
*1 tsp. cinnamon
*1/2 tsp. nutmeg
*1/2 tsp. salt
*1/2 tsp. ginger
*2 cups chocolate chips

Combine sugar, shortening and applesauce, mix. Add eggs. Beat well. Add remaining ingredients and mix. Drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes at 375 degrees. Makes approx. 3 dozen cookies.

From the Critics
Brittany: 10

Brooklyn: 10

Damon: 10

Jodie's Carmel Popcorn

* 1 1/4 cups popcorn kernels

*1 cup butter (I use margarine)

*1/2 cup corn syrup
*2 cups brown sugar
*1 tsp. salt

Pop popcorn, put in really BIG bowl. Set aside. Combine other ingredients in sauce pan. Cook over medium heat stirring frequently. Boil for 5 minutes. (DO NOT stir while boiling.)

Add:
*1 tsp vanilla
*1/2 tsp. baking soda

Stir carmel mixture and pour over popcorn. Stir gently until well coated. Transfer to 2 large cookie sheets or large roasting pan. Bake one hour at 275 degrees, stirring every 15 minutes. Dump onto waxed paper and let cool.

From the Critics

Brittany: 10 - "Its super-duper yummy."

Brooklyn: 10 - No comment

Damon: 10 - "I like it really, really, so, so much!"

Tiny Spicy Chicken

My pictures of this dish didn't turn out very well, so you'll just have to use your imagination. But please note: If you compare this to what you'd find at a Chinese restaurant, the color of my finished product is a much lighter red.



* 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
* 1 egg, beaten
* ½ cup cornstarch

Cut chicken into strips. Dip in egg then roll in cornstarch. Spray skillet with non-stick cooking spray and cook chicken until brown. Spray 8x12-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Place chicken in baking dish, set aside.

Sauce:
*1/2 cup sugar
* ½ cup vinegar
* ½ tsp. garlic powder
* ¼ cup ketchup
* 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
* ½ - 1 tsp. fire oil

Mix sauce ingredients and pour over chicken. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Do not cover. Sauce will thicken as it bakes. Be careful not to let it burn. Serve over rice.

Note: Fire oil is found in the oriental food section of grocery stores.

From the Critics:

Brittany: 10 - "I love this and I can't stop eating it."

Brooklyn: 5 - No comment.

Damon: 10 - No comment.

Garden Spaghetti

There are no measurements for this recipe. Add ingredients according to your taste.

*pasta of your choice (I use whole wheat rotini.)

*canned tomatoes

*zucchini, 1/4 inch slices

*basil

*salt

*chicken breast, cubed (optional)

Cook and drain pasta. Brown chicken in frying pan, add tomatoes, zucchini and seasonings. Simmer until zucchini reaches desired tenderness. Stir in pasta.

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From the Critics

The kids won't eat this, I'm the only one that will and I love it.