Chocolate Coca Cola Cake

Ingredients:
Cake:
1 box caked mix
2 cups miniature marshmallows
Coca Cola (For the cake mix, use the coke to replace the water and oil)

Frosting:
2 tablespoons butter
1 box powdered sugar
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
2 tablespoons cocoa
6 tablespoons Coca Cola

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl mix together the boxed cake mix and the coca cola.  Use how ever much coke as the water and oil would be.  Mine called for 1 1/4 cups of water and 1/2 cup oil so I used 1 3/4 cups coke.  Then stirs in the miniature marshmallows very well.  Make sure they are evenly distributed amongst the cake mix.  Grease a 13 x 9 baking dish and pour the batter in and spread evenly. Bake for 45 minutes. 

While the cake is baking make the frosting. In a large mixing bowl, put the box of powdered sugar.  In a saucepan, heat the butter, coke, and cocoa until it boils while you are whisking constantly.  Once it has boiled, pour the mixture over the powdered sugar in the bowl.  Stir with a spatula.  If desired, add the chopped nuts once it has been completely mixed.  Set aside until the cake is done.  Once the cake comes out of the oven, Put dollops of the frosting all over the top of the cake and allow to melt slightly.  Then you can spread it all over the cake.  Make sure it is hot when you do this.  Serve warm and enjoy!

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Sugar Cookies

Cookies:
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Frosting:
5 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1/3 cup (5 1/3 tbsp.) unsalted butter, melted
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
7-8 tbsp. milk (plus more, as needed)
sprinkles
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients. Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and place onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.

To frost the cookies, place the confectioners’ sugar in a medium bowl. Add the melted butter, vanilla, and milk to the bowl and whisk until smooth. Whisk in additional milk as necessary, 1 teaspoon at a time, until you reach your desired consistency. Use an offset spatula or spoon to frost the cooled cookies. Top with sprinkles if desired. Serve and enjoy!

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Chocolate Lava Cakes

Chocolate Lava Cakes

Serves 4 (I doubled the recipe when I made it to make 8)

Ingredients:

6 oz. Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate (or use your favorite 70% dark chocolate bar)
6 oz. Butter (diced, room temperature)
3 Eggs
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
1/3 cup Flour
Butter and flour for muffin tins

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F

Melt chocolate in the microwave in 30 second intervals for about 1-1/2 minutes. When melted, stir in the butter until it melts.

In another bowl, beat eggs and sugar, until it starts to whiten. Stir in melted chocolate and then the flour. Butter and flour 4 regular sized muffin tins and pour in ¼ cup of chocolate batter.

Cook for about 10 minutes.

Let cool for about 15 minutes.  Run your knife around the outside to loosten the edges.  Then turn them out onto a dish.  Warm them for 15 seconds before serving if not serving immediately after baking.  Enjoy!

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Pecan Shortbread

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons powdered sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into chunks

1 teaspoon water

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Add the flour, salt, and powdered sugar to a bowl and stir with a fork. Add in the vanilla, the butter and the 1 teaspoon of water. Using the fork or yours hands, mix the dough together just until a dough is formed. Add the chopped pecans and mix. Put the dough on a sheet of plastic wrap and roll into a log, about 2 1/2 inches in diameter and 5 inches long. Tightly twist each end of the wrap in opposite directions. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.


Slice the log into 1/3-inch thick disks. Arrange on nonstick cookie sheets. Bake until the edges are just light brown, about 12 to 14 minutes, rotating the pans half way through the baking process. Remove from the oven and let cool on the cookie sheets for 5 minutes. Tansfer to wire racks and cool until room temperature. 

In the microwave melt the chocolate chips.  I do about 30 second intervals, stirring in between.  Usually it takes 1-1/2 minutes.  Then dip half of the cookie into the chocolate and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Put in the fridge for about 30 minutes just so the chocolate can harden.  Enjoy!

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Shrimp Scampi Pasta

Ingredients:
1 lb spaghetti
20 shrimp, cleaned and deveined
juice from half of a lemon
6 garlic cloves
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup reserved pasta water
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
salt
pepper

Directions:
Boil a large pot of water in order to cook the spaghetti. 

In another large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  While it is heating, chop the garlic cloves very finely.  Then add them to the hot oil and cook for 5 minutes on low heat or until garlic begins to turn slightly brown.

The water should have boiled by now.  Salt the water and toss in the spaghetti.  They will take about 8 minutes to cook. Once the garlic has browned, turn the pan to high heat and pour in the white wine.  Let the wine reduce by half.  One it is reduced, put in the shrimp and cook 2 minutes on each side.  Squeeze in jucie from half of a lemon and stir.  Right before the pasta is done, take 1/4 cup of the water from the pasta pot out and reserve it. 

Drain your pasta and add it to the skillet of shrimp and toss.  Drizzle in a little of the pasta water and continue to toss until a sauce forms.  Then toss in chopped parsley and a little pepper.  Serve and enjoy!

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Cream Puffs

Ingredients:
Dough:
1 stick butter
1 cup water
4 eggs
1 cup flour

Filling:
2 boxes instant vanilla pudding
2 pints heavy whipping cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 500 degrees. 

In a small pot on the stove, boil the water and butter until the butter melts and begins to bubble.  Once it boils, shut off the heat and stir in the 1 cup of flour.  Once it begins to pull away from the sides, add one egg at a time, stirring vigorously in between each egg.  Once the dough has formed, drop tablespoons on a greased cookie sheet.  Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.  Then turn the oven down to 350 and bake for another 15 minutes or until brown. 

In a large bowl, beat the whipping cream until peaks begin to form.  Then beat in the two boxes of vanilla pudding until they become fully incorporated. 

Once the cream puffs have completely cooled, cut them in half and stuff the inside with a tablespoon of filling into each one and put the top back on.  Some of the cream puffs I filled with lemon curd instead of the vanilla filling.  Serve with a sprinkling of powdered sugar and enjoy!

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English Muffin Pizzas

Ingredients:
4 English Muffins
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1 can tomato paste
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons pizza seasoning or oregano
salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Split each english muffin in half and toast them in a toaster, toaster oven, or in the regular oven until they are lightly toasted. Each english muffin makes two "pizzas".  Then spread on a few tablespoons of tomato paste on each side of the english muffin. Lay 2 or 3 slices of cheese or a handful of shredded cheese on each side. I used sliced fresh mozzarella cheese, but grated mozzarella is fine too.  Then sprinkle with the pizza seasoning or oregano and a little salt.  Drizzle with a little olive oil.  Bake in the oven for about 10-12 minutes or until cheese is completely melted.  Serve and enjoy!

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