Ooey Gooey Cake

The name of this cake may seem quite in appropriate... but it so is. This cake is so delicious! It is heaven in cake form. At least in my opinion. If you like chocolate, caramel, and more chocolate... then this is your kind of cake. This is a very rich cake. So a glass of milk is totally needed. And if your on a "diet" you will have to make believe that your no longer on a "diet", because your going to die and go to heaven, and forget about what ever it was you were trying to avoid... It's all here! This cake is what I'm going to eat for breakfast, I made it last night and because it's so rich I only can eat one piece a day. However, my children can eat it non stop... so I have to put limits on this cake. I think if I had made a jello cake instead I could eat the whole thing in one night, but this takes time to savor and enjoy! You'll see what I mean when I tell you how to make it. Oh, and it's so easy it's a semi-from scratch. I made it at home but with items that can be purchased from the store. Be fore warned.. this may cause sever drooling, chocolate fit attacks, and a sweet tooth...

Ingredients:
1 chocolate cake mix (including ingredients to make cake mix)
1-2 cans of sweetened condensed milk
chocolate syrup
caramel sauce
whipped cream
1 bamboo skewer

Directions:
Make the chocolate cake mix according to package directions in a 13X9 pan. After you pull it out of the oven HOT. (That is key) poke holes in the cake mix with the bamboo skewer (all along the top of the cake). Next, pore sweetened condensed milk on top of the Hot cake, then pore caramel and chocolate sauce on top of the sweetened condensed milk.

Either place in the refrigerator or set out on the counter top to allow the cake to cool and soak up the deliciousness. Before serving. Either spread non-dairy whipped topping, or Whipped Cream (I recommend) on top, then drizzle more chocolate sauce and caramel sauce on top.

Serve with a large glass of milk.

Verdict!
HEAVEN in a pan! That is if your a chocolate fan! if not, try my jello cake if you prefer a fruity flavor or non-chocolate and lower calorie cake.

Jello Cake

This dish is a deliciously sweet EASY cake. I know how easy can it be? you may be asking yourself. But it really is. I like this dish on a hot summer day. It's cold and delicious. It's sweet and light. It is also fruitie (is that really a word, for me it is) without adding any fruit to it. I also like to make jello cakes to go along with some holidays like St. Patricks day, or Easter. Even the 4th of July!  This cake will make you want to add jello to almost every cake you make. At least for me it does. I don't make this very often because I tend to forget about it sometimes, or I don't want to wear it out too much.

Ingredients:
1 cake mix (preferably white, yellow, butter or french vanilla)
1 box jello mix (plus hot water to help dissolve, and cold water - per package instructions)
whipped cream/non-dairy whipped topping
1 bamboo skewer

Directions:
Make cake mix per box instructions in a 13X9. Make jello per package instructions in a medium bowl - set aside (do not refrigerate yet). After cake is removed from the oven-HOT- poke holes all over the top of the cake with the bamboo skewer. Next - Pour the whole bowl of dissolved jello on top of the HOT cake. (Yes, I said pour the whole thing). Then place the pan in the refrigerator for 4-5 hours to let the jello set, and the cake cool. After jello has congealed, and cake is cooled. Spread the whipped cream or non-dairy whipped topping on top. And dig in!

Verdict!
So delicious, and tasty. I have used strawberry jello, lime jello, and even mixed jello flavors (I don't use all of it then. But it tastes delicious. These are light, yet flavorful cakes without adding too much to the waist line. Always a winner in my book.

Dr. Pepper Oriental Shredded Beef (Slow cooker)

Tonights dinner will be Dr. Pepper Oriental Beef. You may be asking your self "What in the HECK?" Yeah, I know I'm strange and sometimes the names sound strange. But this has the potential to be very tasty. I hope you read through the ingredients and think they go well together. I know I think they do.
Part of tonights dinner's inspiration came from the Pioneer Woman's Dr.Pepper Spicy pork. I had a 2-3 lb beef roast in the freezer. Which unless it's pulled would not be enough for my family for dinner. I didn't want to do the regular BBq beef with just adding store bought BBq sauce. So I thought about what made the Pioneer woman's pork so tasty. It was a little heat, and sweet. I had some chili sauce, the beef roast, and Dr. pepper... I keep thinking I'm inspired but this might just be the beginning of the end with my brain. I'll let you know tonight after dinner :)

Ingredients
2-3 lb beef roast
2 cans Dr. Pepper
2 Tbsp chili sauce
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
3 Tbsp Soy sauce
3 dashes of ground ginger

Directions:

Add all ingredients to a slow cooker, turn on high 4-5 hours, low 7-8. cook until fork tender, shred and serve over rice with mixed veggies, or on a hamburger bun.  Enjoy!

Cran-raisin, Strawberry, Oat Chocolate Snack Bars

As part of our Cub Scout Pack meeting tonight, we were asked to bring a healthy snack to share with the cub scouts and their families. I know the typical carrots, apples, celery and all that... but I wanted to do something a little different. I wanted a healthy snack bar. I am not purchasing any as I have all the ingredients to make a yummy one at home. I googled a healthy homemade snack bar online and I found this one. It was a great starting point, as I have never made one before in my whole life. I was grateful for the basic needs of a snack bar. This one is packed with loads of stuff, I guess my only hope is that it tastes good and my kids will eat it. I will bring some to the church and some will stay home. This makes a LARGE batch, a jelly roll pan full.  The original batch called for a 13X9 pan.

Ingredients:
Combine...
4 cups of oats
2 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups brown sugar (that’s the only bad part)
1 cup raisins
1 cup craisins (dried cranberries)
1 cup wheat germ or ground flax seed (we did the flax)
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
2 cups freeze dried strawberries
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cup sweetened coconut shredded
2 cups cinnamon almond granola



Stir in...
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 pint apple sauce (homemade, unsweetened)
1 cup honey
3 eggs
6 tsp vanilla

Blend well, incorporating all aspects of the mix. Spray a large jelly roll pan and pat mixture with a spatula. 

Bake for 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees until the edges are golden brown.

Snack bars cut

Pan of 42 snack bars

 close up of the snack bar

Verdict - 

Delicious, filling, and nutritious. Not too sweet, but sweet enough. I am not a big fan of raisins, but this is very delicious. I will be cutting some of the snack bars in half and bringing those to the Cub Scout Pack meeting, the other's are staying here, and if the kids don't eat them, I'm going to, because they are very good! Enjoy

Scalloped Au gratin Potato Chicken Casserole (Slow Cooker)

Tonight is a busy night for us. We have Cub Scout Pack Meeting tonight. We will be trying to get everything done, to get ready to be there, plus we still need to make a healthy snack to bring with us to share. I'm trying to use what I have in my pantry, fridge, freezer and food storage for the next two months. To see if I have enough for a whole two months supply, and then we will work on restocking our food supply. Therefore, I have a few odd  ball items that by themselves would not be enough for my family of 5. So I'm trying to be creative and add similar things together to make enough for our family. I know this isn't easy, and I'm sure this never happens to you. I have at one point enough boxes of things (I thought) for meals. But, I'm realizing that one box of scalloped potatoes is not enough as a side dish for my family. We each have about 4 potato slices and that's it. So, that doesn't work as a side dish, unless Bill and I are eating it as a date dinner side, and the boys don't get any. They don't like it when we do that. With that said. I first googled to see if other people had ever done a box potato mix in the slow cooker. I found a few that had. So I when with my plan. I know exciting right! :)

Ingredients:
1 box Scalloped Potatoes
1 box Au gratin Potatoes
1 bag frozen mixed veggies
6 chicken tenderloins cut into bite size pieces
4 cups of water (HOT)
4 Tbsp butter

Directions:
In the slow cooker, add the HOT water, mix in the seasoning packages from the boxed potatoes, then add the potatoes, and mixed veggies and stir. Cut up the tenderloins and add to the potato/veggie mixture. Drop the butter on top of the chicken and then stir to incorporate into the dish. Set on low for 8 hours, Stirring periodically to mix in all the ingredients.

Serve warm.

Honey Oat & Wheat Bread (Bread maker)

As I have a chicken and wild rice dish in the slow cooker. I decided that some fresh bread would go well with it. As I'm sick, I don't have the energy to make my homemade bread from scratch today. So, luckily, I have a bread maker. I decided to have it work for me. Therefore, I can have fresh bread tonight with dinner, from scratch, where I didn't have to "work" for it. That's working smarter not harder... right. I'm surprised that my brain is working enough for me to figure that out on my own. :)

I have been loving the oat breads that I've been making lately, but wanted something using wheat flour, as I have a TON and I need to use it up. So, I found this recipe online. And it sounded wonderful. She uses all organic. I don't. I removed the organic. I read through the comments and adjusted where I felt it needed adjusting. Here's hoping it turns out delicious. It sounds delicious to me. I plan on making two of these today.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 C warm water (NOT HOT) 1 Tbsp olive oil  1/3 C honey  1 tsp salt  1 C Rolled Oats  2 C Whole Wheat flour 1 C unbleached Bread Flour  1 tsp yeast

2 tsp vital wheat gluten

Directions:

Add ingredients to bread machine in order (Unless your bread maker calls for flour first)
Use white bread cycle - I go with Medium crust
for a softer crust wrap with plastic wrap right away - the steam softens the crust

12 - 1 slice servings (including ends)

Makes a great sandwich bread and really yummy toast! 

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice (slow cooker)

Picture from Campbells' Kitchen: Slow Cooked

This morning, I am still sick. I am exhausted and I know that by dinner time I'll be ready for bed. I didn't want to have to worry about dinner tonight. I still have to plan FHE tonight. :) I'm so grateful for websites to help me think when my brain is fried. Also, I'm grateful for cookbooks for inspiration.

I have recently purchased a slow cooker cookbook. All the recipes inside are slow cooker recipes. I think that's a total score :) It is called the 3 in 1 Rival Crock pot cookbook. Under the American Classics section, I found this recipe Campbell's Creamy chicken and Wild Rice recipe. I read the few ingredients and it was the winner of todays dinner. :) I don't have campbell's brand cream of chicken soup so I didn't want to use the name. Plus, I added a can of corn and 1 Tbsp of dried minced onion that was not listed in the ingredients.  It seemed easy enough and perfect for a cold, rainy... sick day.

Ingredients:
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cups water
1 pkg (4.5-6oz) seasoned long-grain and wild rice mix (I used rice a Roni)
4 Lg carrots, thickly sliced
8 boneless chicken breast halves (I used 8 chicken tenderloins)
1 can corn, drained
1 Tbsp dried minced onion

Directions:
Add all ingredients to the crock pot. Stirring and coating the chicken. Set on low for 7-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours or until done.

Serve with a side salad and bread.

Verdict: This was pretty good. I liked it but it needed a little spice or flavor. It's kind of bland. I didn't add any salt or pepper, and not even Mrs. Dash. But those would be a nice addition to this recipe. I will probably try this with a can of french onion soup next time. Instead of water. To see if it adds some more flavor without other stuff. The minced onions were nice and they added slight flavor to the wild rice. We have enough for everyone in our family, plus enough for one person's lunch leftover. (can you guess my lunch today?) I hope you try it and like it. I know we did. It was a nice change from our usual slow cooker meals. :) Enjoy! :)