Chocolate Chip Chiffon Cake

Hello! Thank you Jenna for starting this blog! I've really enjoyed reading the recipes. We're having the quick version Italian chicken tonight! Thanks, Mardeana!!! :) I thought for my first contribution I'd put up the recipe for one of my favorite cakes, chocolate chip chiffon. It's super yummy, and always a hit as gifts or at carry-ins. It's not overly sweet but sweet enough. I hope you enjoy it if you try it.

This is Derek holding the cake with a chocolate glaze on it.


Chocolate Chip Chiffon Cake

Preheat oven to 350.

Finely grate 3 squares of baker's chocolate (whatever variety you like..we use semi-sweet).

2 c. flour

1 3/4 c. granulated sugar

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

3/4 c. cold water

1/2 c. vegetable oil

2 tsp. vanilla

8 large eggs, separated (best if brought to room temperature first)

1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. beat in water, oil, vanilla, and egg yolks until smooth. This is the batter.

In a separate bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tarter until stiff peaks form.

Gradually pour batter in a small, steady stream over beaten egg whites folding in just until blended. Fold in the grated chocolate.

Pour into an ungreased tube pan (angel food cake pan).

Bake for one hour or until cake tester comes out clean. Invert pan onto a glass bottle to cool.

Yes, it's a beer bottle. No, I don't drink. Yes, I got some very strange looks from the neighbor I asked for it. I've since bought a glass bottle of some really nasty mineral water so I'd have a cooling bottle. LOL

Once cool, loosen the sides and center from the pan with a knife. Remove from pan and place on serving platter. This is delicious plain, with a simple chocolate glaze, or with what my Mom always ices hers with...Betty Crocker's Fluffy White Icing (box mix). Enjoy! :)

Quicker Italian Chicken

I've probably made Italian Chicken for all of you this way before, but Tonya recently asked me for the recipe, so I thought I'd post it here in case any of you want it. It's not quite as fancy as the original baked version, but still tastes great!

I sautee in a little olive oil, in a large cast iron skillet, as many pieces of chicken as we need. We like the boneless breasts - sometimes they are big enough to cut in half or even thirds. If you want to stick closer to the original Italian chicken recipe, you can dredge the pieces in melted butter and then in crushed cracker crumbs and parmesan cheese first. But I usually skip that step, which makes the recipe a bit healthier. When the chicken is done, I pour spaghetti sauce or marinara sauce, really whatever Italian sauce you like, over the chicken, cover and simmer for ten minutes or so. Sprinkle (or smother, if you prefer, as we do!) with shredded mozarella cheese. I usually stick the skillet in the oven or under the broiler for a few minutes until the cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown. Serve with a salad and rice or pasta. Mmmmmm!

White chili

Hey guys, I thought I'd pass on two of my favorite recipes that I can eat and that Miles and Elisabeth love as well.

Both are fairly simply simple and soul satisfying!

White Chili

In a large pot, bring to boil:

3 cans of great northern bean

1 can Chicken broth-or chicken bullion and water to equal 2 cups

While that is cooking:

Brown 1 lb of chicken breast with

1/2 tsp garlic powder, salt, pepper and onion powder to taste

Once pot is boiling, add browned chicken and

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp black pepper

salt(optional)

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 can green chilies if desired

1 can corn

Let simmer 25-35 minutes uncovered. Serve with cheese and tortillas chips. It's great like taco soup--guacamole, sour cream and all the trimmings! I've cut out all of the good extras from my diet-except baked tortillas chips and the guacamole! This is super yummy!

La pasta d' Lueas

1 clove garlic minced

1/2 onion, minced

veggies--zuchinni-portabello mushrooms-spinach, use anything you like!

1/2 lb of meat-beef, chicken or pork in any form, ground or chunks

5 tomatoes-roma are best, diced-or 1 large can of diced tomatoes

1 can of tomato sauce

In large dutch oven, saute onion and garlic in olive oil. Add veggies. Brown the meat in 1 TBS of Italian seasonings and 1 TBS of basil. Add meat to veggies. Add tomatoes and sauce. Add more seasonings if desired and salt to taste. Let simmer until thick.

Prepare favorite pasta and toss with tomato sauce. Serve!

I have rarely used pasta--we eat it with a spaghetti squash, and I can't tell the difference! I also didn't like pasta growing up until I found this recipe. Experiment and let me know what everyone uses!

OK - here goes! Hi everyone! Thanks for starting this, Jenna - I think it's going to be fun sharing recipes this way. I haven't made this one yet. I just saw it on my daily email from LDS Living from Deseret Book. They look great - and of course you could use homemade bread dough in place of the Rhodes rolls, and homemade meatballs, too. Let me know if you try it before I do. Love you all!

Meatball Muffins -Powered by Rhodes
These muffins will surprise everyone! Great Italian taste, simple to make!
Prep Time: 20 min Bake Time: 25 min Servings: 12

12 Rhodes Dinner Rolls, thawed to room temperature
1/4 cup marinara sauce
12 frozen cooked Italian style meatballs
3 sticks mozzarella string cheese, cut in fourths
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
extra marinara sauce, if desired

Spray counter lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Flatten each roll into a 5-inch circle. Place 1 teaspoon marinara sauce in the center of each circle. Top with 1 meatball and a piece of string cheese cut in half. Place a piece of cheese on two sides of the meatball. Pull dough up around filling to completely enclose and pinch to seal. Place one seam side down in each cup of a sprayed 12 cup muffin tin. Brush each one with butter and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning. Cover with sprayed plastic wrap and let rise 30-45 minutes. Remove wrap and bake at 350F 20-25 minutes. Serve warm with warm marinara sauce, if desired.

Marshmallow Popcorn

This is Peter's and my favorite new treat that we like to eat after the kids go to bed :). It is quick and easy and yummy! It is basically rice krispie treats, but with popcorn instead of rice krispies.

Marshmallow Covered Popcorn

1 bag microwave popcorn (you want at least some butter flavor, but doesn't have to be drenched in butter)
1/3 to 1/2 bag of marshmallows
1-2 Tbsp butter

Melt the butter in a pan on the stove, then add marshmallows and stir until they are melted. Don't turn the heat up too high or they will burn. While you are melting the marshmallows, pop the popcorn in the microwave and then dump into a large bowl (you need room to stir). Pour the melted marshmallows over the popcorn, stir until coated, and enjoy! Yummmmmm.

Ok, so here goes! Those recipes you all have posted already look great! Will definitely try them! And I'll get some of our favorites up here soon - any requests? ;) In the meantime, just wanted to say hi!

This is fun!

Wow, this is going to be incredible! Can't wait to see what we can put on the table!

So I made Lemon Sugar cookies yesterday--I was feeling stressed- and needed comfort! They were just what I needed!

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs, beaten

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

pinch of salt

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

grated rind of 1 lemon

Beat sugar and butter together until light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat till just blended. Add grated rind. Combine flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Add to the butter mixture, and mix till just blended. Roll and cut out. Bake at 375 for 8-12 minutes.

These are really yummy, but I also added the juice of half of the lemon that I used. And when I baked them, I just spooned it onto a cookie sheet instead of rolling out it out. I like soft cookies and that's why I did it that way. If you like crisp cookies, have fun rolling and cutting! The lemon is accentuated by the nutmeg---ooh, they were good!

Hey I don't have any recipes to post yet, but since I have never blogged before I just wanted to figure out how to do this. I hope this works!

Sweet Potato Pizza

I made this for dinner tonight, and it was amazing! Peter even liked it, after watching me make it and saying "yeah I'm not eating that." I made him try a bite, and he wouldn't leave my leftovers alone! Hayden tried it and said it was good, but he didn't like all the "green things" on it, so he didn't eat much. I LOVED it, it was hard to not eat the whole pizza.

Ingredients:
2 medium sweet potatoes
5 oz. Marscarpone cheese, softened (in a pinch, you can use 5 oz. cream cheese mixed w/ 2 Tbs. sour cream)
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Pizza crust of your choice

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Peel sweet potatoes and cut into very thin slices. Lightly drizzle olive oil over pizza crust then spread with marscarpone cheese. Sprinkle with garlic salt. Layer potatoes over the marscarpone and sprinkle with rosemary, thyme, and kosher salt. Drizzle olive oil over entire pizza (about 1 T). Bake at 425 degrees for 18-25 minutes, until potatoes are soft and crust is crispy. Remove from oven and drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Serve immediately.

I just used one large sweet potato, and didn't even need the whole thing. I sliced the rest and made chips out of it. I also just sprayed mine with olive oil instead of drizzling, and only used 4 oz of the cheese and it was enough. I also used dried herbs because that is what I have. And it was still so good, so I can just imagine what it would be if you actually use fresh!

I found this recipe on this blog. You can check it out for more fun recipes. This one is definitely going into the dinner rotation!

Let's get this party started!

Snow Ice Cream

1/2 cup half and half or whole milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
4 cups clean snow

Mix the half and half, sugar and vanilla.  Pour this mixture over your snow, and mix thoroughly.  Keep mixing until it reaches the consistency of soft ice cream.  Now enjoy!

You can set out a bowl when it starts snowing to collect the snow, or just scoop it up (and make sure it is clean :))

For a video demonstration, go here.