German Chocolate Cake

This was a fantastic recipe. The only issue I had was I felt like the chocolate buttercream recipe did not yield enough to fully cover the cake. I would consider increasing the ingredients by half for the buttercream. 

Ingredient's:

• For the Chocolate Cake: 
• 2 cups granulated sugar (400 g) 
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (210 g) 
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (75 g) 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder (6 g) 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda (7.5 g) 
• 1 teaspoon salt (5 g) 
• 2 large eggs 
• 1 cup buttermilk (240 ml) 
• 1/2 cup oil (vegetable or canola oil) (120 ml) 
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (10 ml) 
• 1 cup boiling water (240 ml)
• For the Coconut Frosting: 
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar (100 g) 
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100 g) 
• 1/2 cup butter (115 g) 
• 3 large egg yolks 
• 3/4 cup evaporated milk (180 ml) 
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract (15 ml) 
• 1 cup chopped pecans (120 g) 
• 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut (80 g) 
• For the Chocolate Frosting: 
• 1/2 cup butter (115 g) 
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (65 g) 
• 3 cups powdered sugar (360 g) 
• 1/3 cup evaporated milk (80 ml) 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (5 ml)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375°F. 
2. Grease two 8 or 9-inch round baking pans. 
3. I like to cut a round piece of wax or parchment paper for the bottom of the pan also, to make sure the cake comes out easily. 

For the Cake: 

1. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. 
2. In a separate bowl combine the eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla and mix well. 
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix to combine. 
4. Stir in boiling water (batter will be very thin). 
5. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake for 25 - 35 minutes (depending on your cake pan size. The 9'' pan takes less time to bake) or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean or with few crumbs. 
6. Cool 5 minutes in the pan and then invert onto wire racks to cool completely.  

For the German Chocolate Frosting:

1. In a medium saucepan add brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, egg yolks, and evaporated milk. 
2. Stir to combine and bring the mixture to a low boil over medium heat. 
3. Stir constantly for several minutes until the mixture begins to thicken.  
4. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, nuts and coconut. Allow to cool completely before layering it on the cake. 

For the Chocolate Buttercream Frosting: 

1. Melt butter. Stir in cocoa powder. 
2. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. 
3. Add small amount additional milk, if needed to thin the frosting, or a little extra powder, until you reach your desired consistency. 
4. Stir in vanilla. 

Cake Assembly: 

1. Place one of the cake rounds on your serving stand or plate.   
2. Smooth a thin layer of chocolate frosting over the cake layer, and then spoon half of the coconut frosting on top, spreading it into a smooth layer. 
3. Leave about 1/2 inch between the filling and edge of cake. 
4.  Stack the second cake round on top. 
5. Smooth chocolate frosting over the entire cake. 
6. Spoon remaining coconut frosting on top of the cake.  

Source: https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/wprm_print/german-chocolate-cake

Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients 

• 4 tablespoons butter - plus extra for the dish 
• 1 small yellow onion - diced 
• 4 whole carrots - peeled and diced
•  2 celery stalks - chopped 
• salt and pepper - to taste
•  1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• 2 medium-large chicken breasts - cut into 1-inch pieces
•  3 tablespoons flour
•  1 cup chicken broth
•  1 ½ cups half and half - or whole milk
•  ¾ cup frozen peas
•  2 sheets refrigerated pie crust - or one homemade pie crust 
• 1 egg - lightly beaten

Directions 

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Melt the butter in a large skillet, Dutch oven or frying pan set over a medium high heat. 
2. Stir in the onion, carrot and celery, along with a pinch of salt. Cook until the onions are soft and have started to color. 
3. Stir in the fresh thyme, followed by the chicken, seasoned well with salt and pepper. Cook until the chicken has started to brown. Sprinkle with the flour and cook for a further minute. 
4. Pour in the broth, and the half and half or milk. Cook, stirring often, until the sauce has thickened to slightly thinner than you want your finished pie filling. Stir in the frozen peas, and remove from the heat. Add a little more salt and pepper, if needed, and set aside to cool a little. 
5. While the filling is cooling, lightly butter a 9 inch pie plate and line with one of the pie crusts. 
6. Add the filling to the pie dish, and brush the exposed edges of the pastry with beaten egg. Lay the other pie crust on top, and press down to seal the edges. Trim off any excess with a sharp knife and crimp the edges. 
7. Brush the top of the pie with egg wash and cut a small slit in the middle to let out steam. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the pastry is cooked and the top is golden – you may need a little more or a little less baking time if your oven runs a little hot or a little cold. 
8. Let the pie to rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing.

Source: https://www.lecremedelacrumb.com/skillet-chicken-pot-pie/

Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients 

For the muffins:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour 
• 1 cups granulated sugar 
• 2 teaspoons baking powder 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 2 eggs 
• 1/2 cup butter melted 
• 1/2 cup milk 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 12 oz frozen blueberries 

For the streusel topping: 

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar 
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 1/8 teaspoon salt 
• 2 tablespoons butter cold

Directions 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a muffin pan with cupcake liners. In a large bowl, sift together 2 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
2.  In a medium bowl, whisk eggs until smooth. Add the 1/2 cup melted butter, milk, and vanilla, and whisk until combined. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and stir until combined. (Dough will be lumpy.) Fold in blueberries. 
3. To prepare the streusel topping, in a medium bowl combine 1/4 cup flour, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, cinnamon, and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Using a pastry cutter, cut in butter until topping is crumbly and coarse. 
4. Fill prepared muffin cups with batter. Top each muffin with streusel topping, about 1 tablespoon each. Bake until muffin centers bounce back when lightly pressed, about 18 to 22 minutes. Cool muffins on a rack for several minutes before removing from pan. Cool completely and store in an airtight container, up to 4 days.

Source: https://www.culinaryhill.com/wprm_print/blueberry-muffins

Christmas Chex Mix

 Christmas Chex Mix

Ingredients:

• 3 cups Cheerios 
• 3 cups Rice Chex 
• 3 cups Wheat Chex 
• 2 cups Corn Chex 
• 1 cups Pretzel Sticks 
• 2-3 cups m&m’s 
• 24 oz White Chocolate

Directions: 

1. In a large bowl combine the Cheerios, Chex, Pretzels and m&m’s. Mix them up a bit, making sure that everything is evenly distributed. 
2. Meanwhile, over a double boiler, melt the white chocolate according to the directions on the package. Once the chocolate has melted and is a smooth consistency, drizzle the chocolate over the cereal mix and combine with a wooden spoon or hands. Make sure all the cereal is covered in chocolate. If you need to melt the extra white chocolate to cover all the mix then go right on ahead! 
3. Once the entire batch has been combined, lay it out to dry on a large sheet of parchment or wax paper. Let dry for 1 hour so the chocolate is cooled and hard. 
4. Break it up into medium pieces and store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer

Source: https://whatsgabycooking.com/wprm_print/chex-christmas-mix

 Italian Rainbow Cookies

Ingredients:

• 4 large eggs separated 
• 1 cup sugar divided 
• 7 ounce tube of almond paste 
• 2 ½ sticks salted butter softened 
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 2 cups all-purpose
• Red and green food coloring
• 10 ounces seedless raspberry preserves warmed
• 12 ounces semisweet chocolate

Directions: 

1. 
   
2. Prepare the sheet pans. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 F. Grease, flour, and line the bottoms of three 9x13 (quarter sheet pan) with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang.
3. Beat egg whites. In the bowl of a standard electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat 4 egg whites at medium-high speed until they just hold stiff peaks. 
4. With the mixer running on high speed, add ¼ cup sugar a little at a time, beating until whites hold stiff, glossy peaks, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer to another bowl, and wipe the bowl dry with a paper towel.
5. Mix sugar and almond paste. Switch the mixer to the paddle attachment and beat together the almond paste and remaining ¾ cup sugar until well-mixed, about 3 minutes. Start with the mixer on slow, then increase speed to medium, otherwise the mixture will fly out of the bowl. Incorporate butter.
6. Add 2 ½ sticks softened butter and beat until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
7. Add 4 egg yolks and 1 tsp almond extract and beat until well combined, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low, then add 2 cups flour, mixing until just combined. 
8. Fold in egg whites. Fold half of the egg white mixture into the almond mixture to lighten, then fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly. 
9. Divide batter among 3 bowls. We recommend weighing the batter on a food scale, then dividing equally in thirds into three separate bowls. Color the cookies. Stir 6-8 drops of red food coloring into one bowl and 6-8 drops of green food coloring into another, leaving the third bowl plain. Different food colorings have different intensities. Keep in mind the batter will bake up darker than it looks raw. Pour the batter from one of the bowls into one of the prepared pans. Using a small offset spatula, spread the batter into an even layer. It will be extremely thin, but there is enough!
10. Bake the individual layers. Bake the layer for 12-18 minutes, until just set. Repeat with the remaining bowls of cake batter and sheet pans, transferring each baked cake to a wire rack to cool completely. Assemble the layers with preserves.
11. When all the layers are cool, invert the green layer onto a parchment- or wax paper-lined baking sheet. Peel off the paper from the layer and brush on half of the heated preserves. Flip the white layer on top of the green layer and peel off the paper. Spread with remaining preserves. Invert the red layer on top of white layer and discard the paper.
12. Chill overnight. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and place another quarter sheet pan on top, right side up. Evenly distribute a heavy weight on top of the sheet pan — I place heavy cookbooks on top! — and place in the fridge to chill for at least 8 hours or overnight.
13. Bring the cake to room temperature. Remove the weights and plastic wrap and let the layer sit on your counter for a few minutes to come to room temperature. Melt the chocolate wafers in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second increments, until smooth. Pour on melted chocolate.
14. Trim the edges of the assembled layers with a long serrated knife to even them out. Use a small offset spatula to quickly (like REALLY quickly) spread half of the melted chocolate in a thin layer on top of the cake. Place the cake back in the fridge to firm up the chocolate, about 10-15 minutes. Place a sheet of wax paper on top of the chocolate layer, place another quarter sheet pan on top, then invert the cake and remove the paper. Quickly spread with the remaining chocolate. Freeze the chocolate-covered cake until just slightly firm, about 10 minutes.
15. Slice cookies. Cut lengthwise into 6 strips, then cut each strip crosswise into 16 pieces. The cookies are much easier to cut when cold, but if they're completely frozen solid (like you forget them in the freezer and came back to them the next day), allow to thaw slightly or the chocolate will crack as you slice into it. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.

Source: https://www.wellseasonedstudio.com/wprm_print/foolproof-italian-rainbow-cookies-recipe

Boursin Pasta Bake 

Ingredients 

• 1 Boursin cheese
• 2 containers of grape tomatoes
• 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
• Olive oil, drizzled 
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 Tbls of fresh chives
• 1 cup fresh basil
• 1 family sized package of tortellini of your choice
• 4 large handfuls of fresh spinach 

Directions

1. Place the Boursin in the center of your baking pan. Add the grape tomatoes followed by your crushed garlic. Drizzle olive oil in top. 
2. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add your fresh chives and basil. 
3. Bake at 400 F for 30-35 minutes.
4. Before the tomatoes and Boursin are almost done baking, prepare your tortellini according to the instructions on the packaging.
5. After you have finished baking the tomatoes and Boursin, crush tomatoes. 
6. Stir in prepared tortellini and spinach. 
7. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if desired. Serve immediately. 

 Copycat Bertucci’s Nolio Pizza

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1 medium lemon, juiced
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup (8 ounces) chopped or shredded prosciutto
• 1 ball pizza dough (store-bought or homemade)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. In a small saucepan, boil the heavy cream until thickened. Add the white pepper and lemon juice; remove from heat and set aside.
3. In a medium skillet, sauté the onions in olive oil until they begin to brown.
4. Roll out the pizza dough and place onto a non-stick pizza pan. Sprinkle on the cheese, then prosciutto. Add the cream mixture a little at a time to the pizza (Tablespoons full) forming little puddles spread around the pizza. 
5. Drain the onions and put them on last. They will continue to caramelize as the pizza bakes.
6. Bake 8 to 12 minutes. Don't overbake.

Source: 

https://www.recipegirl.com/

Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients 

• 1 ½ cups cooked shredded chicken
• 2 cups easy enchilada sauce, divided
• 8 corn or flour tortillas
• 3 cups shredded Mexican-blend cheese, divided
• salt and black pepper, to taste
• optional toppings: diced onions, chopped cilantro, sour cream, shredded lettuce, cotija cheese 

Directions 

• 
  Preheat oven to 350ºF. In a large bowl, combine the shredded chicken, ¼ cup enchilada sauce and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Mix together and taste. Season with more salt and pepper as needed.
• If using corn tortillas: Wrap the tortillas in a damp paper towel and heat them in the microwave for 1 minute, flipping the them halfway through until all of them are warm and pliable.

  If using flour tortillas: Microwave the tortillas on a plate for 1 minute, flipping them halfway through until all of them are warm and pliable.
• Assemble the enchiladas by filling each tortilla evenly with the shredded chicken mixture and 1 cup of shredded cheese. Roll the tortillas tightly to close and place in large baking dish seam side down.
• Pour the remaining 1 ¾ cup enchilada sauce over the tortillas, top with the remaining 1 ½ cups shredded cheese, and bake for 20 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
• Serve immediately and garnish with desired toppings.

Enchilada Sauce 

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 ¼ cups chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

• 
  Heat the olive oil in a small pot over medium-high heat.
• Add the flour and whisk together for 1 minute.
• Add the chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, cumin and dried oregano and whisk together for 30 seconds.
• Slowly pour in the broth while whisking constantly to make sure no big lumps form.
• Add the tomato paste and whisk the enchilada sauce until completely smooth.
• Bring to a simmer, remove from heat, and serve.

Source: https://www.isabeleats.com/wprm_print/10652