Chocolate Cake

I've been making this cake a lot lately when I am taking a meal.  It is a super moist cake that has been very popular.  Instead of using a 9X13 pan, I have been using two square pans so I have an extra cake to take to someone!

Coca-Cola Cake

Category:  Desserts

Source: More

2 c flour

9 T cocoa, divided

1 t baking soda

1 ½ c softened butter, divided

1 ¾ c sugar

2 eggs

2 t vanilla, divided

½ c buttermilk

1 1/3 c cola, divided

16 oz box confectioner’s sugar

1 ½ c miniature marshmallows

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Lightly grease 13x9 pan.  In med bowl, combine flour, 4 T cocoa, and baking soda; set aside.
2. Beat 1 c butter and sugar until creamy.  Beat in eggs and 1 t vanilla.  In small bowl, combine  buttermilk and 1 c cola.  Add dry ingredients to butter mixture alternately with the cola mixture blending well. Turn batter into prepared pan.
3. Bake 35 min or until a toothpick comes out clean.  While cake is baking, make the icing:  Combine remaining 5 T cocoa, ½ c butter, 1 t vanilla and 1/3 c cola with confectioner’s sugar.  Beat until smooth.
4. Top cake w/marshmallows and return to oven for 1 min.  Spread frosting over marshmallows.  It will firm up when the cake cools.

Holiday Ham

This is ham recipe I most often make for a holiday or a large dinner.  It is very popular.  My husband loves it and calls it The Holiday Ham.  It has a sweet glaze, and Jory usually does not like that (he's not one to go for those sweet glaze packets you can buy), but he loves this.  He says it's not too sweet, just perfect.

Molasses-Coffee Glazed Ham

Category:  Main Dishes

Sub Category:

Source: Southern Living

 

1 c molasses

12 oz jar apricot jam

2 T cider vinegar

1 T Dijon mustard

1 t salt

1 t vanilla

¾ strong brewed coffee

8-9 lb bone-in, fully cooked smoked ham half

 

1.  Stir together first seven ingredients until blended.  Reserve one cup.
2. Place ham in 13x9 pan.  Pour remaining sauce evenly over ham.
3. Bake on lower oven rack at 350 for 2 hours or until thickest portion reaches 140, basting every 15 minutes.  Cover loosely with foil if ham starts to get too brown.
4. Remove from pan; let stand 30 minutes.  Heat reserved sauce and serve with ham.

 

Banana Pudding

Recently I was charged with bringing dessert to a Super Bowl party.  My husband chose banana pudding.  I think this recipe (or a variation of it) is probably pretty common, but it is easy and we really like it.

Banana Pudding*

Category:  Desserts

1 large box instant vanilla pudding

1 (8 oz) container Cool Whip

1 can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk

1 (8 oz) container sour cream

1 box Vanilla Wafers

3-4 bananas, sliced

 

1.             Prepare pudding as directed.  Refrigerate for approximately 5 minutes.

2.             Mix together Cool Whip, Eagle Brand milk and sour cream.  Mix into pudding.

3.             Arrange a layer of Vanilla Wafers on bottom of 13x9 baking dish.  Arrange a layer of banana slices on top of the cookies.  Pour ½ of pudding mixture over bananas.  Repeat.  Top with more cookies.

4.             Refrigerate for at least a couple of hours.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Biscotti

I found a great recipe for gingerbread biscotti in a parenting magazine.  It was a fun, easy Christmas gifts kids can make.  The gingerbread flavor is so rich.  You bake the biscotti and then let it cool and then toast it.  Honestly, sometimes, we don't put it back into toast it.  When you take it out of the oven the first time it is the consistency of gingerbread (except it doesn't rise, so it's flat bread, but YUMMY). 

Gingerbread Biscotti

Category:  Baked Goods
Sub Category:
Source: Family Fun

 

2 c flour

1 t baking powder

1 ½ t ginger

3 t cinnamon

¼ t salt

6T unsalted butter, softened

1 c sugar

2 eggs

3 T light molasses

2 t vanilla

8 oz white chocolate chips

 

1.  Heat oven to 350. Coat a baking sheet w/cooking spray. 
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. 
3. In stand mixer on med, beat butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add egg, molasses and vanilla and mix well.  Reduce speed to low and blend in flour mixture.
4. With slightly wet hands, halve dough and shape into two 2 ½ x 9 in rectangles.  Bake until golden brown and just starting to crack, about 25 min.  Let cool and reduce the oven’s temperature to 325.
5. Use a sharp knife to cut loaves into ¾ in slices.  Place slices cut side down and bake until toasted, about 8 min.  They should be crunchy on outside but not hard.  Transfer to a rack to cool completely.
6. Melt the chocolate and drizzle on biscotti

Pancakes

I have three different pancake recipes I like.  Aaron asked for pancakes the other day and I grabbed this one.  I was reminded of how much I like it.  It turns out very good pancakes.  It calls for plain yogurt, but I always use flavored - whatever I have.  I've done blueberry, banana and vanilla.  I sometimes omit the vanilla depending on the flavor of yogurt used.

Pancakes

1 c flour

1 T sugar

1 t baking powder

½ t baking soda

1 c plain yogurt

1 egg

½ c water

1 t vanilla

 

1. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
2. Whisk remaining ingredients and add to dry ingredients, mixing well.
3. Cook on griddle.

 

The BEST Ham!

I cut a recipe out of Southern Living's New Year's Special called Good Luck Greens and Peas with Ham.  If you are not from the South, Black-eyed Peas are eaten on New Year's Day for luck.  (Where I come from it's Sauerkraut and no one has heard of Black-eyed peas, but that's another post).

This was the first time I made ham in a crock pot and it was SO GOOD.  The ham just fell apart and was really outstanding.  It was not a sweet ham, though, so if that's your thing...as good as the ham was, my husband went nuts over the peas and greens.  He told me several times he's never had greens or peas that good.  He took a picture and sent it to his friends.  This is definitely one of his favorite recipes I've ever made.

Ham with Greens and Peas

Category:  Main Dishes

Sub Category:

Source: Southern Living

 

32 oz vegetable broth

16 oz frozen black-eyed peas, thawed

1 sweet onion, cut into eighths

¼ c apple cider vinegar

¼ t dried crushed red pepper

2 T dark brown sugar

2 T country style Dijon mustard

5-6 lb smoked, fully cooked semi boneless ham

1 lb shredded fresh collard greens

1.  Place first five ingredients in slow cooker.  Stir together brown sugar and mustard and rub over ham.  Place ham in slow cooker.  Cook on high 6-7 hours.

2.  Add greens and cook on high one hour.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Baked Corn

I love to take a vegetable God meant for nourishment and just add as much fat as possible to it.  Seriously, this recipe is not healthy, but it is SO good.  And I don't always wait until dinner to serve it as a side dish.  A lot of times I treat it as a dip and dunk tortilla chips deep into it.  YUM.

Baked Corn*

Category:  Sides

Sub Category: 

Source:  Southern Living

2-4 bacon slices

1 T butter

2 T chopped onion

2 T all-purpose flour

1 t salt

1 c sour cream

16 oz package frozen corn, thawed

 

1. Cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp, remove bacon and drain on paper towels, reserving 1 T drippings in skillet.  Crumble bacon and set aside.
2. Melt butter in hot drippings over med heat.  Add onion and saute until tender. 
3. Whisk in flour and salt until smooth and bubbly. 
4. Whisk in sour cream until smooth.  Cook, whisking often, 3 minutes.  Stir in corn and cook until thoroughly heated.
5. Spoon into a lightly greased 8 in baking dish.  Top with crumbled bacon.  Bake at 350 for 15-20 min or until bubbly.