Minute Cake

Pinterest is the newest obsession as of late. Something caught my eye, but I wasn't able to get back to it to post the link of where I found it.

Suffice to say: THIS IS DELICIOUSLY AMAZING.

Ingredients:

1 pkg Angel Food Cake Mix
1 pkg Your choice of Cake Mix
Water

Mix both cake mixes in a bag together until you can't tell they are two separate mixes.

Pour 1/3 cup of the mixture into a mug, add three tbsp of water and mix well. Make sure there are no lumps.

Microwave for one minute...and VOILA!

Cake!

Your welcome :o)

Christmas Crack

***Warning: Highly Addictive***

Miranda turned me onto this. After making them, I didn't realize how many other people make it too - just with a different name.

My husband works with a group of ladies that wants me to make more for them. Apparently they were well received!

Ingredients:

1 sleeve saltine crackers
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter
1 11.5 oz. package chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and line a 10" x 15" cookie sheet with foil (the kind of sheet that has raised edges!). Spray with Pam, or grease VERY lightly with butter. Cover the cookie sheet with a single layer of saltines. Bring butter and brown sugar to a boil. Boil for 3 minutes, stirring with a whisk. Pour over the saltines, and try to spread it as evenly as possible. Place in the oven and bake for 5 minutes. When you remove it, the caramel mixture will be molten and boiling; allow to cool about 3 min, or until you can see the crackers distinctly, which will have shifted while baking. Push them back into order with a fork or knife.

Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the toffee and let sit for about 5 minutes to melt. Once melted spread chocolate evenly.

Refrigerate promptly.

Once hard, break the candy into small pieces and place in air tight containers. Store in the fridge until ready to enjoy.

I got the original recipe here:

http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=283916.0

Ideas for changes - add things on top like nuts, crushed candycane, etc. add white chocolate chips to create a marble effect.

Ginger Pork & Cabbage

1 medium onion, diced
2-3 medium apples, skinned and diced
1-2 pork tenderloins (1-3 pounds)
1-2 tablespoons fresh grated ginger (few inches if using fresh root)
1/4 cup soy sauce or teriyaki, or combination
1 medium-large head of cabbage
salt & pepper

Heat a stockpot over medium-high heat, add a few teaspoons of cooking oil, saute onion and apple till translucent. Meanwhile, cut tenderloin into 1/4-1/2" medallions. Place tenderloins in pan, allow to brown. Flip when browned. Add ginger, teriyaki/soy sauce to pan and stir to mix. Meanwhile, chop cabbage, removing hard core. Add cabbage, salt & pepper, reduce heat to medium - low, and cover tightly. Allow to cook so that pork is done, and cabbage is tender-crisp.

Crockpot Turkey Meatloaf ala BFF Kacie

2 lbs. ground turkey
1 onion, chopped
1/2 c. celery, chopped
3 tbsp. butter
1 1/2 c. stuffing mix
1 tsp. poultry seasoning
2 eggs
1/4 c. water

Brown onion and celery in butter. Combine with stuffing, well beaten eggs and water. Add 1/2 of this to turkey. Mix well. Put 1/2 of meat mixture in crock pot. Spread remaining stuffing over top. Put remaining meat mixture on top of stuffing. Pour ketchup over top. Cook in crock pot on low for 10-12 hours or on high for 5-6 hours.

Brazilian Black Beans

This is improvised from my nanny's Brazilian husband. She told me what was in it, and I kind of went from there.

1/2 pound (or more) bacon, diced
1 onion diced
3 cloves garlic minced
4 cans (or 6, depending on how many leftovers you want) black beans
water, as needed

Fry bacon till done in a large stockpot. Drain off all but about a tablespoon of fat. Saute onion and garlic in bacon fat. When translucent and tender, add beans. Reduce heat to low, simmer 1-2 hours or more. Add water as needed. Consistency should be thicker than stew.

Serve in bowls with shredded cheddar or jack cheese on top

Sweet Ketchup- and Bacon-Topped Meatloaf

Adapted from Southern Living 2003 recipe

1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork sausage (I used sweet Italian seasoned)
1/2 c soft bread crumbs
1 medium onion
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
bacon
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup ketchup
1/3 cup molasses

In a skillet on medium heat, caramelize onions, set aside. Pulse 1-2 slices fresh sandwich bread in the food processor, until even crumb is established. Measure out 1/2 cup (remainder can be frozen in a ziplock bag) Meanwhile, mix together eggs, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning & bread crumbs in a large mixing bowl. Break beef and pork apart, coat with egg mixture. Add onions, and mix together until all coated and incorporated, being careful not to overwork the mixture, because that will make the meatloaf tough.

Heat oven to 375. Line a rimmed jelly-roll or large casserole dish with foil. Freeform the mixture into 2 logs about 6" x 2" Cook 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix ketchup, brown sugar & molasses in a measuring cup or small mixing bowl. After 20 minutes cooking, pour or spoon ketchup mixture evenly over the loaves, then top with bacon lengthwise along the loaf. (I used 3 slices per loaf). Cook at 375 for 50 minutes or until no longer pink in the middle.


I even was able to make this egg-free by using Ener-G egg replacer. Using safe bread, it's dairy-free, too.

Pasta something-or-other

I don't know what this recipe is called, it's got a lot of Italian-sounding vowels and such.

It's adapted from a Rachel Ray 30-Minute Meal, and it really does only take about 30 minutes

1 pound penne pasta
salt
pepper
olive oil
6 slices peppered bacon, chopped
1 medium onion (she uses red)
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped or minced
1 dry pint sliced mushrooms (this is my addition, I used baby bellas)
1 cup chicken stock
28 oz fire roasted tomatoes diced or chopped
handful each fresh parsley, fresh basil
salt & pepper

Put pasta water on to boil, salt heavily (tablespoon or so). Meanwhile, add olive oil to large stockpot, enough to just coat the bottom of the pan. Add bacon, cook till browned. Add onion, mushrooms, cook till mushrooms are tender and onions are translucent. Add garlic. Deglaze pot with chicken stock, add tomatoes. Meanwhile, cook pasta to just al dente. Simmer sauce till slightly reduced. Taste, add salt & pepper as needed. Drain pasta, and add to sauce pot and continue cooking till pasta is done. Serve with shredded sharp cheddar cheese, or other strong-flavored cheese like good parmesan.

I think another good addition to this dish would be roasted red peppers, sliced/chopped, and maybe some cream at the end of cooking for a little extra silkiness. Otherwise, it is a dairy-free dish (without the cheese) and approved by the toddler.