Chocolate Cupcakes

I got this recipe from Heather R's blog. She had them for her birthday. They are so good! It was originally a bundt cake recipe. I'll have to try that next time.

1 Devil's Food cake mix
1 small instant chocolate pudding mix
8 oz. (1 cup) of sour cream
4 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
1 (12 oz.) pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Mix ingredients until lumps are gone with a hand mixer. Add the chocolate chips last. Spoon into 2 greased (use cooking spray) cupcake pans. Cook at 350 for 20 mins. Check them after 15 mins. This makes 24 cupcakes.

Carrot Apple Soup

I made this last week - it was soooo good. Perfect for the cold day. Since it was just me and the boys (Aaron's working nights) I halved the recipe and still had a little leftover for lunch. I didn't have any celery, but it would have been great with it. I also used and immersion blender, and a few carrots didn't get pureed, oops. David didn't want to eat it at first, but then I asked him to just try it, and he loved it. It reminded him of split pea soup.

Carrot Apple Soup

• 1 tablespoon reduced fat margarine
• 8 medium carrots, thinly sliced
• 2 medium tart apples, peeled and chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 celery rib, thinly sliced
• 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 bay leaf

In a large saucepan, melt the margarine. Add carrots, apples, onion and celery; cook and stir until onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Add broth, sage, pepper and bay leaf; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until carrots are tender. Remove bay leaf. Cool soup for 5 minutes. Puree one-third at a time in a blender or food processor. Return to the saucepan; cover and cook over medium until heated through.

Marbles

This recipe comes from the Mrs. Field's Best Ever Cookie Book! Yummy!

2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt (use 1/2 tsp if you use UNsalted butter)
1/2 c (packed) light brown sugar
1/2 c granulated sugar
1 stick (1/2 c) salted butter, softened
1 large egg
4 oz (about 1/2 cup) sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
6 oz (about 1 c) semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt with a wire whisk. Set aside.
Combine sugars in a large bowl using an electric mixer set at medium speed. Add butter and beat until batter is grainy. Add egg, sour cream, and vanilla, and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Scrape bowl. add the flour mixture and blend at low speed until just combined. do not overmix.
Place chocolate chips in double boiler over hot, but not boiling water. Stir constantly until melted. Or place chips in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high, stirring every 20 seconds until melted.sing a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, lightly fold melted chocolate chips into dough.
Drop by rounded Tablespoon, 2 inches apart, onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes. Do not brown. Quickly transer cookies to cool surface.

Horse Apples

I'm not a big fan of the title, but I didn't name it. It comes from one of my MIL's ward cookbooks. It's basically meatballs in a cream sauce. I halved the recipe and there were only 3 meatballs left. It called for evaporated milk, but I just used regular milk. It also said a can of evaporated milk, but not which size, so I assumed the smaller size and it worked. So here is the recipe I used.

2/3 c milk
1 can cream of (whatever - I used mushroom) soup
1 lb ground beef
1 medium potato, grated
1 medium carrot, grated
1/2 c onion, finely chopped

Mix milk and cream soup together until smooth. Mix ground beef, potato, carrot and onion together. shape into balls. Brown in large frying pan, turning meatballs over as needed. Pour soup mixture over meatballs; reheat and serve.
I made my meatballs about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. There were plenty for the 4 of us.

cubanos frijoles

I made this Monday or Tuesday. I halved the recipe, but used 1 lb of ground beef. I didn't have any cilantro, so I used some dried parsley. I didn't have chipotle powder either, but I used a couple of dashes of Chipotle Tabasco sauce.
Cubanos Frijoles

• 2 cups brown rice
• 4 cups water
• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans
• 1 (6 ounce) can chopped black olives, drained
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 3 sprigs fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder (optional)

1. Place rice and water in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for about 45 minutes, or until rice is tender.
2. While the rice is cooking, brown the ground beef in a deep skillet or wok. Season with Cajun seasoning. When meat is almost done, add the onion, and cook until the meat is browned and the onion is translucent. Stir in the beans, olives, vinegar, and chipotle powder, if using. Mix well, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes over medium-low heat. Add the cilantro during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Serve hot over or mixed with rice.

Lime Chicken with Pasta

I made this earlier in the week. Thursday I think. I thought it was really good. I wish I'd had fresh limes and fresh parsley. It was still good with lime juice and dried parsley. I changed a lot of the recipe, so there is a link to the original.

Lime Chicken with Pasta

• For the pasta:
• 1 (16 ounce) package dried small pasta shells
• 1 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  
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• For the chicken:
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 clove garlic, sliced
• 2 chicken breast halves (about 1 lb total)- cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
  
• 2 limes, quartered
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil. Add pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, pour pasta into a large bowl, and stir in 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 tablespoons butter, Parmesan, and parsley.
2. Meanwhile, warm 1/3 cup olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in garlic.
3. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Mix salt and pepper with bread crumbs. Dip chicken into egg mixture, then coat with bread crumbs. Place chicken pieces and limes into hot skillet. Cover, and cook until chicken is well browned on the bottom. Turn the chicken, and pour broth into the skillet; cover, and cook until the chicken is browned. Stir in diced tomatoes; cover, and cook about 3 minutes. Remove lime wedges, and serve over pasta.