Chocolate Molten Cakes

I wanted to make a special dessert for Cory for Valentine's Day, and one of the ladies in the ward had given me this recipe. It took a while for me to try it because the recipe was pretty long, but I have to say, it was totally worth it!!!! I know that Paula Deen has a little bit simpler recipe, but this one is really really good. Just right for a special occasion.

Chocolate Molten Cakes

1 3/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 Tbsp unwhipped whipping cream

3/4 cup unsalted butter

3 eggs

3 egg yolks

1/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1/3 cup flour, sifted

3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1. For the filling, combine 3/4 cup of the chocolate chips and whipping cream. I use a double boiler to gently melt the chocolate. (That is a pot of low simmering water not touching a bowl set on top) Remove from heat. Cool, stirring occasionally. Cover and chill for about 45 minutes or until firm.

2. Meanwhile, in a medium heavy saucepan cook and stir the remaining 1 cup of chocolate chips and the butter over low heat until melted. Remove from heat; cool.

3. Form filling into 6 equal balls (I did 5 since we had 5 members of our family and it made it even gooey-er) then set aside. Lightly grease and flour 6 (or 5 in my case) ramakins (6 oz custard cups). Place dishes in a 15x10 pan; set aside.

4. In a mixing bowl beat eggs, egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer on high speed for 5 minutes or until lemon colored. Beat in cooled chocolate mixture on medium speed. Sift flour and cocoa powder over mixture; beat on low speed just until combined. Spoon 1/3 cup batter into dishes. Place 1 ball of filling into each dish. Spoon remaining batter into dishes.

5. Bake at 400 degrees for about 13 minutes or until the cakes feel firm at the edges (it should not be set in the middle). Cool in dishes for 2-3 minutes. Using a knife, loosen cakes from the sides of the dishes. Invert onto dessert plates. You can garnish with powdered sugar and raspberries or with a dollop of whipped cream. This recipe was given to me by BJ L. in my ward, and she is a master of chocolate desserts! I hope you enjoy it!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Sweet and Sour Chicken

4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp garlic salt
Cornstarch
2 large eggs, beaten with about 2 Tbsp of water
2 cups sugar
2/3 cup vinegar (I use the non-seasoned rice vinegar)
2/3 cup ketchup
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tsp salt
4 Tbsp soy sauce (I like the low sodium one since you are already adding salt)

Cut up chicken into about 1 inch cubes (bite sized, but not too small). Sprinkle with garlic salt and let it sit for about an hour. Dip in cornstarch, then in the beaten egg. Fry in hot canola oil until golden brown (does not have to be completely cooked through since it will cook in the oven). Place in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Combine sugar, vinegar, ketchip, chicken broth, salt and soy sauce in a medium mixing bowl and microwave for about 5 minutes, stirring half way through. Pour over chicken and bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes. If you want your sauce a little thicker add 1-2 tsp cornstarch to 1 Tbsp cold water. Stir into the sauce then return to the oven for a minute until it comes to a boil. Serve over rice. Serve 6-8 people.

This recipe was from the Worldwide Ward Cookbook under "Little Pink Chicken" on page 108.

Southwest Lettuce Wedges

I decided to try something new and found a fun recipe. We really like this one.

2 tsp. olive oil
1 lb. ground turkey breast or ground chicken breast meat
1 medium red pepper, chopped (optional)
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 jar of salsa
1 (15.5 oz) can of lower sodium kidney or pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 head of iceberg lettuce cut into 4 equal parts (to make wedges)
1 medium tomato, chopped (optional)
1 small container nonfat Greek yogurt

1. In a skillet, heat the olive oil on medium heat for 1 minute. Add the meat, red pepper (optional), chili powder, ground cumin and 1/8 tsp. salt. Cook until the meat is done (about 8 minutes).
2. Add the salsa and beans to the meat and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Make lettuce wedges and arrange on everyone's dinner plates. Top each lettuce wedge with the meat mixture, Greek yogurt and fresh, chopped tomatoes (optional).

You could also make these as lettuce wraps.

Delicious!

**Adapted slightly from "Southwest Chicken Wraps", Good Housekeeping, p. 207. (I need to find out the month, year)

Granmary's Special

This is one of our favorite special drinks, courtesy of Chris' grandmother!

1 pkg. Black Cherry Kool-Aid
6 oz. frozen orange juice concentrate
1 c. sugar
enough water to make 2 qts.

Stir it all together and enjoy!

How to Make Your Post Look as Good as your Recipe

Hi Deb (and all y'all),

You asked a couple of good bloggy questions --

Here's how you post a bigger picture. When you are choosing and inserting your picture, there is an option to the right on the size. I think the default is small, but you can choose medium or large, too. There's also an option to have that be your default layout every time. That's what I do to get the size of the picture I do.

As far as spacing goes (like between the list of ingredients and the instructions below), sometimes you type a space and then when you go to publish, it disappears. The text looks smooshed together.

I don't know enough about HTML to say why that happens, but John taught me a little cheat to stop that from happening. Type a period (.) and then go up to font color and make it white to blend in with the background. It becomes invisible and you look like you have a space there.

Hope this helps. Please continue sending in your SCRUMPTIOUS recipes, Deb! Let's hear from the rest of you, too!! I'll post more once we get Katie out of this recovery stage. Hugs to everyone. ♥

Shauna's Chicken Artichoke Pasta

This dinner is what Cory wanted for his birthday dinner. I like to have all the chopping and everything done when I start cooking because it does come together pretty quickly. Thank you Shauna for putting this in our family cookbook, and since that was done about 10 years ago, I thought I would add it here to remind everyone how yummy it is! Here is a tip: I save time by getting the chicken already roasted at the store.
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Chicken Artichoke Pasta

1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter

3 large garlic cloves, chopped

12-16 oz fresh mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

2 (14 oz) can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered (be sure to get the cans of non-marinated artichoke hearts in the vegetable aisle)

2 tsp dried basil

2 tsp dried oregano

1/4 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup white wine (may be substitute for chicken broth)

1 cup heavy cream

2 1/2-3 Chicken, roasted, skinned and deboned then shredded into bite-sized pieces

salt and pepper, to taste

1 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

3/4 lb Fusilli Pasta

Melt butter in a large skillet. Add the garlic and mushrooms and saute for about 3 minutes. Add the artichokes and cook for another 3 minutes. Stir in the basil, oregano, and chicken broth, and turn up the heat to high. Boil until broth is reduced a little bit, add the wine (or substitute with chicken broth), and continue boiling until it is reduced some more. Add cream; add chicken when the sauce is slightly thickened. Heat through, stir in salt and pepper and parsley. Toss with hot pasta and serve with Parmesan cheese. If you like it a little more "saucey" add a little more chicken broth and cream. Serves 6-8 people.

Red, White and Blues

These were a big hit at our recent family reunion; I brought these treats for our 4th of July BBQ. The recipe comes from my friend, Elena. All the credit (and I say all the calories, LOL) go to her!

Red, White, & Blues

1 1/2 c melted butter (real, salted butter)
2 c. brown sugar
1 c. white sugar

Cream together then add:
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix until light and fluffy.

Add:
4 c. flour (this is a fairly soft dough, but if it seems really wet, add a little more.)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt

Mix together then add:
1 package white chocolate chips
1/2 package dried blueberries (add more berries if you like)
1/2 package dried cranberries

Bake at 325 degrees for 12-14 minutes, let cool on pan before removing. (Helps keep them soft.)