Coca Cola Cake

Combine 2 C flour and 2 C sugar.  

Melt together 2 sticks of butter, 3 heaping T of Cocoa, and 1 C Coke.  Heat to boiling and pour over dry mixture. 

Beat together 2 eggs, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 C buttermilk, 1/4 C sour cream & 1 tsp vanilla. Mix well and add to mixture. Don't panic- batter may seem a little thin. 

Bake @ 350 for 25-30 min. in 9 x 13 in pan. Cool. Frost.


Frosting: 

Combine 1 stick butter, 3 heaping T cocoa, 6 T coke & 1 tsp vanilla. Heat to boiling- pour over enough powdered sugar to make frosting- beat for 1-2 min until desired consistency.

Pork Tenderloin with Pan Sauce

1⁄2 cup olive oil
1⁄3 cup soy sauce
1⁄4 cup red wine vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon
1-2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1-2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 tsp dry mustard
Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 1-lb. pork tenderloin (silver skin removed)


Combine all marinade ingredients and reserve 2-3 Tbsp. Place the pork tenderloin and marinade in a Ziplock bag and let marinate for at least 3-4 hours. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a hot skillet over medium-high heat, sear each side of tenderloin for 2-3 minutes. Place in the oven and cook for 30-40 minutes or until the meat has reached 160 degrees. Let rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing. 

Pan Sauce:

Pan scrapings from pork tenderloin
1/2 cup of chicken broth
2-3 tbsp of reserved pork marinade 
1-2 tsp butter

Meanwhile, place the skillet back on the stove over medium heat. Add the chicken broth and scrape up all the browned pieces from the bottom of the pan. Add the marinade and let it boil down for 2-3 minutes. Add the butter and remove from heat stirring until butter has melted. Pour over the pork tenderloin.

Zucchini Chocolate Cake

½ cup vegetable oil

1 ½ cups white sugar

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2cups zucchini (pureed)

½ cup chopped walnuts 

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9×13 inch baking dish. (I lined with parchment)In a large bowl mix together oil, sugar and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract until well blended. In another bowl combine the flour, ½ cup cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. A little at a time stir into the sugar mixture. Fold in zucchini and walnuts. 
Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared baking dish.Place into the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until the brownies spring back when gently touched. Remove from the oven. Frost when cool.


Chocolate Frosting
1 stick butter or margarine (softened)1/4 cup hershey's unsweetened cocoa3 cups powdered sugar1/3 cup milk1 teaspoon vanilla
Beat all together until smooth.

Caramel Brownies

1 chocolate cake mix (I like the fudge or German chocolate the best)
1 cube of Butter
1/3 cup canned milk.

caramel (Use the caramel in a jar for ice cream. Just heat it up in the microwave)

Chocolate chips

Take the first three ingredients and mix them together. (it will be like cookie dough consistency) Take half of batter and spread it out on the bottom of a greased 8x8 pan. Bake at 350 for about 5 minutes. Drizzle caramel over hot mix. Then sprinkle chocolate chips over that. Scoop out the rest of the dough on the top and bake for about 13-15 minutes more.

Baked Beans

4- 16 oz cans of pork and beans (I use VanCamp’s)

½ cup Heinz Hot Ketchup (if you can't find this just use regular Ketchup and add 10-12 drops of Tabasco Sauce)

1 lb. hot sausage (I use Jimmy Dean’s)

1 can apple pie filling (cut apple into smaller pieces)

1 medium onion chopped

½ cup brown sugar

2 Tbs. Worcestershire Sauce

2 tsp. Mustard

 

Brown the sausage and onion, and then add the remaining ingredients. Simmer 1 hour.

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Dried Cherries and Israeli Couscous

16-18 brussels sprouts, very thinly sliced

2 slices bacon, preferably black pepper-rubbed (available at Whole Foods and butcher shops)

1/2 cup Israeli couscous

1/3 cup dried Bing cherries

1/4-1/2 tsp sea salt to taste

Bring 3/4 cup water to a boil and add the couscous plus a pinch of sea salt. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes or until no more water remains. Fluff with a fork and set aside.

Cook the bacon in a cast iron skillet until crispy. Remove bacon and roughly chop. Add thinly sliced brussels sprouts to the hot bacon grease on the stove and saute for about five minutes, until the sprouts turn bright green. Add back in the bacon bits along with the dried cherries and cooked couscous. Toss well and season with salt to taste.

Orange Peel Shrimp

• 2 lbs raw shrimp, deveined with tails on or off
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 scallions, finely chopped
• 2 oranges, zested and juiced
• 6 tbsp orange marmalade
• ½ cup soy sauce
• 4 Thai chili peppers (optional but recommended)
• ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• 4 tbsp canola oil, divided
• 1 cup brown or white rice, cooked and fluffed with a fork
• 
  
• Heat 1 tbsp of canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the minced garlic, six thinly sliced scallions (save the other two for serving), orange zest and thai chili peppers. Saute briefly for about two minutes until garlic is fragrant and scallions wilt.
• 
  
• Add the soy sauce, orange juice, orange marmalade and red pepper flakes to the pan and stir well to combine. Mixture should be bubbling. Continue simmering until sauce thickens, about five minutes or so. It should become very, very thick. Once thick, turn off heat.
• 
  
• Sprinkle the cornstarch on a large plate. Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels then toss in the cornstarch to coat.
• 
  
• Heat the remaining three tablespoons of oil in another skillet or wok (I like to use a cast iron skillet for this) over high heat. Once sizzling hot, drop the shrimp in the oil and fry for about a minute or two until shrimp are very pink and curled. The cornstarch should create a crunchy outer coating on the shrimp.
• 
  
• Remove the shrimp from the oil and toss in the orange sauce. Serve shrimp over brown rice with additional scallions on top. Don’t eat the chili peppers!

Soft Molasses Cookies

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. allspice
 
Cream wet ingredients, sift dry ingredients, and mix in well.  Roll into balls, coat with sugar.
Bake at 350 10 minutes.


Drizzle:

Mix powdered sugar with milk to get a consistency that you can drizzle over the top of the cookies.

Quick and Easy Black Beans

2 Cans Black Beans, drained and rinsed 
1/2 T olive oil 
2/3 C diced onion 
2-3 garlic cloves, minced 
2/3 C chicken broth (or water, I use broth for extra flavor) 
1/4 t cumin 
1/4 t coriander
1/4 t oregano 
1/2 t salt 
1/4 t pepper 
1 lime 

In a saucepan on the stove, heat the olive oil to med-high heat. Saute onions for about 3 minutes or until they just start to become translucent. Add garlic and saute abut 30 seconds more. Add beans, broth, and remaining seasonings and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a low simmer and simmer for about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

When they are done cooking, remove from heat and add in a few squeezes of fresh lime juice. Then use the back of a spoon or rubber spatula to smoosh (yes, that's a technical culinary term) some of the beans. You don't want to pulverize them, but you want to take a bunch of good smooshes so that some of the beans are smashed, which will thicken the sauce. I like mine on the thicker side so I smoosh quite a bit. They will thicken more upon standing.

If you want a more soupy consistency, just add a little more broth.

Creamy Cheese Grits with Chilies

1 cup Grits (quick Or Regular)
4-½ cups Water
½ teaspoons Salt
8 ounces Monterey Jack Cheese, Grated
4 ounces Cream Cheese, Cut Into Cubes
½ can Rotel (tomatoes And Chilies)
1 can (4 Ounces) Chopped Green Chilies
¼ teaspoons Cayenne Pepper
¼ teaspoons Paprika
Black Pepper To Taste
1 whole Egg Beaten

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Boil water and add salt. Add grits and stir, then reduce heat to low and cover. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

Stir in Rotel, chilies, grated cheese, and cream cheese. Stir in spices and check for seasonings. Add salt if needed.

Beat egg. Drizzle in a couple of tablespoons of hot grits to temper, stirring constantly. Dump it all back into the pot and stir.

Pour into a buttered baking dish and bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until hot and bubbly and golden on top.

Important: Allow pan to sit for fifteen minutes before serving! Grits will firm up slightly as they sit. Stir a bit in the pan if needed.

Stuffed Mushrooms

1 pound Jimmy Dean 'Hot' Sausage, cooked and crumbled
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
2 (8 ounce) packages of mushrooms, either white or baby bella

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix the cream cheese into the sausage while it's still warm. Clean the mushrooms. Remove the stems and reserve for another use. Stuff the sausage mixture into the mushroom caps. Bake on a baking sheet for 20-25 minutes.

Mexican Rice

2 Tbsp Olive oil or vegetable oil
1 C  long grain white rice
2 C chicken broth

1 small can tomato juice
salt and pepper

Heat oil in a skillet. Add the rice. Stir frequently and slightly brown the rice over a medium high heat. Add the chicken broth. Add the tomato juice. Add some salt and pepper. Stir thoroughly. Reduce heat to simmer and cover tightly with a lid. (I ’stir’ the mixture several times while it’s cooking by just shaking/moving the skillet back and forth so that I don’t take the lid off.) Simmer/cook for about 20 minutes, until the liquid has been absorbed. Once the liquid has been absorbed, turn off the heat and leave mixture alone with the lid on it for another 10-15 minutes or so.

Tuna with Avocado, Soy, Ginger, and Lime

2 big handfuls fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
1/2 jalapeno, sliced
1 t. grated fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
2 limes, juiced
2 T. soy sauce or coconut aminos
pinch sugar
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup EVOO
2 (6 ounce) tuna steaks
1 ripe avocado, halved, peeled, and sliced

In a mixing bowl, combine the cilantro, jalapeno, ginger, garlic, lime juice, soy sauce, sugar, salt, pepper, and 2 T. of olive oil. Stir the ingredients together until well incorporated.

Place a skillet over medium high heat and coat with the remaining 2 T. of olive oil. Season the tuna generously with salt and pepper. Lay the tuna in the hot oil and sear for 1 minute on each side to form a slight crust. Pour 1/2 of the cilantro mixture in the pan to coat the fish. Serve the tuna with the avocado and the remaining sauce drizzled over the whole plate.

Easy Oven Baked Spicy Chicken Tacos

1 T. olive oil
1/2 pound cooked chicken, shredded
1 packet Old El Paso Hot & Spicy Taco Seasoning
1/2 cup onion, diced
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomato, drained
1 (4.5 ounce) can chopped green chiles
10 Old El Paso Stand and Stuff Taco Shells
1/2 (16 ounce) can refried beans
2 cups mexican blend cheese
Toppings such as jalapenos, sour cream, salsa, cilantro, olives, lettuce, etc.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9x13 baking pan and set aside.

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a skillet. Add onion and cook for a few minutes until onion is translucent.  Stir in the chicken, taco seasoning, tomatoes, and green chiles. Stir to fully combine. Reduce to simmer and allow to cook for 5-8 minutes.

Place the taco shells in the baking dish, standing up. Spoon 1 T. of beans into the bottom of each shell. Top with the chicken mixture, almost to the top of each shell. Sprinkle each with a generous amount of cheese.

Bake for 12-14 minutes or until cheese is fully melted and the edges of the shells are browned.

Remove from oven and serve with your favorite toppings.

***be sure to drain the tomatoes completely so the shells don't get soggy.

Delicious Punch

1 package each of Orange, Lemon, Cherry, and Strawberry Kool-aid (small packets)
1 gallon water
3.5 cups of sugar
1- 46 ounce can of pineapple juice
1- 2 liter bottle of Sprite

Mix all together EXCEPT Sprite. Right before serving add in Sprite. Serve chilled over ice.

*can add orange slices to make pretty

Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread

1 cup pureed pumpkin
2 eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup almond milk
1-1/4 cups GF flour blend
1/2 cup GF rolled oats
3/4 cup sugar
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. pumpkin spice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a metal loaf pan and set aside.

Place the pumpkin, eggs, oil, and almond milk in a large mixing bowl. Blend until creamy.

In a separate bowl, mix the flour, oats, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice.

Add the dry ingredients into the wet and mix thoroughly until smooth. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.

Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out dry. Allow to cool in pan before removing to a wire rack.

Creamy Bacon Mushroom Thyme Chicken

4 bone-in chicken thighs (can also use boneless thighs or breasts)
1 T. olive oil
2 t. italian seasoning
salt and pepper

Sauce:
1 T. olive oil
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced (I prefer baby bellas)
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 c. heavy cream or 1/2 and 1/2
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 t. garlic powder
1 T. fresh thyme, stems removed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat a large skillet to medium high heat. Add the chicken and season with italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Pan sear each side of the chicken for 2 minutes or until brown. Place skillet in oven. Bake for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked throughout. Set chicken aside on a plate.

Add olive oil to the skillet and sauté mushrooms until soft. Add the bacon, cream, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and thyme. Bring to a simmer until the sauce starts to thicken. Add chicken back to the skillet and heat for another minute. Serve.

Brown Butter Almond Green Beans

1-1/2 pounds washed green beans, trimmed
2 T. unsalted butter
3 T. sliced almonds
sea salt

Melt butter in a small skillet for several minutes over medium-low heat. As butter melts and begins to darken slightly, add almonds. When almonds are just turning golden, remove from heat.

Steam green beans for 5-10 minutes. When they are still bright green and barely fork tender, remove from steamer. Drain and place in serving dish. Pour butter and almond mixture over beans. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and serve.