Chocolate and other food groups

Very easy and yummy, but it doesn't keep well. Golden Layer Cake 1 pkg. frozen pound cake, thawed 1/3 c. juice and 1/2 tsp. almond extract  20 oz. can crushed pineapple 8 oz. carton Cool Whip, thawed 3 oz. pkg. vanilla pudding 1/4 c. sliced almonds, toasted Cut cake lengthwise in thirds. Drizzle with juice. Combine pineapple, Cool Whip, and pudding in medium bowl until well blended. Let stand 5 minutes. Spread one third filling over bottom layer of cake. Top with second layer. Repeat layering, ending with pudding. Sprinkle with almonds. Serves 10. Refrigerate leftovers.

This makes a tasty and refreshing pasta salad that is not your ordinary pasta salad. Tangy Tortellini Salad 8 oz. can tomato sauce  1/2 c. oil 1/3 c. red wine vinegar 1/2 tsp. seasoned salt 1/4 tsp. garlic powder 1/4 tsp. celery seed 1/4 tsp. black pepper 1/4 tsp. oregano 7 oz. pkg. tortellini, cooked, rinsed and drained 1 c. julienne cut salami or ham 1 c. julienne cut red bell pepper 2 oz. can sliced olives 1/4 c. chopped red onion Lettuce leaves In medium bowl, whisk together tomato sauce, oil, vinegar, and seasonings. Cover; refrigerate until ready to use. In large bowl; combine tortellini, salami or ham, peppers, olives, and onions. Arrange on lettuce leaves. Whisk dressing again; pour over pasta mixture.

This one was given to me by my Great Aunt Goldie Drorbaugh.  Oatmeal Cake Pour 1 1/4 c. boiling water over 1 c. oats and 1 stick (1/2 c.) butter. Let stand 20 minutes. Beat 1 c. brown sugar, 1 c. white sugar with 2 eggs. Sift 1 1/4 c. flour, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp. cinnamon and 1/2 tsp. nutmeg and add to sugar/egg mixture. Mix this with oat mixture and add 1 tsp. vanilla. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.  Topping: 1/2 c. butter 1 c. coconut 1/4 c. cream (or evaporated milk) 1 c. nuts 1 c. brown sugar 1 tsp. vanilla Mix these together and put on cake. Return cake to oven for 5 minutes.

Some friends gave me this recipe when Randy and I got married. It's pretty tasty! Pistachio Salad (from Tonya Williams) 20 oz. can crushed pineapple 1 small pkg. instant pistachio pudding 12 oz. pkg. Cool Whip 1 c. mini marshmallows Mix together pineapple and pudding. Fold in Cool Whip and marshmallows.

This was a recipe from a family friend I got years ago. Dee's Tuna Macaroni Salad 8 oz. shell macaroni, cooked and drained 1 c. celery, chopped 3 green onions, chopped 1/2 c. green pepper, chopped fine 9 oz. can tuna, drained well 3/4 c. mayonnaise 4 oz. jar pimientos, chopped and drained 1 c. sour cream 1/2 c. sweet pickles, chopped fine 1 c. green peas, cooked and drained 1/2 c. cheddar cheese, cubed salt and pepper Mix mayonnaise, sour cream if desired, and chopped pickles. Toss remaining ingredients with dressing and serve.

One of my favorite meals for cold, blustery weather. We usually serve it with cornbread White Chicken Chili 1 medium onion, finely chopped 3 Tb. olive oil 4 oz. can chopped green chilies, drained 3 Tb. flour 2 tsp. ground cumin 2 cans Great Northern beans 1 can chicken broth, low sodium 1 1/2 c. finely chopped cooked chicken Shredded Monterey Jack cheese In large skillet, cook onion until transparent. Add chilies, flour, and cumin; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add beans and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 10 minutes or until thickened. Add chicken; cook until heated through. Garnish with cheese.

Buttermilk Chocolate Bread 1 c. sugar 1/2 c. margarine, melted 2 eggs 1 c. buttermilk 1 3/4 c. flour 1/2 c. cocoa powder 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. salt 1/3 c. chopped pecans or other nuts, toasted Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom only of loaf pan. In large bowl, combine sugar and margarine; blend well. Add eggs; beat well. Stir in buttermilk. Add dry ingredients and stir just until moistened. Stir in nuts. Pour into greased pan. Bake at 350 for 55-65 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan. Cool 1 hour or until completely cooled. Wrap tightly and store in refrigerator. Makes 1 loaf. Good with chocolate chips sprinkled on top before baking.

This is from the Make a Mix Cookbook and it's been a popular recipe at my house. Ellen loves these meatballs; in fact, she prefers them to 'store bought' ones. Meatball Mix 4 lbs. lean ground beef 2 eggs, slightly beaten 1 c. dry bread crumbs 1/2 c. finely chopped onion 1 Tb. salt 1 tsp. pepper 1 1/2 c. milk Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine all ingredients and mix well. Shape mixture into 1 1/2 inch meatballs. Bake in a mini muffin pan for best result, or place on an ungreased baking sheet with an edge and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until done. If using a baking sheet, turn once during cooking. Remove immediately and drain on paper towels. When cooled, put 20 meatballs each into 4 freezer containers, leaving 1/2 inch space at top. Seal and label. Freeze. Use within 3-4 months. Makes about 80 meatballs. I separated out 1/4 of the mix for Asian meatballs and added 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes. Then I added 1 1/2 to 2 tsp. Italian seasoning to the rest and made Italian mea...

Randy and I love pickled peaches and everyone I tell about them comments on how unusual it sounds. So I thought I'd share the recipe. Pickled Peaches 8 lbs. peaches, washed, peeled, halved, and pitted 6 c. sugar 4 sticks cinnamon 2 Tb. whole cloves 1" piece fresh ginger 1 quart white vinegar Treat peaches with Fruit Fresh or similar product to prevent darkening. Dissolve sugar in vinegar in large sauce pot and heat to boiling. Boil 5 minutes. Add spices tied in a cheesecloth bag. Drop peach halves into boiling syrup and cook until they can be pierced by a fork, but not until mushy. Remove from heat and allow peaches to set in pickling liquid overnight to plump. (When liquid is cool, place in refrigerator) Bring liquid back to a boil. Pack peaches into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space. Remove air  bubbles. Adjust caps. Process 20-30 minutes in boiling water bath. Makes about 3 quarts or 6 pints. If you are new to canning, here's the way I do it. I wash all my jars in t...

This recipe is courtesy of a friend, JoLynn, who lived in my neighborhood and made these every Christmas. When she moved away, we got her recipe out of the ward cookbook and tried them ourselves. Now we make them every Christmas and I think of her and hope she is doing well. No Bake Cookies Bring the following ingredients to a boil for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat: 2 c. sugar 1/4 c. cocoa 1/2 c. butter 1/2 c. water Add 1/2 c. peanut butter, 3 c. oats, and 1 tsp. vanilla. Mix well. Drop from spoon onto waxed paper and let set.

This is an easy recipe that I tried out when we were first married. It's stuck as a favorite. Chicken Caruso 1 lb. chicken breasts, cut into strips Garlic powder Salt and pepper 2 Tb. butter or olive oil 2 c. sliced celery 15 oz. jar spaghetti sauce 1 tsp. Italian seasoning 3 c. hot cooked rice Season chicken with garlic, salt, and pepper. Saute in butter or oil 2 minutes. Add celery; cook until crisp. Stir in spaghetti sauce and Italian seasoning. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Serve over rice. Serves 4.

Very tasty and easy. I'm making this for dinner tonight! Sherilyn's White Bread 1 Tb. yeast 1/4 c. warm water 2 c. hot water 1 Tb. butter or oil 2 tsp. salt 5 3/4 c. to 6 1/4 c. flour (if you use some wheat flour, use a little less - don't use all whole wheat flour) Soften the yeast in 1/4 c. warm water. Combine 2 c. hot water, sugar, butter, salt and 2 c. flour. Add yeast. Add more flour until it gets too stiff for mixer. Then add enough extra flour until you have a good stiff dough. Let rise until double. Put into 2 greased loaf pans. Let rise again. Bake 30 to 35 minutes at 350. Makes 2 loaves. How to dress up your bread loaves: For a shiny finish, brush with 1 egg white beaten with 1 Tb. water. Sprinkle with seeds or coarse ground salt. Brush loaves with coating after forming loaves into pans, but before it rises. For a soft finish, baste loaves with melted butter mixed with 1 Tb. milk before final rise. Slash with a sharp knife before basting for the 'split loaf...

I thought it was time to add another cake picture. This one was for Ellen's 9th birthday (you can sort of count the candles on the cake). I made a 9 x 13 cake and frosted it with blue frosting. Then I made sugar cookies with some fish, shell, starfish and crab cookie cutters and decorated them. Then I added the cookies to the cake, swirling the frosting up around them. I used gel frosting to make seaweed and Swedish fish candies to make it more fun. It turned out really well.

I love this recipe! It makes a very rich, buttery cookie that's absolutely yummy. To get the great flavor, you must use real butter. There are so few ingredients that the butter flavor is necessary to make the cookie work. Traditional shortbread is baked as a circle and cut into rounds, but you can use any shape. I like squares, since they are easy to cut out. Shortbread 2 c. flour 1/4 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. baking powder 1 c. butter 1/2 c. powdered sugar Stir together flour, salt, and baking powder, set aside. In large bowl cream butter; gradually add sugar. Stir in flour mixture. On lightly floured surface roll to 1/4" thickness. Cut into shapes. Place on cookie sheets. Bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes. Do not overbake. Makes about 30 cookies.

Chicken L'Orange 4 chicken breasts 6 oz. can orange juice concentrate, thawed 1 Tb. brown sugar 1 tsp. ginger 1/4 tsp. salt 1/2 c. raisins 4 green onions, sliced 1 small can mandarin oranges, drained Place chicken in baking dish. Mix sugar, ginger, salt, raisins, and juice concentrate. Spread sauce over chicken as a glaze. cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Add oranges. Bake uncovered 15 minutes more or until chicken is fork tender. Serves 4. Tastes great with rice.

I got this great book from the library called, "The Clever Cook's Kitchen Handbook." I have decided it's one for my wish list. I keep seeing things on here I want to share. It seems like every page has some great hint on it I've never heard before. It also has over 900 recipes. But since the title of this blog if "Chocolate and Other Food Groups" it seems only right to share a few hints on working with this most basic of all food groups. 1. So what is the difference between semisweet and bittersweet chocolate? Not much. Different companies will market theirs as semisweet, and yet it will taste more bitter than one called bittersweet. The real difference is the the amount of sugar each contains. Semisweet, bittersweet, or dark, it all has lots of intense cocoa flavor with no milk added. 2. What's the best way to melt chocolate? I like the double boiler methods for large amounts and the microwave for small amounts. To use a double boiler, you put a s...