S'MORE Cake

My dad and hubby had it made on fathers day.

I mean, you can't beat a s'more cake, you just can't. The graham cracker batter was moist and light and delicious, and the chocolate sauce it TO DIE FOR!!!! I could eat it all with a spoon. I would have, but I had the "fathers" in mind so I continued on and finished this masterpiece. Easy and so flippin' rock-my-world awesome.

So here you have it. a piece of heaven.

INGREDIENTS:

source: The-girl-who-ate-everything

Graham Cracker Cake:

• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs, yolks and whites divided
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs (20-22 graham crackers if you make them yourself)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk

Marshmallow Filling:

• 1 (7 ounce) jar marshmallow fluff

Milk Chocolate Frosting:

• 8 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
• 1/4 cup cream
• 2 Tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 Tablespoons corn syrup

Garnish:

• mini marshmallows
• chocolate chips
• graham cracker crumbs

INSTRUCTIONS:

Graham Cracker Cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°. Line the bottom of two 9-inch round cake pans with parchment or wax paper. Spray each pan with cooking spray. This is magic, the cakes will come out perfectly clean! In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt; stir together and set aside.
2. Whisk the egg whites on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Transfer to a separate bowl and set aside. In another bowl or in your stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in the egg yolks until well combined. Stir in the vanilla extract.
3. Add in the dry ingredients alternately with the milk on low speed, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients and mixing just until incorporated. Fold in about a third of the egg whites to lighten the batter. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites until completely incorporated. 
4. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake the cakes for about 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for about 5-10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack, remove the parchment paper, and cool.
5. Once the cake has cooled completely, transfer one of the cake layers to the serving platter. Carefully spread a layer of marshmallow fluff over the cake. This is the only spot that you need the fluff, so use it all if you life your fluff! Top with the remaining cake layer and refrigerate for about 1 hour or until firm.

Milk Chocolate Frosting:

1. Combine the chocolate, cream, butter and corn syrup in a microwave safe bowl. Heat in 30 second intervals or until the chocolate has melted. Whisk the ingredients together until completely smooth. Pour frosting over the top of the chilled cake.
2. Let frosting set slightly so that your decorations don't just run down the side. Once it has set slightly, garnish with mini marshmallows, chocolate chips, and graham cracker crumbs. Return to the refrigerator to chill until set.
3. Cake will set up quickly, and should be stored in the refrigerator if not being served shortly after being assembled.

Bon Appétit!

Cathy

Oatmeal-Apple Chocolate Chip Muffins

I've made these 3 times already, and I keep hoping I can find the recipe online...so I thought I better get on this one and blog it already!

Delicious!

We will always make these. I usually double batch this one and freeze some for individual use whenever we want a muffin. It's worth it.


Ingredients: adapted slightly from taste of home

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup applesauce
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup (3 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat your oven at 350. Line a muffins pan with 12 liners, or spray generously.
2. Beat together the butter and brown sugar in a large bowl. Beat in the egg.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
4. Add half the apple sauce to the cream mixture (in step #2), mix lightly, then half the dry mixture, mix lightly, and alternate. Mix until just combined (apparently muffins should not be over-mixed).
5. Mix in the rolled oats and the chocolate chips.
6. Fill the muffin tins until 3/4 full. Bake for 25 minutes.

Bon Appétit!

Cathy

Best Chicken Marinade Ever

I kid you not when I say that this is the best chicken marinade ever. At the beginning of each week I marinade a bunch of chicken and then grill it. I make 5 lunches for my husband for the week and sometimes we free the rest for later meals. This marinade is awesome- have I mentioned that yet?

INGREDIENTS

Slightly adapted from All Recipes

• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 tablespoon black pepper 
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes

DIRECTIONS

In a medium bowl, mix together oil, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, wine vinegar, and lemon juice. Stir in mustard powder, salt, pepper, and parsley. Use to marinate chicken before cooking as desired. The longer you marinate, the more flavor it will have.

Grilling the chicken tastes the best. Once it is done I steam some vegetable and cook some rice and make individual lunches for the week! It tastes great!

Enjoy !!

-Christy

Zupas' Wisconsin Cauliflower Soup

I have been meaning to post this and I completely forgot. I went to Zupas the other day and was reminded of this wonderful soup! Every time I go there I MUST get this soup. It is delicious :)

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp. butter
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup half and half
• 1 cup milk
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 (14.5 oz) can chicken broth
• 2.5 lbs cauliflower
• 1 tsp. Dijon Mustard
• 1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup pepper jack cheese, shredded

directions

1. Melt butter and chopped onion together in a large sauce pan and sauté for approximately 10 minutes over medium heat until onion gets golden in color.
2. Add flour and stir to make a roux. Heat while stirring for a couple of minutes.
3. Slowly add half and half along with the milk. Gradually add and stir the entire time. Following the milk, gradually add water and chicken broth and stir constantly.
4. Add chopped cauliflower and heat until boil.
5. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until cauliflower is tender. This will take approximately 15 minutes.
6. Place contents of sauce pan into blender and blend until smooth. Remove center part of blender cover to allow steam to escape.
7. Return cauliflower mixture to saucepan; heat over medium heat until hot, stirring occasionally. Remove saucepan from heat; stir in mustard and cheese until melted and smooth.
8. Serve soup topped with a little cheese for garnish.

Beef and Bean Burritos

Happy Spring Friday!!

Joking. It's snowing here in Ottawa, I mean hailing, and raining....aka a royal mess on this supposedly spring day. What can make it better? Comfort food that is also moderately healthy and kid friendly! Seriously, this was quick, easy, and delicious and I will be making this one quite often from now on!

Adapted from Shirl's Awesome Easy Burritos
Ingredients:

• 1 lbs lean ground beef
• 1-15 ounce can fat free refried beans
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 small zucchini, shredded (optional)
• 3/4 to 1 cup of salsa
• 1/2 to 1 cup of shredded cheese
• 6 large whole wheat flour tortillas (or 10 small ones)
• Topping ideas: cheese, avocados, tomatoes, salsa, sour cream etc...

Directions:

1. Cook the ground beef, onions, and zucchini, drain the excess fat.
2. Stir in the refried beans, then the salsa. Add salt and pepper as needed. Heat through.
3. Stir in the cheese, and heat until cheese is melted.
4. In a warm tortilla, spoon in some beef filling, and desired toppings.

This was so good and the kids loved it!!

Enjoy,

Cathy

Coconut Curry Chicken

Ingredients:

source:  Sweet Treats and More

• 2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
• 5 large carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 large green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 (5 oz ) can tomato paste
• 1 (14 oz) can coconut milk
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch

Directions:

Grease your slow cooker with Pam.  Place the chicken and carrots on the bottom of slow cooker. 

Place the rest of the ingredients (except water and corn starch) in a food processor and process together until mixture is mostly smooth. ***If your food processor is too small to hold everything, process everything but the coconut milk. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl then mix in the coconut milk.

Pour the sauce over the chicken and carrots, mix well, then cover and cook on low for about 6 hours. 

An hour or so before serving, mix cornstarch and water together in a small bowl until cornstarch is dissolved.  Pour mixture into the slow cooker, stir to combine, and continue cooking for another hour.

**This will thicken up the sauce.  When the sauce is to your desired thickness, turn slow cooker to warm setting until ready to serve.  

Serve over rice, with Naan, and garnish with cilantro.   

**if you want you can chop the bell pepper into larger pieces and place in with the chicken and carrots rather than processing into the sauce.  This is what I did and we loved the different textures of the carrots, chicken, and pepper in the sauce. 

Google Nose Launch!

We are so excited to announce that we have adopted the google nose technology into our blog!! You will now be able to have the aroma of our recipes from our kitchen to yours!! The application will be available as a button at the bottom of our recipes from now on. You can click on the link above to test it out, enjoy!!


Happy April!