Ice Cream Cake

I made an ice cream cake this weekend for the family and it turned out so well.

I started out with this recipe and the girls helped me choose the ice cream flavor. We decided on cookies and cream ice cream with Hershey's cookies and creme candy bars. How could we go wrong, right?

Basic Ice Cream Cake Recipe

15 3 Tb 2 2 quarts 12 oz

Chocolate crème-filled sandwich cookies Butter or margarine Favorite candy bars Flavored ice cream (your choice) Frozen whipped topping, thawed

Multicolored sprinkles or small candy decorations

On a cutting board, finely chop cookies, 2-3 at a time. Place butter in small microwave-cooker. Microwave on HIGH 30 seconds or until melted. Mix in cookie crumbs. Press crumb mixture onto bottom of a springform pan. Freeze 15 minutes.

Cut candy bar into 4-5 pieces; wrap in plastic wrap and freeze 10 minutes. Chop into small pieces.

Cut ice cream container apart to expose block of ice cream. Cut half of ice cream into 1-inch-thick slices. Arrange ice cream slices over cookie crust, cutting pieces to fit. Spread into a smooth layer. Sprinkle with chopped candy bar. Top with remaining ice cream prepared the same way as first layer. Smooth top with spreader. Cover with aluminum foil. Freeze 3 hours or overnight.

Attach open star tip to a decorator. Fill tube with whipped topping and set aside. Run knife around edge of ice cream cake. Release collar from pan. Lightly frost top and side of ice cream cake with remaining whipped topping. Decorate with whipped topping using decorator. Top with sprinkles. Freeze 1 hour or overnight. Once whipped topping is frozen lightly cover cake with plastic wrap.

To serve, cut into wedges. (If cake was frozen overnight, place in refrigerator 10 minutes before slicing.)

Yield: 12 servings

Baked Beans

Our poor abandoned blog needs some new recipes!! So here's just one. I hope to add more, because it's not like I haven't been cooking! I've just been to busy to mention it here!

I made this recipe for one of the family Easter lunches. Everyone who likes Baked Beans really liked this recipe and told me to make sure I save it! So here I am.

I used the recipe that I found here. Except for a couple changes noted below.

• 4 slices bacon
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 (28 ounce) cans baked beans
• 3 tablespoons molasses
• 2 tablespoons prepared mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup diced tomatoes
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon dry mustard
• 1/2 cup chopped cooked ham
  

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Place bacon and onions in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain and set aside.
3. In a large bowl combine beans, molasses, mustard, salt, tomatoes, brown sugar, dry mustard, ham, onions and crumbed bacon. Mix well and transfer to a 2 quart casserole dish.
4. Bake in preheated oven, covered, for 1 hour. Uncover and bake for 1 hour more.

Ok, my friends. Confession time. I totally skipped cooking the bacon and onion on the stovetop and substituted onion powder and pre-packaged crumbled bacon. I know, I know. BUT have one who lives in my home who (I don't use this word lightly) hates the smell that lingers in the house for the next 2 days. SO, I made the adjustment for him and like I said above, everyone still loved it. Oh, and I also cooked the whole mixture on the stovetop for 1 hour and did the second hour in the oven.

And I'm adding a new category: summer food!! Let's make it a yummy season!

Chocolate Cake

The best chocolate cake. EVER. My aunt's recipe!! YUP!!

Betty Crocker's Best Chocolate Cake

2 C flour
2 C sugar
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
1/2 t baking powder
3/4 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup water
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
1 stick butter (8T or 1/2 cup)
4 oz choc bake

Preheat oven 350 degrees
grease and flour 9x13 aluminum pan
Measure dry ingredients into mixing bowl
Zap butter until softened
Zap choco bake for 20 seconds
Add buttermilk, water, eggs vanilla, butter and chocolate
Mix 30 seconds on low
Scrape bowl. Mix again on high for 3 minutes
Pour into pan
Bake for 38 minutes and check w/tooth pick
Cool completely

Glossy Icing

3 T butter
3 oz Choco Bake
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 t salt
1/3 C milk
1 t vanilla

Melt butter and choco on low in sauce pan. Add sugar, salt, milk and vanilla. Whip all together with wire wisk until mixed. Stick the pan in the freezer and check in a few minutes. Whip up and put on cake.

YYUUUMMMMM!!!!

I made these up for lunch today and they were delicious! And healthy-ish. And I took a picture and as Christine has said, we need some pictures!

Yumminess

whole wheat tortilla
turkey
bacon bits
red pepper
cucumber
ranch dressing
parmesan cheese
bean sprouts
tomato

Put on warm tortilla and warm it up!!!!
My kids loved them and didn't even know there were bean sprouts in them!

Vegetable Soup

We've been eating a lot of soup this winter. It's comforting, can be extremely healthy, and cheap too. So here's the recipe of the soup I made tonight.

Vegetable Soup

• 1 pound beef for stew (I usually buy mine pre-cut, cause I'm lazy and busy too)
• 1 clove of garlic
• a little flour
  
• 1 (46 ounce) bottle V8 vegetable juice
• 2 cups of chicken/beef/vegetable broth (this is approximate - I just emptied the box I had in the frig from last week. So add as much as you want, I say)
  
• 1/4 of an onion, chopped (we can't tolerate much onion in our home, so use more if you want)
  
• 2 carrots, sliced
  
• 2 potatoes, diced
• 2 cups of frozen corn or 1 can whole kernel corn
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can green beans (I would have used fresh if they were in season)
  
• 1 pinch ground ginger (I'm not sure why, but I tried it)
  
• salt and ground black pepper to taste

Throw some flour, salt, and pepper along with the meat into a ziploc bag and shake it around a bit. Heat a little olive oil in the bottom of your pan and brown a clove of garlic. Then throw the meat in there. Let it brown the outside and then drain the fat. Put the beef back in the pot along with all the other ingredients. Let it cook for over an hour or all afternoon. This would also do great in the crockpot.

I hope these instructions aren't too general. You pretty much can't go wrong on this one, so enjoy making yours just right for your family!

Chicken Tequila Fettuccin

Oh this was YUMMY! We left out the tequilia. I don't even know what tequlia tastes like. I just refused to buy a bottle for 3 T. :)

Chicken Tequila Fettuccine

INGREDIENTS

* 1 (16 ounce) package fettuccine pasta
* 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
* 2 tablespoons minced garlic
* 2 tablespoons minced jalapeno peppers
* 3 tablespoons butter
* 1/2 cup chicken stock
* 3 tablespoons tequila
* 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
* 3 tablespoons soy sauce
* 1 1/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
* 1/4 red onion, sliced
* 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
* 1/2 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
* 1/2 green bell pepper, sliced
* 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium saucepan, saute the cilantro, garlic and jalapeno pepper in 2 tablespoons of butter or margarine over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the stock, tequila and lime juice. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until reduced to a paste-like consistency. Set aside.
2. Pour soy sauce over the chicken and set aside for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, In a medium sized skillet, saute the onion and the red, green and yellow bell peppers with the remaining tablespoon of butter or margarine, stirring occasionally.
3. Meanwhile, cook fettuccine according to package directions.
4. When the peppers have wilted, add the chicken and soy sauce. Toss and add the reserved tequila/lime paste and cream. Bring to a boil. Gently simmer until chicken is cooked through and sauce is thick. Toss with well drained fettuccine and garnish with cilantro. Serve.

I found the recipe here!

Spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1/2 onion chopped
1 T olive oil
1 big can diced tomatoes
2 cans chicken broth
1 jar green enchilada sauce
1 can tomato soup
1 t chili powder
1 t garlic salt
1 t paprika
1 t worchestershire sauce
1 t tabasco sauce (i usually lave this out-you can add if needed/wanted!)
2-3 chicken breasts cut up

chop onion and brown in olive oil
combine remaining ingredients and and simmer for atleast an hour
put in warm chicken

serve with chips, cheese, sour cream YUM!!! we really enjoyed the flavor (and simplicity) of this!

Originally found HERE