The Best Chocolate Pudding

From: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

YIELD:  4 CUPS OF PUDDING

PREP TIME:  8 MINUTES

COOK TIME:  10 MINUTES

ADDITIONAL TIME:  4 HOURS

TOTAL TIME:  4 HOURS 18 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS

•  1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
•  3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch-process or regular)
•  3 tablespoons cornstarch
•  1/4 teaspoon salt
•  2 3/4 cups whole milk
•  1/4 cup heavy cream
•  1 cup milk chocolate chips (or 6 ounces bar milk chocolate chopped)
•  1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large saucepan, combine the brown sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt, whisking lightly. Whisk in the milk and cream to the sugar mixture until it is smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips and bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, whisking or stirring occasionally. Once the mixture is at a simmer, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture is thickened and large bubbles pop at the surface, 2 to 3 minutes. Take the pot off the heat and stir in the vanilla.
2. Transfer the pudding to a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the pudding to avoid a skin starting to form. Refrigerate the pudding until it is completely cool, at least 4 hours but up to 3 days, if it is stored in an airtight container. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream...or not.

Southwest Cornbread Casserole

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 7-8 servings 

Ingredients

CORNBREAD LAYER:

1/2 C melted butter

1/2 C sugar

2 eggs

1 C buttermilk

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 C flour

1 C cornmeal

1/2 tsp salt

MEAT MIXTURE:

1 pound ground beef (I used 9% fat 91% lean)

2 cloves minced garlic

1/2 onion, chopped

5-6 mini bell peppers, chopped

salt and pepper

3 Tb taco seasoning

1 (10 ounce) can red enchilada sauce

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, un-drained

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained

1 C salsa 

2 C Mexican blend cheese

cilantro (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and move the rack to the center of the oven. 

2. In a medium sized mixing bowl beat together 1/2 C melted butter and 1/2 C sugar. Add 2 eggs and beat to combine. 

3. Pour 1 C buttermilk into a glass measuring cup. Add 1/2 tsp baking soda and stir to combine. Add this to the butter and sugar mixture and stir to combine. 

4. In a separate bowl toss together 1 C flour, 1 C cornmeal, and 1/2 tsp salt. Fold it into the wet ingredients. Don't over mix. 

5. Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray and spread the cornbread batter out evenly into the pan. 

6. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the top is set and slightly firm. It should be almost baked completely. It's going to go in the oven for another 5 minutes or so with the meat mixture on top, but make sure it's just about done before you move to that stage. 

7. While the cornbread is baking, grab a deep skillet and heat it up over medium high heat. 

8. Add 1 pound ground beef, 2 cloves of chopped garlic, 1/2 chopped onion and 5-6 chopped mini bell peppers (I used orange and yellow). Sprinkle with salt, pepper and 3 Tb of taco seasoning. Stir and cook until the beef is cooked through and no longer pink. 

9. To the ground beef mixture add 1 (10 ounce) can red enchilada sauce, 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes (un-drained), 1 (15 ounce) can black beans (drained) and 1 C salsa (I used Pace). 

Give it a nice stir, allow it to come to a simmer and let it cook on low for 5 minutes. 

10. Carefully pour the meat mixture over the top of the corn bread. 

11. Sprinkle with 2 C Mexican blend cheese. 

12. Pop it in the oven for 5-8 minutes, or just until the cheese melts. 

13. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro (optional).

from:  Jamie Cooks It Up

Granola

2 C regular rolled oats
1/2 C coconut
1/2 C coarsely chopped pecans
1/2 C honey or maple syrup
1/3 C cooking oil

In a bowl stir together rolled oats, coconut, and pecans.  In another bowl combine honey or syrup and oil; stir into oat mixture.  Spread mixture evenly onto a greased cookie sheet.  Bake in a 300 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes or till lightly browned, stirring after 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven.  Cool, then break into clumps.  Store in tightly covered container or bag.

Apple Wheat Pancakes

6 T dry powdered milk
1 1/2 C water
1/2 C applesauce
1 T lemon juice
2 eggs
1 apple cored and grated
4 T oil
2 T sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 C white flour
1 C wheat flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda

Mix all ingredients until smooth.  Pour batter in 1/4 C increments on the skillet.

Note:  I used 2 cups of white flour as I didn't have any wheat flour ground.  Really yummy!

Garden Dippers

2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 lime
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp cumin
crushed pretzels or nuts (optional)
baby carrots
fresh cilantro leaves
1.  Pour the beans into a blender or food processor.  Squeeze in the juice from the lime and add the spices.
2.  Blend until smooth.  Scoop into small cups and sprinkle the crushed pretzels on top.
3.  Carefully poke a knife or skewer into the top of each carrot and twist to make a small hole. Insert a cilantro leaf into the hole.  Then stick the carrots into the "dirt" leaf-side up.

Note:  Introduced by Kierstin from The Friend magazine.

Cocoa Bean Dip

Strain and rinse well one16 oz can black beans.  Blend until smooth with 1 T water, 1/3 C honey, 1/2 tsp vanilla, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 C cocoa powder and 2 tsp coconut oil (optional).

Serve with crackers, pretzels, strawberries, bananas or apples slices for dipping.

Note:  First introduced by Kierstin from The Friend magazine.

Bacon Potato Chowder

Ingredients:
6 strips bacon
1 large carrot, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 large onion, diced
salt and pepper
32 oz. chicken broth
1 bag (1.5 lb.) petite gold potatoes, quartered
2 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
16 oz heavy cream
2 C shredded cheddar cheese

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place bacon on baking sheet. Cook 12 to 15 minutes until crispy, reserving bacon drippings. Let bacon cool. Chop into bite-size pieces.

Heat 2 Tb. reserved bacon drippings in large stockpot over high heat. Saute carrot, celery and onion 10 minutes until softened. Season with salt and pepper.

Add broth, potatoes, basil and oregano. Simmer 25 minutes until potatoes are for-tender. Add cream and cheese.  Cook 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Serve immediately, garnishing with bacon and green onions.

Recipe was a Feature Recipe in Smith's coupon booklet.

Creamy Sausage and Tortellini Soup

Ingredients:
1 lb. Italian sausage
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 small shallot, diced
2 large carrots, peeled and diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 C. all-purpose flour
5 C chicken broth
14 oz. refrigerated cheese tortellini
1 tsp kosher sea salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
6 oz. chopped fresh spinach
2 C half & half

Directions:
1. In a large stockpot set over medium-high , cook the sausage until browned. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked sausage to a paper towel lined plate; set aside.

2. Add onion, shallot and carrot, saute for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are soft. Add the garlic and saute  for an additional 2 minutes, or until fragrant, stirring occasionally to prevent it from burning.

3. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Gradually add in the chicken broth, whisk to combine. Continue cooking until the mixture reaches a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 6 minutes.

4. Pat as much grease as possible off of the sausage, then add it along with the tortellini, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, spinach, and half & half. Simmer for 5 minutes, or until the tortellini is fully cooked.

5. Serve immediately with freshly grated parmesan, if desired.

Recipe from lifemadesimplebakes.com

Donovan's Biscuits

Ingredients:
1 cup sourdough starter
1 cup flour (all-purpose or bread flour, preferably, although McCrae probably only had whole wheat available)
1/2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 Tbsp baking powder (slightly cheating, I know; use this though to create just a little extra fluff in your biscuits, otherwise you’ll end up with a very dense biscuit)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup milk (I used whole)
1 Tbsp melted butter (McCrae likely used lard; I didn’t have any on hand)
This should get you 7 biscuits or so. That’s enough for a single cowboy who shares McCrae’s legendary appetite. For most, it’s enough for 2-3 cowpunchers, especially if served with bacon and eggs.

For directions, click the link below.

https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/make-cowboy-biscuits/

Lemon Garlic Grilled Chicken

INGREDIENTS

•  Juice of 1 lemon, approximately 3 tablespoons 
•  2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil 
•  1 teaspoon minced garlic, about 2 medium cloves 
•  1 teaspoon salt (I use coarse, kosher salt) 
•  1/4 teaspoon pepper 
•  1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 
•  1 to 2 pounds chicken breasts (see note) 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Whisk together all the marinade ingredients. 
2. Place chicken in a ziploc bag or shallow dish and pour the marinade over chicken, tossing to coat the chicken evenly with the marinade. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours but up to 18 hours. 
3. Preheat grill to medium- or medium-high (I use about 375 degrees on my pellet grill) and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until an instant read thermometer registers 165 degrees at the thickest part of the chicken. (The chicken can also be cooked in a skillet on the stove or broiled in the oven.) 

From Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Avocado Chicken Salad

INGREDIENTS

DRESSING:

•  3 tablespoons fresh lime or lemon juice (or a combination of both) 
•  2 tablespoons olive oil 
•  1/2 teaspoon salt (I use coarse, kosher salt) 
•  Pinch black pepper (I use coarsely ground pepper) 

SALAD:

•  2 cups chopped, cooked chicken (see note) 
•  1 cup corn kernels, fresh (cooked) or frozen and thawed 
•  2 medium/large ripe avocados, peeled and diced 
•  1/4 cup finely chopped red onion 
•  1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley 

OPTIONAL ADD-INS:

•  Halved cherry tomatoes 
•  Cooked, crumbled bacon 
•  Feta cheese 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, combine all the dressing ingredients and mix well. 
2. Add all the salad ingredients to a large bowl. Drizzle with the dressing and toss to combine. Add optional add-ins if desired. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if needed. 
3. Serve immediately.

From Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Note:  I used all of the optional add-ins.  We LOVED it!  For the chicken, I used Mel's Lemon Garlic Grilled Chicken which I will post.

Lemon Butter Green Beans with Cranberries, Walnuts and Feta

Ingredients

• 1 lb green beans, ends trimmed, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 3 Tbsp butter, diced into 1 Tbsp pieces
• 1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• Salt
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta
• 2 tsp lemon zest

Instructions

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add green beans and boil 3 - 5 minutes until tender crisp. Drain then immediately rinse under cold water. Drain well. 
2. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and saute 1 minute. Add in drained green beans and saute 1 minute or until heated through. 
3. Toss in walnuts, cranberries and lemon juice and season with salt to taste. 
4. Sprinkle in feta and lemon zest. Serve warm.
5. Recipe source: Cooking Classy

PF Chang's Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients:

1 T olive oil
1 lb ground chicken
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 T soy sauce
1 T rice wine vinegar
1 T freshly grated ginger
1 T Sriracha, optional
1 (8-oz) can whole water chestnuts, drained and diced
2 green onions, thinly sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 head butter lettuce

Directions:

1.  Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium high heat.  Add ground chicken and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the chicken as it cooks; drain excess fat.
2.  Stir in garlic, onion, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ginger, and Sriracha until onions have become translucent, about 1-2 minutes.
3.  Stir in chestnuts and green onions until tender, about 1-2 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
4.  To serve, spoon several tablespoons of the chicken mixture into the center of a lettuce leaf, taco-styler.

yield: 4 servings     prep time:  10 minutes .    cook time:  10 minutes .    total time:  20 minutes

Karen's Note:  I couldn't find hoisin sauce at the two grocery stores I looked at, so I used Panda Express teriyaki sauce, and it turned out delicious.  I used one tablespoon of Sriracha sauce, and it added a nice, spicy kick, but it wasn't too spicy.

Healthy Egg and Veggie Muffins

From Mel's Kitchen cafeYIELD: 12 MUFFINS

PREP TIME 15 MINUTES

 

COOK TIME 20 MINUTES

 

TOTAL TIME 35 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS

•  1 cup cottage cheese 
•  8 large eggs 
•  1/4 teaspoon salt (I use coarse, kosher salt) 
•  Pinch of black pepper (I use coarsely ground black pepper) 
•  1/4 to 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (see note) 
•  1/2 cup chopped spinach, more or less 
•  1/2 cup chopped bell pepper, more or less 
•  1/2 cup chopped ham or other cooked meat of choice, more or less (optional) 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Liberally grease a nonstick muffin tin with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a blender, combine the cottage cheese, eggs, salt and pepper. Process until well combined and fairly smooth. Add the feta cheese and pulse a few times until the cheese is in small pieces (I like the feta cheese pretty finely chopped, but it's really a matter of personal preference).
3. Sprinkle the chopped veggies and meat, if using, in the bottom of each muffin cup. I just eyeball it, but I use about 2-3 tablespoons of veggies and meat total per muffin cup.
4. Pour in about 1/4 to 1/3 cup egg mixture on top of the veggies and meat. Add less at first to make sure each muffin cup gets some and then evenly distribute any remaining egg batter. The muffin cups should be anywhere from 1/2 to 3/4 full.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes until no longer jiggly in the center. The egg muffins may puff quite a bit while baking; that's normal. They'll settle as they cool. After removing the pan from the oven, let the muffins cool for a few minutes before taking them out of the pan. Serve warm, room temperature or chilled. These egg muffins freeze great to thaw or reheat as needed.

Mel's NOTES

The vegetables, meat, and cheese in this recipe are SUPER customizable. Add or take away to your heart's content. I eyeball the add-ins (vegetables and/or meat) when sprinkling it in the bottom of each muffin cup, but it's probably right around 2 tablespoons or so (veggies and meat total). Feta is a fairly salty cheese, so I only add 1/4 teaspoon salt to the egg mixture, but if using a different kind of cheese (again, this recipe is super customizable) that has less salty punch, you might want to increase the salt a bit. You can also sprinkle the cheese in the bottom of the muffin cup rather than mixing it in with the egg batter - works fine either way.

I definitely recommend a nonstick muffin tin...and don't skimp on the cooking spray! I have the USA brand of muffins tins and these egg muffins pop right out without sticking.

Maria's Notes:  These were really, really good and they tasted just as good reheated in the microwave.  I used chopped deli ham, finely chopped broccoli and chopped red pepper.

Gingerbread Cookie Butter Oatmeal Cookies

From Mel's Kitchen CafeYIELD: 3-4 DOZEN

PREP TIME 20 MINUTES

 

COOK TIME 12 MINUTES

 

TOTAL TIME 32 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS

•  1 cup (2 sticks, 8 ounces) butter, softened to room temperature 
•  1 2/3 cup (14-ounce jar) cookie butter (see note) 
•  3/4 cup (5.5 ounces) granulated sugar 
•  3/4 cup (5.5 ounces) packed light brown sugar 
•  1 teaspoon baking soda 
•  1 teaspoon baking powder 
•  3/4 teaspoon salt 
•  1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 
•  1/4 cup molasses 
•  1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
•  2 large eggs 
•  2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour 
•  2 cups (7 ounces) quick oats (see note) 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl using a handheld electric mixer), cream together the butter, cookie butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and ginger until creamy and fluffy, 1-2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
3. Add the molasses, vanilla and eggs and mix until well-combined, 1-2 minutes, Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the flour and quick oats and mix until combined (don't over mix, just mix until evenly combined and no dry streaks remain).
4. Scoop the dough into balls about 2 tablespoons each (I use my #40 cookie scoop) and place a couple inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes until set around the edges with a few cracks on top but still soft in the middle. Let the cookies rest for a few minutes on the baking sheets.
5. Remove the cookies to a cooling rack. The cookies stay soft for a couple days stored well-covered at room temperature and freeze well, too, for several months.

Mel's NOTES

Both the Biscoff brand and Trader Joe's brands of cookie butter come in 14-ounce jars. I use the whole jar (no need to measure out the 1 2/3 cup).

If you don't have quick oats, pulse old-fashioned rolled oats in a blender or food processor until coarsely chopped but not pulverized.

If your cookies are spreading too much while baking, first try varying oven temperature - either use convection bake (if you have that option) at 325 - 350 degrees F or increase the baking temperature to 375 degrees F (watch the baking time carefully). You can also try adding extra flour, but usually increasing oven temperature just slightly will work. Keep in mind these cookies are meant to be thin and chewy.

Maria's notes:  I used WalMart's Great Value brand cookie butter.  Dad would have liked these cookies. :-)

Quick Bread Sticks

I got this many years ago from Cherise.  Raleigh wanted it and I noticed it wasn't on the blog so I thought I'd share it.

1 1/3 C water
3 1/2 C flour
1 pkg. yeast
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 T sugar

Dissolve sugar in very warm water.  Sprinkle in yeast, let yeast foam.  Mix flour and salt well.  Stir in yeast mixture.  Mix well.  Turn onto well floured board and knead 5-7 minutes or use your mixer :-).  Shape into 8 breadsticks.  I just roll them out between my hands.  Place on greased cookie sheet.  Place in 425 oven and bake for 15 minutes.  Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with seasonings if desired.

Cherise's Bean Soup (Taco Soup)

from: Cherise

1 lb chopped chicken, roast, hamburger
1 onion, chopped
1 16 oz kidney beans, with liquid
1 16 oz white beans, with liquid
1 16 oz pinto beans, with liquid
1 16 oz corn, with liquid
2 14.5 oz mexican stewed tomatoes
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 pkg ranch dressing

Saute gord beef and onion, drain.  Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil nd swimmer 20 minutes.  Top with sour cream, tortillas chips and grated cheese.

Maria's notes:  I like to use one pint of canned chicken for the meat.  I also like the tomatoes blended up pretty smooth instead of just diced.