Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

From The Comfort Table by Katie Lee Joel

Cake:
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (18 ounce) jar creamy peanut butter (about 2 cups)

Frosting:
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup cocoa powder
6 tablespoons buttermilk
1 (16 ounce) package powdered sugar, sifted

For the cake:

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 13X9X2 pan.

Place the butter, buttermilk, cocoa, and 1 cup water in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir constantly until just lightly bubbling. Be careful not to let the milk scorch. REmove from heat and set aside.

IN a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and baking soda. Add the eggs and vanilla and stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. Slowly pour in the chocolate mixture and mix well. Pour the batter into the baking pan and bake for about 20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

While the cake is warm, spoon the peanut butter over the top and gently spread evenly. Let the cake cool until the peanut butter is firm, about 1 hour.

For the frosting:

Place the butter, cocoa, and buttermilk in a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Stir constantly until just lightly bubbling. Remove from heat. Add powdered sugar and mix well. Pour the frosting over the peanut butter, spreading as necessary to cover the top. Let cool until the frosting is firm, about 1 hour.

Pumpkin Muffins

From The Comfort Table by Katie Lee Joel

Pumpkin Muffins

2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (15 oz) can pure pumpkin puree (not pie filling)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin.

In a small bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.

In a medium bowl, beat together the sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Add the pumpkin and mix well. Add the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.

Pour the batter into the muffin tin. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the muffin tin cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes then remove the muffins.

**She must have a huge muffin tin because I was able to make 20 muffins.

Chilis Chicken Enchilada Soup

1 T oil
1 pound skinless boneless chicken breasts
1/2 cup diced onion
1 clove garlic, pressed
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup masa harina
3 cups water
1 cup enchilada sauce
one 16 ounce box Velveeta, diced
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin

Garnish
shredded cheddar
crumbled blue tortilla chips
salsa or pico de gallo

1. Add 1 T oil to a large pot over med. heat. Add chicken to pot and brown for 4-5 minutes per side. Set chicken aside.
2. Add onion and garlic to the pot and saute over med. heat for about 2 minutes, or until onion begins to become translucent. Add chicken broth.
3. Combine masa harina with 2 cups water in a med. bowl and whisk until blended. Add masa mixture to pot with onion, garlic, and broth.
4. Add remaining water, enchilada sauce, cheese, and spices to pot and bring to a boil.
5. Shred the chicken into small, bitesize pieces and add it to the pot. Reduce heat and simmer soup for 30-40 minutes or until thick.
6. Serve soup and garnish immediately.

PF Changs Orange Peel Chicken

Top Secret Restaurant Recipes Volume Two

1 T oil
2 T minced garlic
4 green onions, sliced
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
2 T chili garlic sauce
1 T soy sauce

1/2 cup oil
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/2 cup cornstarch
peel from 1/4 orange, julienned into 1/8 in. strips

Prepare sauce by heating 1 T of oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and green onions. Add tomato sauce and water quickly before the garlic burns. Add sugar, chili sauce, and soy sauce and bring to a boil. Simmer 5-6 minutes or until sauce thickens, then turn off the heag.
Prepare the chicken by heating 1/2 cup oil in a wok over medium heat. Slice chicken breast into bite size pieces. Coat each piece with cornstarch. Arrange chicken on a plate until all chicken is coated. When oil in the wok is hot, add half the chicken to the oil and cook for a couple of minutes or until brown on one side, then flip. When chicken is golden brown, remove the pieces to a rack to drain. Repeat with remaining chicken. When all chicken is cooked rinse the oil out of the wok with water and place it back on the stove to heat up.
When wok is hot again add orange peel and chicken. Heat for 20-30 seconds, stirring gently. Add sauce to the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Stir the dish a couple times but do it gently so you don't knock the coating off the chicken. Cook until the sauce thickens then serve with rice on the side.

Pizza Soup

From The Ultimate Soup Cookbook

Pizza Soup

1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 can (15 oz) pizza sauce
1 cup chopped pepperoni
1 cup chopped seeded fresh tomatoes
1/2 cup cooked Italian sausage
1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
shredded mozzarella cheese

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium h eat. Add mushrooms and onion and saute until tender, about three minutes. Add 2 cups water, pizza sauce, pepperoni, tomatoes, sausage, and Italian seasoning. Bring to boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes. Before serving, stir in Parmesan and garnish with mozzarella.

*I used a 14 1/2 ounce can of diced tomatoes undrained because I wasn't about to pay what they wanted for the fresh ones.

Mexican Chorizo Noodle Bowl

1 pound uncooked chorizo sausage
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 (14 oz) cans chicken broth or vegetable broth
2 cups bottled salsa
1 -2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, finely chopped
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. ground cumin
10 ounces angel hair pasta
1 cup chopped zucchini
2/3 cup shredded mozzarella or adadero cheese
1/4 cup snipped fresh cilantro

Remove casing from chorizo. Crumble chorizo. In a 4-qt dutch oven cook chorizo and garlic until chorizo is brown; drain fat. Stir broth, salsa, chipotle pepper, oregano, and cumin into dutch oven. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Stir in pasta and zucchini. Simmer, uncovered, for 2-3 minutes more or until pasta is tender but still firm, stirring occasionally. Remove dutch oven from heat; stir in 1/3 cup of the cheese and cilantro. Transfer to a warm serving dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1/3 cup of cheese and garnish with additional cilantro if desired.

Chicken Georgia

Easy! And according to my son, awesome.


Chicken Georgia
Recipe courtesy Paula Deen
See this recipe on air Friday Mar. 14 at 5:30 PM ET/PT.
Show:
Paula's Home Cooking
Episode:
Say Cheese


4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 ounces grated mozzarella cheese

Melt butter over medium heat. Add mushrooms and shallots and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook 10 minutes. Add chicken and cook 10 minutes on each side, or until tender. Transfer chicken to platter and sprinkle with grated cheese. Top with mushroom mixture. Cook and let stand 5 minutes or until cheese melts.

Chicken and Olive Pasta Casserole

From Emeril's Potluck by Emeril Lagasse

2 chickens (about 3 pounds each, quartered)
2 T plus 21/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 pound pasta, such as angel hair or linguine, cooked and drained
1 T plus 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
6 T unsalted butter
6 T flour
2 cups chopped yellow onions
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped black olives
1/2 cup chopped green olives
1/2 teaspoon Emeril's Original Essence
2 T chopped pickled jalapenos
2 cups grated Parmesan cheese

Put the chickens in a large heavy pot with 2 T salt and the cayenne. Add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the chickens are very tender, about 1 hour. Remove the chickens from the pot and reserve 3 cups of the stock. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of water with 1 teaspoon salt a 1 tablespoon olive oil to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 7 minutes. Remove from the heat, drain, and rinse under cold water. Toss the past with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon olive oil and set aside.

When the chicken is cool, remove the meat from the bones, discarding the rest.

Preheat the oven to 350.

Combine the butter and flour in a heavy saucepan over medium heat and whisk to blend. Cook, whisking for 2 minutes. Add the onions and celeryand cook, stirring, until just soft, 2 to 3 minutes. Gradually add the reserved chicken stock and whisk to blend. Cook stirring, until smooth and slightly thickened. Add the chicken and olives and season with the remaining salt, the Essence, and the jalapenos. Remove from the heat. Add 1 cup Parmesan and stir to blend.

Spread half of the pasta in a 9X13 baking dish. Spoon half of the chicken mixture over the pasta and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the Parmesan. Spread the remaining pasta over the Parmesan and top with the remaining chicken mixture. Sprinkle the casserole with the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan.

Bake until bubbly and the cheese has melted, about 20 minutes. Remover from the oven and serve warm.

**I used one large can of chicken because I was too lazy to cook the whole ones.
**I also have no Essence so I just sprinkled paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and crushed red pepper until I thought it looked good.
**I didn't have any celery so I used half a bag of frozen chopped green peppers and a teaspoon of celery salt.