Nothing Bundt Cakes' Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cake

Ingredients:
1 pkg. devils food cake, German chocolate cake, or chocolate cake mix
1 pkg. instant chocolate pudding
1 c. sour cream
4 large eggs
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. oil
1 1/2 c. mini chocolate chips
2 (8 ounce) pkgs. cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. butter, softened
3-4 c. powdered sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
Mix first six ingredients together with a beater. Add chocolate chips. Pour into a greased bunt cake pan (cooking spray works best). Cook in oven at 350 degrees for 45-50 mins. Remove from oven. Let cool for 20 mins. Remove from pan. (I think it tastes best if you put it on a serving plate, wrap it well in Saran Wrap, and let it sit overnight in the fridge before frosting and serving..) In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the powdered sugar (start with 2 cups then keep adding more until it is nice and thick). That's it!


Recipe from www.favfamilyrecipes.com

Copycat Recipe: PF Chang’s Lettuce Wrap

Yield: Serves 4

Preparation: 35 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Total time: 1 hour

Recipe for dipping and pouring sauce:

• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 cup hot water
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce or gluten free tamari
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons ketchup or canned tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon dark sesame oil

Recipe for stir-fry sauce:

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce or gluten free tamari
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar (not packed tightly)
• 1/2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

Recipe for stir-fried chicken:

• 1 teaspoon hot water
• 1 tablespoon nice dijon mustard (use the good stuff, it will make a difference)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into half-inch cubes”
• 1 – 8oz can sliced water chestnuts, drained and minced
• 1/2 cup minced mushrooms (minced to the same size as the water chestnuts)
• 1/2 yellow onion, minced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 6 large leaves of iceberg or romaine lettuce

Method for Pouring Sauce Recipe:

1. In a large bowl, dissolve sugar in 1/2 cup hot water. Blend in soy sauce or tamari, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, lemon juice and dark sesame oil. Mix well and set aside in the refrigerator until the rest of the dish is ready.

Method for Stir-Fry Sauce Recipe:

1. In a small bowl, combine soy sauce or tamari, brown sugar, and rice vinegar. Mix well and set aside.

Method for Stir-Fried Chicken Recipe:

1. In a small bowl, combine 1 teaspoon hot water, dijon mustard and minced garlic and set this aside.
2. In a wok or large frying pan over high heat, combine olive oil and sesame oil. Heat until it shimmers, about one minute. Add chicken chunks and stir fry until entirely cooked through, about five minutes. 
3. Take the pan or wok that you cooked the chicken in (with the still warming oil) and turn it up to medium-high heat. Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the pan, and add the garlic, onions, water chestnuts, mushrooms, cooked chicken, and the stir-fry sauce. Cook everything, stirring constantly, until the mushrooms have cooked through and are tender, about four minutes. Remove from pan and place in a serving dish.
4. Add mustard/garlic mixture that you set aside to the pouring sauce, 1/2 a teaspoon at time to taste.
5. Serve the entire lettuce wrap recipe in a nice, big serving tray, complete with stir-fry and iceberg lettuce leaves, and pouring sauce in small bowls. Wrap the stir-fry in lettuce leaves, then top with pouring sauce.

Recipe from www.theculinarylife.com.

Viva La Chicken

Ingredients:
6 broken flour tortillas
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup milk
1 grated onion
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 cup sour cream
1 chicken, deboned and cut-up
Grated cheese

Directions:
Mix soup, milk, onion, chili powder, and cream cheese.  Lay tortillas, chicken, and cream mixture three times.  Top with grated cheese and cover with foil.  Bake at 325 degrees for one hour.

Recipe from Shauna Campbell.

Foil Steak or Tin Foil Dinners

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pound chuck steak (or 4 hamburger patties)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
3 medium carrots
3 potatoes
1 onion, cut-up or chopped

Directions:
On foil, place meat.  Spread soup over meat and top with vegetables.  Sprinkle with water (or not).  Fold foil and seal tightly.  Bake at 450 degrees for 1 1/2 hours (about 40 mins for hamburger patties) or until tender.

Recipe from Shauna Campbell.

Crispy Chicken

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp pepper
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1 Tbs garlic salt
1/4 tsp poultry seasoning

Batter:
2/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 beaten egg yolk
3/4 cup water

Directions:
Mix dry ingredients and batter separately.  Dip chicken first in dry ingredients then in batter and back in flour again.  Fry in 1 inch oil until golden brown.

Recipe from Shauna Campbell.

Mexican Salad

Ingredients:
2 cups lettuce or spinach
1 can kidney beans, drained
2 tomatoes, diced
1 Tbsp chopped green chiles or 4 green onions chopped
1/2 cup sliced black olives
Shredded cheese
Frito corn chips

Dressing:
1 ripe avocado, mashed
1/2 pint sour cream
1/2 tsp instant onion
1/4 tsp salt and pepper

Directions:
Mix together dressing.  Top lettuce or spinach with cheese, corn chips, and dressing.

Recipe from Shauna Campbell.

German Pancakes

Ingredients:

6 Tbsp butter, melted

6 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a glass casserole, melt butter or put in melted butter. Mix eggs, milk, salt, and flour then pour into casserole dish. Bake for 25 minutes. (It raises up high on the sides of the casserole dish when baking.  This is normal.)

Recipe from unknown (probably from one of my college roommates).

Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana Soup

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground Italian sausage
1/2 to 1 tsp. crushed red pepper, depending on how hot you want it
1 large white onion, diced
4 Tbsp. bacon pieces
2 tsp. garlic, minced or chopped
10 cups water
5 cubes of chicken bouillon
1 cup heavy cream
1 lb. Russet potatoes, or about 3-4 large potatoes
a bunch of kale

Directions:
Sauté Italian sausage and crushed red pepper.  Drain excess fat.  In the same pan, sauté bacon, onions, and garlic for approximately 15 mins or until onions are soft. Mix together the chicken bouillon and water in a large soup pot, then add onions, bacon, and garlic.  Cook until boiling.  Add potatoes and cook until soft, about half an hour.  Add heavy cream and cook until thoroughly heated.  Stir in sausage.  Add kale just before serving.  Serves 6 to 8.

Recipe from www.epicurious.com

Cafe Rio Burritos

For the sauce:

1 small can diced green chilies
1 (7 oz.) can Salsa Verde
1/2 c. chicken broth
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt

Combine all ingredients in small sauce pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat 

and let simmer for at least 20 minutes. Serve warm. You can also refrigerate

it overnight after simmering if you are making it in advance. Just reheat in the

small saucepan before serving.

For the burrito:
1 LARGE tortilla
1 large scoop rice (cooked with cilantro and lime juice)
1 large scoop beans
1 large scoop shredded pork or chicken
Shredded Monterey Jack cheese, to taste
Green Enchilada Sauce (see recipe above)
Lettuce
Pico de gallo
Guacamole
Sour cream

Roll up rice, beans, pork or chicken, cheese, and green sauce in large tortilla 

to form the burrito.  Slather with a big ladle full of the green sauce and top with

additional Monterey Jack cheese. Place in the oven at 450-degrees until

cheese is melted. Serve with lettuce, pico de gallo, guacamole, and/or

sour cream.  I like to top it off with the Cafe Rio Cilantro Ranch Dressing!

Recipe from www.favfamilyrecipes.com.

Cafe Rio's Cilantro Ranch Dressing

1 packet TRADITIONAL Hidden Valley Ranch mix (not BUTTERMILK)
1 c. mayonnaise
1 c. milk
2 tomatillos, remove husk, diced
1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro
1 clove garlic
juice of 1 lime
1 jalepeno (if you like it SPICY, kept the seeds in it, but if you like it mild, just remove the seeds)

Mix all ingredients together in the blender. That's it!


Recipe from favfamilyrecipes.com

Easy Fish Tacos

6-7 small corn or flour tortilla shells
8-10 battered fish fillets, fully cooked
1 c. shredded cabbage
pico de gallo (see below)
sauce (see below)
Cotija or feta cheese (to taste)
cilantro (to taste)

Put a piece of fish in each tortilla shell, top with cabbage, sauce, pico, feta, and fresh cilantro.

Sauce:
1/2 c. mayo
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
2 tsp. diced jalapeno
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. cayenne
1 Tbsp. lime juice
salt & pepper to taste

For sauce: Mix all ingredients together until well blended.

Pico:
2 plum tomatoes, diced
2 Tbsp. FRESH cilantro, chopped
1 avocado, diced
dash salt
dash pepper
1 Tbsp. lime juice

For pico: Toss all ingredients together and let sit in the fridge for about 30 minutes.


Recipe from www.favfamilyrecipes.com

Mexican Platter Dip

Ingredients:
3 ripe avocados
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. garlic salt
3 drops Tabasco
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 package of taco seasoning mix
1 (30 oz) can refried beans
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 (2 1/2 oz) can sliced black olives
4 oz sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
Corn or tortilla chips

Directions:
Peel, pit, and mash avocados; add lemon juice, garlic salt, and Tabasco.  Cover and chill.  Combine sour cream, mayonnaise, and taco seasoning mix.  Cover and chill.

To assemble dip:  on a large round platter or serving dish, spread beans in an even layer, leaving 1 inch space all around the edge.  Top with avocado mixture.  Spread leaving bean layer exposed all around.  Top with sour cream mixture leaving avocado mixture exposed all around.  Sprinkle with Cheddar cheese, tomatoes, black olives, and green onion.  Chill until ready to serve with corn or tortilla chips.

Recipe from Heather Rowley.

Cream Cheese Chicken

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts
1 envelope Italian salad dressing mix
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup milk
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese


Directions:
Cook chicken and Italian salad dressing mix in crockpot for 3 hours on low heat.  Shred chicken.  Combine cream of chicken soup, milk, and cream cheese and add to chicken in crockpot.  Stir occasionally while cooking for 1 more hour.  Serve over rice or bow tie pasta.


Recipe from Ruth Armstrong.  See all of Ruth's recipes on her cooking blog with step by step photo instructions at www.cookingwithruthie.com.