Sunday Dinner

We attend a very small church, my family makes up half the members. We usually go out to dinner as a group of 11 to 15, which I might add is a bit difficult to get seated quick at a restaurant. We also try to swap hosting dinner at our houses. This week we decided to be host. Since we decided at the last minute and didn't want to do any huge special trips to the store I checked my pantry and came up with chicken noodle soup, chili, and Pioneer Woman chocolate sheet cake. My mom and sister will bring crackers and corn bread and we are all set.  So tonight I've gotten my meat cooked for chili, and I have chicken and vegetables going for soup.  Even though these are super simple to do I thought I would go ahead and write down recipes for them, or at least what I'm doing this time, its different every time I make either soup or chili. These recipes make it so easy to feed a crowd. Before we head off to church we will get the chicken soup going and boil the noodles and add it to a slow cooker on warm, put all of the chili ingredients into another slow cooker and by the time we get home it will be heated up. Cake is done, it only bakes for 20 minutes and icing takes about 10 minutes start to finish. Yum! Looking forward to spending time with my family and not have to spend a lot of time getting things put together and clean up will be a snap.

Chili

• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef, cooked
• 2 cans Hot Chili beans
• 2 cans Red beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cans Diced or Crushed Tomatoes
• Chili powder or Chili seasoning packet
• 2 cans of water

Place all ingredients in slow cooker and cook on low until heated through.

*****

Chicken Noodle Soup

• 2 pounds Chicken Thighs with bones
• Water
• 2 tsp Poultry Seasoning
• 1 cup Frozen sliced Carrots
• hand full of Onion
• 1 bag whole wheat egg noodles

Place chicken in 4 qt stock pot, cover with water or combination of water and chicken broth/stock. Add remainder of ingredients except noodles. Bring up to boil. Cover and turn on low for 2 hours. Take out chicken, let cool, take meat off bones and add back to pot, discard the skin and bones. Bring back up to bubble and cook noodles according to packaged directions, Serve.

*****

Pioneer Woman Chocolate Sheet Cake

CAKE:

• 2 cups Flour
• 2 cups Sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa
• 2 sticks Butter
• 1 cup Boiling Water
• 1/2 cup Buttermilk
• 2 whole Beaten Eggs
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla

FROSTING:

• 1/2 cup Finely Chopped Pecans
• 1-3/4 stick Butter
• 4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa
• 6 Tablespoons Milk
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• 1 pound (minus 1/2 Cup) Powdered Sugar

 I use an 18x13 sheet cake pan.

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt.

In a saucepan, melt butter. Add cocoa. Stir together.
Add boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.

In a measuring cup, pour the buttermilk and add beaten eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into sheet cake pan and bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes.

While cake is baking, make the icing. Chop pecans finely. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat. Add the milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Stir together. Add the pecans, stir together, and pour over warm cake.

To serve, cut into squares.

*note I did not add nuts to our cake this time*