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.

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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.

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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*

Pie time!

Pie crust used to be my baking nemesis. I tried many different recipes over the past 9 years of being married. Baking is supposed to be in my blood but some how I just couldn't get pie crust perfected. I ended up with thin crispy over baked crust, to thick flaky chewy crust and everything in between. Granted I still have not mastered rolling it out in a circle or crimping the edges. After years of trying recipe after recipe and even after using my grandmas recipe, I finally called grandma in 2009 (5 years after I started wanting to learn how to cook and bake). I'm so glad to have gotten her exact recipe and instructions.
Alright get your food processor ready! This recipe makes 2 double crusts (2 bottom crusts and 2 top crusts).

Grandma's Pie Crust

4 cups Flour
1 tsp Salt
1 2/3 cups Shortening
1 Egg
1 tbsp Sugar
1 tbsp Vinegar
1/2 cup Ice Water

Pulse together flour, salt and shortening until fine crumbs form. Beat egg, sugar, vinegar then add to the flour mixture. Pulse a few times and gradually stream in cold water (do not add the ice) until dough starts to clump.When you pinch a little bit of the dough together and it sticks together then its ready, if its still crumbly add a little bit more water a tablespoon at a time. *too much water will make the crust tough*

Dump the mixture onto a clean worksurface (or plastic wrap), press the crumbs into a mound, and divide into 4ths. Press each section into a mound and wrap in plastic wrap and flatten down into a disc. Place in the refrigerator for an hour or until ready to roll out.

Let the dough sit out for about 10 minutes before you start to roll it out. Roll it out 1/8 inch thick to fit pie plate. Trim the edge of the crust leaving 1/2 inch over hang. You can crimp it between your fingers or if your crimp challenged like me you can just roll the edge under without the crimp.

Prick the sides and bottom with a fork to prevent it from bubbling up or shrinking then bake it at 425 for 10-12 minutes, then fill it with your favorite pudding and serve.

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Another quick crust I found in my pie crust quest..that I did not write down where I found the recipe at.
Use the same method as Grandmas's crust.

Butter Crust

Single
1 1/4 cup Flour
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 cup butter, diced and chilled (freeze for at least an hour)
1/4 cup ice Water

Double
2 1/2 cup Flour
1 tsp Salt
1 cup butter, diced and chilled (freeze for at least an hour)
1/2 cup ice Water


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Now that you've made your homemade crust please do not fill it with anything instant or not homemade so here is my absolute best recipe for chocolate pudding! Perfect For Pie! This recipe came from a former co-workers mom.

Chocolate Pudding

3/4 cup Sugar
1/4 cup Cornstarch
2 1/2 cups Milk
4 Egg Yolks (save the whites for Meringue)
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla
2 tbsp Butter
1/2 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1/2 cup Milk Chocolate Chips

Combine sugar and cornstarch. Gradually stir in milk. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly. (hang in there, all that stirring and standing will be worth it) Reduce heat. Cook and stir 2 minutes (set a timer!) Beat egg yolks with fork. gradually stir about 1 cup filling into the yolks. Return to the pan, bring to gentle boil. Cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Add chocolate chips and butter (you can add up to 2 cups of chocolate and it will turn out richer). Stir until smooth. Spoon into pie crust. Cover with plastic wrap and cool. Top with whipped topping or meringue.

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Meringue recipe from Alton Brown: Good Eats on food network is fantastic for use on top of this chocolate pie.

Meringue

4 egg whites
1 pinch cream of tartar
2 tablespoons sugar

Place egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form and then gradually add sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form, approximately 1 to 2 minutes.

Late Night Snacks

You know  how you keep snacks and candy away from your kids and you must sneak candy and sweets when your children aren't looking or wait till they are in bed before you indulge in sweets. Well these definitely fit the bill and with minimal mess and kids will never know you had cookies and brownies without them. :)

Cookie in a Mug

originally posted here.

• 1 Tablespoon Butter
• 1 Tablespoon Granulated White Sugar
• 1 Tablespoon of firmly packed Dark Brown Sugar
• 3 Drops of Vanilla Extract
• Small Pinch of Kosher Salt
• 1 Egg Yolk (discard the egg white or save for different recipe)
• Scant ¼ of All Purpose Flour (slightly less than ¼ of a cup)
• 2 heaping tablespoons of Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips

Start by melting your butter in the microwave.
Add sugars, vanilla and salt. Stir to combine.
Separate your egg and add the yolk only to your cup. Stir to combine.
Add flour, then stir again. Measure a scant, slightly less than full, ¼ cup of all-purpose flour.
Add the chocolate chips, and give a final stir. Now your mixture will look like cookie dough.
Cook in microwave 40-60 seconds, start checking for doneness at 40 seconds. Mine takes 50 seconds. Do not cook past one minute, just like a regular cookie, this will continue cooking as it cools. If the cookie is dry or cake like, try less time.
Serve warm.

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Or if chocolate is calling your name try this brownie in a mug. 

Brownie in a Mug

• 4 Tablespoons Flour
• 4 Tablespoons Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Cocoa powder (Note: don't use cocoa mix or quik, it shouldn't have any sugar)
• 2 Tablepsoons Vegetable Oil (Don't use one with a strong flavor, eg olive, sesame, etc)
• 2 Tablespoons Water
• Dash of salt

Combine each ingredient in a mug one a time, making sure there isn't lumps or hidden pockets of flour.

Microwave for 1 minute.

Enjoy!