Heaps of Chocolate Goodness

I don't know what the real name of these are. I don't know where I got the recipe, but it was scribbled on a used envelope. I made these for a Scentsy party I had this past weekend, and I got two emails today from two different people asking for the recipe. So here ya go. :)

3 cups chocolate chips (I always use semi-sweet chocolate chips)
3 cups butterscotch chips
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 c peanuts (I like to use the salted ones because I like the salty/sweet combination)
2 1/2 cup chow mein noodles (found in the Asian foods section in a blue bag)

Place chocolate and butterscotch chips in a medium saucepan over low heat until melted. (I melted mine in my large Pampered Chef micro-cooker. 1 minute for the initial melting, and then in 30 second intervals until it was nice and smooth).

After mixture is melted, take it off the stove (if you melted in a saucepan) and stir in the peanut butter and vanilla.

Gently stir in peanuts and chow mein noodles. (Next time I make these I will break up the chow mein noodles a little so they're in smaller pieces).

Scoop heaps onto waxed paper laid on a cookie sheet. Put in the refrigerator or freezer to set-up until solid. I used my medium Pampered Chef cookie scoop for these because I was in a hurry, so they were a bit big. I plan on adding these to my Christmas treat trays and I will use my small scoop to make them tinier so that the recipe makes more. Using the medium scoop, I still made about 36, so if you use the small scoop you could probably almost double the amount.

Yellow Squash Casserole

Our garden is overflowing with squash right now. We pretty much eat it in some form, everyday. I feel like Bubba from Forrest Gump with the shrimp. Seriously. It's probably my favorite summer vegetable, though, so I don't really mind.

I made this squash casserole tonight to go with our pork roast, green beans, and mashed potatoes. It was SUPER good.

Yellow Squash Casserole

1 3/4 pounds yellow squash
1/4 pound zucchini, or additional squash if you don't have/like zucchini
1/2 cup coarse-chopped carrots
1/2 cup butter
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 1/4 cup Ritz cracker crumbs
1/2 cup grated medium cheddar cheese
a few shakes of Tabasco sauce (this really added nice flavor)
salt and pepper to taste
2 eggs, lightly beaten (note: I subsituted two heaping spoonfuls of mayo for the eggs just because I think it tastes better)

Preheat the oven to 350 and butter a medium baking dish.

Slice the squash and zucchini lengthwise into quarters, then cut 1/2 inch thick wedges. Place the squash, zucchini, and carrots in a saucepan and barely cover with water and salt well. Bring to a boil; reduce the heat to medium and cover. Cook about twenty minutes, until the veggies are soft.

Meanwhile, warm three tablespoons of the butter in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in the onion and cook until translucet, 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook an additional minute. Scrape the mixture into a mixing bowl. Wipe out the skillet, return to medium low heat, and add it to the remaining tablespoon of butter Stir in 1/2 cup of the cracker crumbs and cook until the crumbs are golden (yeaaah, I didn't do that. Too much trouble.) Scrape them out into a smaller plate and reserve them.

Drain the squash mixture, mashing the vegetables a bit (the Pampered Chef mix and masher or mix and chop works great for this task). Spoon it into the mixing bowl. Stir in the remaining 3/4 cup of cracker crumbs, cheese and a good splash or two of the pepper sauce. Salt and pepper generously to taste. Stir in the eggs (or mayo) and spoon into prepared baking dish. Scatter the toasted (or not toasted!) cracker crumbs over the top (I also covered with a bit more cheese). Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes.

So good!

Best Ever Chocolate Fudge Layer Cake

I made this cake while my in-laws were here last week. My mother-in-law raved about, and even though it's stupid-easy (remember what I said about loving a box cake mix?), I'm going to post the recipe so she can have the recipe whenever she wants it. I got it out of a Kraft Food and Family magazine back in 2006, but have never made it before last week. We were craving chocolate, and I wanted something I could make fast!

1 pkg (2-layer size) chocolate cake mix
1 pkg (4 serving size) instant chocolate pudding mix
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
1 pkg (8 squares) Semi-sweet baking chocolate, divided (I didn't have squares, so I used chocolate chips. 1 square = 1 oz, so it 's about 3/4 of a bag of chocolate chips)
1 tub (8oz) cool whip, thawed

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 2 9" round cake pans. Beat cake mix, dry pudding mix, eggs, sour cream, oil, and water in large bowl with an electric mixture on low speed until just moistened. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes or until well blended. Stir in 2 oz of the chocolate (chopped if you used the squares, or 2 oz of chocolate chips). Spoon into prepared pans.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted near centers comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes on wire rack. Loosen cakes from side of pans with spatula or knife. Invert cakes onto rack; gently remove pans. Cool completely.

Place remaining 6 oz chocolate and whipped topoping in medium microwavable bowl. Microwave on high 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Stir until well blended and shiny. Cool five minutes. Place 1 cake layer on serving plate; spread 1/4 of the chocolate mix over cake. Place the second layer on top; spread remaining choclate mixture over top and sides of cake.

*I really liked the frosting on this cake. Very tasty and easy!

Amanda's Caesar Artichoke Pasta Salad

So I know this may not look like much, (and I probably could have garnished it with some fresh herbs or whatever), but who cares! IT IS GOOD!

We go to church with one of the other JAGs in David's office. His wife made this pasta salad for an office picnic last month and I have been dreaming about it ever since. I got the recipe and made it to take the 4th of July BBQ yesterday at David's coworker's house. It's awesome and easy!

Here's the recipe

-1 lb macaroni noodles, cooked and cooled (I had three open boxes of macaroni, rotini, and small shells, so I dumped all those together to make 1 lb)
- 2 cans of artichokes
- 1 bunch of green onions, chopped
- 1 bottle of Ceasar dressing
- 1 heaping tablespoon of mayonnaise
- 2 heaping tablespoons of sour cream
- a few shakes of lemon pepper
- garlic (fresh or powder) either a few cloves pressed or a few shakes of the powder
- about a cup of Parmesan/Romano cheese, grated works best

Cook your pasta according to package directions. Chop the artichokes (again, I used my Pampered Chef food chopper. I use it almost daily. Love that thing.) I had marinated artichokes on hand, so I used those, but I think Amanda used plain artichokes in hers. Both were good. Thinly slice the green onions. Combine the artichokes, onions, the entire bottle of Caesar dressing (my favorite brand is actually the Great Value brand), the mayo, sour cream, lemon pepper, garlic, and parmesan cheese and stir well. Add the cooled pasta and stir to combine. And p.s., it's even better the next day.

Note: I will not add the lemon pepper next time. I'm not a big lemon pepper fan to begin with, so I will omit it next time. But even with the lemon pepper in it, it was still dang good.

Mom's (and Wilton's) Buttercream Frosting

This is my favorite cake frosting, hands-down. The only thing my mom (and now I) do different that the original Wilton recipe does not call for is to add a pinch of salt. Somehow it helps balance out the sweetness.

1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter (use real butter, even though it's more expensive)
1 t vanilla (and if you're making white frosting, you can get clear vanilla at Michael's or Hobby Lobby so your frosting will stay ultra white, and also sub more shortening for butter and add butter flavoring - see directions below).
4 cups powdered sugar
2 T milk (or maybe a little more until you reach a good consistency, just add one tablespoon at a time)
a pinch of salt

(Medium Consistency)
In large bowl, cream shortening and butter with electric mixer. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use.

For best results, keep icing bowl in refrigerator when not in use. Refrigerated in an airtight container, this icing can be stored 2 weeks. Rewhip before using.

For thin (spreading) consistency icing, add 2 tablespoons light corn syrup, water or milk.

For Pure White Icing (stiff consistency), omit butter; substitute an additional 1/2 cup shortening for butter and add 1/2 teaspoon No-Color Butter Flavor. Add up to 4 tablespoons light corn syrup, water or milk to thin for icing cakes.

Chicken Italiano Appetizers

I made these for a bridal shower I helped with. I actually pulled the recipe out of a Wilton Cake Decorating book. They were great! It'd be good as a filling for a crescent roll braid or wreath, Pampered Chef style, too!

18 wonton wrappers (I found these in the produce section)
1/2 cup finely chopped red pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped green onion
2 t olive oil
2 c cooked chicken, finely chopped (roughly two boneless skinless breasts) (I used my Pampered Chef food chopper for this!)
1/3 c mayo
2 T parmesan cheese, I used grated
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t oregano
1/2 t basil
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray standard muffin cavitites with vegetable pan spray. Press wonton wrappers into cavities.

In small skillet, cook red pepper and green onion in oil until soft, about five minutes. Meanwhile, combine chicken, mayo, cheese and seasonings. Stir in cooked red pepper and green onions. Spoon 3 tablespoons filling into wonton cup (my medium Pampered Chef cookie scoop put the perfect amount in all 18 cups).
Bake 7-8 minutes. Serve hot.

Makes 18 appetizers.