Salted Caramel Nut Cake

Leah and I sorta made this up as we went, combining recipes and mixing things around.  In the end, it was sort of to die for.  Just FYI, it is about 540 per sixteenth, but it's really rich, so that's all you'd want anyway!

1 recipe of your favorite chocolate cake, enough for 2 9" round pans

1 1/2 cup of your favorite homemade caramel sauce, separated
1/2 cup cocktail peanuts, coarsely chopped

1 cup salted butter, room temperature
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups powdered sugar

Easy enough - prepare the 9" round pans and bake cake according to directions.  Remove from pans and cool thoroughly.

When the cakes are cool, mix 1 cup caramel with the peanuts.  Spread peanut mixture on top of one of the cakes.  Layer the other cake on top of the peanut layered cake.

When cake layers are assembled, beat the butter until it is light and fluffy.  Add salt and powdered sugar.  Mix until combined (still fluffy).  Beat in remaining 1/2 cup caramel.  Frosting should be light and lovely.  Spread over cake.

Put entire cake in fridge for 1 hour until it is all set.  Enjoy!

Coconut Chicken

I found this online the other day and tried it tonight. I tweaked it (as usual) to fit my needs, so here's my version.

Ingredients:
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup sweetened coconut
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper
3 chicken breasts
1/2 cup apricot jam (I used peach and just added a little lemon juice)
2-4 TBSP coarse ground mustard, to taste
cooked rice
canned apricots

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400. Mix coconut, flour, salt, garlic, and pepper. Cut chicken into large strips. Dip into egg mixture, then coat in coconut mixture. Place in a greased pan. Sprinkle any remaining coconut mix on top if desired. Spray top of chicken with Pam as well. Bake 30-40 minutes, until chicken is cooked and coconut is browned a little. For sauce, just mix the jam and the mustard to taste. To serve, pile rice onto plates. Place chicken on top, and pour sauce on top. Lastly, place apricots on the top and serve warm.

Pumpkin Pie Cake

Okay, this one's good, and it's really low in calories.  Here's the gist.

1 spice cake mix (Betty Crocker Super Moist) - pick the one with 160 calories per serving
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin pack
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice.

Yep, just mix these three together and then bake according to package directions.  DO NOT add eggs or oil.  You can add some water to the batter to get it to a thinner texture.  You will probably have to bake just a little longer than the package says.  Easy.

Frosting?

8 oz. Neufchatel cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Yep, just mix and go.  You can add a tablespoon of milk or so if you need.

Calories?  234 for a 12th of the cake.  That's a pretty big serving of cake for not very many calories.  Want some variation?  Leah and I also tried using a chocolate cake mix and omitted the pumpkin pie spice.  We added just a little more cocoa powder and it was wonderful.

Chicken Pot Pie

I have to post this because it's my favorite pot pie recipe, and my family loves it. However, it's in storage with everything else. And so I don't have to spend another half hour finding it again when I want it next, I'm posting it here!

12-16 Servings
Prep: 40 min. Bake: 35 min. + standing

2 cups diced peeled potatoes
1-3/4 cups sliced carrots
2/3 cup chopped onion
1 cup butter, cubed
1 cup all-purpose flour
1-3/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 teaspoon pepper
3 cups chicken broth
1-1/2 cups milk
4 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen corn
Pastry for two double-crust pies (9 inches)

Directions
Place potatoes and carrots in a large saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and set aside.
In a large skillet, saute onion in butter until tender. Stir in the flour, salt, thyme and pepper until blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add the chicken, peas, corn, potatoes and carrots; remove from the heat.
Line two 9-in. pie plates with bottom pastry; trim pastry even with edge. Fill pastry shells with chicken mixture. Roll out remaining pastry to fit top of pies. Cut slits or decorative cutouts in pastry. Place over filling; trim, seal and flute edges.

Bake one potpie at 425° for 35-40 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting. Cover and freeze remaining potpie for up to 3 months.

To Use Frozen Pot Pie: Shield frozen pie crust edges with foil; place on a baking sheet. Bake at 425° for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°; bake 70-80 minutes longer or until crust is golden brown. Yield: 2 potpies (6-8 servings each).

To use frozen pot pie: Shield frozen pie crust edges with foil; place on a baking sheet. Bake at 425° for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°; bake 70-80 minutes longer or until crust is golden brown.

Zucchini Fritters

Leah and I made these last night and they were YUMMY!  Remember, this is from a boy who doesn't even like zucchini.  I ate half of them.

2 small zucchini (10 oz. each)
1 large carrot
1 egg
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper

Grate zucchini and carrots.  With paper towels, dry vegetables well.  Mix together all ingredients.  Shape into 8 equally sized balls (this is messy).  Put four balls in a greased frypan and press balls until flat.  Cook them for five minutes, flipping once.  Repeat with other four balls.

This makes two GENEROUS servings, each of which are about 270 calories.  Yes, you get a lot of food for no calories.  Leah and I didn't even eat sour cream on them like we used to on zucchini pancakes.

Note, these fall apart quite easily.  In the original recipe, you're supposed to deep fry them in a skillet for five minutes instead of pan cooking them.  This would surely crisp them up better, but it means that every two cakes (so four servings instead of two) have 245 calories.  Again, this is hardly extravagant.

Michelle's Stuffed Pumpkin

It's that time of year, when I like to make stuffed pumpkin for dinner, and my family complains that I've made it! This year I decided to try my own recipe in hopes that everyone would be happy, and it worked! This is awesome, and everybody ate it.

Ingredients:

1 small pumpkin

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp dry mustard

1/3lb (or so) cooked breakfast sausage

3 c. prepared corn bread stuffing

1 apple, peeled and chopped

1/4 cup craisins

Directions:

Cut top off of pumpkin and deseed. Poke holes in the inside of the pumpkin with a fork, if desired. Rub pumpkin with salt and mustard. Mix other ingredients and spoon into pumpkin. Put pumpkin lid back on and place in an 8x8 pan with a little water in the bottom. Bake at 350 for 90 minutes, or until the pumpkin is tender. Serve both the filling and the pumpkin.

Pita Pizza (Revised)

Okay, here is the first in a series of healthy recipes that I'll be posting.  Leah and I count calories, so I'll be posting calorie counts on these recipes.  Leah and I love these, and so does everyone we've fed them to.  You can also use it as a main dish or an appetizer.  (Leah and I are full after one each.)


4 whole wheat pitas
1/2 cup sundried tomato pesto*
4 roma tomatoes
1 1/2 cup fresh spinach
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Spread pesto on pitas.  Top with spinach and tomatoes.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Sprinkle cheeses on top.  Cook in preheated oven at 350 for 10 minutes.  Then, broil on high for 2 minutes, or until crispy.

That's it!  Enjoy!  Leah and I also put cubed chicken on these once.  We liked it, but we go back to this old reliable version more often.  Depending on your pita, tomato, etc., these range from 270 to 300 calories or so.

*What, you don't have a stash of sundried tomato pesto?  Well, here's my recipe (revised).

Blend together in food processor until smooth:

8 oz. sundried tomatoes packed in oil, drained
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. dried basil (or fresh equivalent)
2 tsp. dried parsley (or fresh equivalent)
1 packet onion soup mix
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

Cadbury Eggs

I don't like the Cadbury Eggs that you buy at the store, so I don't know how these compare. Shane says they're good, but not quite the same. I like these but they are sweet! They are a pain to make, so don't get in a hurry. Plan pleanty of time. And when you're using the frozen stuff, only use a little at a time, as it thaws VERY fast!! But they are lots of fun!!



INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) salted butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Yellow food coloring
Chocolate candy melts or almond bark


DIRECTIONS
In the bowl of a mixer, cream the butter, corn syrup and vanilla until smooth. Slowly add the powdered sugar and beat on medium low speed until well mixed.

Spoon about a third of the mixture into a separate bowl and color it with yellow food coloring. Refrigerate the white and yellow mixtures for at least an hour, for easier handling.

Roll the yellow mixture into balls and place on a wax paper lined baking sheet. Place in the freezer for 20 minutes or so. Remove from freezer and cover with white candy and form into an egg shape. Freeze eggs for about 30 minutes.

Melt your candy melts or almond bark according to package directions. Place eggs in the chocolate and coat completely. Remove and place back on wax paper lined baking sheet. Place in the refrigerator until chocolate has set.

If you want these runny like traditional Cadbury Eggs, keep at room temperature. The candy mixture in the eggs softens very quickly.

Peanut Butter Eggs

These taste almost just like Reese's! I will make them again!!

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, softened
2-1/3 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups dark chocolate chips
2 tablespoons shortening
Pastel sprinkles


Directions
In a large bowl, cream butter; gradually add the confectioners' sugar, cracker crumbs, peanut butter and vanilla. Shape into 16 eggs; place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until firm.
In a microwave, melt chocolate chips and shortening; stir until smooth. Dip eggs in chocolate; allow excess to drip off. Decorate with sprinkles; return eggs to waxed paper. Chill until set. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Yield: 16 eggs.

Toffee

I don't like toffee, but my family really liked this and its really easy to make!

Ingredients
1 cup sugar
1 cup dark corn syrup
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 pound milk chocolate candy coating, melted

Directions
In a heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup and vinegar. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves. Cook without stirring until the temperature reaches 300° (hard-crack stage) on a candy thermometer. Do not overcook.
Remove from the heat and quickly stir in baking soda. Pour into a buttered 13-in. x 9-in. pan. Do not spread candy; mixture will not fill pan.
When cool, break into bite-size pieces. Dip into melted chocolate; place on waxed paper until the chocolate is firm. Store candy tightly covered. Yield: 1-1/2 pounds.