Upside Down German Chocolate Cake

I got this recipe from a potluck we had at work one year.  It's very good...and rich!

Upside Down German Chocolate Cake
1 box German Chocolate Cake Mix
1 1/2 cups sweetened Coconut Flakes
2 cups chopped Pecans
1 8 oz package Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup Butter, melted
3 cups Powdered Sugar

Preheat oven to 340°F, grease a 9x13 pan

Make cake mix according to directions, set aside.
In a small bowl combine cream cheese, butter and powdered sugar.  Beat on medium until well mixed and set aside.
Sprinkle coconut evenly the on bottom of a cake pan followed by the pecans, then pour the prepared cake mix over top.
Drop cream cheese mixture by spoonfuls on top of cake.  Using a butter knife, gently swirl the cream cheese into the cake mixture.
Bake at 340°F for 1 hour.

Ready to pour the batter

                                    I put pecans on only half because my son can't eat pecans

Ready for the Oven

Breakfast Burritos

Happy Mother's Day!  I made Breakfast Burritos for breakfast this morning...yes, I know it IS Mother's Day and I shouldn't be cooking but if it were up to my husband to make breakfast I would be having cold cereal....ewwww!  Well, he did make the coffee :)

Breakfast Burritos
Breakfast meat of your choice(bacon, sausage, chorizo)
Eggs
Cheese, shredded
Salsa
Tortillas

Cook the breakfast meat of your choice. Then scramble your eggs and warm the tortillas.

Assemble your burrito:
Put warm tortilla on a plate
Sprinkle with shredded cheese
Lay down 2 pieces of bacon, or sprinkle with other meat
Scrambled eggs (about 2)
More cheese
Top with salsa
Roll up and enjoy
(Don't load your tortilla up too much, it will be too fat to roll.)

Fry breakfast meat

Tortillas

Layer of cheese then bacon

Eggs and salsa added

Taco Casserole

I'm getting into the Cinco De Mayo mood.  This yummy casserole tastes even better the second day!

Taco Casserole
1 to 1/2 lbs Ground Beef
1 pkg Taco Seasoning
1 can Pinto Beans
1 can Rotel Tomatoes, drained
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup(or cream of mushroom)
1/2 cup Sour Cream

1 small can Black Olives, sliced (optional)
2 cups shredded Cheese, divided
1 bag of Doritos, crunched into large pieces 

Preheat oven to 350°F

Brown ground beef until no longer pink, drain.  Season with 1 pkg Taco Seasoning.  Add pinto beans and Rotel tomatoes, stir and simmer until ready to use.

In a bowl combine cream of chicken soup, sour cream, and olives, mix well. 

Cover the bottom of a 9x13in pan with a 1/2 bag of crunched Doritos.  Next, cover Doritos with the beef mixture.  Spread the sour cream mixture a top the beef and sprinkle with 1 cup of shredded cheese.  Cover with the second half of crunched Doritos (or less to your liking), then top with remaining cheese.

Bake in a 350°F oven for 25-30mn, until cheese is melted.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream, if you like.

Meat Mixture

Bottom layer of chips

Meat Layer

Sour Cream layer

Add Cheese

Chips and another cheese layer

Out of the Oven

Creamy Lemon Bars

I had a lemon laying around so I thought I'd put it to use.  This is a creamy, lemony dessert.

Creamy Lemon Bars
1 14oz can Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/4 cup Lemon Juice
1 tsp Lemon Zest
1 cup Flour
1 cup Rolled Oats
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Butter, softened
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 375°F, coat 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray.


Combine sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice and lemon zest, mix well and set aside.

In another bowl combine the rest of the ingredients.  Mix until crumbly.

In a 8x8 baking dish press half of the oat mixture.  Bake at 375°F for 10 minutes.

Pour the lemon mixture over baked crust.  Sprinkle the rest of the oat mixture on the lemon mixture and press lightly.  Bake at 375°F for about 20 minutes, until edges are lightly browned.

Let cool completely before cutting.

Lemon mixture

Oat mixture

Pressed oat mixture

Lemony layer

With top crumb layer

Out of the Oven

Beefy Sour Cream Noodle Casserole

This is a quick and easy dish.  Just throw it together, goes well with garlic bread. 

Beefy Sour Cream Noodle Casserole

 Beef Layer
1 1/2 lbs Ground Beef
1 small can Tomato Sauce
1 16oz can Diced Tomatoes
Salt/Pepper/Garlic Powder to taste

Noodle Layer
1 package Egg Noodles
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1 cup Cottage Cheese
1/2 cup Green Onions, sliced (more or less to taste)
Salt/Pepper to taste

1 cup grated Cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 350°F

Brown ground beef until no longer pink.  Drain grease if necessary.   Add seasonings, tomato sauce and dices tomatoes.  Simmer until ready to use.

Meanwhile, boil noodles until al dente. Drain, rinse and set aside.

In a large bowl combine sour cream and cottage cheese then add the green onions.  Season and add the cooked noodles, mix well.

Put half of the noodle mixture in a casserole dish, followed by half of the ground beef mixture. Top with a 1/2 cup cheese.  Repeat layers.

Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes.

Ground Beef Mixture

Noodle Mixture

Start of First Layer

First Layer Complete

Ready for the Oven

Out of the Oven

Easter Basket Cupcakes With Lainie

Lainie and I made some cupcakes for Easter.  We probably should have waited to do this closer to Easter because they are gone already!

Lainie likes to cook, her favorite part is cracking the eggs!

Easter Basket Cupcakes
1 box of cake mix, your choice
Icing
Decorations


Make cupcakes according to package directions.
Cool cupcakes completely and decorate

Dry Ingredients

Wet Ingredients

Cracking Eggs

Ready for Oven

 

Ryan decorated this one

 The Decorations

Handle- 2 pipe cleaners twisted together and a bow for accent
Grass- Coconut with a few drops of green food coloring
Icing- We used the canned icing that comes with different attachments
Candy eggs and jelly beans for the basket

I wish I had taken more pictures, the kids did great and had some very interesting baskets!

Sour Cream Sugar Twists

I tried this recipe because it sounded different.  This is the recipe for the Twisted Adventure that I wrote about in an earlier post.  I had a heck of a time, but not because the recipe wast too difficult, I was just having an off day.

Sour Cream Sugar Twists
1 package Dry Active Yeast (1/4 ounce)
1/4 cup Warm Water, 110° to 115°F
3 1/2 cups Flour
1 tsp Salt
1/2 cup slightly soft Butter
1/2 cup Shortening
1 Egg, whole
2 Egg yolks
3/4 cup Sour Cream
1 1/2 cups Sugar, divided (approximately)
Cinnamon, optional

Icing
4 cups Powdered Sugar
1/3 cup milk
Cinnamon, optional

Mix yeast and warm water in a bowl, sprinkle with 1 tbs of sugar, let dissolve.
In another bowl combine flour, salt.  Cut in butter and shortening until mixture is crumbly.
Beat in  eggs, sour cream and yeast mixture until dough is formed.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 375°F

Sprinkle 1/4 cup of sugar on your work surface.  Roll half of the dough on sugared surface into a 12x8 rectangle.(refrigerate remaining dough till ready to use) Sprinkle rectangle with 3 tbs sugar(may also sprinkle a little cinnamon over the sugar) then fold into thirds.  Give dough a quarter turn, roll, sugar and fold 2 more times.

End with a 12x8 in rectangle, cut the dough into 12 one inch strips.  Give each strip a couple of twists and place on cookie sheet.  Bake at 375°F for 15-20 minutes, until lightly browned.  Cool on wire wrack.

Repeat steps with remaining dough.

For Icing:  Mix powdered sugar and milk (you may also add a couple sprinkles of cinnamon if desired).  Drizzle over cooled twists.

Yeast and dough

Read to Refrigerate

Roll on sugared suface

Fold into thirds

Sugared surface

12 one inch strips

Finished Twists

Low Sugar Banana Bread

Since most of my co-workers watching their figures, I thought I'd make a low sugar banana bread.  I used Splenda Brown Sugar in place of regular sugar.  Although Splenda Brown Sugar isn't totally sugar free, it does have half the sugar.  I took it to work for a taste test and it passed with flying colors!

Low Sugar Banana Bread
1/2 cup Splenda Brown Sugar, packed
1/2 cup Butter, softened (may replace with 1/4 cup butter & 1/4 cup applesauce )
2 eggs (may use 1/2 cup egg substitute)
1 1/2 cups Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Cinnamon
2 Bananas, mashed (about a cup)
1/2 cup Sour Cream (may use light)
1/2 cup Walnuts or Pecans

Preheat oven to 350°F, spray loaf pan with PAM

Cream Splenda Brown Sugar and butter.  Add eggs and mix well.
Add Flour, Baking Soda, Salt, Cinnamon, mix well.
Add Bananas, Sour Cream and walnuts.  Stir until well combined.
Bake in loaf pan at 350°F for 50-60 minutes, until inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Cool for 10 minutes then remove from loaf pan, cool on wire wrack.

The Mix

Cooling