German Chocolate Butter Cake

This is a delicious cake, I mean how can you go wrong with German chocolate cake and cream cheese, it would have to be a hit, right!! You must try this cake, everyone loves it!!!! I found the recipe in one of Paula Deen's magazines from years ago, and been making it ever since..

I will be making this for my dessert menu on Thanksgiving!!

German Chocolate Butter Cake:

18.25 ounce box German chocolate cake mix

1 cup butter, melted and divided (that is 2 sticks of butter and don't forget to divide it)

1 large egg

8 ounce cream cheese, softened

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

16 ounce box confectioners' sugar

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 13x9 inch pan. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, 1 stick of melted butter, and 1 egg. Beat at low speed with an electric mixer until combined. Press evenly into bottom of prepared pan, and set aside...this is your crust...

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in 2 eggs and vanilla. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth. Add remaining stick of melted butter, beating at low speed until combined. Stir in coconut and pecans.

Pour this over cake mix layer, spreading evenly. Bake for 45 minutes (the center should remain slightly gooey). For me, it was right at 45 minutes though...Remove from oven and let cool completely before cutting into squares....

This is before it was put in the oven...

BEEF STROGANOFF

Okay, I know I haven't been as good at posting on my recipe blog lately, with training I don't have much time left at the end of the day, but will try to get better at posting once a week at the least of my recipes...







This is one of my husband's favorite recipes, he loves good hearty comfort food in the winter, so I always make this as soon as the weather gets cold. I can't tell you how simple it is and you can serve over rice or egg noodles, he loves egg noodles the most, so that is what we have.


Beef Stroganoff

1 pound stew meat(sometimes I use 1 1/2 pounds)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can French onion soup
8 ounces sour cream
Egg noodles or white rice


Mix soups and sour cram well. Add meat and bake at 300 degrees in a COVERED casserole dish for 3 hours. Serve over egg noodles or rice...I always cook my egg noodles and serve it all together like pic below...
Delicious and hope you enjoy!!

Chocolate Eclair Dessert..

Got back from DisneyWorld on Sunday, what a wonderful time we had, just relaxing and no cooking, but I did miss making desserts for my family, so had to come home and post this wonderful dessert I made for the 1st time for my husband who loves chocolate, and my girls LOVED this dessert too!!

Chocolate Eclair Dessert:

2 (3 ounce) pkgs. instant vanilla pudding

3 cups milk

8 ounce Cool Whip

16 ounce box graham crackers

Mix pudding with milk. When it starts to thicken, fold in whipped topping. Line a 9x13 pan with one layer of graham crackers. Pour half of the pudding mixture over the crackers, add an additional layer of crackers on top of the pudding; then pour the remaining pudding on top.

To this layer of pudding, finish with a 3rd layer of crackers and cover with chocolate icing. Pour icing over the cracker-pudding mixture. Refrigerate overnight to soften the crackers. My family is too impatient for that, so just refrigerate at least 6 hours....

Icing:

1/3 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup cocoa

2 cups powdered sugar

4 Tablespoons milk

In a medium bowl, mix together butter, cocoa, powdered sugar and milk...

TIP: After I mix the icing together, it's pretty thick, I let it sit on the counter for about 10-15 minutes to soften a little, just makes it easier to spread on graham crackers...

Easy Mexican Dish

This is another recipe out of my favorite cookbook, did I say EASY..LOL, it is super easy and most of the ingredients you may already have on hand!! My husband and youngest daughter and Mom loved this dish, and I know you will too!!!

Easy Mexican Dish:

1 lb. ground beef

1 can cream of chicken soup (I used low fast soup and it worked very well)

16 ounce jar salsa (I used mild salsa)

1 pkg. Mexican shredded cheese blend (I would only use this cheese, it added a great taste to the dish)

1/2 bag tortilla chips

Cook and drain ground beef. In a 8x8 glass dish, crumble tortilla chips to cover bottom. In a skillet combine salsa and cream of chicken soup along with drained ground beef. Cook until mixed well. Pour mixture over tortilla chips, and top with cheese. Place in oven at 350 degrees for 5-10 minutes or until cheese has completely melted.

Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole

I love casseroles, especially since they are fast and super easy to whip together. Whenever I make a chicken casserole, I always think of my grandmother, my sister was spending the night with my Aunt and Uncle, and I wanted to go with them, but my grandmother insisted I stay with her, well, I wasn't too happy that I couldn't go..Well, she made a list and off to the grocery store we went and came home and she let me make a chicken casserole all my myself, with her instructing me all along the way. I thought I had made a gourmet meal and was so proud..I am so thankful my grandmother made me stay, she passed away many years ago, and it is one of my fondest memories of her. I still think of that moment when I make a chicken casserole, and it takes me right back there, to her little kitchen in Alabama. Thank you Maw-Maw!!! Isn't it funny how food can do that, I guess that is why I love it soooo much!!

This recipe is a keeper and I will be using it often, and very inexpensive to make too!! My family loved it, and served with rice is a complete meal all by itself!!! Enjoy!!

Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole:

6-8 chicken breast

2 cans cream of chicken soup (I used low-fat soup and it worked very well)

8 ounce sour cream

1 stack Ritz crackers

1 stick butter

Poppy seeds, optional

Boil chicken and then cut into bite-sized pieces. Place in a 9x13 pan. Mix the soups and the sour cream together and spread on top of cut up chicken. Crush Ritz crackers and place on top of soup mixture. Melt the butter and pour on top of Ritz crackers. Sprinkle with poppy seeds. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes...

I told you soooo SIMPLE and sooo Yummy!!! I serve with white rice!!!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Deluxe Cookies...

I found this recipe a few weeks ago and honestly, I forgot where I got it from, so I can't give credit to who it belongs to, but whoever it is, my family loved them..I made them because well, they looked like Fall to me, and I had all the ingredients on hand.

So, I thought I would whip them up while the girls were napping last week, for a treat when they woke up, it made a good bit, so when my sister dropped by sent some to her and her family as well, and the feedback was they like them as well...so for me, it's a recipe I will keep!!! Now, they are not very sweet, which I like, but just sweet enough and if you love oatmeal in your cookies you will love these...

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Deluxe Cookies

Oven on 350 degrees....

Dump into a big bowl:

1 1/3 cup all purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup cooking oats

3/4 cup Reese's pieces

3/4 cup semi- sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup white sugar

1/3 cups chopped pecans (you can omit the pecans if you want)

Add:

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 stick butter, almost melted

1 teaspoon vanilla

MIX WELL..Roll dough into 1 1/2 inch balls and bake for 10 minutes...Enjoy!!

Good Fall Comfort Meal..

My husband loves a good southern comfort meal anytime, and with me training I don't make them during the week anymore, he tends to eat whatever I am eating, which is very healthy, so I reward him on the weekends with good southern cooking...This past weekend I made meatloaf and hashbrown casserole, now I know meatloaf doesn't sound that tempting to some of you, but this is a great meatloaf recipe and one you must try!!! Hashbrown casserole, doesn't everyone love hasbrown casserole!!! Lia, I can't wait to hear from you on this one, I hope your boys love it!!

Basic Meat Loaf

1 pound ground beef

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped bell pepper

1 egg, lightly beaten

8 ounces canned diced tomatoes with juice

1/2 cup quick-cooking oats

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix all meat loaf ingredients well and place in a baking dish. Shape into loaf...

Now for the topping:

1/3 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon prepared mustard

Mix ingredients for topping and spread on loaf. Bake for 1 hour..

Hash Brown Casserole:

2 lbs. frozen hash browns (sometimes I use the shredded and sometimes cubed, whatever I have on hand, it's up to you..I also let mine thaw at room temp. for about an hour)

2 cups shredded cheese

1 can cream of chicken soup

8 ounces sour cream

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup chopped onion

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 dish with cooking spray. Combine all the ingredients and bake for 45-60 minutes...Enjoy!!!