Chocolate Cake

Or maybe I should say "over-the-top" chocolate cake. I made this recipe as a cake once-it was too rich. Now I make it as cupcakes. Last night for Valentine's Day, I made it with a yellow cake leaving out the coffee and substituting vanilla pudding/chips for chocolate. Either way it's rich and super good. Enjoy! Ps The frosting is really good as white icing without the coco powder.

1 box Butter Recipe Chocolate Cake mix
1 3 ounce instant chocolate pudding mix
16 ounces sour cream
3 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup brewed coffee
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl, mix chocolate cake mix, pudding mix, and sour cream. Add in eggs one at a time. Then add the oil and coffee. Once it’s all blended, add in the chocolate chips.

You can pour all the batter into one bundt pan and bake at 350 for 1 hour or use two 9-inch round pans and bake at 350 for about 35 minutes.


Chocolate Frosting

1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar- I used 3 cups

Mix butter and cocoa together. Add milk and vanilla. Gradually add in powdered sugar until you achieve desired consistency. It should be thick, but spreadable.

Sweet Ancho Chile Relish Dip

I've been wanting to try this dip FOREVER but could never find the Ancho Chile Relish....until last week....

16 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 jar of Jim Severson Ancho Chile Relish (available at HEB stores, otherwise you might have to order it off the internet)
6-8 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
3-4 green onions, chopped

Spread softened cream cheese on a small plate, pour the Sweet Ancho Chile Relish over the top (probably about half the jar). Top it with fried, crumbled bacon pieces and green onions. Serve with crackers.

Lemon Cream Pasta with Chicken

Seriously-I could eat the sauce with a soup spoon. The noodles never totally absorbed in the chicken broth. So, I drained the noodles, saved the both and ladle 2-3 scoops back in with the heavy cream.

3 cups shredded or cubed Lemon Garlic Chicken
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 (16 ounce) package tube pasta (I used rigatoni)
2 cups heavy cream
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

DIRECTIONS
In a large saucepan, season the chicken broth with the garlic powder and pepper. Bring to a boil and add lemon juice and pasta. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until all liquid is absorbed, about 25 minutes.

Stir chicken into cooked pasta, along with the cream, Parmesan cheese and lemon zest. Cook, stirring, over low heat for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Stir thoroughly before serving. Serves 4-6

South Beach Cole Slaw

I'm not a coleslaw fan unless I'm eating THIS recipe!!!

1 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 1⁄2 teaspoons celery seed
1 teaspoon granular sugar substitute
16 ounces shredded cabbage- fresh or packaged- it's all good
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Whisk together mayonnaise,mustard, vinegar, celery seed, and sugar substitute.Add cabbage and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper and refrigerate until ready to serve. 4 Servings. Enjoy!

Lena's Swedish Meatballs with Lingonberry Sauce

My Mom says these are tooooo die for and make a ton!

Ingredients
4 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, minced
1 pound each ground beef, pork, and veal (or all beef if you prefer)
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons salt
Few grinds black pepper
2 teaspoons ground allspice
3 pieces white bread, crust removed, torn and soaked in whole milk
Sauce:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 to 2 tablespoons black currant jam
1/4 cup chopped parsley leaves
Lingonberry jam, for serving


Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Remove the onion to a plate and cool. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground meats, egg yolks, heavy cream and onion. Add salt, pepper and allspice. Squeeze excess milk from the bread and add it to the bowl. Mix gently with your hands or wooden spoon.

With a bowl of cold water standing by, form meatballs about 1-inch across. Dip your fingers in cold water, from time to time, to keep the meat from sticking to your hands.

Melt the remaining butter in the saute pan and once the foam has subsided add a layer of meatballs. Do not overcrowd the pan. Shake the pan once in awhile, to keep the meatballs round. Brown all of the meatballs, in batches, removing them to a large oven safe dish when cooked. Put the dish in the oven for about 20 minutes, being careful not to overcook them.

Cook's Note: you may need to wipe out the pan between batches as it can get kind of gnarly.

To make the sauce: Pour off most of the fat from the skillet and return it to the heat. Add 2 tablespoons of butter and swirl it around to coat the pan. Sprinkle in the flour, and stir with a wooden spoon or whisk to dissolve the flour into the fat. Pour in the chicken stock, and stir to loosen the bits from the bottom of the pan. Simmer, stirring, until the liquid is reduced and the mixture starts to thicken to a sauce. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Lower the heat and stir in the cream and the black currant jam. Add the meatballs to the sauce. Simmer until the sauce thickens slightly and the meatballs are heated through, 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.

To serve, spoon a couple of meatballs onto each plate along with a spoonful of sauce, and serve with the lingonberry jam on the side. Cook Time:50 min Level: --Yield: about 60 meatballs