The Best Chocolate Cake

Hershey's Chocolate Cake
This is my super secret favorite chocolate cake recipe.  So secret that it comes from the back of the Hershey's cocoa box.  It's almost as fast as a cake mix, but tastes so much better!  We added a cute bunny on the top since Easter is Sunday. 

2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
"PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING (recipe follows)

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.

Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING. 10 to 12 servings.

CUPCAKES: Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Heat oven to 350°F. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. About 30 cupcakes.

"PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING
I double this recipe for a 2 layer cake.

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency.
Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.

Ham and Cheese Party Sandwiches

After coming home from a long weekend in Mexico with John, and after having eaten way too much guacamole, I probably should have cooked something really healthy.  But I didn't.  My girls wanted these sandwiches and a chocolate cake.  So that's what they got.

Ham and Cheese Party Sandwiches

There are tons of versions of these sandwiches.  This is how I like to make them.

small bakery rolls
deli ham
sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 stick of salted butter
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon seasoning salt

Melt butter and add seasonings.  Brush onto both inside sides of cut rolls.  Add slices of ham and cheese to each sandwich.  Bake at 400 covered with foil for 10-15 minutes or until hot.

Cranberry Apple Quinoa Salad

I was going to make a kind of Greek quinoa salad with tomatoes and cucumbers, but I totally forgot tomatoes at the store this week.  No way am I going back to Wal Mart for one thing!  You know I can't stand going there.  So I had to make up a recipe using some things I already had in the fridge.   It turned out better than great!

Cranberry Apple Quinoa Salad
1 cup dry quinoa
2 cups water
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
zest and juice of one lemon
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1-2 teaspoons honey (to taste)
4 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
1/4 cup fresh herbs (I used mint, basil, and chives. YAY for spring!! I've got herbs!)
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup walnuts
1 small apple, diced

Cook the quinoa according to the package directions.  Let it cool on a sheet pan while you make the dressing.

Add the vinegar, lemon juice and zest, mustard, salt, and pepper to a large bowl and whisk to combine with olive oil.  Add the cooled quinoa and mix.   Add in the herbs, cranberries, walnuts, and apple.  Cover with plastic wrap and store in fridge until ready to eat.  Eat it cold. 

We had sauteed tilapia seasoned only with salt and pepper to go with the salad, although, the salad is a meal on it's own.  I felt like John needed something to make him feel less like a girl while he was eating something called Cranberry Apple Quinoa Salad for dinner.

Lemon Pepper Salmon with Steamed Asparagus

This was such a quick and healthy dinner.  My legs are still recovering from the half marathon I ran yesterday, so I was happy to stand for only 22 minutes to cook dinner!!

Lemon Pepper Salmon with Steamed Asparagus

Sprinkle both sides of thawed, dried, salmon fillets generously with lemon pepper seasoning.  Heat nonstick skillet on high until it's HOT.  Once it's hot, put about a teaspoon of olive oil in the pan.  Put the salmon in the pan and cook on high until about an inch is cooked (look at the side of the fillet, probably about 5 minutes depending on the heat of your stove).  Flip the salmon, turn the heat down to medium high and cook for 3-5 minutes.  You're going to have to experiment to decide how well done you like your salmon.  Take the salmon out of the pan and let it rest.  It will continue to cook at bit.

I added 1/2 a tablespoon of salted butter to the pan, let it melt, and then squeezed in the juice of a whole lemon.  I poured the butter over the salmon. 

To steam the asparagus, add about 1/4 cup of water to a small saucepan.  Bring it to a boil, add the asparagus, cover, and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until almost tender.  Remove it from the pan and add salt and pepper.  It will continue to cook as it cools, so be sure to slightly undercook it. 

Tips for Healthy Eating Out

I love to go out to eat.  At least, I used to, before I had toddlers.  Eating out with a toddler is an experience I try to avoid at all costs...And Chuck E Cheese?  Well, I try to go there only when we are invited to birthday parties, and then I usually talk John into taking the invited child.   That place gives me a headache.

But as a reward for an excellent report card, I found myself there last night with my 3 kids, by myself.  I expected the worst, but they were perfectly behaved, very happy, and I had a $19.99 coupon for pizza, drinks, and enough tokens to last an hour.  And I discovered that Chuck's now got himself a decent salad bar!

Now, I'm no nutritional expert.  And I try to do the best I can with what I have as far as eating goes.
But the dietitians and doctors that work for the government are experts. They have finally updated that food pyramid we learned about in elementary school.  It makes sense.  And their website, mypyramid.gov, is great.  They put into print the things that healthy/skinny people seem to know intuitively. 

Here are my favorite of their tips for eating out. 

As a beverage choice, ask for water or other zero calorie beverage.  This is my ALWAYS rule.   Why drink unnecessary calories?

Ask for salad dressing to be served on the side. Dip your fork into the dressing, and then eat the lettuce.

Order an appetizer or side dish instead of an entrée.  This is my FAVORITE.  I almost never order an entree at a table service restaurant.  I would much rather have a salad, an app, and split a dessert.

Share a main dish with a friend.  Nicer restaurants will often plate them separately for you.  Be sure to tip your waiter as if you both ordered an entree, though!

In a restaurant, start your meal with a salad packed with veggies, to help control hunger and feel satisfied sooner.

Order an item from the menu instead heading for the “all-you-can-eat” buffet.  Better yet, don't go to buffets. Period. Nothing good can come from it!  And they are expensive. 

Baked Lemon Pasta

Everything is better with lemon, right?  I sure think so.  You've got to try this pasta dish.  It's not exactly going to help you fit into those skinny jeans, but if you're training for a half marathon (what!), sometimes you just need a little pasta.

Baked Lemon Pasta 
1 pound pasta
4 Tablespoons Salted Butter
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 whole Lemon, Juiced And Zested
2 cups Sour Cream
½ teaspoons Kosher Salt, Or More To Taste
Plenty Of Grated Parmesan Cheese
parsley or chives for garnish

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook pasta until al dente.

In a skillet, melt butter with olive oil over LOW HEAT. When butter is melted, add minced garlic. Squeeze lemon juice into the pan. Turn off heat.

Add sour cream and stir mixture together. Add lemon zest and salt. Taste, then add more salt if necessary. Pour mixture over drained pasta and stir together, then pour pasta into an oven safe dish.

Bake, covered, for 15 minutes. Then remove foil and bake for an additional 7 to 10 minutes. (Don’t bake too long or the pasta will dry out.)

When you remove it from the oven, squeeze a little more lemon juice over the top. Top generously with Parmesan cheese, then chopped parsley/chives. Give it a final squeeze of lemon juice at the end.

Oven Baked Potatoes

I love to make baked potatoes on a busy night because even though they take an hour to bake (you can also make them in the microwave, but the skin won't be crispy) they require zero effort.  Also, my children adore baked potatoes; and when my children are happy, I am happy. 

Anyway, we had baked potatoes for dinner with salads.  Do I need to print a recipe?  Bake potatoes in the oven for an hour.  Eat.  Oh, and if you live in my house, don't be the last one to get the bacon or your won't have much.  We like bacon around here.

Freezer Turkey Chili with White Beans

I had to spend the majority of the day steam cleaning the sofa (go-gurts don't just wipe off of upholstery come to find out), so I was so happy to have White Bean Turkey Chili in the freezer for dinner tonight.  I just thawed it in the microwave, then put it on the stove to simmer until we were ready to eat.  We added some shredded sharp cheddar cheese, sour cream, and a little cilantro to the serving bowls.

Chocolate Chip Strawberry Bars

My friend, Jen, made this awesome dessert and we all loved it, especially the kids.  And it's so EASY!  I'm thinking my 7 (going on 16) year old could do most of this by herself. 

Jen's Chocolate Chip Strawberry Bars

roll of cookie dough
1 brick of cream cheese
1/4 cup powder sugar
2 squares of white choc or vanilla almond bark
2 Tbsp of milk
1 cup Cool Whip
Strawberries
1 square of chocolate almond bark

Bake cookie dough in 9x13 pan, let cool.  Mix together cream cheese and powdered sugar.  Melt 2 squares of white choc or vanilla almond bark in 2 Tbsp of milk....about 40 sec in microwave. Stir it well so all bar is melted. Slowly add to cream cheese mixture while mixing on low speed. Add Cool Whip and stir together well. Spread onto cooled cookie dough. Add sliced fruit to top and then drizzle with the melted chocolate almond bark.

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

I'm picky about spaghetti sauce (you can call it marinara or bolognese, but in Arkansas we just say spaghetti sauce to refer to any tomato sauce).  I've never mastered a sauce at home; they are always too watery, too sweet, or too bland.

My friend, Jill, invited us over for dinner last night and served this sauce with spaghetti.  I knew it would be really good since she made it, but it was the perfect sauce! Here's the recipe


Jill's Spaghetti Sauce
6 Tablespoons olive oil
6 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 pound ground beef
1 (28 ounce) can whole tomatoes blended to destroy chunks
1 1/2 Tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 cup fresh chopped oregano
1/2 cup fresh chopped basil
1 1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
dash of Cayenne Pepper
freshly ground pepper


In a large skillet or saucepan, heat the oil over moderate heat.  Add the garlic and onion; saute until tender, 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the beef and raise the heat slightly.  Saute the beef until it has lost all it's pink color, about 10 minutes.

Add the tomatoes.  Stir in the remaining ingredients and gently boil until thick, 15 to 20 minutes.

Serve over cooked pasta.

Serves 4-6