German Chocolate Ooey-Gooey Butter Cake

It's as delicious as it sounds.

I purposely made this for the adults at the bake sale. Most kids don't like coconut. Actually, I'm funny about coconut sometimes too. But when it's covered in chocolate and some sort of sweet gooey middle? Yum.

And just as I'd predicted, it was a hit with the grown-ups.

German Chocolate Ooey-Gooey Butter Cake

(Original recipe by Paula Deen, adapted by Clark Robertson)

Photo from Paula's Best Desserts, August 2009

Ingredients

• 1 (18.25 ounce) box German Chocolate cake mix (Duncan Hines is the best)
• 1 cup butter, melted and divided
• 3 large eggs, divided (it's better if these are at room temperature, but don't let them sit more than 2 hours)
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 (16 ounce) box confectioners' sugar (fyi, if you buy the bulk bag kind, this equals about 3-4 cups)
• 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13x9-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine cake mix, 1/2 cup melted butter, and 1 egg. Beat at low speed with an electric mixer until combined. Press evenly into bottom of prepared pan; set aside.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in remaining 2 eggs and vanilla. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth. Add remaining 1/2 cup melted butter, beating at low speed until combined. Stire in coconut and pecans. Pour evenly over cake mix layer. Bake for 45 minutes, or until center is slightly set. Let cool completely before cutting into squares (otherwise you'll have a big mess on your hands... if you don't mind a mess, then oh my gosh is it ever heavenly).

Makes about 10-12 servings.

*This recipe has been around for forever. My grandmothers all have it in their cookbooks. There are a lot of different variations out there, so if you're not crazy about chocolate? Google it. You'll get all kinds of Ooey-Gooey Butter Cake recipes, and I'm pretty sure all of them are ridiculously delicious.

Chocolate Dipped Marshmallows

These went FAST at the bake sale.

Perfect for little kids and not super messy.

Also? It's easy to make with your kids. No knives or hot ovens neccesary.

Chocolate Dipped Marshmallows
(Original recipe by Paula Deen)

Ingredients

1 (10-ounce) package marshmallows

40 thin pretzel sticks

1 (16-ounce) package chocolate-flavored candy coating

Miniature candy-coated chocolate pieces, crushed chocolate-covered toffee bars, miniature semisweet chocolate morsels (I also used Andes mints broken into pieces and Graham cracker crumbs, for that smores taste)

Directions

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Insert 1 pretzel stick into bottom of each marshmallow.In a medium bowl, place candy coating. Microwave on High in 30-second intervals, stirring in between each, until chocolate is melted and smooth (about 11/2 minutes total time). Dip marshmallows in melted chocolate. Immediately roll in desired topping. Place on prepared baking sheet, and let stand 10 minutes.

Makes 40 servings.



Crispy Rice Cupcakes

The bake sale was a HUGE hit!

This past Friday night, our little group of girls held a bake sale at my little sister's school (to read more about that, go here).

The drama team was putting on a production of the Wizard of Oz. For intermission, our team offered sweet treats in return for donations for the victims of Japan. Our Bible study formed a couple of weeks before the disaster hit Japan, and these girls felt led to help.

Now that this went so well, we're looking forward to doing more!

This week, I'm going to be featuring a bunch of different "bake sale" recipes, many of which I made for our little event Friday night.

This first one turned out to be my absolute favorite.

So much so, that these have made their way onto my little boy's birthday menu (so it's not until August, but it's not too early to start, right??).

Crispy Rice Cupcakes

(Original recipe by Paula Deen)

Ingredients

• 6 Tablespoons butter
2 (10.5-ounce) packages miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 (12-ounce) box crispy rice cereal
3 (2-ounce) bottles colored sprinkles, divided
1 (16-ounce) package chocolate-flavored candy coating
4 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening

Directions

Lightly grease 2 (12-cup) muffin pans.
In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add marshmallows, and stir constantly until melted. Remove from heat; stir in peanut butter and vanilla. Add cereal and 2 bottles sprinkles, stirring until combined. Using greased hands, press into prepared pans, mounding mixture into a cupcake shape. Cool 1 hour. Remove cupcakes from pans.
In a medium bowl, combine candy coating and vegetable shortening. Microwave on High, in 30-second intervals, stirring in between each, until chocolate is melted and smooth (about 2 minutes total time). Dip tops of cupcakes in melted chocolate.
Immediately sprinkle with remaining sprinkles.

Makes 24
(Tip: I made some mini ones too, just in case there were a few parents who didn't want their toddler eating a massive cupcake full of sugar, thus resulting in spending the remaining half of the play chasing around a sugar crazed kid)

Deceptively Delicious Brownies

My little guy (he's 20 months) is actually a pretty good eater.

But I'm perfectly aware of what he likes and what he doesn't. For some reason, he no longer wants to have anything to do with carrots. He used to love them as a baby, but now? Not so much. Go figure.

He also used to love spinach. I haven't tried lately, but my guess is that he'd purse his lips, shake his head, and throw it on the floor. Since I don't enjoy cleaning food off the floor more than I have to, I decided there had to be a better way. A few years ago (before I was even married), I saw Jessica Seinfeld on Oprah. She had just come out with her cookbook Deceptively Delicious. I obviously didn't have much use for it yet, but I knew it'd come in handy one day. So I went out and grabbed a copy. And I was right.

I found this recipe in there and gave it a whirl.

Here's the thing.

They're not overly sweet like most box brownies, but they still satisfy that brownie craving. Plus, it's healthy. Like for real. A healthy brownie. That tastes good.

Each brownie has only 133 calories and 3 grams of fiber.

Like it says in her book, "That's just crazy for a brownie!"

And if my opinion isn't enough to sway you into trying them, how about this for proof?

Mmmm.... good carrots and spinach.

Deceptively Delicious Brownies

(Original recipe by Jessica Seinfeld)

(photo source)

Spinach puree:

Saute spinach leaves (make sure to cut off stems, or use baby spinach) in pan with 1 Tbsp of water for about 90 seconds until wilted. Puree in food processor or blender.

Carrot puree:

Steam carrots until tender. Puree in food processor or blender.

Ingredients

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 3 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
• 1⁄2 cup carrot puree
• 1⁄2 cup spinach puree
• 1⁄2 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
• 1⁄4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons trans-fat-free soft tub margarine spread (I used butter)
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 large egg whites
• 3⁄4 cup oat flour, or all-purpose flour
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat an 8x8-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
2. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or over a very low flame. (or microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval, until melted).
3. In a large bowl, combine the melted chocolate, vegetable purees, sugar, cocoa powder, margarine, and vanilla, and whisk until smooth and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Whisk in egg whites. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt with a wooden spoon.
5. Pour the batter into the pan and bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely in the pan before cutting into 12 bars.

Sweet Baby Jack Carrot Cake

For her birthday, my friend Heather's husband made her this carrot cake.

I'd been meaning to give this one a try ever since I saw the recipe a couple of years ago (I know! I don't know what I was waiting for!). Seeing that cake on her blog gave me the push I needed.

I made this for Easter, and it was a total hit.

By the time we left our family get-together, half the cake was gone.

Sweet Baby Jack Carrot Cake

(Original recipe by Jackie Mullins, adapted by Paula Deen)



Ingredients

• Butter, for greasing pans
• Flour, for dusting pans

For the cake:

• 2 cups self-rising flour
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 (4-ounce) jars strained carrot baby food
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

For the frosting:

• 1/2 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened
• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 (16-ounce) box confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

(Fyi, I doubled this recipe. One recipe of this frosting wasn't enough for me to frost a whole cake. What can I say? I like frosting...)

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour 3 (8 or 9-inch) cake pans

For the cake:

Mix together the flour, cinnamon and sugar in a large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and blend well with a handheld electric mixer for about 2 minutes. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes. Invert onto lint-free dishcloth, or waxed paper, and allow to cool completely.

For the frosting:

Mix all ingredients with handheld electric mixer and blend until smooth and creamy.
Frost layers, top, and sides of cooled cake.

Try topping with chopped pecans to add some decoration and flavor.

Fried Egg and Avocado Sandwich

I'm kind of a sucker for avocados.

I'd like to ask God why he made them to be so perishable?

If I could, I'd eat one everyday. On everything.

So when I find a recipe that includes them, I get all excited.

I've made this several times. I'm pretty sure it's not one of my healthier choices, so I try to make it a treat. Take one bite, and you'll see just why it's a treat.

Bacon, eggs, and avocado?

What's not to love??

Fried Egg and Avocado Sandwich

(Original recipe by Paula Deen)

(Photo source)



Ingredients

• 4 slices bacon
• 2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• 4 slices wheat bread, toasted
• 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley leaves
• 1 teaspoon minced green onion
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 large eggs
• 4 slices tomato
• 1/2 avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced

Directions

In a small skillet, cook bacon over medium-high heat until crispy. Remove from pan, and drain on paper towels. Drain grease from pan, reserving 1 tablespoon.*

Spread butter over each side of bread. Place 4 slices of bread, butter side down, on skillet over medium heat. Flip bread and toast the other side. Remove to serving plates.

In a small bowl, add cream cheese, parsley and green onions together. Add salt and pepper. Spread onto 1 side of each toast slice.

In same small skillet, fry the eggs in reserved bacon grease over medium-low heat. Crack the yolks and flip. Place each egg on top of 2 pieces of toast. Cover each egg with 2 slices of bacon, 2 slices of tomato, and 2 slices of avocado. Top with another piece of toast and serve immediately.

Yields 2 servings.

*I personally thought this much made it a little greasy, so I didn't reserve nearly as much. Maybe a teaspoon instead. It still turned out great with lots of flavor.

Herb Roasted Whole Chicken

I made this a couple of weeks ago, and oh my goodness, it's delish.

The only thing I messed up on? I used olive oil instead of canola oil.

I know, I know. All you foodie veterans are shaking your heads at me, aren't you?

For those of you who aren't aware, cooking olive oil at a very high temperature causes smoke alarms to go off. It doesn't affect the flavor of the chicken in any way. In fact, it tasted amazing. It just made the kitchen smokey. So I learned my lesson. Follow the directions. They're there for a reason. :)

Herb Roasted Whole Chicken

(Original recipe by Ryan Detzel)

(Photo source)

Ingredients

• 3-4lb Whole Chicken
• Something to stuff inside the chicken (Apple, Onion, Lemon, Garlic, Carrot, etc..)
• Canola Oil
• Salt and Pepper
• Fresh Herbs (I used Thyme and Rosemary)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees while you pick the herbs from their stems.
Chop the herbs. Toss those herbs into a bowl and add in your salt and pepper.
For EACH chicken you’ll be roasting, you’ll need:
* 1-2 Tablespoons of chopped herbs
* 1 Tablespoon of salt (kosher is best)
* 1 Teaspoon of pepper
Add the Canola oil to the herb mixture and stir.  Chop/slice/mash and stuff the bird with the aromatics of your choice (I used lemon, onion, garlic, and herbs).
It’s important that your whole chicken be patted dry with a clean cloth or paper towel. This will help to insure a nice crust on your chicken once it’s finished. Begin rubbing the chicken down with your canola-herb-salt-pepper mix. No need to get crazy with it. It’s just a chicken. Slide your herb coated chicken(s) into that 450 degree oven for an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes until they are golden brown and have developed a delicious crust.
Once the chickens have roasted, it’s good to let them rest for 10-15 minutes. This will allow all of the juiciness of the bird to redistribute to the right places. If you tore into it right away…all its goodness would run out and you’d be left with a dry chicken.

One chicken yields 3-4 servings.

Shrimp Scampi

First, I wanted to say thanks to those who are still reading these.

I know there's no real rhyme or reason to my posts. I keep posting, just for the sheer fun of it.

I like having all of my favorite recipes all in one place and also give others the chance to try out a dish they may have had trouble finding themselves. So to all 9 of you who are following (and others who read without making the commitment), thanks for sticking around. Promise I'll try to step it up on the posting. :)

***

It's hard to improve upon a classic.

This is just a simple, but incredibly good dish that can be whipped up in less than 20 minutes.

Who doesn't love that?

This particular take on the ol' standby is from The Pioneer Woman. Love that lady.

I actually was drawn to it, mainly from the picture. I have a lot of herbs growing in our little back yard garden beds, and if I find a yummy recipe that can use any of them? Totally jumping on the chance.

Shrimp Scampi

(Original recipe by Ree Drummond)

(photo source)

Ingredients

• 4 Tablespoons Butter
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• ½ whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced
• 4 cloves Garlic Cloves, Minced Or Pressed
• 1 pound Large Shrimp, Peeled And Deveined
• ½ cups White Wine
• 2 whole Lemons
• 4 dashes Hot Sauce (I Used Tabasco; More To Taste)
• Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
• 8 ounces, weight Angel Hair Pasta
• Chopped Fresh Basil To Taste
• Chopped Fresh Parsley, To Taste
• ½ cups Grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions

Boil water for pasta; have it ready.
Heat olive oil and melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook for two or three minutes, or until onions are translucent. Add shrimp, then stir and cook for a couple of minutes. Squeeze in lemon juice. Add wine, butter, salt and pepper, and hot sauce. Stir and reduce heat to low.
Throw angel hair pasta into the boiling water. Cook until just done/al dente. Drain, reserving a cup or two of the pasta water.
Remove skillet from heat. Add pasta and toss, adding a splash of pasta water if it needs to be thinned. Taste for seasonings, adding salt and pepper if needed.
Top with grated Parmesan and minced parsley and serve immediately.

(I happen to really love mushrooms. I'm thinking next time I'll add a few sliced baby bellas. Just for fun.)

Serves 6.