GERMAN BEE STING CAKE

German Bee Sting Cake

Ingredients

• 1 stick plus 6 tablespoons Land O Lakes butter, softened, divided
• 3/4 cup Mountain Ridge honey, divided
• 2 teaspoons Mccormick vanilla extract, divided
• 1/2 cup sliced Fisher almonds
• 1/4 cup Domino sugar
• 2 Eggland’s Best eggs
• 1 3/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon Gold Medal all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon Clabber Girl baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Morton salt
• 1/2 cup TruMoo milk
• 2 cups Borden heavy cream
• 1 (3.4-ounce) package Jell-O instant vanilla pudding and pie filling mix

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray, and line bottom with wax paper; set aside.
• In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, melt 6 tablespoons butter and 1/2 cup honey. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla and the almonds; let cool.
• In a large bowl, beat remaining 1 stick butter and the sugar until creamy. Add remaining 1/4 cup honey, the eggs, and remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla; beat until thoroughly mixed.
• In a medium bowl, combine 1-3/4 cups flour, the baking powder, and salt; mix well. Gradually beat flour mixture and milk into batter until smooth. Spread batter evenly in pan. Sprinkle remaining 1 tablespoon flour on top, and lightly press down with fingers. Pour almond mixture evenly over flour.
• Place pan on baking sheet and bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool. Remove springform pan ring, invert cake onto baking sheet, and remove bottom of pan and wax paper. Invert cake top side up onto platter. Slice cake in half horizontally.
• In a medium bowl, beat heavy cream until stiff. Add pudding mix and beat until thoroughly combined. Spread mixture onto bottom half of cake. Place top of cake over cream mixture. Serve or refrigerate until ready to serve.

CHICKEN AND RICE CASSEROLE

One of the most appealing aspects of this chicken casserole is how little preparation and cleanup is actually required. Since you're cooking the rice and chicken together in the same casserole dish, cooking them is as easy as pouring the ingredients in a single dish and popping them in the oven. As for cleanup, you just have that one dish to worry about.

Ingredients

- 1 cup of raw rice (185 grams) - Arborio or Bomba rice are idoneous for baking, but they may be expensive where you live. Try regular white or brown rice instead.
- 3 boneless and skinless chicken breasts.
- 1 package of dry onion soup mix
- 1 can of cream of mushroom soup - If you cannot find it where you live, it's basically an easy bechamel with mushrooms and evaporated milk. Try to make your own and freeze it so you can use it whenever you need!
- 3/4 onion, roughly chopped
- 1 package of mushrooms, chopped (optional)
- 1 bundle of spinach, chopped (optional)
- 2 cups of water
- Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 320 F (160 C). Lightly grease a casserole and place your raw rice evenly on it. Slice the chicken and place it over the rice.

2. Add the chopped onion. If you're going to use the mushrooms and the spinach, now it's the time to add them too. It'll add some extra vitamins to the mixture! If you're not a fan of this combination, try other veggies instead. Just remember that when baking tomato or zucchini, you have to be careful because they add more liquids to the mix.

3. Mix the cream of mushroom soup, the dry soup mix and the 2 cups of water. Season to taste and pour the mixture over the rest of the ingredients.

4. Cook for 2 hours. Let it cool for 10-15 minutes before serving. 

CROCKPOT HAM, GREEN BEANS AND POTATOES

It doesn't get any easier than this!

CROCKPOT HAM, GREEN BEANS AND POTATOES

 

Ingredients

2 lbs of fresh green beans

2 lbs of ham

4 baking potatoes

1 small onion

Directions

Dice the ham, onion and potatoes. 

Put everything in the crockpot along with 3 cups of water and season to taste with pepper. 

Put on low for about six hours.

 

BAKED OATMEAL

Just the thing for a cold winter day.  Or even a fall one.

BAKED OATMEAL

*Ingredients:*

* 3 cups rolled oats

* 1 cup brown sugar

* 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

* 2 teaspoons baking powder

* 1 teaspoon salt

* 1 cup milk

* 2 eggs

* 1/2 cup melted butter

* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

* 3/4 cup dried cranberries

1.       Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). 

2.       In a large bowl, mix together oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Beat in milk, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla extract. Stir in dried cranberries. Spread into a 9×13 inch baking dish.

       3.    Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes. I would definitely add apple slices and raisins to it.

 

Golden Summer Squash and Corn Soup

WebMD Recipe from EatingWell.com

Total Time: 30 Minutes

Pureed summer squash makes a delicious base for this summery squash and corn soup. Start your meal with the soup or enjoy it as a light lunch. Fresh thyme and briny feta cheese give it fabulous flavor. For a variation, try the soup with any herb you have on hand or goat cheese in place of feta.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium shallot, chopped
• 2 medium summer squash (about 1 pound), diced
• 3 teaspoons chopped fresh herbs, such as thyme or oregano, divided
• 1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth, or vegetable broth
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 1 large ear)
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Instructions

Step 1

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add shallot and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add squash and 1 teaspoon herbs and cook, stirring occasionally, until the squash starts to soften, 3 to 5 minutes.

Step 2

Add broth and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the squash is soft and mostly translucent, about 5 minutes more. Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth. (Use caution when pureeing hot liquids.) Return the soup to the pan and stir in corn. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the corn is tender, 3 to 5 minutes more. Remove from the heat; stir in lemon juice. Serve garnished with the remaining 2 teaspoons herbs and feta. 

© Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
For more recipes go to EatingWell.com

BANANA BREAD

BANANA BREAD... only 4 ingredients!

1 box yellow cake mix
2 eggs
4-5 overripe bananas, mashed
 Pecans (optional)

Mix everything together in a large bowl.
Fill two medium or one large greased loaf pans.
Bake at 350*F for 40-45 minutes.
 

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER

I made this for dinner last night and it turned out really good.  I'm going to be making it again.

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER

Cut up a head of cauliflower into fairly large pieces.  Put in bowl.  Add olive oil to coat.  Add salt, pepper, garlic and a little grated parmesan cheese.  Mix well.

Put on cookie sheet.  Roast at 400* for 30 minutes turning often.

 

SLOW COOKER BERRY COBBLER

HOW TO MAKE SLOW COOKER BERRY COBBLER

Think you don't have time to make a classic, home-style pudding that your family will adore? Think again! We all have memories of great-tasting desserts from when we were kids. Start a whole new batch of memories baking with this dreamy, easy cobbler that you'll make time and time again.  

 

It's easy to rely on your slow cooker when it comes to main meals, but fewer people think of how versatile it is when it comes to dessert.  This recipe really draws the sweetness from the berries over the cooking time and it's the ultimate in minimal effort, high reward food preparation! 

Ingredients:

1 can pre-made biscuit dough
6 cups blueberries
1/2 brown sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
2 tbsp cornstarch/cornflour

 

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, combine the blueberries, brown sugar, cinnamon, and cornstarch, stirring until the berries are coated evenly with the mixture, before transferring into your slow cooker.
2. Tear or cut the biscuit dough into quarters and place evenly over the blueberry mixture, before cooking on high for 2.5 - 3 hours.

 

 And that's it! When we said minimal effort, we really weren't kidding. This is just perfect served with ice cream or whipped cream.  You could ring the changes by substituting half of the blueberries for raspberries, or even sliced apples with a handful of raisins. Sweet, sticky fruit and crumbly biscuit under a spoonful of silky cream?  This really is the stuff memories are made of. 

Portabella Tacos

By Elaine Magee, MPH, RD,  

WebMD Recipe

Total Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• 4 medium portabella mushrooms, stems removed and cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano flakes
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, or canola oil
• 3 medium zucchini, cut into matchsticks (about 2 inches long and 1/2 inch thick)
• 1 medium red onion, halved and sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1 cup reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup salsa of your choice
• 8 corn or flour tortillas
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 425°F. Add mushrooms, oregano, oil, salt and pepper (if desired), zucchini sticks, and onion slices to large bowl. Toss to blend well.

Step 2

Spoon mixture evenly into a jellyroll pan (line it with nonstick foil if you have it). Place pan in oven and let vegetables roast, tossing occasionally, for about 30 minutes.

Step 3

Soften tortillas by wrapping them in a damp cloth and heating in the microwave for about a minute. Or, you can warm them in a nonstick frying pan (use a little canola cooking spray if you like).

Step 4

Fill each tortilla with mushroom mixture, some shredded cheese, and salsa.

© 2015 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.

Grilled Rosemary-Onion Potatoes

• Prep Time 10 min
• Total Time 30 min
• Servings 6

Ingredients

6 medium baking potatoes, cut into 3/4-inch pieces (2 pounds)

1 medium onion, finely chopped (1/2 cup)

3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil

3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves or 1 tablespoon dried rosemary leaves

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions

• Heat 1 inch water (salted if desired) to boiling in saucepan.
• Add potatoes to boiling water. Cook 5 to 10 minutes or until potatoes are crisp-tender; drain.
• Heat grill to medium heat.
• Mix onion, oil, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper in large bowl. Add potatoes; toss to coat. Wrap potato mixture in large sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil.
• Cover and grill 4 to 5 inches from heat about 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork.

ORANGE CREAMSICLE POKE CAKE

I love orange creamsicles.  I'm going to have to try this cake.

 

Orange Creamsicle Poke Cake

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Yield: 24 pieces of cake

This delicious orange cake is topped with a creamy pudding topping and will not last long on your dessert table.

Ingredients:

1 white cake mix

1 cup orange juice

1 - 6 ounce box of orange Jell-o

2 cups boiling water

1 - 3.4 ounce box instant vanilla pudding

1 cup milk

1 - 8 ounce container Cool Whip

2 Tablespoons Orange Crush dessert topper(optional)

Instructions

Mix the cake mix according to the back of the box, but substitute orange juice in place of the water called for. Bake cake 25 minutes or whatever time is listed on your cake mix. Remove from oven and poke holes all over the top with a fork.
 
Dissolve the orange Jell-o in boiling water. Let cool 5 minutes. Spoon all of the Jell-o over the top of the cake, making sure it goes in the holes. Cool completely in the refrigerator.
 
Whisk together the vanilla pudding mix and milk. Fold in the Cool Whip. Spread over the top of the cooled cake. Drizzle with the orange topping and swirl gently. Cut into 24 pieces. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator.

Notes

*If you cannot find the Orange Crush topping, add a little bit of orange food coloring to 2 Tbsp. of the topping.

Recipe from Insidebrucrewlife.com.

SOFT BATCH CREAM CHEESE CHOOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Thanks to sweetlittlebluebird.com for today's recipe.  They sound so good and I just might make them today.

Soft Batch Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup salted butter, softened to room temperature
• 8 ounce block of cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (light or dark)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups flour
• 12 oz bag of semi-sweet chocolate chip 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, cream butter, cream cheese and sugars until they are smooth/creamy, then add the vanilla and mix well. Next, add flour, salt and baking soda - mix until all the dry ingredients are just blended-Do Not Over Mix! Last, add chocolate chips. Fold the chocolate chips into the dough, until just blended. Do not over mix the chocolate chips with the dough. Place heaping round tablespoons of dough on a ungreased cookie sheet approximately one inch apart. I use The Pampered Chef's Medium size scooper for the dough, it's the perfect size and I never have to touch the dough. Place cookies in the oven on middle rack and bake for 9-11 minutes, depending on your oven. Bake until cookies turn a light golden brown. Remove, place cookies on rack to cool. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container. Enjoy!

STUFFED CABBAGE LEAVES

This is one of my favorite meals.  Thanks to mooreorlesscooking.com for this great recipe.

Stuffed Cabbage Leaves

 

Prep time:  20 mins

Cook time:  50 mins

Total time:  1 hour 10 mins

 

This is a fantastic recipe for cold weather. Use any leftover ingredients that you may have in the refrigerator, such as rice or tomato sauce.

Author: Moore or Less Cooking

Recipe type: BAKED

Cuisine: American

Serves: serves 4

 

Ingredients

• 8 large cabbage leaves
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 tbsp. butter
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 2 c. minced cooked beef or pork
• 2 c. cooked rice ( I used brown rice)
• ¼ c. parsley
• ½ tsp. rosemary ( I didn't have rosemary, so I used Penzey's Bavarian Seasoning)
• I also added Penzey's Minced Garlic and Toasted Onion- 1 tsp each
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste
• ¾ c. gravy ( or a meat sauce~ gravy, juice or strong bouillon) I used meat sauce from the night before.
• 16 oz. can tomatoes ( I used 1- 24 oz can of Tomato sauce)

Instructions

1. Boil water in a large pot.
2. Add cabbage leaves and cook for about 3-4 minutes.
3. Carefully lift out the leaves and let drain on a towel.
4. Cut a small V out of the root end to remove the hard spine of the leaves.
5. Saute onions in butter until soft.
6. If you need to brown any ground beef, do it at this time in the same pan with the onions.
7. Drain off any fat.
8. Add seasonings, rice and gravy.
9. Stir well to combine all these ingredients.
10. Spoon about ⅛ of the mixture on each of the cabbage leaves.
11. Fold in sides and roll to make a neat sausage-shaped package ( Like a burrito).
12. Place seam-side down in a greased baking pan.
13. Pour tomatoes sauce over the rolls.
14. Cover lightly with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

SLOW COOKER CHICKEN

Thanks to the One-Pot Chef for this recipe.

The One Pot Chef strikes again, this time with a recipe that is sure to become one of your family's favorites. Best of all, it's beyond easy to make, thanks to our favorite kitchen MVP: the slow cooker. If you take five to 10 minutes to prepare the meal in the morning, you can come home to the indescribably sublime scent of waiting-to-be-devoured food. Talk about a win-win situation!

To make this comforting and savory chicken dinner, you'll need: 

2 pounds of chicken breast fillets

1 pound of small red potatoes (quartered)

1/2 pound of dutch/baby carrots (trimmed and peeled)

1/4 cup of olive oil

1/3 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 teaspoon of dried oregano

1 teaspoon of onion powder

2 teaspoons of crushed garlic

1 teaspoon of salt

freshly cracked black pepper to taste

To begin, combine your olive oil and lemon juice. It's best to perform this step in a container with a spout so that you can pour out the liquid easily later.

Then, add in all your herbs and spices and stir. Don't be afraid to adjust this part of the recipe to suit your preferences.  

Next, gently place your boneless skinless chicken breasts into the slow cooker. Be sure to trim off any excess fat. 

Add in your potatoes next. While you don't necessarily need to keep them all on one side, it makes the final presentation more aesthetically pleasing.  

Do the same with the carrots. Again, the location doesn't matter, but you will get style points for a beautiful dish. 

Pour your marinade over the entire dish, taking care to give each component a sufficient amount of sauce.  

All that's left to do is cook the chicken dinner for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low. When you take the lid off, you'll be greeted with the heavenly aroma of a home-cooked meal.

CRUNCHY TOP POUND CAKE

Crunchy Top Pound Cake

6 eggs
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
3 cups sugar
3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup whipping cream (also known as Heavy Cream)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions
Grease and flour tube (or bundt) pan and set out eggs and butter to allow them to come to room temperature.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for one minute after each addition. Sift the flour and add it to the creamed mixture alternately with the whipping cream. Mix until fully incorporated.

Stir in the vanilla.

Pour into prepared pan and place in a cold oven. Turn the oven to 300 and bake for 80-90 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely before removing from pan

RAINDROP CAKE

A new food trend has made a splash in New York and has been called “the next Cronut.”

The Raindrop Cake, also known as Mizu Shingen Mochi, looks just like it sounds: a drop of rain.
 
This cool new dessert is hot on this side of the pond, but has actually been around in Japan for a few years already. Darren Wong, 36, first saw a variation of Raindrop Cake in Japan, but when it didn’t make its way over to the U.S., he decided to take matters into his own hands. Wong introduced Raindrop Cake to the masses at Smorgasburg in Brooklyn, New York and to his surprise, it sold out!

Raindrop Cake is vegan and almost calorie-free.

It’s simply made of mineral water and agar, a gelatin substitute that comes from red algae or seaweed.  Agar is also commonly found in jams and jellies, ice cream, and soups.
 


This jiggly dessert isn’t savored so much for its taste (or lack thereof, since it basically tastes like water-flavored jello) as much as its unique appearance, texture, and sensation that is savored in your mouth before it collapses into a crisp and cool drink of water.  It is served with Kinako, roasted soybean flour, and Kuromitsu, black sugar syrup.

What’s more, if you don’t eat it within 30 minutes, it disappears into… what else than a puddle of sweet water!



While it may not be an all-occasion dessert, it certainly looks fun to try, at least once!  If you can’t make it to New York to try one from Smorgasburg, don’t worry, you can make it at home with this recipe

Raindrop Cake

Makes 2 cakes
Ingredients
2/3 cup spring water
1 pinch of vanilla sugar
~1/8 teaspoon agar powder (you may need to experiment a bit to attain desired texture)

Instructions

1. Measure out the water in a microwaveable measuring cup and add the sugar.  Microwave for 30 seconds and stir until sugar is dissolved.
2. While stirring, sprinkle on the agar powder.  Microwave again for 30 seconds and stir for a minute.  Continue microwave and stirring as needed until the agar is all dissolved, although you’ll probably still see clear bits floating around in the water.
3. Carefully pour into your desired molds; pop any bubbles that may appear.  Transfer the molds to the refrigerator and allow to set for several hours or overnight.
4. Carefully unmold the cakes and serve immediately with your desired toppings.

Recipe Source: The Cooking Of Joy
Photo Sources: Tim Ireland

CUCUMBER, ONION AND TOMATO SALAD

3 Tomatoes
3 cucumbers
1 onion
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon of cracked pepper
2 table spoons of sugar (TOTALLY YOUR CHOICE)
2 teaspoons of salt (You can put less in if you want)
1 cup of water
1/4 cup of olive oil

Mix well...thats it.
Let it chill for 1-2 hours... That simple...

Easy Sugar Cookies

• 
  
• Prep: 15 m
• Cook: 10 m
• Ready In: 25 m

Recipe By:Stephanie

"Quick and easy sugar cookies! They are really good, plain or with candies in them. My friend uses chocolate mints on top, and they're great!"

Ingredients

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup butter, softened

• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients. Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and place onto ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.

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