Halloween cake & cupcakes

I made Halloween cake & cupcakes for the school parties & for us at home.  The party ended up getting canceled, as school let out early for flooding - so, we took them to Gpa & Gma's and all enjoyed them :) 

I made them using the yummy Magnolia's vanilla cake recipe - check it out!  It's sweet & so fluffy - just don't expect your typical cake!  It's kind of a cross between a sugar cookie & pound cake - it's a BIG hit at our house :)

Cake batter

loading the cupcake tin

fresh from the oven

cake

 Yummy icing!

Cupcakes I made for Kev. secretary, etc

Finished cake! (forgot to take pic once I'd iced)

Brent's cupcakes

California chicken (crockpot)

California Chicken

3lb chicken, quartered
1c orange juice
1/3c chili sauce
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp molasses
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp garlic salt
2 Tbsp chopped green peppers
3 medium oranges (peeled and sep. into slices) OR 13 1/2oz can of mandarin oranges

Arrange chicken in CP

In sep bowl, combine juice, chili sauce, soy sauce, molasses, dry mustard, and garlic salt. Pour over chicken

Cover and cook on low 8-9hrs

Stir in green peppers and oranges and heat for 30min longer.

Variations (I haven't tried any of these):

Stir in 1tsp curry powder w/ sauces and seasonings

Stir in 1 small can of pineapple chunks and juice w/ green peppers & oranges

Chicken & rice (crockpot)

1c cooked rice
10 3/4oz cream of chicken soup
c chicken broth
4 chicken thighs partially cooked (I normally use boneless, skinless chicken tenders)
10 oz frozen broccoli

Combine rice, soup, broth & chicken - place in cp

Cook on low for 4hrs

During last hour, stir in broccoli

(I like to top with cheese, as well)

Lil Smokies (crockpot)

(we use same recipe for meatballs)

2 pkgs of Li'l smokies
bottle of chili sauce
small jar grape jelly

Combine all ingredients in cp, cover & cook on low for 1-2hrs

Chops & gravy (crockpot)

8 pork chops
salt & pepper to taste
2 Tbsp oil
2 - 10 3/4oz cans of cream of mushroom soup
1 large onion, sliced
12 oz can of evaporated milk

Season chops w/ salt & pepper. Brown in oil, drain and transfer to CP.

In separate bowl, whisk together soup, onion & evap milk until smooth. Pour over chops.

Cook on high for 3-4hrs or low 7-8hrs.

Beef ribs (crockpot)

3-4lb boneless beef or short ribs (I use short ribs)
1 1/2c BBQ sauce, divided (use KC Masterpiece)
1/2 apricot or pineapple jam (I use apricot pineapple )
1 Tbsp soy sauce

Place ribs in baking pan.

Combine 3/4c BBQ sauce, jam & soy sauce, pour over ribs. Bake at 450 for 30min to brown.

Take out of oven, layer beef and sauce used in oven into slow cooker.

Cover and cook on low for 8hrs

Mix remaining 3/4c BBQ sauce w/ sauce from slow cooker, pour over ribs and serve (the kids prefer to dip, so we did that instead)

Cola roast (crockpot)

3lb beef roast
envelope dry onion soup mix
2 cans of cola

Place roast in c.p., sprinkle with soup mix & pour soda over all. Cover & cook on low for 7-8 hrs (diet cola doesn't work with the recipe)

Pork Chops w/ apples & stuffing

Ok, we haven't tried this one yet, but will soon & report back ;)

Prep Time: 10 min
Total Time: 50 min
Makes: 6 servings

What You Need!
1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken
1 can (21 oz.) apple pie filling
6 boneless pork loin chops (1-1/2 lb.), 3/4 inch thick

Make It!
HEAT oven to 375ºF.
PREPARE stuffing as directed on package.
SPREAD pie filling onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; top with chops and stuffing. Cover with foil.
BAKE 40 min. or until chops are done (160ºF), removing foil after 30 min.

Kraft Kitchens Tips Substitute
Prepare using 6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves.

Oreo Balls - White Trash Truffles - whatever you want to call them

Whatever name you call them, these are amazing! One of my all-time favorite holiday treats! Last year we tried a few variations, and colored our bark accordingly, so we could tell the different kinds apart. We used peanut butter oreos, mint oreos, & reg oreos. They were ALL delicious! Experiment with different flavors & barks - you can't go wrong!

Ingredients:
1 package Oreo cookies, crushed
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 package white almond bark
1 package chocolate almond bark


Directions:

Using a blender or hand held mixer, mix Oreos and cream cheese together. Roll into walnut size balls. Chill for an hour. Melt approximately 3/4 package of white almond bark. Stick a toothpick in an Oreo ball and dip it in the melted white almond bark. Allow to harden on wax paper. Takes about 15 min. While waiting, melt about 1/4 package of chocolate almond bark. When Oreo balls are no longer sticky to the touch, decorate with drizzles of chocolate and white almond bark.

Honey glazed chicken (crockpot)

1/4c melted butter
1/8c soy sauce
1/2c honey
1 1/2lb chicken pieces

low for 6-8hrs. Serve with crockpot rice.

Dreamy Peach Pie

This is a very light, tasty dessert!

graham cracker crust (bake 350* for 10min)

whisk 1pkg (3.4oz) vanilla instant pudding & pie filling w/ 1c milk.

Fold in 8oz container of whipped topping.

Spread 1/3 pudding mixture onto bottom of cooled pie crust.

6 peaches - peeled and sliced (last summer the peaches we got weren't very sweet, so I sprinkled each layer of peaches with cinnamon sugar!)

Top pudding mixture w/ 1/2 peaches & sprinkle 1/4tsp cinnamon.

Repeat. Pudding, peaches, cinnamon.

Chill for at least 4hrs.

Monkey Munch

This is a Christmas-time favorite of my lil monkeys!

9c Chex cereal
1c choc chips
1/2c pnut butter
1/4c butter
1/4tsp vanilla
1 1/2c powd. sugar

Melt chips, pb & butter. Stir in vanilla. Pour over cereal, shake in Ziploc bags with powd. sugar.

Watch your monkeys go wild!

Southwestern Chicken Skillet

1 lb boneless chicken (cut into bite size pieces)
2c elbow macaroni (uncooked)
1/2lb (8oz) Velvetta - cut up
1 can (10oz) Rotel - undrained
1/2c sour cream
2Tbsp chopped parsley

Cook chicken in large non-stick skillet on medium heat for 5-7min.

Stir in 2c water. Boil, stir in macaroni & cover. Reduce heat, simmer 15 min (water almost absorbed)

Add Velvetta & Rotel, cook until melted. Remove from heat & add sour cream, sprinkle with parsley.

Turtle cake

What a scrumptious dessert!!

1 German chocolate cake mix (mix as directed on box)

Pour 1/2 batter in greased 9x13 pan.

Bake @ 350* for 15min.

While baking melt together 1/2c evap. milk, 14-16oz caramels & 1 stick oleo (we've had it this way & I've also made it with the caramel ice cream topping & I actually preferred that!)

Pour on baked batter, top with 3/4c chocolate chips and 1c nuts, pour on remaining batter and bake another 20min...immed. sprinkle with more choc chips & nuts.

Zucchini Bread

This bread is DELICIOUS!

3 eggs
2c sugar
1c oil
3tsp vanilla

Mix together and add:

2c AP flour
1c SR flour
3tsp cinnamon (I don't measure, we like cinnamon so I add ALOT, as well as pumpkin spices)
1/2c nuts (opt)
2c zucchini

Grease and flour pans
Bake @ 350* for one hour.

Pumpkin bread

My family LOVES pumpkin & zucchini bread...we could probably live on it for quite some time :)

3c sugar
3c flour
4 eggs
1c oil
15oz can pumpkin
1c chopped nuts (optional - we're not a nut family, so we don't use them)
1/c coconut (optional - DH is a coconut hater!)
2tsp cinnamon
2tsp nutmeg
1/2tsp allspice
1tsp baking soda
1tsp vanilla
1tsp salt

Beat eggs until creamy.
Add pumpkin & oil.
Add dry ingred. & vanilla.
Add nuts & coconut (opt.)
Grease & flour loaf pans
Bake for one hour @ 325*

Crockpot rice

Spray crockpot with cooking spray (we prefer canola)

2 c rice
4 c water
stick of butter

Cook on low.

Brown sugar chicken (crockpot)

Another delicious favorite.

Brown sugar chicken

--12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, or 6 boneless, skinless breast halves
--1 cup brown sugar
--1/4 cup lemon-lime soda
--2/3 cup vinegar
--3 cloves smashed and chopped garlic (didn't have any this time, so I had to substitute 1/8tsp garlic powder/clove)
--2 T soy sauce
--1 tsp ground black pepper

Use a 5-6 quart crock-pot for this recipe.

Place chicken in crock-pot. Cover with the brown sugar, pepper, chopped garlic, and soy sauce. Add the vinegar, and pour in the soda. (It will bubble!)

Cover and cook on low for 6-9 hours, or on high for 4-5. (I prefer low) The chicken is done when it is cooked through and has reached desired consistency. The longer you cook it, the more tender it will be.

Serve over a bowl of white rice with a ladle full of the broth. (I fix the rice in a separate, smaller crock-pot)

Not a recipe, just a FYI!

Ok, some things you'll quickly learn:

We like the crockpot dinners
We love chicken
We love pasta/italian dishes
We love our desserts

LOL

Don't expect much more than that :)

Teriyaki Pork Roast (crockpot)

The kids all LOVE this recipe and that's huge for us, as we often times have trouble getting the majority of them to eat meat - other than chicken

3/4c unsweetened apple juice
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp vinegar
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp pepper
3lb boneless pork loin roast, halved (we just use a single 1.5lb roast)
2 1/2 Tbsp corn starch
3 Tbsp cold water

1. Combine apple juice, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, garlic powder, and pepper in greased slow cooker.

2. Add roast. Turn to coat.

3. Cover. Cook on Low 7-8hrs. Remove roast and keep warm.

4. In saucepan, combine cornstarch and cold water until smooth. Stir in juices from roast. Bring to boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes, or until thickened. Serve with roast.

Rotisserie Style Chicken

We use bone-less, skin-less chicken pieces and wrap them in foil with a little olive oil & Lawry's season salt & throw 'em in the crockpot on high for about 4-5hrs - this is our families FAVORITE way to eat chicken! Very moist and flavorful.

Crockpot lasagna

Crockpot lasagna
I varied from the recipe a bit, but here is the original....

1lb ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
29oz can tomato sauce
1 c water
6oz can tomato paste
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried oregano
8oz package lasagna noodles - uncooked
4c )16oz) shredded mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 c (12oz) small curd cottage cheese
1/2c grated Parmesan cheese

My variations:

I used ground turkey instead of beef. I didn't have onions or garlic cloves, so I used like 1/4 onion soup mix and a bit of garlic powder. I subs. 24oz can of spaghetti sauce for the tomato sauce and paste. 1/2c water instead of full c. I used ricotta instead of cottage cheese.

Cook beef, onion and garlic together until browned, drain.

Stir in tomato sauce, water, paste, salt, & oregano - mix well.

Spread 1/4 meat sauce in ungreased slow cooker. Arrange one third of noodles over sauce.

Combine the cheeses and spoon one third over noodles. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining meat sauce (I added a bit more mozz. to the top as well as parsley flakes)

Cover and cook on low for 4-5hrs (I did 5)

Magnolia's in NY - rip-off vanilla cake recipe

This is THE best cake recipe...hands down! Seriously! All my kids have requested I make their birthday cakes for years & I almost always cheated and did box cakes, but no more. Everyone has said they want only THIS recipe from now on. It's simply divine! You can not go wrong with this cake for any occasion. You don't even NEED a special occasion to make this cake. It's that good!

Using the following recipe I made a cake (9x12 glass cake pan) & had TONS of icing left over. The bakery in New York usually uses this recipe for cupcakes, so we're going to try that next. Actually, I'm making them on Friday for Brent's Halloween party at school, so I'll report back then.

Cake Batter

* 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
* 2 cups sugar
* 4 large eggs, at room temperature
* 1 1/2 cups self rising flour
* 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 cup milk
* 1 teaspoon vanilla

Buttercream Frosting

* 1 cup unsalted butter, very soft
* 8 cups confectioners' sugar
* 1/2 cup milk
* 2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Grease and lightly flour three 9 inch round cake pans, then line the bottoms with waxed paper.
3. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth.
4. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
5. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
6. Combine the flours and add in four parts, alternating with the milk and the vanilla extract, beating well after each addition.
7. Divide batter among the cake pans.
8. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into center of cake comes out clean.
9. Let cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes.
10. Remove from pans and cool completely on wire rack.
11. If you're making cupcakes, line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers.
12. Spoon the batter into the cups about three-quarters full.
13. Bake until the tops spring back when lightly touched, about 20 to 22 minutes.
14. Remove cupcakes from pans and cool completely on a rack before icing.
15. When cake has cooled, ice between the layers, then ice top and sides of cake.
16. To make the icing - place the butter in a large mixing bowl.
17. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla.
18. Beat until smooth and creamy.
19. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, until icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency (you may very well not need all of the sugar).
20. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly.
21. Use and store icing at room temperature, as icing will set if chilled.
22. Can store in an airtight container for up to three days.

No yeast pizza dough

I've only tried this once & it was DELICIOUS (though a bit too salty, so I will amend it a bit the next time I make it - which will be soon!)

I made the following changes to my recipe: made dough with canola oil, brushed dough with olive oil, added 1 tablespoon italian seasoning to dough....when all finished, sprinkled with parsley flakes - I also only made one big crust and baked on large Pampered Chef pizza stone

* 2 cups flour
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 2/3 cup milk
* 1/4 cup salad oil
* 2 tablespoons salad oil

Directions

1. Heat oven to 425°F.
2. Measure ingredients (except 2nd amount of salad oil) into a bowl.
3. Stir vigorously until mixture leaves the side of the bowl.
4. Gather dough together and press into a ball.
5. Knead dough in bowl 10 times to make smooth then divide dough in half.
6. On lightly floured surface roll each half into a 13-inch circle.
7. Place on pizza pan.
8. Turn up edges 1/2 inch and pinch.
9. Brush circles with remaining 2T of salad oil.
10. Add toppings and bake for 20-25 minutes or until it looks done.

Crockpot baked penne

(TY Melissa)

Spray crockpot with non-stick spray. Rinse penne noodles and lay enough in the bottom of the crockpot to kind of cover it, about 20-25 noodles?? Cover with spaghetti sauce, then mozzarella cheese. Repeat with noodles, sauce and cheese until ingredients are gone. I use 2 jars of sauce to make enough for the family and some leftovers. I don't measure anything else. When everything has been added, pour about 1 cup of water around the edge of the crockpot!! This keeps the noodles from sticking, burning to the edge, and getting too dry. I didn't do this the first time and some of the top noodles didn't get cooked. Cook on high for 4 hours. I've never done it on low, but I imagine it could be done on low for 8 hrs. Serve! (We all love parsley, so I generously sprinkled the final layer with parsley flakes & serve with garlic yeast rolls - YUMMY!)

Welcome!

Welcome to our recipe blog! We are a family of 10. My name is Melanie, my husband is Kevin and we have 8 children - so the recipes that follow are things we've tried and the whole family enjoys.

Bon Appetit!