Double Chocolate Coca Cola Cake

1 cup Coca Cola (real thing, not diet)

1/2 cup oil

1 stick butter

3 Tablespoon cocoa

2 cups sugar

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla

Frosting:

1 stick butter

3 Tablespoon cocoa

6 Tablesppon of cream or milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 3/4 cups confectioner's sugar

In a saucepan, mix Coca Cola, oil, butter and cocoa and bring to a boil. In another bowl, combine the sugar, flour and salt. Pour the boiling Cola mixture over the flour mixture and beat well. Add the eggs, buttermilk, soda and vanilla and beat well. Pour mixture into a greased and floured 13 x 9 inch baking pan and bake at 350 degrees or 20 to 25 minutes. Remove pan. Cool for about 10 minutes before frosting.

Frosting: In a saucepan, combine the butter, cocoa, and milk. Heat until the butter melts. Beat in the remaining ingredients and spread on the cake while it's still warm. Enjoy!

***Note: I ate half of my {huge} piece of cake before my friend told me what was in the cake.  You can NOT taste the Coke.  I am NOT a Coke fan (or a fan of ANY soda.  Bleh!), so if you are like me and don't like soda, PLEASE, don't pass this recipe up just because of that!  You can NOT taste it.

MEXICAN TORTILLA CASSEROLE

1lb. ground beef

1/2 cup diced onion

1 pack taco seasoning mix

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese 

1 can refried beans (thet spread easier if you warm them in microwave)

1 cup prepared rice (I used Minute Rice)

1 can Mexican blend corn (DRAINED)will only use about 1/2 can

4-5 large flour tortillas

8 oz of thick chunky salsa (your choice mild or hot)

Spray a spring form, round cake pan or casserole with cooking spray

Brown ground beef ,and onion and drain 

Add taco seasonings and cook according to package direction

Lay 1 tortilla in bottom of baking dish and spread 1/3 of bean on it ,top with 1/3 of the meat and sprinkle on some cheese .

2nd layer tortilla, 1/2 the rice, 1/2 salsa, 1/2 the corn and cheese

3rd layer tortilla, 1/3 beans ,1/3meat, cheese 

4 layer tortilla . beans ,meat, corn, rice, salsa and cheese

Bake covered with foil at 350 for about 40 minutes uncover and bake 10-15 minutes longer. let sit 5 minutes before cutting . After baking top with sour cream,diced onion and shredded lettuce if desired

Chicken Casserole

Prep time:  15 mins Cook time:  45 mins Total time:  1 hour

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 cup chicken broth

2 cloves garlic

2 wedges of onion

4 cups Pepperidge Farms Herb seasoned stuffing mix

1 cube butter (1/2 cup)

1 can Cream of Chicken soup

1 pint sour cream

8 oz frozen broccoli cuts – thawed (optional)

Instructions:

Place chicken breasts, broth, garlic and onion in a skillet and bring just to a boil over medium high heat, turn heat down to medium, cover and simmer until pink is gone – about 15-20 min.

Remove the chicken and shred with a fork and set aside. Reserve the broth (this should equal about 1 cup, but if it doesn’t add enough canned broth to equal a cup).

Melt the butter and pour over stuffing mix in a bowl and whisk with a fork to blend.

Spread half of the stuffing/butter mixture in a large casserole dish or glass 9 x 13” pan.

Blend the soup, sour cream and reserved broth together with a wire whisk.

Place shredded chicken over the layer of stuffing mix. If using broccoli, spread this over the chicken.

Pour the soup mixture over the chicken, then top with the remaining stuffing mixture.

Bake for 30 min at 350°. Serve and enjoy!

Sliced Baked Potatoes

Preheat oven to 400 degrees (Can also do in Microwave for 6 plus minutes)

Brush both side of potato slices with butter; place them on a cookie sheet. Bake in the preheated 400 degrees F oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until lightly browned on both sides, turning once.

When potatoes are ready, top with bacon, cheese, green onion; continue baking until the cheese has melted;

Add a dollop of sour cream when done and enjoy!!

Sweet & Spooky Halloween Mummies

Materials Needed:

empty tin can in any size you wish

black spray paint

cheesecloth

scissors

googly eyes

craft glue

pliers

Spray-Paint Cans

Clean and dry empty cans. Use pliers to press down any stray pieces of metal around the can's inside rim, then cover the outside of the can with a coat of black spray paint. Cut a 5-foot length of cheesecloth and fold it over two times. Apply hot glue to one end of the cheesecloth's length, then secure it to the tin can's back side . To create the mummy's bottom lip, pull down on the cheesecloth and use a dab of hot glue to hold it in place . Continue wrapping the fabric all the way around the tin can from bottom to top, then back down to the bottom again. Use hot glue to secure the fabric's loose end on the can's back side . To make room for the googly eyes, pull the cheesecloth apart and attach the eyes with hot glue (Image 1). To create a safer edge around the can's rim, fold a bit of fabric over the rim, securing it with hot glue. Finally, fill with candy and distribute to Halloween party guests or trick-or-treaters.

MARYLAND CRAB CAKES:

INGREDIENTS:

1 large egg

2½ tablespoons mayonnaise (I like Hellman’s Real)

1½ teaspoons Dijon mustard (I like Maille brand)

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ cup finely diced celery (you’ll need one stalk)

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

1 pound lump crab meat*

½ cup panko (I like the Whole Foods 365 brand for this recipe)

Canola oil

DIRECTIONS:

1. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

2. Combine the egg, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire, Old Bay, salt, celery, and parsley in a large bowl and mix well. Add the crab meat (be sure to check the meat for any hard and sharp cartilage) and panko; gently fold mixture together until just combined, being careful not to shred the crab meat. Shape into 6 crab cakes (about ½ cup each) and place on prepared baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

3. Preheat a large nonstick pan to medium heat and coat with canola oil. When oil is hot, place crab cakes in pan and cook until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes per side. Be careful as oil may splatter. Serve immediately with tartar sauce or a squeeze of lemon.

Quick Tartar Sauce

Ingredients:

1 cup mayonnaise

1½ tablespoons sweet pickle relish

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon minced red onion

1-2 tablespoons lemon juice, to taste

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Crispy Crab Nuggets

1 pound fresh crab meat

3 slices of white bread, crust removed

1 egg beaten

1 tablespoon mayonnaise 

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning

1 tablespoon parsley

Make breadcrumbs in food processor so they are chopped up fine. In a large bowl, mix together egg, mayonnaise, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, and Old Bay seasoning. Add breadcrumbs and crab meat and mix by hand to avoid breaking up too many of the lumps. You may need to break up the very large lumps however so the crab balls will stay together. Shape into 24 balls and fry in batches in hot oil until golden brown, turning once. Drain on paper towels. Serve with your favorite sauce or don't use any! These are so good!