Hot Fudge Cupcakes

Last night as I was laying in bed trying to decide what kind of cupcake I should make for a church activity.. I thought up these babies! I ADORE Our Best Bites recipe for homemade hot fudge. It's AMAZING and sooo easy! I could honestly eat it by the spoonful. Anyway, I thought that would be delish inside a chocolate cupcake. So, that's exactly what I did. Baked some chocolate cupcakes filled it with hot fudge after they were baked and topped it with a vanilla butter cream. They turned out amazing! I think next time I will use whipped cream as a frosting instead. So the hot fudge can shine!! :)

Rachel's Cheesy vegetable and ham chowder

I put out a plea on facebook for leftover easter ham recipes. The smallest ham I could find this year was 9 lbs. That's a lot for 2 adults and my 2 year old. (my 5 year old won't touch ham.) This recipe was given to me by my neighbor, Rachel. It was delish! Thanks Rachel.
 
Rachel's cheesy vegetable and ham chowder
3 1/2 cup chicken broth
8 celery ribs sliced
4 carrots sliced
2 peeled, cubed potatoes
1 large chopped onion
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 c butter
1/4 c flour
2 c milk
2 c shredded cheese
1 bag frozen corn (I did not add this.. I have a thing against corn in recipes.. )
2 c cooked cubed ham
 Bring broth to boil. Add celery, carrots, potatoes, onion and pepper. Cook until veggies are tender. In a glass cup melt butter and add flour to it. Whisk until smooth. Add to vegetables. Add milk and cheese. Add corn and ham. Heat and serve. Makes 10 cups.

Swiss Mushroom Chicken

Can we say YUM! This is a new favorite of mine. I love everything about it. This is quite an easy dish, but doesn't look it! Definitely something you could cook to impress company.


Swiss Mushroom Chicken

4 chicken breasts
1 egg
1 cup crushed butter crackers (such as club)
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 lb fresh sliced mushrooms
2 TBSP butter divided
4 slices deli ham
4 slices swiss cheese

Flatten chicken to 1/4 inches. (I take a large chicken breast and just slice it in half). In a bowl lightly beat egg. Combine cracker crumbs and salt in another bowl. Dip chicken in egg then in crumbs; set aside. In a large skillet saute mushrooms in 1 TBSP butter, remove and set aside. Add remaining butter to the same skillet and cook chicken over medium heat for 3-4 minutes on each side of until juices run clear. Top with ham slice, mushrooms and cheese. Reduce heat to low and cover until cheese melts (about 1-2 minutes)

Stuffed Peppers!

I hadn't had stuffed peppers in years. My mom would rarely make them because she and I were the only ones who would eat them at home. My husband brought them up and I can't believe I had forgotten about these little gems. YUM! I got this recipe from my other aunt, Star. I'm so lucky to have so many great cooks in my family who are willing to share their recipes and I've made this one twice since she gave it to me! Seems like it's a pretty traditional stuffed peppers recipe, so probably nothing new. I'm mostly putting it on here for me. :)


Stuffed Pepper Cups

Cut of tops & remove seeds/membranes of 6 peppers, any color
Boil in salted water 5mins.
Drain and salt inside cups ( save 1/2 cup water stock from peppers)
Filling:
1 lb. Ground beef or ground turkey
1/4 cup chopped onion (optional)
1/2 tsp. Salt & dash pepper
2- 8oz. Cans tomato sauce
1/2 cup uncooked minute rice (white or brown)
3/4 cup corn, frozen
1 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Cook ground beef or turkey with onions til browned.
Add remaining ingredients including 1/2 cup of stock from boiling peppers.
Cover & simmer approx.15 mins.
Stir in 1 cup shredded cheese
Stuff meat into cups and stand upright in baking dish
Top each cup with more cheddar cheese
Bake uncovered for 20-25 mins 350 degrees.

Chicken Scampi

Now that it's actually somewhat light while we are eating dinner, I'm going to try and be better at posting new recipes! This is another great recipe from my Aunt Tiffini. It sounded like something good and different.. and it sure was both! Loved it! The first time I made it I used the homemade chili sauce.. not sure who makes it, but I didn't really like it. The 2nd time I used Heinz chili sauce and it was a winner!! YUM! I now make this often. It comes together so quickly. Perfect for a busy night.


Chicken Scampi

8 cloves crushed garlic
1 T dried oregano
1 T dried parsley
4 T lemon juice
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 c olive oil
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup chili sauce
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces

Combine together in greased 9x11 inch pan. Bake at 450 for 12-15 mins uncovered or until chicken is done. Serve over cooked angel hair pasta with Parmesan cheese on top.

Best Taco Soup!

It's been forever, I know!! I will try to be better about posting! :)

Ok so I really don't like taco soup.. I've eaten it a few times because.. honestly, I didn't want to be rude. But, I'm the type of person who gets these urges to try things I haven't liked in the past.. After all, maybe it was just that recipe that I wasn't a fan of. So, I decided to give taco soup a second chance when I saw a recipe that wasn't like any of the past ones I've had. Usually they are really thin and kind of bland. The first thing I noticed about this recipe is that it was chunky. I like chunky.. plus it had diced green chilies in it.. I'll eat almost anything with diced green chilies in it. lol. I am definitely making this more often.. We ate it a few days ago and I've been eating it everyday for lunch since. It makes a TON! So, I froze some(hope that turns out).


Simple Taco Soup
2 lbs ground beef (I actually only used one.. oops.. still seemed like enough to me)
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1 1/2 cups water
1 (15 ounce) can mild chili beans
1 (15.25 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained (I didn't have these so I used black)
1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers (aka rotel)
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies
1 (1 ounce) package ranch salad dressing mix

In a Dutch oven or large kettle, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add taco seasoning and mix well. Stir in remaining ingredients. Simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally.

We topped ours with a dollop of sour cream and some cheddar cheese.. Dipped chips in it and it was oooohhh so good! I think it would also be awesome with some diced up avocado thrown on top.

Another cupcake recipe

Ok I am in love with this book! 101 Gourmet Cupcakes in 10 minutes I would recommend it to anyone! I have tried several of the recipes and LOVED every one! I have to post just one more, which is my current favorite. Chocolate Peanut butter cup! TO DIE FOR! I gave up some of these babies(because I would have eaten all 24 had I not) and everyone I gave them to said the same thing TO DIE FOR! Try them for yourself. There is a whole Reese's Peanut butter cup hiding inside! Super easy and super yummy! If you like cupcakes, this book is for you!



Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes

1 box chocolate cake mix (I used the chocolate fudge)
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1 bag chocolate peanut butter cups (a regular bag only has 14 cups in it.. so I bought 3 of the 8 packs, had as many as I needed and it was about the same price as the bag)

Mix together cake mix, eggs, and milk. Pour 2 tablespoons of batter into paper liners and place a peanut butter cup on top then fill liners 3/4 full with more batter. Bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes or until the cake springs back when lightly touched. Remove from oven and allow to cool on wire rack. Frost when completely cooled.

Peanut butter frosting
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup butter, room temp.
2 cups powdered sugar
3-4 TBSP milk or cream
1 tsp vanilla

Combine peanut butter and butter in a large bowl, mixing together until light and fluffly. Stop mixer and add sugar, 3 tablespoons milk and vanilla. Start slow and mix together, gradually increasing the speed. Mix until smooth and creamy. Add 1 tablespoon milk if frosting is too thick.