Triple Chocolate Cake in the Crockpot

We made this for dessert when we had the missionaries over for dinner last week. Because I knew it would be easy, I asked Alan to make it. He did, and it turned out really moist and delicious. Ingredients:

18 1/2 oz. pkg chocolate cake mix

3.9 oz pkg instant chocolate pudding mix

1 cup (8 oz ) sour cream (I used fat free, it was fine)

4 eggs

1 cup water

3/4 cup oil

1 cup chocolate chips

1. Combine cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, eggs, water, and oil in electric mixer bowl. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in chocolate chips.

2. Pour into greased slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 6-7 hours, or high 3-4 hours, or until toothpick inserted near center comes out with moist crumbs.

3. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Crunchy Pomegranate Salad

I need to stop telling you all my best recipes, so I have something good to make when you visit!! I'm getting really excited for the Holiday's and have to share one of our favorite, and most requested recipe. Oh yeah, and about visiting and holidays...mark your calanders because I am planning a BIG and FANCY, Thanksgiving 2012 since we'll be done with school and have a house (crossing fingers), most likely in Idaho. Everyone is welcome to come!

Anyways- on to the recipe...
This comes from Taste of Homes Holiday Celebrations 2009.

Crunchy Pomegranate Salad

• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2-1/2 cups pomegranate seeds (about 2 pomegranates) * I only use 1 and it's plenty!!*
  
• 2 medium apples, peeled and cubed
• 1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

• In a large bowl, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until stiff peaks form. Fold in pomegranate seeds and apples. Sprinkle with pecans. Serve immediately. Yield: 16 servings (1/2 cup each).

If you like this then you better come see us for 2012!!

Root Beer Cookies

This is a must try!!!

Cookies:

Makes about 4 dozen

• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 2 cups dark brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp. root beer extract
• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup water (optional–only use if dough is too dry)

Cream butter and dark brown sugar until very light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the root beer extract. Whisk dry ingredients together. Add a little at a time to the creamed mixture. The dough should be slightly sticky. Chill for at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease several baking sheets, or line them with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Roll into small balls (about 1″ diameter). Place them on the pan, leaving a bit of space between the cookies. Gently press the tops of the dough. (If you leave out the water, sometimes the cookies don’t spread very much.) Bake for 6-8 minutes, rotating cookie sheet halfway through.

Frosting : (I think this makes a ton of frosting, so I usually cut it in half, recipe below is the full recipe)

• 1 cup butter
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tsp. root beer extract
• a few tablespoons hot water

Beat butter on high with an electric mixer until it is fluffy. Add a little powdered sugar and the root beer extract. Beat until smooth. Add remaining powdered sugar alternately with a little hot water until a nice spreading consistency has been reached.

Frost the cooled cookies and let stand for a few minutes to let the frosting set up.

Cake Mix Cookies

This is one my favorite super quick dessert recipes, and I can't believe I haven't shared it before! Since I can often get cake mixes for less than $1 at the commissary, and even at the super walmart sometimes, I keep a stock of them on hand for last minute dessert requests. Ingredients:
1 cake mix any flavor ( This particular mix was chocolate fudge cake)
2 eggs
1/2 cup of oil
chocolate chips (the ones in the picture are peanut butter chips)

1. Preheat the the oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix all ingredients together
3. Roll into balls and place on baking sheet
4. Bake for 5-10 minutes -watch them until they look right to you. - These particular cookies took 10 minutes.
5.Enjoy!

Strawberry Cream Puffs

Strawberries are my favorite! So I love to make anything that calls for strawberries. These were really good and simple to make.

1 cup water
1/2 cup butter, cubed
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup flour
4 eggs
FILLING:
2 pints strawberries, sliced
1/2 cup sugar, divided
2 cups heavy whipping cream**

Optinal:
Confectioners' sugar
Additional sliced strawberries
mint leaves

In a saucepan, bring water, butter, sugar and salt to boil. Add flour all at once, stir until forms a ball. Remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Continue beating until mixture is smooth and shinny.

Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 in apart on baking sheet (make 10). Bake 400 degrees for 35 minutes until golden brown. Cool

For filling, combine berries and 1/4 cup sugar. Chill 3 minutes

Beat cream and remaining sugar until stiff. Just before serving, cut tops off puffs. Combine berries and cream mixture. Fill cream puffs and replace tops. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar and top with additional berries and mint leaves if you want.

**I only do half the cream it says. I think 2 cups makes too much.
Enjoy!!

Strawberry Cake

what you'll need:

1 package white cake mix

1 package strawberry-flavored gelatin powder

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 cup water

1 cup veggie oil

1 pound confectioners' sugar

What you do:

Combine cake mix and gelatin powder in a large bowl. Beat in oil, eggs and water Pour into two 9-inch round greased and floured cake pans. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool and frost icing.

How to make the icing:

beat the butter and confectioners' sugar together until smooth. Spread between cake layers(if making on cake if making two cakes just to sides and top) then frost top and sides.

next time i'm going to try putting in fresh strawberries so that theres more flavor and might try some pineapple juice as well to create a pretty tropical looking cake and then i can decorate the top with fresh strawberries and pinapple slices. but it was not bad for the first try, i'm not much for baking =) that was always what nett did..

Russian Cream Parfait

We made this for Easter dessert. It was so good!

1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
1 cup heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (10 oz) package frozen sweetened raspberries, thawed
fresh raspberries and mint springs (optional)

In a small saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over cold water, let stand 1 min. Bring to boil, cook and stir until dissolved. Remove and set aside.

In another saucepan, hear whipping cream and sugar over med. heat until sugar dissolves and mix is lukewarm. Remove; stir in gelatin mixture until completely dissolved. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Stir in sour cream and vanilla. In each of four parfait glasses, place 1/4 cupful of cream mixture (it's still liquid, don't worry it will harden) top each with rounded TBS. of raspberries. Repeat layers. Top with cream mix and cover and refrigerate 3 hours. Garnish with raspberries and mint if desired. Makes 4

Cobbler

This is a recipe I got from my Young Women's leader a long time ago. I made it for some friends the other night and they loved it so much they wanted the recipe. She told her family about it and now they all want the recipe too. So I thought it was worthy of sharing with you too. It's yummy and really easy to make.

1/2 cup butter
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
16 oz can pie filling fruit

Put the butter in a 9 x 9 pan and place in the oven as it preheats to 350 degrees, so it will melt. Stir everything else into a bowl EXCEPT butter and fruit. Mix and pour over the butter into the dish. Dump the fruit on top, DO NOT stir (it will magically fall to the bottom as it cooks). Bake for 30-45 minutes.