Rocky Road Crock Pot Cake

So i was looking for a crock pot dessert & stumbled across this one. It sounded good, it looked good- so i had to give it a go.

my verdict will follow... (see my UPDATE at the bottom before making)

Rocky Road Crock Pot Cake

You Need:
1 (18.25-oz.) package German chocolate cake mix*
1 (3.9-oz.) package chocolate instant pudding mix*
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup sour cream
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/4 cups milk, divided
1 (3.4-oz.) package chocolate cook-and-serve pudding mix (i used vanilla)*
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional- i didn't use)
1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels
Vanilla ice cream (optional)

Directions:

1. Beat cake mix, next 5 ingredients, and 1 1/4 cups milk at medium speed with an electric mixer (used my Kitchen Aid) 2 minutes, stopping to scrape down sides as needed. Pour batter into a lightly greased 4-qt. slow cooker.
2. Cook remaining 2 cups milk in a heavy nonaluminum saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, 3 to 5 minutes or just until bubbles appear (do not boil); remove from heat.
3. *Sprinkle cook-and-serve pudding mix over batter. Slowly pour hot milk over pudding. Cover and cook on LOW 3 1/2 hours.
4. (optional if using pecans) Meanwhile, heat pecans in a small nonstick skillet over medium-low heat, stirring often, 3 to 5 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant.
5. Turn off slow cooker. Sprinkle cake with pecans, marshmallows, and chocolate morsels. Let stand 15 minutes or until marshmallows are slightly melted.


Spoon into dessert dishes, and serve with ice cream, if desired.

Verdict:

It turned out almost perfect. almost.
The con?

- the cook & serve pudding part. i followed the directions to a T (sprinkled the pudding mix on top- poured hot milk over that sloooowly) but the pudding & milk didn't seem to jive all the way.

when i dug in i saw clumps of dry pudding mix or weirdly chewy chunks of cooked pudding. if i'd used chocolate pudding mix i may not have even noticed- but with the vanilla it was pretty obvious.

so i think next time i'll actually whisk the pudding & milk together & then pour it on top & let it cook. chunks of un-cooked pudding = VOM!

thankfully- they were easy to discard & the rest tasted awesome.
i think next time i'll use a different cake mix too- i'm not a huge fan of german chocolate cake, so i'll grab a devil's food or something.

***UPDATE:
*i made this again & i mixed the pudding up BEFORE i poured it into the crockpot- SUCCESS! no nasty clumps & it was perfect!
*i also used Devil's Food which i much preferred.
*Lastly- i made the instant pudding = vanilla & the cook & serve = chocolate. so yeah- i say go that route!

and there you have it- a crock pot dessert!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

i'm always looking for new pumpkin cookie recipes. i found this one via Taste of Home & tweaked it a bit. the came out lovely- still a bit cakey/muffin like as most pumpkin things do- but good.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

You Need:

1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 cup canned pumpkin1-1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350°

Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, oats, baking soda, pps and cinnamon; stir into creamed mixture alternately with pumpkin. Fold in chocolate chips.

Drop by tablespoonfuls (i use my cookie scoop) onto greased baking sheets.

Bake for 12-13 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Sausage & Pasta Bake

more often than not i find myself simply throwing a bunch of food into a pan or pot, adding some spices & crossing my fingers that it turns out the way i've planned.

last night i had sausage. that's right- sausage. i cooked 1lb of sausage & i needed to figure out what to do with it so my family wouldn't "starve" on Monday night (when i knew i'd be too tired to actually cook anything for dinner)

after staring into space for 20 min- this is what i came up with.

Sausage & Pasta Bake

You Need:
1/2 lb sausage (mild, hot, sweet- whatever you like)
3/4 lb pasta (that's like 3/4 of a box or 4 cups cooked pasta)
3 cups pasta water (retain 2 1/2 cups of the water you use to boil the pasta)
1 cup white wine (i usually use Vermouth, but i was out. so marsala it was)
1/2 heavy whipping cream
2 beef bullion cubes
3 heavy tblsp capers
2 tsp caper juice
3 tblsp cornstarch
1/2 cup shredded parmesean cheese
1 cup shredded swiss cheese
salt, basil, onion powder, allspice, minced garlic, hot sauce (to taste)

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 375º slice your sausage longways, place on a baking sheet, season with minced garlic & hot sauce & bake for 20-25 min (just like in the Zuppa Toscana recipe below)


While your sausage is cooking: Fill a pan with water, salt & set to boil. Boil your pasta until al-dente.

While the sausage & pasta are going- get the rest of your items together:

as you can see- i mix my cornstarch with enough water to dissolve it. this = smooth sauce as opposed to lumpy gross sauce. genius.

Once your sausage is done- cut it up (i used a fork & knife) into bite sized pieces (again, like the Zuppa Toscana recipe below) and set aside. (p.s. i cooked a full 1 lb of sausage, but i only needed 1/2 lb for this recipe. i'll use the rest for something else.)

Once your pasta is done- reserve 3 cups of the water & drain the rest.
As your pasta drains- pour the 3 cups of water back into the pan along with the wine, beef bullion cubes, capers, caper juice and spices (to taste).

On medium-high heat- allow the broth & wine mix to reduce by about 1/3. After it's reduced, add the whipping cream & stir. Slowly pour in the cornstarch (stirring as you do)
Reduce the heat to medium-low & allow the mixture to thicken up a bit (you can adjust the cornstarch to your pref)

Once the mix has thickened, add the pasta, sausage & the parmesean cheese to the pan & stir to coat:

pour 1/2 of the pasta into a greased baking dish (i used a 2 quart sized dish. so the 1 step down from a 9x13) & sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the swiss cheese.

then pour the rest of the pasta in & sprinkle the top with the remaining 1/2 cup of swiss cheese.

bake at 375º for about 20-25 min (i spray some foil with cooking spray & cover my pasta. this cuts down on crispy noodles & burnt cheese. i take the foil off for the last 5-10 min of baking time.)

yum.

as i said, this is actually for Monday night's dinner (i held off on baking until tonight) but i did have enough extra to fill one of my personal sized casserole dishes. so i baked that & the husband ate it last night. he deemed it "delicious".

Zuppa Toscana

i literally LOVE this soup. ever since i had my first spoonful at the Olive Garden i SWORE i'd figure out how to make it on my own. and i did. so i do- and whenever i make it & bring it to work or send it off with the husband- people trip over themselves to get to the crock pot.


i'm not exagerating. it's that good. and it's easy to make. so you should make some. asap.

Zuppa Toscana (Olive Garden Soup)


You Need:
1 1/2 lb Italian Sausage (sweet or mild)
6-8 slices of bacon (cooked & crumbled) or a package of Real Bacon Bits (i use pre-cooked bacon slices & cook them via the microwave until they're REALLY well done. like very crispy. they get soft in the soup- so no worries)
3 medium potatoes
1 tblsp butter
3 tblsp minced garlic
1 1/2 tblsp hot sauce
1 1/2 tsp black pepper (to taste)
1 1/2 tsp salt (to taste)
2 cups chopped kale
3 chicken bullion cubes
6 cups of water
2 cups heavy whipping cream

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350. Line a shallow baking pan with foil. cut each sausage link almost in half (long ways) & distribute equal amounts of the hot sauce & 2 tblsp of the garlic between the links.

Place in the oven & cook for 20-25 min (until done)
While the sausage cooks: Chop up the kale & set aside. Peel & slice the potatoes into 1/2 in slices, cut those slices in half & set aside. In a large soup pot (this is the pot you'll be making the soup in so make it a big pot) mix the butter, garlic & bacon piecec & cook on medium heat until the bacon is crispy.

Hint: i use pre-cooked bacon. i cook it in the microwave & crumble it up when done. i then "cook" that in the pot for basically 1-2 minutes (just until the butter is melted & the garlic is sweated) this cuts down on oil & makes your life easier!

Remove the bacon & garlic from the pot & set aside in a small bowl. To the soup pot, add the 6 cups of water, bullion cubes, potatoes, salt & pepper. Set the heat to high & bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium & simmer for about 15 min or so (until potatoes are tender)

While the soup cooks, remove the finished sausage from the over. Cut the sausage into bite sized pieces. (i do this on a cutting board with a fork & knife while the sausage is still hot)

Once the potatoes are tender, add the sausage, bacon & garlic, kale & 2 cups of whipping cream to the pot. Stir gently to incorporate everything.

Allow the soup to simmer for another 10-15 min or so (stirring every now & again).

Remove from heat & serve with breadsticks or rolls. I also like to sprinkle finely shredded parmesean cheese on top.

Enjoy!

like i said, this soup kicks ass. i like to make it & then transfer it to a crock pot & take it to functions. i kid you not, people will be salivating & asking "WHO MADE THIS SOUP OF THE GODS!?!?!?"

Apple Muffins with Streusel Topping

Apple Muffins with Streusel Topping

You Need:
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup oil
1 tblsp vanilla
3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp apple pie spice
1/4 tsp cardamom
3 cups peeled, cored, diced apples (around 3 apples)

Topping:
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 tblsp flour
1 tblsp raw sugar (turbinado) for topping

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350º

Cream together the sugar, eggs, oil & vanilla.
Sift together the dry ingredients & add to creamed mixture. The batter will be very thick (like, who- don't be shocked). Mix in the diced apples & the batter will start to thin out.

Line your baking tins with muffin cups- fill muffin cups about 3/4 full.
Mix together the topping ingredients & sprinkle about 1 tblsp per muffin.

Bake for approx 20-25 min.
makes 24-28 muffins


These were SUPER good! really moist & very apple'y. i didn't even bother waiting for them to cool off- simply burned my tongue in my eagerness to inhale one.

Great for breakfast, brunch, snack- anytime! Enjoy!

Velveeta & Rotel Macaroni & Cheese

I love Velveeta & Rotel. it's probably one of the best (and worst for you) chip dips in the world. but who cares about trans fat & calories- not i.

the husband makes it practically every sunday so he can consume an un-Godly amount while watching football. it's actually a little disturbing, but i can't judge- because if i wasn't concerned about my un-born child coming out with a 3rd eye, i'd probably do the same.

anyway- this past sunday he only ate like 1/3 of it (shocking)- so to use it up i decided to make a pasta dish. i wanted something i could freeze for a few meals this week.

well- i deem it a success. i made enough for 4 freezer meals & 1 bowl that he ate that night:

Velveeta & Rotel Pasta Bake
1lb block Velveeta Cheese
1 10 oz can Rotel Tomatoes & Green Chilis
1 lb pasta
6-8 slices of cooked bacon

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 375º

make the Velveeta Cheese dip according to directions: Kraft Directions
eat some- with chips- it's good!

cook pasta according to directions- drain
mix the pasta & the cheese dip together (in the pot)

grease individual casserole dishes or 1 big casserole dish. fill with the pasta mix:


crumble up the cooked bacon & top off the pasta.
bake @ 375º for about 15 min.

remove- let rest for about 5 minutes & enjoy!


or- be time savvvy & cap off the individual casserole dishes & pop them in the freezer.
you can re-heat (bake) directly from the freezer or take out the morning of & re-heat that night (oven or microwave)

these work great for me. i'll take one out the night before & toss it in the husband's lunch for the next day. it's all baked so he can pop it in the microwave for 2 minutes & call it a day.

Enjoy!

The Great Pumpkin Dessert

I'll be honest- i think this tasted a heck of a lot better than it looked. without the whipped cream it's kind of a fugly dessert- but once i started eating it- omg! it's like this awesome mix between pumpkin pie & cake. with a crumbly/crunchy topping- amazing!

In fact, it's good enough that it won me 1st Place in the Pumpkin Dessert Contest we just had at my work. yeah- i brag.

it's also wicked easy:

The Great Pumpkin Dessert

1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 package (18-1/4 ounces) yellow cake mix or spice cake mix
3/4 cup butter, melted
1-1/2 cups chopped walnuts (optional- i left them out)
Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream (i used whipped cream)

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350°

In a large bowl, beat first five ingredients until smooth (i used my stand mixer)

Transfer to a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Sprinkle with the dry cake mix and drizzle with butter. Top with walnuts (optional)


Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Allow to cool & chill in the fridge (it'll make cutting way easier)


Serve with ice cream or whipped cream

Some of my suggestions:

• toss in some cinnamon & cloves. i think it'll give a good kick
• watch it! the top gets brown pretty easily. i left mine in for 1 hour- but i probably would have been good with 50-55 min.
• this is WAY better once it's sat for at least 24 hours (in my opinion)- so try to make it a little in advance if you can.
• definately let it chill in the fridge for several hours before trying to cut it
• try it with different cake mix (yellow, white, spice) see what you like best

Enjoy!