Perfectly Fluffy Pancakes

3 1/4 c Flour
1/4 c sugar
4 t baking powder
2 t baking soda
1 t salt
**stir dry ingredients together
2 1/2 c milk
1/4 c melted butter
3 eggs
1-2 t vanilla

Preheat griddle to 375. Mix all ingredients together with wire whisk or spoon until combined, a few lumps will remain. Do not over-mix or use electric mixer...this causes those pesky air bubbles in the pancakes. Spray griddle lightly only for the first batch. Use 1/4 c batter and cook on the first side until bubbles reach the top of the pancake. Flip and cook about 1 minute on second side. Do not flip more than once---causes tougher pancakes.

Recipe adapted from Tressa Strickland

Salsa

1 can diced tomatoes (garlic and onion seasoned)
1 medium onion
cilantro
Tupperware Southwest Chipotle seasoning
1 lime

Put tomatoes, onion, cilantro (no stems), and seasoning into mini-prep or food chopper. After dicing to your liking, squeeze in the juice from one lime and mix again.

Black Bean Salsa

From: Rebecca Stivers

2-3 Roma Tomatoes, diced
1 15 oz can black beans, drained (or 2 cups if you make your own)
1 cup mexi corn (I prefer white/yellow corn from a can or frozen)
1/2 c bell pepper, deseeded and chopped
1/4 c green onion, chopped
1/4 c cilantro, chopped
1 Jalepeno, deseeded and chopped
3 T lime juice
1 t minced garlic
1/4 t salt (or to taste)
1/2 t pepper

Combine all ingredients together and refrigerate for about 1 hour before serving. Best served with blue corn tortilla chips.

**I always double the recipe in order to use up the rest of the cilantro and bell pepper. I haven't tried freezing it yet so if you do, let me know how it works out. We eat on it for about a week if it's been refrigerated.

Chocolate Cake

From "The Cake Doctor"

1 pkg Duncan Hines Devil's Food cake mix

1 pkg (3.9 oz) chocolate instant pudding mix

4 large eggs

1 c sour cream

1/2 c warm water

1/2 c vegetable oil

1 1/2 c chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.  Place all ingredients, except chocolate chips, in a large mixing bowl and blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute.  Stop and scrape sides.  Increase mixer speed to medium speed and mix 2-3 more minutes, scraping the sides again if needed.  The batter should look thick and well combined.  Fold in the chocolate chips until well distributed.  Lightly spray a 12-cup Bundt pan with vegetable oil spray then dust with flour.  Pour batter into prepared pan.  Bake until it springs back when lightly pressed with your finger and just starts to pull away from the sides of the pan...about 45-50 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes, then invert it onto rack or plate to cool completely.  OR invert onto serving platter and serve warm.

Optional Ganache:  

3/4 c heavy whipping cream

8 oz semisweet chocolate, finely chopped (I just use choc chips)

Place the chocolate into mixing bowl and set aside.  Pour whipping cream into a small, heavy saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring continuously.  When cream has been brought to a boil, pour immediately over chocolate and stir until the chocolate is melted.  Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before spooning over cooled cake.  

***Variation:  To make a mint-chocolate cake that is out of this world, substitute Andes mint chips for the chocolate chips in the cake and add mint extract (not peppermint) to the ganache.  When adding the extract, add tiny amounts at a time and taste after mixing it in really well.  Add more in small increments until you reach your desired "minty-ness."  After spooning glaze over the cake, top with andes mint pieces for decoration.  Delicious!

Calling all recipes!

Ok, not ALL recipes.  Really I want from scratch recipes for chocolate cake.  I've been testing out chocolate cake recipes for Addi's birthday and still haven't found the "perfect" one.  I have a delicious buttercream icing recipe and we've had lots of good chocolate cake recently, but none of them have just put me over the top.  I like it to be moist and fairly dark and not taste like a chocolate chip...no sheet cakes or anything resembling a sheet cake.  Nothing against those, it's just not what I'm looking for right now.  Please share your chocolate cake recipes with me!!!  You can post it as a comment or email it if you don't want to share with any blog lurkers.  My email address is my first and last name, all lower case letters at hotmail.com.  

Alfredo Sauce

This is by far and away the best alfredo sauce I've eaten.  Beyond good!  

1/2 c butter

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

2 c heavy whipping cream, room temperature or slightly warmed

1/4 t white pepper 

1/2 c shredded parmesan cheese

3/4 c shredded mozzarella cheese

Melt butter over med/low heat.  Mix together garlic, cream, and pepper...add to butter and stir often while bringing it slowly to simmer.  Add parmesan cheese, stir or whisk until melted and smooth.  Stir frequently and simmer 8 - 10 minutes until sauce is thickened and smooth.  When sauce has thickened, add mozzarella cheese and stir quickly until smooth.  Serve immediately over pasta.  

**We add grilled chicken cut into thin strips and ate it over spinach linguine --- everything together was unbeatable.  Delicious!

Poppy Seed Chicken

This is my new favorite recipe---it's absolutely delicious and SO easy! I often make 1/4 the recipe for the kids and me when Jeff isn't home since it's so easy to whip up. It's also a great one to take to a friend. Just prepare and drop it off with cooking directions.

4 chicken breasts, cooked
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 c sour cream
1-2 T poppy seed
1 stick butter, melted
1 roll Ritz crackers, crushed

Chop chicken into small pieces and place in mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour into 9x13 dish, cover and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 5 more minutes.

Another prep method is to mix chicken, soup, sour cream and poppy seeds together. Pour in pan, spread crushed crackers on top and drizzle melted butter over crackers. Bake the same as before. This is probably the original recipe, but I always do it the other, easier way.

Recipe from Debra Jennings