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

Chicken Parmesan

4 chicken breasts
1 egg slightly beaten
1/3 c bread crumbs
1/3 c parmesan cheese
2 T olive oil or butter (1/2 and 1/2 is best)
1 jar or 1 3/4 c sauce
1/2 c mozzarella cheese

Mix bread crumbs and parmesan cheese together. Dip chicken into egg, then into bread crumbs mixture. Place prepared chicken in a single layer in a small pan and place in freezer for 10 minutes. This will help the crust to stay on better during cooking. Heat oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Brown chicken on both sides turning only once---takes 10-15 minutes. Pour sauce around chicken and simmer 10 minutes. Sprinkle chicken with mozzarella cheese, cover and simmer 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

Recipe adapted from Debra Jennings

Spaghetti Sauce

1 small onion, diced
1-2 T olive oil
1 lb lean ground meat
2 cloves garlic, minced
16 oz Italian diced tomatoes
16-24 oz tomato sauce
1 beef bullion cube
1/2 t sugar
1 T Italian Seasoning
1/2 t ground pepper
dash garlic powder

Pour oil in pot and add onions, cooking over medium heat until onions sweat out. Add ground meat and cook until browned, drain excess liquid after cooking. Add remaining ingredients to pot and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer for approximately 10 minutes. After simmering to allow flavors to blend, taste and add more seasonings to taste. Enjoy over spaghetti!

Recipe from Lisa Sealey

Italian Chicken Dinner

3-4 chicken breasts
3 cans green beans
cubed potatos
1-2 pkg dry Italian dressing mix

Arrange chicken breasts in middle of 9X13 pan. Add cubed potatos to one end of the pan. Drain one can of green beans and add to the other end of the pan. Add remaining green beans to the same end and pour the juices from these two cans over the entire dish. Sprinkle dressing mix over entire dish, cover and bake for one hour at 350 (or until potatos are soft and chicken is cooked through).

**This is a great "all in one" meal. Its super easy to prepare, looks nice and tastes delicious! Its also my favorite dish to take to friends who are sick, have a baby, etc. If you like a bit more flavor, I sometimes marinate the chicken in italian dressing first. If you need more veggies, bake a separate dish with just potatos and green beans adding the juice from one can of green beans and one package of dressing mix.

**I've never tried this with frozen green beans. If anyone cooks it with frozen green beans, please leave a comment and let me know how it turns out. Thanks and enjoy!

Quiche

1 Pillsbury pie crust, frozen (deep dish or extra large recommended)
1/2-2/3 c frozen green peas, thawed
1 c cubed ham
1-2 c grated cheese (I use cheddar)
1 c milk
1/3 c mayonnaise
1 1/2 t mustard
3/4 c Bisquick
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 375. Combine peas, ham and cheese in pie crust and set aside. In mixing bowl, combine remaining ingredients and beat together well. Pour over "stuff" in pie crust and gently stir to combine. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until cooked through.