Texas Fudge Cake

When I saw this recipe on Lynn's site, I bookmarked it to make immediately. But then I got distracted by a certain little eight-pound someone, and I forgot all about it. And then Debbie made it and reminded me how good it looked, so I got my act together and baked it up for us to enjoy on Super Bowl Sunday.

Let me tell you, this is one delicious cake. It's moist and perfectly chocolaty, and the frosting? It is to die for. I'll echo what both Lynn and Debbie said about this cake -- the best thing about it is that it only calls for ingredients that most people are bound to have on hand. That is both wonderful and dangerous for me, because it means that I may very well be tempted to make this cake once a week. This will definitely be my go-to chocolate cake from now on. And I actually just had a piece of it right before I started typing this, so I can confirm that it tastes just as good (if not better!) the next day. Yum!

Texas Fudge Cake
source: Cookie Baker Lynn

1 cup (2 sticks) butter
5 tablespoons cocoa
1 cup water
2 cups sifted flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 batch frosting (recipe follows)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees with rack in the center of the oven. Butter and flour a 9 x 13 metal pan.

2. In a medium saucepan combine the butter, cocoa, and water. Bring to a boil.

3. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda.

4. Pour the hot ingredients into the the dry ingredients. Stir well with a wooden spoon.

5. Add the eggs, milk, and vanilla. Stir until the batter is smooth.

6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and place it in the oven. Bake for 25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

7. Remove the cake from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool. Immediately make the frosting and pour the frosting over the warm cake. Spread the frosting evenly and let the cake cool before serving.

Frosting

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
3 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons cocoa
Dash salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar

1. In a medium saucepan combine the butter, milk, cocoa, salt, and vanilla. Bring to a boil.

2. Place the powdered sugar in a large bowl. Pour the hot ingredients over the powdered sugar and beat with a wooden spoon until the frosting is smooth.

Weekly Meal Planning, Week of 2.8.10: The Triumphant Return!

William will be a month old tomorrow (already!), and now that we're easing into the beginnings of a routine and have burned through (no pun intended) most of the meals I froze before his arrival, it's time for me to start meal planning and cooking on a regular basis again. For the past week or so I've noticed myself slipping back into the "What should we have for dinner? Let's just get take-out" way of thinking, which isn't good at all. I really want to focus on healthier homemade meals for my growing family this year.

Since I'm still on maternity leave and haven't been able to access the internet as much as I would if I were at work, the next few weeks will include some recipes from my cooking magazines. That's definitely a good thing -- too often I overlook recipes in my magazines in favor of something I saw online. This will make me feel like I'm actually getting my money's worth out of my subscriptions!

My goal is to eat vegetarian at least twice a week from now on. I don't think I could get Joe to commit to more than that at this point. He grumbles about the cost of meat, but he grumbles just as much when I serve him a meal without it.

Monday: Mushroom turnovers, mixed greens salad with balsamic vinaigrette

Tuesday: Roast chicken with balsamic bell peppers, roasted potatoes

Wednesday: Cheesy lasagna rolls with spinach and ricotta, garlic bread (Please note: I love the Whole Foods Recipes iPhone app!)

Thursday: Pulled chicken suiza sandwiches, tortilla chips

Friday: Chili, by Joe's request.

Saturday: Chili cheese dogs, French fries. Typically I make chili mac with our leftovers, but chili dogs sound incredibly good to me right now.

Sunday: It's Valentine's Day, and we'll be celebrating with dinner out (followed by a hotel stay made possible by overnight childcare). I can't wait!

And I promise I won't make you look at a picture of him in every single post, but I just have to show you a photo of the almost one-month-old today because I just can't believe how cute he is:

Buffalo Chicken Enchiladas with Creamy Ranch Sauce

By now you all know how much I love buffalo chicken in all its forms, and I get so excited when I come across a new and unique recipe for it. When I saw this recipe for buffalo chicken enchiladas, I was instantly intrigued.

These were absolutely delicious! The sauce is creamy and tangy and cool, the perfect balance to the spicy chicken. These would be perfect for a Super Bowl party, because they're definitely a crowd-pleaser. Give these enchiladas a shot -- I think you'll really like them! I halved the recipe for just Joe and me, but I've listed the full one below.

Buffalo Chicken Enchiladas with Creamy Ranch Sauce
source: Pillsbury Annual Recipes 2008

1 (10.75-ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup refrigerated sour cream ranch dip
2/3 cup chopped green onions (about 10 medium onions)
3 cups chopped cooked chicken
3/4 cup buffalo wing sauce
12 6-inch tortillas
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 13 x 9-inch glass baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. In medium bowl, mix soup, dip, and 1/3 cup of the onions. In large bowl, mix chicken and buffalo wing sauce until coated.

2. Spoon 2 tablespoons soup mixture down center of each tortilla; set remaining mixture aside. Reserve 1/2 cup cheese for garnish. Top each tortilla with about 1/4 cup chicken mixture and scant 1/4 cup cheese. Fold sides of tortillas over filling; place seam side down in baking dish. Spoon remaining soup mixture over filled tortillas.

3. Cover dish tightly with foil. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

4. Remove from oven. Sprinkle with reserved 1/2 cup cheese and remaining 1/3 cup onions. Bake uncovered about 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Southwest Chicken Corn Chowder

I know, I know, two soup posts in a row. But it is winter time, and there's absolutely nothing I'd rather eat in the cold months than a big bowl of comforting, soul-feeding soup. I actually made this chowder late last fall, but for some reason we didn't eat it then -- I think we all got sick and weren't hungry. For whatever reason, I decided to freeze the entire batch to eat when the baby came, and we had it for dinner tonight along with some simple cheddar cheese quesadillas for dipping.

We liked this chowder a lot. It relies heavily on canned cream-style corn and cream of chicken soup, so if that's not really your thing you may want to pass on this. But it is really good: thick and rich and just slightly spicy. Combine everything in the Crock pot in the morning, and when you get home dinner's ready. You just can't beat the convenience of that any night of the week. Next time I make this I'll add some black beans, but that's the only thing I would change about this recipe.

Southwest Chicken Corn Chowder
source: slightly adapted from Another Potful of Recipes by JoAnna M. Lund

2 cups chicken stock
1 10.75-ounce can cream of chicken soup
3/4 cup chunky salsa
2 cups (1 16-ounce can) cream-style corn
2 cups cooked shredded chicken
1/2 cup frozen whole-kernel corn
1 cup diced raw potatoes
Sour cream, shredded cheese, and chopped cilantro, if desired

1. Spray a slow cooker container with cooking spray. In prepared container, combine chicken broth, chicken soup, and salsa. Stir in remaining ingredients and mix well to combine.

2. Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours. Mix well before serving. Top each serving with sour cream, shredded cheese, and cilantro, if desired.

Broccoli-Cheddar Soup

I love broccoli soup. I big-pink-puffy-heart love it. I love it so much that I have been known to buy a can of the condensed stuff, heat it up with some milk, and eat it for lunch. (Aaand, how many readers did I just lose with that disgusting confession?)

I also love the real thing, though -- like Panera's delicious broccoli-cheddar soup. When I got this month's issue of Food Network Magazine and saw a copycat recipe for their soup, I knew I had to give it a shot. Last night seemed like the perfect opportunity, since Joe has a "man cold" and was whining for soup. I apologize to any male readers for what I'm about to say, but men? They are such big babies when they're sick.

Regardless, I'm so glad I made this soup, man cold or not, because we absolutely loved it. It's thick, rich, flavorful and creamy. I didn't go to the trouble of making bread bowls, but I did top our servings with croutons, which added a nice crunch and an extra dimension of flavor. The best parts about this meal, though? The newborn slept the whole time I was making it and we were eating it, and the toddler absolutely loved it:

He ate two bowls. It was probably because of all the cheese, but anytime I can get some broccoli in him I'm happy.

Broccoli-Cheddar Soup
source: Food Network Magazine, January/February 2010

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups half-and-half
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
4 cups broccoli florets
1 large carrot, diced
2 1/2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated sharp white and yellow cheddar cheese, plus more for garnish

1. Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the flour and cook until golden, 3 to 4 minutes, then gradually whisk in the half-and-half until smooth. Add the chicken broth, bay leaves and nutmeg, then season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, until thickened, about 20 minutes.

2. Add the broccoli and carrot to the broth mixture and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. Puree the soup in batches in a blender until smooth. Return to the pot. (Or puree the soup in the pot with an immersion blender.)

3. Add the cheese to the soup and whisk over medium heat until melted. Add up to 3/4 cup water if the soup is too thick. Ladle into bowls and garnish with cheese.