Tis the season for everything sweet :)

Here is the Chocolate Chip Candy Cane Cupcake RecipeL

3/4 bag semi sweet chocolate chips (the recipe calls for 5 bakers squares, but I think the chips taste better)
1 pkg Chocolate Cake Mix
1 pkg Jell-o Chocolate Pudding Mix
4 Eggs
1 C Sour Cream
1/2 C Oil
1/2 C Water
6 small crushed candy canes
1 tub cool whip

Heat oven to 350. Beat cake mix, pudding, eggs, sour cream, oil, and water on medium speed. Stir in chocolate chips and 2 tbsp of chopped candy. Spoon into muffin cups. Bake 20-30 minutes. Frost with cool whip. Drizzle remaining candy on cupcakes. ENJOY :)

A Good Ol Southern Meal

To go with the meatloaf I made baked macaroni and cheese. I call this my "Mary Engelbreit Macaroni" only because it's from one of her cookbooks. Those of you who know me well, are laughing at this :)

Cook macaroni noodles in a separate pan.
Melt 1/4 c butter on stove.
Add 1/3 c flour and 3 cups of milk. Simmer 5-10 minutes.
Add 10 oz of shredded cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup scallions, 1/2 c parmesean cheese 1/4 tsp black pepper and salt. Let it simmer 5 minutes.
Melt 1 tbsp butter over stove and add 1 cup sliced bread crumbs.
Add cooked macaroni to the dish.
Pour into pan and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

Not Your Mom's Meatloaf

My first attempt at meatloaf. My mother is laughing as she reads this, I'm sure because I hated it as a kid. But, love always wins. It's one of Joseph's favorite dishes. And after almost a year 1/2 of marriage, I thought it's about time. I found a recipe for a base and then added several ingredients of my own just to "play" with. While this is not my own recipe, it's close to it. I'll get there someday. The recipe is very unique and "Not your mom's meatloaf"

1 lb. extra-lean ground beef

1 egg, beaten

4 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs

1/2 T garlic powder
1/2 T seasoned salt
1/2 T oregano

1/2 T black pepper
1 cup diced green peppers
1 cup diced onions

3-4 slices Cooked Bacon

Heat oven to 400°F.

MIX all ingredients except bacon.

Put into loaf in 9x5-inch loaf pan.

BAKE 45 min then add the 3-4 slices of bacon. Cook for about 15 more minutes or until done.

Oh and you MUST dip it into ketchup (that part I got from my mom :)

Godiva?

If your wallet can't handle the Godiva chocolate price of chocolate covered strawberries, try the more economic way! All you need is to buy some strawberries and a container of Baker's chocolate. (Found especially this time of year). They have various containers, but the one I use is a tub that has a lot of "circle" chocolates in it. You put a few in a bowl (for about 8 strawberries, you'll need 5-6 chocolates), microwave 1 minute. Then you stir the chocolate and dip the strawberries in the bowl. Drop them on wax paper and refrigerate for 2-4 hours. What a yummy and inexpensive treat!

Joseph's Birthday

Well...Joseph finally got to have his birthday cake. We had been home 20 minutes from Hilton Head when our puppy, Chloe fell off the bed and began holding up her back leg whining. Needless to say, there was no birthday cake in the emergency room. I made a new cake Peanut Butter Cake and homemade peanut butter icing. It was so yummy!

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 4 eggs
• 1 (18.25 ounce) package butter cake mix
• 2/3 cup water
• 
  
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/3 cup heavy cream

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9 inch round cake pans.
2. Combine 1/2 cup peanut butter and 1/2 cup butter or margarine. Cream until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at time, mixing well after each one. Add cake mix alternately with the water. Stir until just combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.
3. Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 25 minutes or until cake tests done. Allow cakes to cool in pan for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely. Assemble and frost with Peanut Butter Frosting once cool.
4. To Make Peanut Butter Frosting: Combine 1 cup peanut butter, and 1/2 cup butter or margarine cream together until light and fluffy. Add the confectioner's sugar. Mix in enough cream to make the frosting of a spreading consistency. Apply to cool cake.

Orange Juice Cake

For a yummy and refreshing treat, try an Orange Juice Cake. I got this recipe from my good friend Tyler. Her grandfather made it a lot when we were in college together and I finally asked for the recipe! 1 Box Duncan Hines Butter Cake Mix, 1 small box instant vanilla pudding mix, 1 cup orange juice, 1/2 cup oil, 4 eggs. Grease a bundt pan and mix all ingredients together. Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes. For the glaze: 1 cup sugar, 1/4 c orange juice, 1 stick butter. Heat butter until melted. Add o.j. and sugar to butter and to mix. Poke holes into cake and pour glaze over. Let sit for 20 minutes.

Chili Taco

Well...I made my first Chili Taco recipe. It was my grandmother's recipe and my mom made it a lot when we were kids. It's so easy and a wonderful meal to have on a cold fall day :) You brown and drain 2 lb meat (I use turkey meat) and chop one onion. You add that to 3 tbs chili powder, 2 tbs mustard, 1/2 tsp oregano, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp salt, 3 1/2 c water, 12 oz. tomato paste, 2 cans beans, 1 green pepper, 4 3/4 c tomato juice, and garlic to taste. Let it cook in crock pot for about 3-4 hours. If you want it to cook all day you could. Put some fritos on a plate, pour the chili on top and garnish with your favorite condiments and toppings. YUMMY!