Cookie Cake

Some serious chocolatey goodness!!! This was my Mother's Day dessert:)

Cookie Cake


1 cup unsalted butter, room temp
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1 tbsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/3 cups flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 cup chocolate chips

Ganache topping:
8 oz bittersweet chocolate, broken into pieces
1 oz semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugars. Add vanilla and eggs, mix until fluffy. Add all dry ingredients at once, mixing just until wet and dry ingredients are incorporated. Fold in nuts. Don't over mix. Spoon into greased 10 inch springform pan. Bake about 25-30 minutes, just until set. Remove from oven and cool for about 30 minutes.
For ganache: In a saucepan, bring whipping cream to a boil. Remove from heat and add chocolate pieces. Whisk until smooth.
Remove cake from springform pan and place on serving platter. Pour ganache over the top and let it sit for about an hour until it hardens. You may set the dessert in the fridge to speed this up. Slice into wedges and serve!


my bountiful kitchen

Potato Salad

Well, little food blog, it's been a while! We have been busy, busy, busy, and I am tying to fully enjoy this baby before she grows up like the other kids did....even though we keep telling them to stop getting bigger. Time just goes by way too fast!

I have been working on a cookbook and finally got a place that I feel caught up. Finally!!

We are so excited for warmer weather and last weekend we fired up the girl and had our first bbq of the season. I made this yummy potato salad to go with our dinner. I love this recipe because it is slightly sweet. I also like it because you can add/omit things and it still tastes great. I like adding a bit of chopped celery to it and a bit of chopped sweet pickles. Use your imagination....that's the best part of cooking!

Potato Salad


3 to 3 1/2 lbs potatoes (about 10 medium)
6 hard boiled eggs
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup evaporated milk
3 tbsp white vinegar
2 tbsp mustard
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Additional hard boiled eggs
Paprika for garnish

In a large pot, cook potatoes until tender. Drain and cool. Peel potatoes. Cut into chunks. Separate egg yolks from whites. Set yolks aside. Chop whites and add to potatoes and onions in a large bowl. In a small bowl, mash the yolks. Stir in mayonnaise, milk, vinegar, mustard, sugar, salt, and pepper. Pour over potatoes and toss well. Adjust any seasonings if necessary. Garnish with additional egg slices and paprika. Chill until serving.

Serves about 12

Churro Chex Mix

We had lots of yummy things to eat and snack on over Conference weekend, but this was a favorite. It takes a couple of minutes to make and is gone in no time, so make a double batch!

Churro Chex Mix


9 cups rice chex cereal
3 cups cinnamon chips
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup white granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Pour chex into a large bowl. Pour sugars and cinnamon into a separate bowl. Melt the cinnamon chips in a microwave safe bowl-heating for 1 minute, then stirring and continue to heat at 30 second intervals, stirring after each one until chips are melted. Pour over cereal and stir until well mixed. Sprinkle with 1/2 the sugar mixture and toss to coat. Spread onto a baking sheet and continue to sprinkle the remaining sugar and toss to coat until everything is evenly coated. Serve and enjoy!!




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Roasted Garlic Cauliflower

For Mom.....

Roasted Garlic Cauliflower
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large head cauliflower, separated into florets
Parmesan cheese
Dried parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Grease a large baking sheet. Place oil and garlic in a bowl. Mix and add cauliflower. Put into prepared pan and season with salt and pepper. Bake 25 minutes, stirring halfway through. Sprinkle with cheese and parsley. Broil 3-5 minutes until golden brown.

Chicken Nuggets

I posted this recipe a couple of years ago, but thought it deserved another shout out. I have a very picky daughter.  She has never been a good eater! She literally almost starved herself when she was born cause she couldn't be bothered to wake up and eat. Thus began the food battle with her. She will not touch any vegetable or fruit. If there is even a speck of either on her plate, she will not eat the carbs or meat she has agreed to try. We can usually trick her into eating her meat by letting her pretend to be a dinosaur at the dinner table, otherwise,she is strictly a carbs and junk food girl! Tonight we are having a delicious veggie soup for dinner. My daughter will get these homemade chicken nuggets. My kids love chicken nuggets and I love these because I know how they were made. I'm not a huge fan of the processed stuff. So this post is for you, Tess. I hope someday you at least taste a strawberry:)

Homemade Chicken Nuggets


1 cup or so of seasoned breadcrumbs
5 or so tbsp Parmesan cheese
1 egg
Splash of water
2-3 tbsp of butter, melted
1-2 chicken breasts, cut into smaller pieces

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a shallow dish, whisk together egg and water. In a separate dish combine breadcrumbs and cheese. Place chicken in egg wash and coat chicken pieces, then coat in breadcrumbs, turning chicken to make sure it is covered. Place prepared chicken on greased baking sheet and drizzle each piece with some melted butter.
Bake at 400 degrees for 15-18 minutes depending on how large or small your chicken pieces are. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce. (These freeze really well too!)

Spicy Peanut Noodles

It has been so nice to be back in the kitchen cooking, although doing it some evenings with a screaming newborn is less than fun. On Monday we had some fake out Chinese food to celebrate a belated Chinese New Year. I tried this new recipe and we loved it! It's more Thai foodish, but still delicious.

Spicy Peanut Noodles
another day in paradise

3 tbsp peanut butter
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp honey
3 cloves mined garlic
1 tsp ginger
2 tsp hot sauce
1/2 cup chicken broth
8 oz spaghetti noodles
shaved carrots
chopped cilantro
chopped peanuts

Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain noodles and put them in a serving bowl. In the meantime, in a small saucepan over medium heat, mix together peanut butter, soy sauce, honey, garlic, ginger, hot sauce, and broth. Mix until peanut butter is melted and things are well combined. Add peanut sauce to drained noodled and mix well. Garnish with carrots, cilantro, and peanuts.

Ooey-Gooey Butter Cake

Despite the 20 pounds of baby weight I have to lose, I made a cake this week. I just needed to bake something, and something good. I love this cake! It is gooey and rich. A perfect dessert to help me get back into the kitchen.

Ooey-Gooey Butter Cake


Crust: 
1 box yellow cake mix
1 large egg
1/2 cup butter, melted
Filling:
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 box (16oz) confectioners sugar
plus more for dusting

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, egg, and melted butter. Mix well until dry ingredients are moistened. Pat lightly into prepared pan, covering bottom and sides.
In another large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until well combined. Beat in melted butter until well blended. On low speed, gradually add in sugar. Beat until smooth.
Spread cream cheese mixture over crust in pan. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until sides are set and center is still jiggly. Remove from oven and cool completely. Sprinkle more confectioners sugar over cake and cut into squares.

Serves up to 20