This was also the first time I attempted making a homemade cake! I can bake so that wasn't the part I was worried about--I was more worried about the decorating, but I'll have to say it turned out ok! I posted the cupcake and frosting recipe already, but I used a different chocolate cake recipe for the actual cake. I got the recipe from the Kevin & Amanda Blog and it's definitely one of my favorites. So here it is:
THE BEST Chocolate cake ever:
1 small pkg Jello instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups mini chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together everything except chocolate chips. Stir in the chocolate chips and pour batter into cake pan. For this recipe, I used two 9 inch pans and just used the cooking time that was on the back of the box as a guide--it took about 45 minutes.
The recipes are as follows:
Chili:
I made this for a crowd--normally I just make enough for our family of four, but this time I made a large pot. Typically when I make this, I use about 1-1/2 pounds of ground beef and just cut the recipe in half. I made this the weekend before Cohen's party and froze it--I have learned to make as much as I can ahead of time so that I am not so frazzled on the day of the party!
3 pounds ground beef
1 large onion
1 Tbsp. Garlic (I used about 4 medium cloves, pressed)
5 cans (15oz) Tomatoes--I used diced this time, but I've used stewed too
1 cup Beef Broth
3 Tbsp. Chili Powder (I spice mine up so you can use more or less depending on what you like)
3 tsp. Cumin
3 tsp. Oregano
1/2 tsp. Cayenne Pepper (You can go easier on this too if you don't like too much spice)
Salt to taste
3 cans of Chili ready beans (don't drain)
Brown ground beef with onion and garlic and drain grease. Add everything except the beans and cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Add the beans and simmer 30 minutes longer. Add water if chili becomes too thick.
Easy Potato Soup:
My best friend, Nicole, made this for lunch one day and I couldn't believe how good it was and with such little effort--now that's my kind of meal! I have made this for potlucks and it's always a hit!
1 30oz bag of hash browns
1 lg. box of chicken stock
1 can cream of onion soup
1 capful of minced onions
8oz of cream cheese
I throw everything in the crock pot except the cream
cheese (I add that about 30min to an hour before we’ll eat).
I found this recipe on Pinterest and tried it out before I made it for Cohen's party. When I went to my pins to get it again, the link was bad :( However, I did find the same recipe from Tried and Tasty although I adjusted it a smidge.
1 can black beans
1 can corn, undrained
1 can Rotel or generic tomatoes with green chilies
1 ranch dressing mix packet
1 Tbsp cumin
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 8 oz package cream cheese
2 chicken breasts or 5 chicken tenders, frozen
Place the Chicken in the crock pot, then add the undrained can of corn, tomatoes, black beans, rotel/tomatoes, ranch dressing mix, cumin, chili powder and onion powder. I added the cream cheese about 30 minutes before serving, but you can add it in at the beginning too. When you are ready to eat, shred the chicken with two forks and serve!
Japanese Chicken Salad:
I have loved this salad for a long time! My aunt Rhonda and my best friend's mom always made this and now it is a staple at our parties!
Salad:
1 head lettuce (cut up)
2-4 Chicken Breast halves (cooked and diced)
1 sm. bag sliced almonds
1 sm. can of Chinese noodles
4 green onions
Dressing:
1/2 c. oil
4 Tbsp. vinegar
4 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. Poppy seeds
Pepper to taste
Mix salad ingredients in a large bowl. Combine dressing ingredients, mix well and pour over salad just before serving and toss.
Baked Potatoes:
Normally when I make baked potatoes, I drizzle olive oil on them and put some garlic salt and pepper on them and then wrap them in tin foil and bake at 425 degrees for about an hour. Baking them that way, them come out pretty good, but I usually only make 4 potatoes. I didn't feel like wrapping 30 potatoes in foil and I remembered I pinned a recipe on Pinterest from the blog I wash...you dry. I ended up using that recipe, which did not call for them to be wrapped!
Clean your potatoes and set your oven to 375 degrees. Using a fork, pierce the potatoes 2-3 times on each side, then brush them with olive oil and sprinkle them with sea salt. Place them directly on the oven racks and place a baking sheet on the rack below to catch any drippings. Bake for about 45 minutes.
In addition to the main courses, we had Cucumber Sandwiches and Vegetables and Dip as appetizers as well as White Chocolate Chex Mix and Cinnamon Roasted Almonds on the tables for everyone to munch on.
Cucumber Sandwiches:
My cousin, Chrissy, started me on these and I've taken them to potlucks and they've always been gobbled up!
1 8oz. package of Cream Cheese (softened)
1/2 c. Mayonnaise (I use Hellman's)
1 envelope Good Season's Italian Salad Dressing
French bread (sliced)
Cucumbers (sliced)
Olives (sliced--these are optional and were used to make them look like eyes since it was a monster themed party)
Mix the cream cheese, mayo and Italian Dressing mix. Spread the mixture on slices of the French bread and top with cucumber slices and the optional olives.
Grandma's Veggie Dip:
Anytime I have a veggie tray, I always use my Grandma's Veggie Dip recipe--which is just from the Knorr's website, but here it is:
1 package of Knorr's Soup Mix
1/2 cup Mayo
1 16 oz. container of Sour Cream
Stir everything together and chill for 2 hours.
White Chocolate Chex Mix aka White Trash:
3 cups Corn Chex
3 cups Cheerios
2 cups pretzels
2 cups dry roasted peanuts
1 12 oz. bag of M&M's
1 pound white chocolate (my recipe calls for 2 pounds of chocolate, but I think 1 pound is fine)
Melt the chocolate. Combine all ingredients except the chocolate. Spread half of the cereal mixture on a cookie sheet and spread with half of the chocolate. Mix with your hands and spread into one layer. Place the cookie sheet in the refrigerator for about 5 minutes and repeat with the rest.
Cinnamon-Roasted Almonds:
I found this recipe on All Recipes and love it! This is a great recipe for the Holidays. Almonds are expensive, but I found the best deal at Sam's Club. You can get a large bag (about 9 cups) for about $11.
1 egg white
1 tsp. cold water
4 cups whole almonds
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Grease a sheet pan. Combine the sugar, salt and cinnamon. Lightly beat the egg white and water until it becomes frothy (not stiff). Pour egg white mixture over the nuts and coat them. Pour the sugar mixture over the nuts and mix well and then spread them into one layer on the sheet pan. Bake for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
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