German Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:
Cake:
2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
6 T water
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temp
1 1/4 C + 1/4 C sugar
4 large eggs, separated
2 C flour
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 C buttermilk, at room temp
1 t vanilla extract

Filling:
1 C evaporated milk
1 C sugar
3 beaten egg yolks
1 stick butter
1 t vanilla extract
1 C pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped
1 1/3 C coconut, toasted

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350
Butter or spray baking pan (9x13 or 2 9" rounds)
Melt both chocolates together with the 6 T water in the microwave. Stir until smooth, then set aside until room temp.
In a mixer, beat the butter, and 1 1/4 C sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 mins. Beat in the melted chocolate, then the egg yolks 1 at a time.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, soda and salt.
Mix in half of the dry ingredients into mixer, then the buttermilk and vanilla, then the rest of the dry ingredients.
In a separate metal or glass bowl, beat the egg whites until they hold soft, droopy peaks. Beat in the 1/4 C sugar until stiff.
Fold about 1/3 of the egg whites into the cake batter to lighten it, then fold in the remaining egg whites just until there's no trace of egg whites visisible.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans, smooth the tops and back for about 45 mins or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool cake completely.

Mix together the evaporated milk, sugar, egg yolks, butter, and vanilla in a saucepan. Heat the mixture and cook, stirring constantly until the it begins to thicken and coats the spoon (170 degrees). Mix in the pecans and coconut. Cool to room temperature (it will thicken).

Makes enough frosting to generously cover a 9x13 cake or 2 on top of each round.

Snowman Donuts

Stick a baby carrot into the center of a powdered donut. Make eyes and mouth with candies or chocolate chips.

Toasted Walnut Pasta

Ingredients:

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

1 clove garlic, minced

1 slice bread, crusts removed

2/3 cup 2% milk

1 ounce grated Parmesan, plus more for garnish

3 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper

1 pound any flat short pasta

1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley, for garnish

Directions:

Put a large saucepan of water on to boil, and toast the walnuts in a dry frying pan until they begin to make a nutty aroma. Put the bread in a bowl and cover with the milk. Put most of the toasted walnuts (reserving about 1 ounce for garnish) into a blender along with the garlic, bread soaked in milk, and Parmesan. Blend until it turns smooth and creamy, then pour in the oil and season well with salt and pepper before blending again.Pour into a bowl, and set aside. Add pasta to boiling water with salt and cook for the required amount of time. When pasta is al dente, reserve a cup of the pasta cooking liquid and then drain the pasta, but put it in to a large bowl while it's still dripping slightly with water. Sprinkle a little olive oil over the pasta to prevent it from sticking together, and then add the walnut sauce, mixing it into the pasta (splash in a little pasta cooking liquid to make the sauce less thick if needed). Roughly chop the remaining walnuts and toss them over the top along with some more Parmesan and the chopped parsley.

Kahlua Pork

Ingredients:
4-6 lbs boneless pork butt
1/2 bottle liquid smoke
Hawaiin salt or Kosher salt

Directions:
Cut slashes in pork and rub with salt. Pour liquid smoke over meat and wrap in foil. Refrigerate overnight. Put marinated pork in a crockpot with 1/2 C water. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Shred to serve.

Cheesy Bread

Ingredients:
1 cup parmesan cheese (grated fresh)
I cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup minced onion

Directions:
Combine ingredients. Split French bread horizontally, spread mixture and sprinkle with paprika (if desired... the above picture is minus the paprika). Broil to crisp up. Enough for 2 loaves of French bread.

Chile Cheese Souffle

Ingredients:
10 eggs, beaten
1 Tbsp. baking powder
2 (4 oz.) cans chopped green chilies
4 cups grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup flour
1/8 tsp. salt
1 pint small curd, cottage cheese
1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions:
Add eggs, flour, baking powder and salt together. Mix well. Add remainder of ingredients. Grease a 9 x 13 glass baking dish and pour mixture in. Bake in preheated 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking for 20 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Pastry:
2 1/4 cups flour
1 cup sugar, divided
3/4 cup butter, chilled
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
pinch of salt
3/4 cup sour cream
2 eggs, divided
1 tsp. almond extract

Filling:
1 -8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup raspberry jam
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Directions:
Grease and flour bottom and sides of a 9 inch springform pan.
In a large bowl, combine flour and 3/4 cup sugar. Cut in butter using a pastry blender or fork and work into coarse crumbs. Set aside 1 cup of crumb mixture.
Into remaining crumb mixture, add baking powder, soda, salt, sour cream, 1 egg and almond extract. Blend well.
Spread batter over bottom and 2 inches up sides of pan. Batter should be about 1/4 inch thick on sides.
In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, remaining sugar and 1 egg and blend well. Pour over batter in pan. Carefully spoon preserves evenly over cheese filling.
In a small bowl, combine the 1 cup reserved crumb mixture and sliced almonds. Sprinkle over the top.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45-55 minutes or until cream cheese filling is set and crust is golden brown. Cool for 15 minutes. Remove sides of pan. Serve warm or cool, cut into wedges.

Raspberry Tuxedo Brownie Squares

Ingredients:
1 package (21 oz.) brownie mix (9 x 13 size)
1/2 C seedless raspberry jam
2 C fresh raspberries, or frozen whole raspberries without syrup, thawed and drained, divided (I used 1 1/2 cups frozen for the dessert and then used 1/2 cup fresh to garnish the top)
3 squares (1 ounce each) white chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
2 packages (8oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/2 C powdered sugar
1/4 C milk
1 C heavy whipping cream, wh ipped to stiff peaks

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray bottom of a 9 x 13 pan with nonstick cooking spray. Prepare and bake brownie mix according to package. Cool completely. Spread jam onto brownies. Reserve 1/2 cup of raspberries for the garnish, arrange the remaining 1 1/2 cups raspberries evenly over jam. Combine cream cheese and powdered sugar in medium bowl, mix well. Gradually whisk in melted chocolate and milk. Fold in whipped cream. Spread carefully over raspberries. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm. Cut into squares. Garnish with reserved raspberries or chocolate curls. Store, covered in the refrigerator. Yields: 15 servings

Cinnamon Toast White Chocolate Pretzels

Ingredients:

1 bag (18 oz.) small pretzels
2/3 C oil
1/3 C granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Extra cinnamon sugar for sprinkling
White chocolate for drizzling

Directions:
In microwave safe bowl pour in pretzels. Mix together oil, sugar and cinnamon in small bowl. Pour over pretzels and mix well, making sure to coat pretzels. Place in microwave for 2 minutes on high. Check after first minute as they might burn. Stir the mixture and continue cooking. Microwave for 1 minute more.
When out of the microwave, stir again to make sure they are all coated. Spread the pretzels onto two cookie sheets. You want a single layer of pretzels. While they are still hot sprinkle additional cinnamon sugar over the top. Melt white chocolate and drizzle over the top of pretzels. Once white chocolate hardens put into air tight containers.

Peppermint Bark

Ingredients:

1 lb dark chocolate, chopped
1 lb white chocolate, chopped

A drop of peppermint oil

12 peppermint candy canes, crushed (about 1 cup)

Directions:
Melt the dark chocolate and pour onto a jelly roll pan lined with aluminum foil or a silpat. Spread evenly to desired thickness. Place in refrigerator to harden. Sift peppermint candy to separate the large chunks from the peppermint sand. Melt the white chocolate. Stir in peppermint oil. Make sure it is only a drop.

When cooled, fold the peppermint sand into the white chocolate taking care not to overmix (and getting pink chocolate instead). Remove dark chocolate from the refrigerator and spread the white chocolate on top. Sprinkle the peppermint chunks evenly over the white chocolate and gently press the pieces into the layer. Refrigerate until hardened. Break the bark into pieces.

Pistachio Cranberry Icebox Cookies

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon finely grated fresh orange zest
1/2 cup shelled pistachios, coarsley chopped
1/3 cup dried cranberries (or cherries)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup decorative sugar (preferably coarse)

Directions:
Make dough:
Stir together flour, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl.
Beat together butter, granulated sugar, and zest in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in 3 batches, mixing until dough just comes together in clumps, then mix in pistachios and cranberries. Gather and press dough together, then divide into 2 equal pieces. Using a sheet of plastic wrap or wax paper as an aid, form each piece of dough into a log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Square off long sides of each log to form a bar, then chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until very firm, at least 2 hours.

Slice and bake cookies:
Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Brush egg over all 4 long sides of bars (but not ends). Sprinkle decorative sugar on a separate sheet of parchment or wax paper and press bars into sugar, coating well.
Cut each bar crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices, rotating bar after cutting each slice to help keep square shape. (If dough gets too soft to slice, freeze bars briefly until firm.) Arrange cookies about 1/2 inch apart on lined baking sheets.
Bake cookies, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until edges are pale golden, 15 to 18 minutes total. Transfer cookies from parchment to racks using a slotted spatula and cool completely.

Prosciutto, Fontina, Spinach, and Chicken Roll-ups

Ingredients:
1 1/2 oz prosciutto, cut into 10 pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
1 tsp garlic powder
10 small slices fontina cheese
15-20 fresh spinach leaves
10 chicken breast halves, pounded thin
1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup All Whites ( liquid egg whites)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chicken stock

Directions:
1. Place flour in a shallow dish. Combine bread crumbs, minced rosemary, and garlic powder, in another shallow dish. Pour egg whites into a third shallow dish.
2. Lay a thin chicken breast half on a cutting board and at the top of the breast, layer a small piece of prosciutto. Cover the proscuitto with fontina cheese and lay a 1-2 spinach leaves on top of the cheese. Very carefully, roll the chicken up, as tightly as you can and secure it with a toothpick.
3. Dip the chicken roll in the flour, then the egg white and finally the bread crumbs, rolling it around, to make sure that it is completely covered. Place the completed roll on a plate and repeat process with remaining chicken breast halves and other ingredients.
4. When all your chicken pieces are rolled, heat 1 Tbls olive oil in an electric skillet, heated to medium-high heat. Place 5 of the rolls in the oil and let brown, turning quickly, so all sides are evenly brown. When all sides, top and bottom are brown, add 1 cup of chicken stock to the pan and cover.
5. Let cook, until chicken is cooked through, adding more chicken stock, if necessary, 10-15 minutes. To check for doneness, cut one of the rolls in half to make sure the thicker part of the chicken rolls are cooked through.
6. Remove chicken rolls from the dish and serve.

Baked Apple French Toast

Ingredients:
1 C. brown sugar
4 T. minute tapioca
1 C. butter
4 eggs
2 T. corn syrup
1 T. vanilla
9 slices rustic country bread
1 C. milk
4 C. tart apples

Directions:
Microwave brown sugar, butter, corn syrup for 2 ½ to 3 minutes. Whisk until combined. Pour into an oven proof dish. Distribute the apples atop the brown sugar mixture and sprinkle the apples with tapioca.Combine eggs, milk and vanilla in a deep dish and dip bread into mixture.
Place bread on top of apples and refrigerate overnight.Bake at 350° uncovered for 30 to 40 minutes.