Molten Lava Cakes

I've had these before at a friends house, but never made them until last night. I was so scared they wouldn't turn out, but they did and I could have eaten like 5 of them. I didn't have enough ramekins for everyone so I used muffin tins and it worked great! Some had vanilla ice cream with it, some had whipped cream...I had both :) This came from ourbestbites.com

Ingredients:

4 T real butter

1/3 C sugar
3 large eggs

1/3 C flour
1/4 t salt
8 oz bittersweet chocolate*, melted

*8 ounces is about 1 1/3 C of bittersweet chocolate chips. Make the 1/3 cup a little over-full and you should be good

Additional Ingredients:
powdered sugar for dusting

sweetened whipped cream for serving

butter and sugar for preparing pans

You can either bake these in a muffin pan, in ramekins, or even oven-proof

mugs. If you use a muffin tin you’ll get 6 cakes and depending on the size of the ramekins you’ll get 4-6.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. To prepare pans, use your fingers (or the butter wrapper) to rub butter in the muffin tins or ramekins. Sprinkle in some granulated sugar to coat the entire inner surface and tap out any extra discard.

In a bowl with a mixer beat the 4 T butter and 1/3 C sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine flour and salt and slowly add it into the butter mixture just until combined. Stir in melted chocolate by hand, just until combined. Don’t over mix.

Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups or ramekins and then place them on a baking sheet. (If using ramekins you’ll want them not quite 3/4 full)

Bake just until tops of cakes no longer jiggle when pan is lightly shaken, about 8-10 min for a muffin pan, and 10-12 for ramekins. Remove from oven and let stand 10 min.

Baked Mac & Cheese

I made this tonight and it was soo delicious! I made a salad to go with it, but next time I'll probably just serve it as a side with a main dish. It came from blogchef.net.

Ingredients:
1 (8 ounce) package elbow macaroni
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 cup cream
½ teaspoon salt
ground black pepper (to taste)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
½ cup breadcrumbs (buttered)

Directions:

Step 1: Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Cook macaroni noodles according to package directions and drain. Set aside.
Step 2: Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour, salt, and pepper. Use a whisk to stir until well blended. Pour in the milk and cream stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes while stirring. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes while stirring. Add cheddar, a little at a time and stir in until cheese melts. Remove from heat.
Step 3: Add macaroni noodles to the saucepan and toss to coat with the cheese sauce. Transfer macaroni to a buttered baking dish. Sprinkle buttered breadcrumbs over the top of the macaroni. Place into the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
(Makes 4 Servings)

Coconut Chicken

This was really really good. We couldn't taste much of the coconut since the chicken was so thick, so next time I think we'll use tenders or cut in half. I think the pineapple sauce on top is a must, as well as the rice pilaf!! It looks like a lot of work, but it was really easy to make.

Coconut Chicken:

• 1 cup flour, divided-I used pureed ritz crackers
  
• 1 egg
• 1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 boneless chicken breasts
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 400˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.*** see note
2. Place 1/2 cup flour in a bowl and set aside. In another bowl, lightly beat the egg; set aside.
3. In another bowl combine the remaining 1/2 cup flour with the coconut, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
4. Working with one chicken breast at a time, dip the chicken in the plain flour and get it all coated with a layer of flour. Then dip in the beaten egg and then coat with the coconut mixture. Place on the parchment lined baking sheet.
5. Once all chicken breasts are coated and on the baking sheet, evenly drizzle with the melted butter. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, flipping once halfway.

*** Note: If you would rather prepare this on the stove top, do not drizzle the chicken with the butter. Just fry in a skillet with oil until cook through and crisp and golden in color.

Freezer Friendly: After baking the chicken, let cool completely then freeze in a freezer bag for up to 1 month. To reheat, bake in a preheated oven at 400˚F for 20 minutes.

Garlic Rice Pilaf

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 stalk of celery, diced
• 1 cup long-grain white rice
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• black pepper to taste
• squeeze of lemon juice
• parsley, optional for garnish

1. In a large sauce pan, melt butter. Add garlic, celery, and rice. Cook and stir until slightly brown.
2. Add chicken broth, salt, and pepper. Cover and simmer on low heat until moisture has been absorbed and rice is tender. (This usually takes me about 20 minutes) Add lemon juice just before serving. Toss slightly and garnish with parsley if desired. Serves 4-6.

Pineapple-Orange Dipping Sauce

• 1/2 cup apricot preserves
• 1/4 cup crushed pineapple, undrained
• 1 tsp orange zest

Combine ingredients together and stir until well blended. Serve with coconut chicken.

Lasagna Soup

Made this soup tonight, and it was so good!! It came from sweet ol' Paula Dean so you know it's good :)

Ingredients

1 lb ground chuck-I used ground turkey
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon thyme
1 tablespoon firmly packed brown sugar
1 (32 ounce) box chicken broth
2 (14.5 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cup broken lasagna noodles
1 (5 ounce) package grated parmesan cheese
2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
garlic crostini, recipe follows

Garlic Crostini:
1 thin French baguette
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves smashed garlic
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a large Dutch oven, combine ground chuck, onion, bell pepper and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until beef is browned and crumbles. Drain well.

Stir in thyme, brown sugar, broth, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Add noodles, and simmer until noodles are tender. Stir in Parmesan cheese.

Preheat broiler. Ladle soup into 8 to 10 ovenproof bowls. Evenly sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Broil soups, 6-inches from heat, 3 to 4 minutes, until cheese is browned and bubbly. Add a garlic crostini slice on top. Serve immediately.

For the garlic crostini:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut bread into 1/4-inch round slices. Place on baking sheet and brush each slice with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper; place in oven and bake until golden and crisp, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Rub each side with smashed garlic cloves.