Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

This is such a good one for birthdays. It's delicious! I got it off the Food Network site. I modified it, of course. The original called for white chocolate chips and walnuts in addition to the semi-sweet chocolate chips. I felt like that was over-kill. Add them if you wish, and be sure to let everyone know how it tasted with the extra stuff! :)

2 sticks butter, softened
1 c packed light brown sugar
1/2 c granulated sugar
2 lg eggs
2c plus 2 Tbsp AP flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 14inch, round pizza pan with waxed paper& grease the wax paper. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars together. Add the eggs, beating well after each. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix with a fork or whisk. Add to the butter mixture. Add vanilla. Fold in chocolate chips. Spread across the bottom of the prepared pan and bake until the edges are golden and the cookie is set, but the center is still slightly soft, 20-25 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

(This is pure deliciousness, and for birthdays, you can decorate and write on the cake with chocolate icing. It always takes me right back to the mall and the Great American Cookie Company. Yum!)

Magic Chicken Soup

Alright, so the soup doesn't actually have magical powers, but it sure makes our family feel a whole lot better when we're in need of some comfort in a bowl. I created this recipe one day when I needed a liquid hug. :) Feel free to tweak it, but don't mess with the onions and garlic too much or you'll...well, just leave those alone. Here it is:

1/2 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp thyme
1 bay leaf
1 tsp parsley 2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 sm or med onion, chopped fine
3 carrots, thinly chopped
3 stalks of celery, thinly chopped
1 lg potato, cut into small chunks
4-5 chicken tenders OR 1 whole chicken breast, cut into small pieces
1/2 c noodles OR 1/2 c rice
2-3 tsp butter
3Tbsp chicken bouillon ( I use Chicken Soup Base that I buy from Costco. You could use bouillon cubes, just be sure to add the right amount for about 8 cups of water.)
8 c water
salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, simmer the chicken, about 3 cups of water, and the bouillon on med-low eat until the chicken is cooked. (This should take about 15-20 minutes) While chicken is cooking, saute the onions in the butter just until they start to become clear. Add the garlic, and saute for a minute or two longer stirring often so you don't burn the garlic. When the chicken is done cooking, add the remaining ingredients to the pot, including the onions and garlic. Let all the ingredients cook together on low-medium heat until the vegetables are fork tender. (This usually takes about 30 minutes.)
Note: The longer the rice or noodles cook with the soup, the thicker the broth will be, so if you like a thinner broth, leave the rice or noodles out until the last 15 minutes or so.
Enjoy! :)

Mexican Lasagna

Ingredients:
2 pkgs Flour Tortillas
3 to 4 Chicken Breast boiled and shredded
2 cans of Cream of Chicken Soup

1/4 cup milk

1 cup sour cream

1 cup salsa

2 tsp chili powder

4 Cups of Mexican Style Shredded Cheese or monterey jack

chopped onion, green chilies, or jalapeno (optional)

Spray a 9X13 baking dish.
Boil chicken, drain water and shred. Add Cream of Chicken Soup and remaining ingredients

Layer 1: Tortillas (cut into bite sized pieces)
Layer 2: Chicken Mixture
Layer 3: Cheese
REPEAT topping with a layer of tortillas (if you have any left over). sprinkle cheese on top

Bake covered at 350 for about 45 min. Remove foil the last 5 min.

Garlic Pasta

6 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

6 tbsp olive oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 lb penne pasta (or butterfly)

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil, or 1 tbsp. dried

4 tbsp of lemon juice

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large pot. Meanwhile, combine garlic, pepper flakes and oil in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave until garlic is golden and fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add 1 tbsp salt and the pasta to boiling water and cook until tender but still slightly firm. Reserve 1/4 cup cooking water. Drain pasta and return to the pot. Stir in basil, lemon juice, Parmesan and remaining garlic mixture, adding reserved pasta water as needed. Season with salt and pepper. Serve w/steamed broccoli.

And so it began...

Hey y'all! I decided to create this blog so that we can share all of the yummy recipes that we tell each other about but never have the time to write down and send to each other. My hope for this blog is that we can create a large collection of recipes to share. It'll be a great place to preserve recipes for our kids to be able to use later, too.
So, feel free to post as often as you like. I welcome any suggestions and/or comments to make the blog look better. (Most of you know my blogging history...I'll leave it at that. :/ )
Alright, y'all know how I feel about food, so let's get to bloggin'!
Here's the first recipe:

Miracle Whip Cake
2 1/2 c flour 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 c sugar 3/4 c Miracle Whip
1/3 c cocoa 1 c cold water
1 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp vanilla

Sift together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Stir in Miracle Whip, cold water,and vanilla. Mix well. Pour into two greased and floured 9-inch cake pans. Bake a 400 for 30-35 minutes. Let cool in pans for 10-15 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack.
(Note: I made this in a bundt pan and baked it for about 3o minutes, and it came out almost overbaked, so check it at 30. As y'all know, cooking times vary depending on each oven, so keep that in mind. Also, I drizzled a little Hershey's syrup over the cake I made. It was the perfect topping. I hope y'all enjoy this one!)