Black Bottom Cupcakes

Ingredients:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 egg

1/3 cup sugar

1/8 tsp. salt

Mix these ingredients well.  Then add:

1 – 6 oz. pkg. chocolate chips

Chocolate mixture:

1 ½ cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

¼ cup cocoa

½ tsp. salt

1 cup water

½ cup oil

1 TB. Vinegar

1 tsp. vanilla

Beat everything until well blended.  Fill cupcake liners 1/3 full with chocolate mixture, top with heaping teaspoon of cream cheese mixture.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Makes 16-24 cupcakes.

Caramel Brownies

To start, melt about 50 caramels or 1 bag of Kraft caramels in 1/3 c. canned evaporated milk over medium-low heat.

Mix the following ingredients together:

1 Devil’s Food Cake Mix

½ c. melted butter

1/3 c. canned evaporated milk

1 egg

1 c. nuts (optional)

Divide cake batter in half.  Smooth or pat ½ of the mixture in a greased 9 x 13 pan and bake for 7 minutes at 350 degrees.  Take out of oven and sprinkle with 1 ½-2 cups of chocolate chips.  Pour the caramel mixture over the top.  Carefully spread the rest of the cake batter over the top of the caramel mixture.  Bake for an additional 15-18 minutes more at 350 degrees.  Let cool.

Holbrook Family "Chocolate Cheese Cake"

We have grown up calling this recipe chocolate cheese cake. I'm not sure if that is what everyone else will call it, but... it is absolutely delicious regardless of the name!!! :)

1 cup flour
1 cube butter
1 cup crushed pecans

Crumb like pie crust & pat into 13x9 baking dish. Bake @ 350 for 20 minutes. Let cool

1 8oz pkg cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup Cool Whip

Beat cream cheese & sugar; stir in Cool Whip. Spread on cool crust w/a rubber spatula.

1 small pkg instant chocolate pudding
1 small pky instant vanilla pudding
3 cups milk

Mix together until thick.

Fold in 2 cups Cool Whip. Spread pudding mixture over cream cheese.

Put in fridge.

Top with Cool Whip and grate Hershey's chocolate candy bar on top of the Cool Whip before serving.

*You will need at least 2 medium size Cool Whips*

ENJOY!!!

Mrs. Fields Choc Chip Cookies

Ok, by far one the best cookie recipes, and one of the most delicious batters ever!

1 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Cup white Sugar
1 Cup Butter
2 eggs
1 Tbsp Vanilla
Cream together then add:
2 1/4-1/2 flour--start with 2 1/4 and add more if needed--I like my cookies a little gooey, so I never add all the flour it calls for.
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 Cups oatmeal
Cream together then stir in:
Mini choc chips--as many as desired
Raisins--that is if the rest of your family will let you--as for me, I am the only one in my home that LOVES raisins, so I save a little dough just for me!

Bake in 400 degree preheated oven for 6-8 minutes.
I know it's tedious, but I always cook 1 cookie to test for not enough flour. If it comes out too flat then I know I need to add more flour. And I never over bake them. After they are taken out of the oven, leave them on tray for a couple of minutes and then move then to a cooling rack.

Best Banana Bread

You may already have a banana bread recipe, but after I tried this one, I have yet to go back to my old one. I think it's the secret ingredient! This is an all time favorite at our home.

1/2 Cup Butter at room temp.
1 Cup Sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tsp Vanilla
1 Cup very ripe bananas mashed--about 2 1/2 Bananas
Cream together then add:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
Cream all together and pour into 2 greased loaf pans. We will add mini chocolate chips to one loaf and keep one plain. I have converted to mini chips for my bread and cookies--the best!!! Bake in preheated 350 degree oven and bake for 35-40 min.--longer if necessary. NOTE: Recipe actually says to bake for 1 hour, however I have never baked it near that long because it always burns. Plus I have dark coated pans rather than glass, but I still only cook it around 40 minutes. I thik all ovens heat differently, so just check and insert a toothpick to check for rediness. Turn onto a cooling rack.

Tunnel of Fudge Cake

Cake:

2 1/4 Cups all-purpose flour
3/4 Cup cocoa powder
1 3/4 Cups sugar
1 3/4 Cups butter, softened
6 eggs
2 Cups confectioners' (powdered) sugar
2 Cups chopped walnuts or pecans

Glaze:

3/4 Cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 Cup cocoa powder
2 to 3 Tbsp milk or half & half

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 12-cup Bundt pan with butter and dust with flour.

2. Combine flour and cocoa powder and set aside. In a large bowl, cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually add confectioners' sugar and mix thoroughly. Stir in flour mixture by hand until well blended. Gently stir in nuts. (Batter will be thick.) Spoon batter into prepared pan.

3. Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until the top is set and the edges begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool upright in pan on wire rack for 1 1/2 hours to allow fudge to set. Invert onto serving plate to cool thoroughly.

4. To prepare glaze, combine confectioners' sugar and cocoa. Add 2 tablespoons milk. Mix thoroughly, adding only enough milk to create a smooth but pourable glaze. Spoon glaze over top of cake, allowing some to run down sides. Serves 20.

I know that I shouldn't tell you this part, but this cake is delicious and totally worth EVERY bite. I dare you to make it just so that you can see how totally worth the calories this thing is!
Per serving: 410 calories, 26 g fat, 6 g protein, 43 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 135 mg sodium.

Cranberry Chicken

So, I realized today as I came to check out the recipe blog that I haven't posted anything for this month. It has been such a crazy month for us. I can't let a month go by without posting some good recipes though. This dish is one that I recently got off another blog, but I have tried it a couple of times and we really like it. It is quick and easy!

4-6 chicken breasts or 8-10 tenders
1 (8 oz) bottle Creamy French salad dressing
1 (10 3/4 oz) can WHOLE berry cranberry sauce
1 pkg. onion soup mix

-Cover bottom of a greased baking dish with chicken. Mix together the dressing, cranberry sauce and soup mix and pour over top of chicken. Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour.

Saucy Chicken

This is a very simple and fast chicken recipe. It is an old stand-by at our house and is something you can make when you don't have dinner planned because these ingredients are usually on hand.

4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (I have used tenders)
1 can cream of mushroom soup (I like the kind with roasted garlic)
3/4 cup evaporated milk
scoop of sour cream

-Pour sauce over chicken and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes (for chicken that is thawed) or 1 1/2 hours (for chicken that is frozen).
Serve over rice or pasta and use the sauce as a gravy. Enjoy!

Easy Chicken Stroganoff

So, I hate it when I ask someone for a recipe and they say, "I just sort of throw things together -- I don't really have the exact measurements." I'm not really a make-it-up-as-I-go kind of gal (perhaps it's because I'm fairly inept in the kitchen) so don't hate me, but this is one of those recipes. It really is easy and hard to screw up so here it is:

• Chicken breasts (3-6, depending on size and how many you're feeding)
• Olive Oil (1-2 T.)
• Onion (small onion, finely diced)
• Garlic (1-2 cloves, finely diced)
• Cream of Mushroom Soup (About 1 can; for 3 chicken breasts, I'd probably use about 3/4 can)
• Sour Cream (About 1 cup; approximately the same as above for Cr. of Mushroom)
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:
Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces.
Heat oil in a skillet on medium heat and add diced onion and garlic. When onion is almost fully cooked, add chicken and cook through.
Add cream of mushroom soup and sour cream to chicken and cook on low heat, stirring occasionally, until blended well together and warmed through.

Serve over rice or egg noodles.

Obviously this recipe can be totally altered depending on your taste preference but I think I end up using equal parts soup and sour cream (I think!). Good luck!

Parmesan Chicken Bake

This recipe is hardly fattening ;) and is DELICIOUS! It is by far the favorite in my household. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 6 chicken breasts, boned & skinned
• 1 cube butter
• 1 Cup flour
• Salt and Pepper
• Garlic Powder
• 1 pint heavy whipping cream
• Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Melt butter and pour half in 9x13 inch pan. Season flour with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Wash chicken and cover with seasoned flour. Place in buttered pan. Cover with cream and sprinkle with generous amount of Parmesan cheese. Drizzle with remaining butter. Bake for 1 hour in 375° oven. Serve on hot buttered noodles.

Marinated Chicken

This is probably the best chicken marinate around. Sorry it's not homemade, but I had to add it to the recipes because it it definetly the best around.

-As many chicken breasts, or chicken tenderloins as you want or need
-Mr. Yoshida's Original Gourmet sauce (I get mine at Costco, for a big bottle, but I think I've seen it at the grocery store by the bbq sauces.)

Marinate chicken overnight in a ziploc bag, in the fridge. Then it's best if you can BB-Q the chicken. This is the best!

Melinda Harr

Stovetop One Dish Chicken Bake

This is also one of my families favorite's. It's also very easy.

1 (6 oz) pkg. stove top stuffing mix for chicken
1 1/2 cup hot water
1/2 stick butter cut up, or 1/4 cup margarine
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 (10 3/4 oz) can cream of mushroom soup
1/3 cup sour cream, or milk

If there is a seasoning packet with the stove top then mix it with the hot water and butter in large bowl until butter melts. If there is no content just mix hot water and butter together. Stir in stuffing crumbs just to moisten. Let stand 5 minutes. Place chicken in baking dish. Mix soup and sour cream; pour over chicken. Top with stuffing. Bake uncovered at 375 for 35 or so minutes, until chicken is cooked through.
Melinda Harr

Creamy Crock Pot Chicken

This is a great recipe for the days that I am out doing errands and don't have time to even think about dinner. When I pull into my garage I can smell it cooking, it's yummy! It's fast and easy and most likely you have the ingredients at home.

4 Chicken breasts, frozen or thawed
1 can Cream of chicken soup, I've also used cream of mushroom
1 envelope of dry Italian dressing mix
grated carrots, opt
cubed cream cheese, opt
sliced potatoes on bottom of crock pot, opt

Spray crockpot with Pam. Mix dressing with soup, pour over chicken and place in crockpot for 4 hours if not frozen, 6-7 if frozen. Shred chicken when done cooking. It will shred easily when fully cooked. Serve over rice or egg noodles.
Melinda Harr

Lime Chicken Tacos

For those that were in the Bozeman recipe group, you probably already have this recipe, but it's one of our favorites, and it certainly applies to this month's theme of "easy chicken" recipes. Enjoy!

1 ½ lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 Tbsp. lime juice
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup chunky salsa
12 flour tortillas (6 inches), warmed
Sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese and shredded lettuce, optional

Place the chicken in a 3 quart slow cooker. Combine lime juice and chili powder; pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken; cool slightly. Shred and return to the slow cooker. Stir in corn and salsa. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes or until heated through. Serve in tortillas with sour cream, cheese and lettuce if desired.

Hey All!

So I decided the easiest way to let you all know what the theme for the month is would be to use it as the header. Nothing fancy, but at least as people post, the theme won't get pushed down to the bottom of the page. With this theme, I guess it doesn't even have to be "easy" chicken dishes, but we are all busy active people and easy may be the most useful. However, if you have a recipe that is really good, but not necessarily easy, still post it. My whole purpose for this blog is to get a wealth of recipes to add to our repertoires (I know that's a word, but don't know if I spelled it right? Oh well!). So share and share alike. Thanks for all your posts. I love having all these great recipes to choose from as I'm sure everyone else does too!