Molly's Chicken

Since we have church from 2-5 p.m., I'm always looking for crockpot recipes so dinner is ready when we get home. I recently made this one and it was easy and good and the kids loved it. So I thought I'd pass it on. I got it from allrecipes.com.

Molly's Chicken
3 1/2 pounds chicken drumsticks, skin removed
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce

1. Place drumsticks in a slow cooker. In a medium bowl, stir together soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, and tomato sauce. Pour sauce over chicken.
2. Cover, and cook on Low heat 8 hours.

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

As requested by Her Majesty, Queen Scarlet.

1 cup sweet cream, unsalted butter at room temperature
3/4 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
Cream together.

Add:
2 large eggs
3/4 teas. salt
1 teas. baking soda
1 teas pure vanilla
Mix.

Slowly stir in:
3 cups all purpose flour

Dough should be smooth and creamy (yum!). Add chocolate chips to taste (I really like the Ambrose chocolate chips from Costco. They're not too sweet and not too bitter).

Bake at 350 for 11 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Let cool for 8-10 minutes before removing from sheet.

Molten Marshmallow-Chocolate Cakes

This is a recipe kids will have fun helping you prepare. Be careful to not overcook these or the hidden marshmallow surprise will “disintegrate”.

Molten Marshmallow-Chocolate Cakes

1 1/3 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup (1/8 lb) butter

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup all-purpose flour

6 large marshmallows

Powdered sugar (optional)

In a 3- to 4-quart pan over very low heat, stir chocolate chips and butter until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and whisk in granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla until well blended. Stir in flour. Fill six buttered, floured ramekins (1/2 cup capacity) or muffin pans (1/2 cup capacity) about halfway. Press a marshmallow into the center of the batter in each ramekin. Spoon remaining batter equally over marshmallows, completely covering. Bake in the center of a 350 degree regular or 325 convection oven until tops are puffed up and crackly, 12-15 minutes. Let cool about 10 minutes, then run a knife along inside of ramekins and invert to release cakes. Place right side up on plates. Sprinkle tops with powdered sugar, if desired. Serve warm.

Making it easy...

Yesterday Nicole and I went to Dream Dinners... check it out. I made 6 meals and had the Chicken Enchiladas last night... serves six people and we had my parents over ... delish... mmm yum. Leftovers for lunch today after it snowed in El Dorado Hills. Perfect.

There's also other shops that do this Dish It Up and Super Suppers...

No more... what the heck am I going to make for dinner...YAY!

Q: How can BYU mint brownies be any better? A: Dark chocolate ganache.

Yes, my friends, I have a gift. It is the gift of dark chocolate ganache. No longer are the BYU mint brownies too sweet; I have made them PERFECT. Please send your praise and money and join my cult of ganache.

Brownies (from BYU recipe):
1 c. margarine
1/2 c. cocoa
2 Tbsp. honey
4 eggs
2 c. sugar
1 3/4 c. flour
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoons salt
1 c. chopped walnuts (or not.)

Melt margarine and mix in cocoa. Allow to cool. Add honey, eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. Add nuts, or not. Pour batter into a greased 9-by-13 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool.

Now here is where I come in (Mwah-Ha-Ha.):
While the brownies are cooking, clear out a space in your freezer large enough for the pan.

As soon as they are done, put the pan in the freezer. Then

Mix together in a small saucepan:
3/4 c best quality unsweetened cocoa powder. (I get mine from penzey's spices)
1/2 c heavy cream
6 T butter, cut into bits
3/4 c powdered sugar
tiny pinch of salt

Cook over low heat until combined and thickened, about 10 minutes.

As soon as this is thickened, pour it over the pan in the freezer. Just a thin layer, you will save some in the pan. Close the freezer and make the mint icing

5 Tbsp. margarine, softened
dash of salt
1 Tbsp. dark corn syrup
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. mint extract, or more to taste.
1-2 drops green food color, or as green as you want it. You don't even need it if you are of the "Bryers mint ice cream with no added color" persuasion.
3 Tbsp. milk, or enough to make it the right consistency

In a bowl, use your mixer to blend together first 4 ingredients until creamy. Add flavoring and coloring, and the milk. You want the consistency to be as thin as the ganache, so you may need to add more milk, depending on how it all goes. As soon as it is done, spread it on the layer in the freezer.

Wait five more minutes or so, and then layer the last bit of chocolate and the last bit of mint in the freezer. You can make it all swirly like mine, or you can leave it with the scary green on top.

I am telling you, you will be sorely disappointed the next time you have the Cannon Center ones--you will cry "Why does Jen not work here?" And I will say "Because I finally graduated and do not need to be the office secretary any longer."

San Francisco Chops

I haven't been great at posting on here, but now that I'm approaching my second trimester and the thought of food doesn't bring me to the verge of "tossing my cookies" (to put it discreetly since this is a food blog), I'll try to include more recipes and comments! And hopefully be trying more recipes!

So here is one we really like. I usually double or even triple the sauce. My husband loves the sauce and wants plenty of it.

San Francisco Chops

4 bone in pork loin chops
1-2 T veg oil
1 garlic clove minced
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup red wine or chicken broth
2 T brown sugar
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 T corn starch
1 T cold water

In skillet brown chops on both sides in oil (sear them). Transfer to crockpot. Add garlic to drippings in pan. Saute for 1 min or until golden. Stir in soy sauce, wine or broth, brown sugar and red pepper flakes. Heat until sugar is dissolved. Pour over chops. Cover and cook on low for 5 to 5 1/2 hours or until meat is tender. Combine corn starch and water until smooth; add to crock pot. Cover and cook at least 30 minutes more or until thickened. Serve with rice or potatoes. Yield 4 servings.

Cheesy Broccoli and Noodle Soup (Crock Pot)

Got this recipe from my friend Ginny Thuesen. It's yummy for a rainy day. (this time around I'm adding potatos and carrots...)

Cheesy Broccoli and Noodle Soup
(Crock Pot)

2 cups chicken broth
2 ½ cups broccoli
½ cup onion
1 can cream of chicken
12 oz evaporated milk
1 ¼ cups uncooked egg noodles
2 cups cooked chicken
½ tsp lemon pepper
¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese

Spray crock pot with pam.
Mix chicken broth, broccoli and onion and cook on LOW for 3 hours
Stir in cream of chicken, milk, uncooked noodles, chicken and lemon pepper
Cover and cook for 2-3 hours on LOW
Stir in cheese until it melts and serve