Cinnamon Coffee Cake

Cinnamon Coffee Cake
Taste of Home Baking Cookbook

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
2 ¾ cup sugar, divided
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups (16 oz.) sour cream
2 tbsp. ground cinnamon
½ cup chopped walnuts, optional

Directions:
1. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and 2 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; add to the creamed mixture alternately with sour cream, beating just enough after each addition to keep batter smooth.
-If you use a Kitchen Aide mixer I just added all the wet
ingredients, then dry ingredients, then the sour cream. Just mix
well!
2. Spoon a third of the batter in to a greased 10-inch tube pan or Bundt pan. Combine the cinnamon, nuts (optional), and remaining sugar (3/4 cups); sprinkle a third over batter. Repeat layers twice. Bake at 350 for 60-65 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before removing from pan.

Cake in a Jar

Want something to send to your loved ones overseas or across the country. Here you have it - Cake in a Jar - sealed and ready to be shipped. If you have ever done canning before it is a similar process (boiling the lid before you seal the jar). Just send your cake with a jar of frosting! Now you have a personalized birthday cake.




Cake In A Jar

Ingredients:
• 1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix (or whatever type you’d like to cook)
• 8 straight-sided wide-mouth pint canning jars with lids and rings

Directions:
1. Prepare the cake according to package instructions, or use any cake recipe.
2. In pint size, straight-sided wide-mouth jars, put 1 cup of batter in each greased jar. Make sure to keep the rims of the jars clean. Put in preheated oven 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place jars on a cookie sheet to keep from tipping over while baking.
3. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean.
4. While they are baking, have your jar lids boiling in a pan of water. When the cake is done, take one jar out at a time and add the hot lid and screw on your jar ring and let set and cool.
5. It will seal as it cools. Place the jars on the counter and listen for them to ‘ping’ as they seal. If you miss the ‘ping’, wait until they are completely cool and press on the top of the lid. If it doesn’t move at all, it’s sealed.
6. After it cools it will pull away from the jar and when you are ready to eat, open and pop out the cake and enjoy.
7. Unsealed jars should be stored in the refrigerator and eaten within 2 weeks. Sealed jars may be stored in a freezer.
I’d like to add, you can send your man pre-made frosting in the little containers so he can have frosting with his cake. Be sure to include plastic ware in-case he gets them while he’s “out working.”

Delicious Ham and Potato Soup

I found this recipe the other day on AllRecipes.com and it had over 3,400 reviews and had 5 out of 5 stars. I decided to try it and it came out awesome. I used ham from a dinner earlier on the week and had all the other ingredients from the produce basket. I served with sour cream and cheese.


Ingredients
3 1/2 cups peeled and diced potatoes
1/3 cup diced celery
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
3/4 cup diced cooked ham
3 1/4 cups water
2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon ground white or black pepper, or to taste
5 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk

Directions
1.Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and water in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the chicken bouillon, salt and pepper.
2.In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour with a fork, and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in milk as not to allow lumps to form until all of the milk has been added. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes.
3.Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot, and cook soup until heated through. Serve immediately.

Cha-Cha Chicken Salad

I found this Chicken Salad recipe in a Southern Living magazine. I have made it for lunchgroup and it wasn't hard at all. It looks impressive without the difficulty level.


Ingredients
1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon salt
6 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 (8-oz.) can crushed pineapple
2/3 cup orange-flavored sweetened dried cranberries
1 cup chopped roasted, salted almonds
Garnishes: fresh herbs, blackberries, raspberries, sliced peaches

Preparation
1. Whisk together cream cheese and next 3 ingredients in a large bowl; stir in chicken, pineapple, and cranberries just until blended.

2. If desired, spoon mixture into a plastic wrap-lined 8-inch round cake pan; cover and chill at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours. Invert chicken salad onto a cake stand, and remove plastic wrap. Gently press chopped almonds onto sides of chicken salad. Garnish, if desired.

Corn Casserole

Ingredients:
16 ounce can creamed corn
16 ounce can whole kernel corn, drained
1/2 cup butter, melted (1 whole stick)
1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix
1 cup sour cream
2 eggs
salt to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine and bake in well-greased casserole or 9x13 pan. Bake for 40 minutes until golden. You may need to adjust the time according to the size of the pan.

Easy Chicken Parmesan

prep time 5 min
total time 40 min
makes 6 servings

What You Need
1 jar (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce
6 Tbsp. KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided
6 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1-1/2 lb.)
1-1/2 cups KRAFT Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Make It
HEAT oven to 375°F. Pour sauce into 13x9-inch baking dish. Stir in 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp.) Parmesan. Add chicken; turn to coat both sides with sauce. Cover with foil.
BAKE 30 min. Uncover.
TOP with remaining cheeses; bake 5 min. or until chicken is done (165ºF) and cheese is melted.

Kraft Kitchens Tips Cooking Know-How: If using larger chicken breasts, cut them lengthwise in half before placing in the baking dish to ensure that they get done in the 35-min. bake time.
http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/easy-chicken-parmesan-63577.aspx

Broccoli Cheese Casserole

I had a request for the Broccoli Cheese Casserole and so here it is!

Ingredients:

4-6 cups of frozen broccoli (I buy the frozen broccoli at Sam's Club and then just lightly fill a 9x13 baking dish) (I prefer the broccoli at Sam's because it is mainly broccoli tops rather than stems) you can use fresh broccoli but you will want to make sure that you prepare the broccoli so it is not stringy once it is cooked

1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup mayo
1 egg
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 sleeve Ritz crackers
1 stick of butter

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Next, cook the broccoli. Like I said before I put the frozen broccoli in a 9x13 baking dish and then put a few tablespoons of water in the dish to cook the broccoli. I put the dish in the microwave and cook on HIGH for about 6 minutes. You want the broccoli to be cooked but NOT mushy! (If the broccoli is large, I cut it up after it is cooked)
3. While the broccoli is cooking I mix the cream of mushroom, mayo, egg and half of the shredded cheese together.
4. Once the broccoli is cooked, drain the water from the baking dish and pour the mixture over the broccoli. Mix and then sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
5. To make the topping you will melt the stick of butter in the microwave and then combine with the finely crushed sleeve of crackers (I put the crackers in a Ziploc bag and then let the kids go to town. Once crushed I pour the melted butter in the bag and mix)
6. Sprinkle topping on top of casserole. Cover with aluminum foil and cook for 30 minutes