Triple Chocolate Cake Balls

Hello, everyone! Today's recipe actually came about when I flopped another one. I would say this one is very much worth it, though. These cake balls are very rich and full of chocolate, so if you are a chocolate lover like I am, you will be addicted. The picture looks like the one of the Chocolate Oreo Truffles that I made a while back, but it is different. My little sister actually decorated them, so this is a project you could do with children as well! They really have a lot of fun helping out. Enjoy! 

Triple Chocolate Cake Balls

                                          Cake:

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup hot water

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

4 eggs, separated

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

                                   Also:

            3/4 cup chocolate frosting of your choice

           2 bags semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350*. 

In a small bowl, combine the cocoa and water until smooth. Set aside. 

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Add the egg yolks, oil, vanilla, and the cocoa mixture. Stir it until it is smooth. 

In a mixer, beat the egg whites until foamy, then add the cream of tartar. Continue to beat it on high until soft peaks form. 

Fold it into the chocolate mixture, then pour it into a greased and floured 8x11 in. pan. Bake it for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Set it aside to cool. Do not remove it from the pan. 

Meanwhile, prepare your icing. The reason I don't have a recipe for that is because I just mixed together a few things without really measuring. I don't remember how much of each I put in. 

When the cake is cooled, get a fork and crumble it up in the pan. Transfer the crumbs to a large bowl. Mix in the chocolate frosting until all of the cake crumbs are evenly coated. Shape the mixture into 1-inch balls, and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or wax paper. Place it in the freezer and let it sit for about 2 hours. This will make the dipping easier. 

In a double broiler over medium heat, melt the chocolate chips. Dip each cake ball into the chocolate, and make sure it is covered evenly. Put it back on the cookie sheet, where they will set. This is where you can get some sprinkles for them. You want to put them on before it sets. 

Put the cookie sheet with the coated cake balls back in the freezer, until the chocolate is set. Convert it to a container, and place it in the refrigerator. Yummy! 

These cake balls are really good. They won't be around our house for too long! Try them out and let us know how you enjoyed them! 

                       ~Nutmeg

Banana Bundt Cake

Hello Everyone!  Once again, we have an overflow of old bananas (I don't mind though, it gives me an excuse to bake things).  If I had a choice, I would bake things with bananas quite a bit.  You can do so many things with them!  This is my new favorite banana cake recipe.  It was still amazing the third day!

Banana Bundt Cake

3tsp. + 2 cups sugar, divided

1/2 cup butter, softened

6 eggs

4 well ripened bananas, mashed

2 tsp. vanilla

1 cup plain yogurt

3 cups flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

Optional Glaze (for presentation - it's great without it):

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

3-4 tsp. milk

Preheat oven to 325*F.  Grease a 10" fluted tube pan (bundt pan).  Sprinkle with 3 tsp. sugar;  Set aside.  In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Stir in bananas and vanilla.  Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl.  Add to creamed mixture alternately with yogurt, beating until just combined.

Pour into prepared pan.  Bake in preheated oven for 75-85 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing from pan onto a wire rack to cool completely.

If you would like to glaze your cake, whisk together glaze ingredients in a small bowl.  When the cake has fully cooled, drizzle or lightly spoon glaze over the top and allow to set before serving (2 hours+)

This cake was so good!  You should all definitely give it a try!

Ground Beef Pockets

Hello, everyone! Today's recipe is very delicious, and it is perfect for dinner. 

I had been wanting biscuits for days, and I finally decided to do something about it. I made a basic biscuit dough, which I then used to create these ground beef pockets. These were very good, and they were a big hit with my family. 

When you are preparing it, it is best to start the ground beef cooking, then work on the dough. It takes multi-tasking, but it gets it done faster. Enjoy! 

Ground Beef Pockets

               Biscuit dough:

4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

2 Tablespoons baking powder

1 tsp. salt

3/4 cup vegetable shortening

2 cups milk, minus 2 Tablespoons

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

                             Filling:

2 lbs. of ground beef

1/2 medium onion, chopped

2 cans (8 oz. each) tomato sauce

2 Tablespoons water

1 tsp. chili powder

pinch of salt

sprinkle of garlic

For the dough: 

Preheat the oven to 450*. 

In a medium bowl, combine the milk and the lemon juice. Set aside. 

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the shortening with a fork until it is well combined, and the mixture is crumbly. 

Gradually add in the milk mixture, stirring while you pour it in. Mix the dough well, then turn it onto a floured surface. 

Pat (do not roll) the dough, folding it several times over, until it is no longer sticky. Pull off sections of dough and roll them into about a 2-inch ball. (the more dough you have, the bigger the pocket will be) Flatten the dough into a circle about an 1/4 of an inch thick. Again, do not roll the dough. It takes away from the airiness of the biscuit. 

For the meat: 

In a large saucepan, brown the ground beef. Add in the onions, water, and tomato sauce. Mix it well, making sure all of the meat is coated. Next, add in the seasonings. You can add in more or less salt and garlic, but I didn't really measure it as you can see...I went by flavor. 

When your meat mixture is cooked, it is time to make the pockets. Put a spoon of meat onto one of the dough circles, then fold the dough over and pinch the edges closed to keep the meat inside. Place it on an ungreased cookie sheet, and repeat with all of the other dough. There may be leftover meat, but it is good eaten by itself or over rice as well. You can find a creative way to use it. Another thing that I would try is making a sort of roll instead of individual pockets. Experiment and be creative! After all, isn't that what cooking is all about? :) I hope you try this recipe and let us know how it turned out! We'd love to hear from you! 

                                 ~Nutmeg

Versatile Pizza Sandwich

My brother hates bringing sandwiches to school for lunch.  He does, however, have a crazy-wild fondness for pizza.  

One morning, my Mom decided to whip up this special sandwich in hopes that my brother would take the bait.  Her attempt was pretty straightforward, inspired by a classic pepperoni pizza.  The results?

Versatile Pizza Sandwich

1/4 cup cream cheese

1 Tbs. grated parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp. dried Italian herb seasoning

1-2 pinches garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 tsp. olive oil (optional)

2 slices bread

Pizza toppings of your choice (be creative!):

Sausage, pepperoni, ham, bacon, or hamburger

Thinly sliced onion, peppers, or tomato(blotted)

Chopped spinach, olives, or mushrooms...

The choices are endless!

Mix the first 5-6 ingredients in a small bowl until well combined and everything looks the same.  Spread cream cheese mixture generously on one side of each slice of bread.  Layer chosen pizza toppings on one slice of bread, covering cream cheese layer; top with second slice - cream cheese side IN, of course :).

If you really want to go wild (we didn't), you could also add some pizza sauce in a small container to dip the sandwich in!  The cream cheese spread is also good on crackers, topped with slices of pepperoni.  Mmmmmmm.

Overnight Coffee Cake

Hello, everyone! Today's recipe is another breakfast one, except this time it is a coffee cake. To be honest, this was my first time ever making coffee cake. I had just never thought of doing it before, and I never realized that I hadn't until I went to make one and had no idea how. Thankfully, I found a recipe in a cookbook I had on hand, and after changing it up and messing around with it, it was amazing. It makes the perfect breakfast for a rushed morning, because you can prepare it the night before, and throw it in the oven the next morning, instead of having to get up early and prepare the whole thing quickly. It saves a lot of time, and tastes really good as well! It is perfect for a Sunday morning before church, or any time you have to rush somewhere and don't have much time. If you make it, we'd love to know how it turned out! Enjoy!!

Overnight Coffee Cake

                                    Cake: 

2/3 cup oil

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup Buttermilk

                                                                

                Crumble Topping:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped nuts (any kind)

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

In a medium mixing bowl, mix all of the cake ingredients in the order listed. Pour the batter into a greased 9x13 pan, and set aside. 

In a separate bowl, mix together the ingredients for the crumble. Sprinkle it evenly over the batter, then put the whole thing into the refrigerator. Refrigerate it overnight, or for about 8 hours. 

When you are ready to bake the cake, preheat the oven to 350*. 

Bake the cake for about 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm. 

This cake was delicious. It makes the perfect breakfast on a hurried morning! 

                                                                                                                                 ~Nutmeg

Breakfast Apple Cake

Our family eats cake for breakfast.  That's right; CAKE.  Sometimes we eat pie for breakfast too, but that is another story...

We  celebrated the first days of autumn by going apple picking.  There are few things more inspiring than a few bushels of apples gracing your kitchen countertop!  For today's recipe, I wanted something not-too-sweet so that we could enjoy it at breakfast time.

To be clear, this recipe is not a coffee cake, nor is it a "cake" cake.  It's just a nice, moist hand cake chock full of apple-y goodness.

Breakfast Apple Cake

2 Tbs. butter (or refined sunflower oil for dairy free)

1/2 cup sugar

2-3 eggs (3 if you really want to use up some eggs!)

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. each, nutmeg and ginger

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 cup flour (I used 1/2 whole white wheat)

3 cups diced apples (about 3 apples)

1/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 350*F.  Grease an 8x8 baking pan (or line bottom with parchment).  In a medium mixing bowl, cream, butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla;  stir in dry ingredients.  Fold in apples and pecans.  Mix until apples are covered and mixture becomes moist.  Bake for 35-40 minutes.

Isn't that easy?  Now there's no excuse not to whip this up for breakfast tomorrow.  Enjoy!

Homemade Caramel Apples

Hello, everyone! I hope you are all enjoying the fall weather! I have personally only had a caramel apple once, and I loved it. Every time I see them in candy shops or in the store, my mouth always waters. To me, caramel apples speak autumn. I mean, apples and caramel...how much better can you get? I came up with this recipe, and I love it. They taste amazing. Enjoy! 

Homemade Caramel Apples

1 bag caramel bits (or caramel chips)

2 Tablespoons water

3 granny smith apples

Butterfinger crumbs, or candy of your choice

3 Popsicle sticks or wooden skewers 

Put a sheet of wax paper or parchment paper on a plate, and lightly spray it with non-stick cooking spray. Push the sticks into the center of the apples. Set aside. 

In a microwaveable bowl, combine the caramel bits and the water. Microwave them for about 2 minutes, or until smooth, stopping every thirty seconds to stir. 

Dip each of the apples into the caramel, making sure it is evenly coated. Turn it above the bowl to let the excess drip off. Roll it in the candy of your choice, then place it carefully on the plate. Don't let it tip over! Set it in the refrigerator for an hour, or until set. So yummy!! 

These apples were amazing. I think they would be great with M&Ms, Reese's Pieces, or even sprinkles! They were very simple to make, and it was very mess-free. Try them out and let us know how you liked them! 

                                                                 ~Nutmeg