Chocolate Swirl Delight

It's CHOCOLATE WEEK at The Better Baker!

"There are four basic food groups: milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, and chocolate truffles." - Anonymous

All 3 recipes I'm sharing this week have been in my drafts since the end of July when I enjoyed time with two of my granddaughters here for a fun Play Date at Nana's.  It's time to share!

My granddaughters, Charlie, 12, and Chloe, 10, made this lovely dessert and then they got to take it home so I didn't get to eat any of it, but it wasn't difficult to figure it was an amazing dessert.

It is a very simple 4-ingredient recipe, but let me tell you..it's also VERY elegant.

Swiss Cake roll slices line the springform pan and then it's filled with chocolate pudding, topped with whipped topping and chocolate bits!

HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY GO WRONG???

SEE WHAT I MEAN?????

This is all there is to it....

(What sweet girls too!)

CHOCOLATE SWIRL DELIGHT

(From The Better Baker and Taste of Home)

1 pkg. (13 ozs) Swiss Cake Rolls

2-3/4 c. cold milk

2 pkg. (3.9 ozs each) instant chocolate fudge pudding mix

2 c. whipped topping

Cut each cake roll into eight slices; set aside any chocolate coating that separates from rolls for garnish. Line a 9-in. springform pan with cake slices, completely covering the bottom and sides.

In a small bowl, whisk milk and pudding mixes for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set.  Pour over cake.  Spread with whipped topping; sprinkle with any reserved chocolate coating.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. 

Yield: 12 servings

TIP:  I sprayed the springform pan with cooking spray, then lightly wiped it out with a paper towel before adding cake slices. They did not stick.

We also shaved (using a potato peeler) half a candy bar to add to the sprinkles on top.

Linked to Totally Tasty Tuesday

Oriental Cabbage Salad

HAPPY FIRST DAY OF AUTUMN! 

And WELCOME
to my new followers - I'm so glad you are here...

Here's another cabbage recipe to use up that yummy vegetable so readily available this time of year....

Isn't it fun to connect with other bloggers and your fans?

I LOVE IT!

This recipe came from one of my fans, Linda Silvernail, who lives

in my state.  We hope to meet face to face one day.

Since she follows my blog, she sweetly shared some of her

own favorite recipes with me. 

And I'm SO glad she did!

This recipe is delicious and I was amazed how well it kept in the fridge too!

Even though the cabbage I used was a little older, and lacked some color, it was very tasty just the same.

I've eaten varieties of oriental salad, but had never made it myself, and was very pleased when hubby wanted MORE. 

This is very yummy my friends - you'll want to try it. This version has apples in it too!

Oriental Cabbage Salad

1/2 head of medium size cabbage- chopped

1 package of CHICKEN Ramen Noodles- noodles broken, save seasoning packet

4 chopped green onions with tops

3 chopped apples (Linda suggests Granny apples, I used Gala)

1/3 cup slivered or diced almonds, optional

(Linda said she added some honey roasted peanuts when serving - MMM!)

Toss the above ingredients together.

Mix seasoning packet from the CHICKEN Ramen Noodles with

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp salt

3 T. sugar

1/2 cup oil

3 T. cider vinegar

Put these ingredients in a shaker. Mix well, pour over the salad. Makes a large amount and keeps well in the refrigerator.

Linked to Fit & Fabulous Friday
Eat at Home: Ingredient Spotlight

Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce

Ya gotta love it!

Cook the sauce all day long and have a lovely meal at the end of the day! How wonderful to know dinner will be just about ready with little fuss, especially for busy moms.

I was so tickled to find this recipe at Cooking with Libby. Her blog was one of the first I began following and she keeps me interested with amazing and wonderful recipes like this one!

And her photos!  WOW!  Just mouth-watering!

I have so enjoyed getting to know her better as we are co-bloggers at Ccuntry Cooks Across America. We are definitely sisters of the heart...especially in the kitchen!

Spaghetti is definitely the most repeated dish in my kitchen. 

For my hubby, it is a beloved dish!

I make it for Sunday dinner, and he's happy to eat leftovers every day for the week ahead. 

Yep - He's a keeper for sure. *-* (I've kept him for nearly 44 years!)

 (I made breadsticks from hot dog buns to enjoy with this)

Libby even gives options for freezing the sauce.  I did freeze some because this recipe makes plenty to enjoy later on.

I tweaked it a tad, using what I had, so I'll share my substitutes..

SLOW COOKER SPAGHETTI SAUCE

5 links of mild, Italian sausage and/or 1# ground beef

(I used a little more beef)

1 med. onion, chopped

1 sm. green pepper, chopped (optional)

2 garlic cloves, crushed or minced

29 ozs. can crushed tomatoes OR whole tomatoes, chopped, drained (I used Italian seasoned tomatoes!)

1 -15 oz. can tomato sauce 

(I used a can of tomato soup)

1 -12 ozs. can tomato paste

1/3 c. sugar (I used splenda)

1 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. black pepper (I used more)

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes, optional

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

1/2 jar of spaghetti sauce or marinara (any kind, any flavor)

(I used garlic & herb and used the whole jar)

Brown sausage links and/or ground beef in frying pan over medium heat until brown. Using the same pan, add onions, peppers and garlic. Cook until onions are transparent and peppers are soft.

Place the meat/onion mixture into the slow cooker.  Combine the rest of the ingredients in the slow cooker until well mixed.

Cook on low, 8 - 10 hours or on high 4 - 6 hours.

Serve over vermicelli or spaghetti noodles and top with parmesan cheese.

Linked to Whatcha Crockin' Wednesday

Cream Cheese Coffee Cake - YEH Baby!

OH.MY.GOODNESS! This is revised version of an older recipe and is definitely one of my all-time favorites - ever! 

I hope your family will enjoy it as much as ours does.

We have enjoyed this for family brunches and for ladies meetings at church also.

When my friend Lois and I took our first bites of this coffee cake when it was served at church, we looked at each other and we both said "I need this recipe!"

You know it's gotta be good!

If you love cream cheese...and crescent rolls too...like I do...try it, you'll like it! It is mighty delicious!

Such an excellent combination!!

A good friend reminded me that you can also add pie filling on top of the cream cheese, before adding the top crust...or fresh blueberries or apples!

Try it - you'll love it!

(In this photo, I added fresh blueberries to one side of the coffee cake, 
peach pie filling to the other!)

CREAM CHEESE COFFEE CAKE

2-8 ozs. pkg. crescent rolls (they make a whole sheet now you know=)

2-8 ozs. blocks cream cheese, softened

1-1/2 cup sugar, divided

1 egg, separated

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 cup chopped nuts

 

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9" X 13" X 2" baking dish, lightly with cooking spray. Spread first tube of rolls in bottom of pan, sealing perforations. Beat cream cheese together with 1 cup sugar, egg yolk and vanilla. Spread evenly over base.

Spread second tube of rolls evenly over cream cheese mixture, sealing edges to pan. Mix remaining 1/2 cup sugar, cinnamon and nuts. Beat egg white slightly and brush evenly over rolls. Sprinkle with sugar-cinnamon-nut mixture and bake 30 - 35 minutes. Serve warm.

Can be made a day ahead and refrigerated overnight.

 

GOBBLE! SWOON! MMM!  AAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!

Linked to Totally Tasty Tuesday
           Tea Party Tuesday
             Wonka Wednesday
            Ingredient Spotlight
          Recipe of the Week

 

In Memory of my Dear Mother - Sweet Recipes for Life

In honor of my precious mom's birthday (Marie I. King would have been 88 on Sept. 18) I'm sharing these sweet thoughts.  Mom went to her Heavenly Home after developing blood clots in her lungs post-- knee replacement surgery.  She was only 64). Everyone in our family refers to her as a saint. She was one in a million for sure.

(And as a sidenote...I didn't mention my dad's recent birthday earlier this month.  We 4 siblings and families got together to help dad celebrate his 86th.  We are so thankful for his steadfast and unconditional love for his family and his Savior.  A good friend bought him this hat to wear while he opened gifts...too funny!)

Mom's Recipe for Love

Take a cup or two of laughter,
And a pinch of good advice.
Pour in patience by the bowlfull,
Then stir it once or twice.
Fold in lots of hugs and kisses,
And a mother's gentle care.
Cook until it's nice and warm,
And spread it everywhere.

~T. Speer

Recipe for life . . .

Ingredients:

1 part of knowing who you are
1 part of knowing who you aren't
1 part of knowing what you want
1 part of knowing who you wish to be
1 part of knowing what you already have
1 part of choosing wisely from what you have
1 part of loving & thanking for ALL you have

Instructions:

Combine ingredients together gently and carefully, using faith and vision. Mix together with strong belief of the outcome until finely blended. Use thoughts, words and actions for best results. Bake until Blessed.

Yield: Unlimited servings

~ Author Unknown

Pastor Chuck Swindoll says, "As significant as political, military, educational or religious figures may be, none compare to the impact made by mothers. Their words are never fully forgotten, their touch leaves an indelible impression… the memory of their presence lasts a lifetime. I ask you, who else has that kind of influence?"

Happy September Birthdays to my Mom & Dad!!