Chocolate Pudding Fudge Cake

This creation evolved from both my husband and I wanting some good chocolate cake out of the blue. After trying a recipe we didn't really care for, we ended up combining things we liked from a couple different recipes together and adding and minus-ing a few little ingredients a long the way. We also made chocolate frosting to top it off but it's really good even without it. Enjoy!

2 cups flour

2 1/4 cups sugar

3/4 cup cocoa

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 (3.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix

1 cup sour cream

1 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup water

4 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan or baking pan of your choice. (I made a 13x9 inch cake and cupcakes from this same batch, so it turns out a little larger than one 13x9 inch cake.

2. In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients and mix until well blended. Add the sour cream, milk, oil, water, eggs and vanilla. Beat on medium-high speed for 4 minutes. Mix in the chocolate chips until evenly incorporated.

3. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in pan, or if using a Bundt pan, cook 10 minutes then turn onto a wire rack and cool completely.

Chocolate Frosting

1/2 cup butter

2/3 cup cocoa

4 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/3-1/2 cup half and half

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch of salt

In a large saucepan, melt together the butter and cocoa. Stir until smooth. Using a mixer, alternately beat in powdered sugar and milk until frosting is smooth and creamy. Stir in vanilla and salt.

Tirza Hellyar

Orzo Salad with Lemon, Feta and Pine Nuts

This salad is light and flavorful, really a perfect summer dish. Accompanies main dishes nicely including grilled chicken or fresh broiled fish. The grocery store was out of fresh basil the day I shopped for the ingredients so I used 2 teaspoons dried basil instead, although fresh basil tastes much better!

Serves 4

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, plus more as needed

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 cup orzo

1/4 cup pine nuts

1/4 cup golden raisins

3 tablespoons finely chopped pitted oil-cured black olives

3 tablespoons finely chopped red onion

1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil

2 ounces feta cheese, drained and crumbled

1. Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, the 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, the 1/8 teaspoon pepper, and the sugar in a small bowl. Set aside.

2. Fill a large pot three fourths full of water. Bring to boil over high heat and add kosher salt. (A good recommendation is 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt per quart of water.) Add the orzo and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender but still firm to the bite, 8-10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, put the pine nuts in a dry small skillet over medium-low heat. Shake constantly until evenly toasted on all sides, about 5 minutes.

4. Drain the orzo and transfer to a medium bowl. Add the dressing to the hot pasta and toss to coat. Let cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Add the pine nuts, Raisins, olives, red onion, and basil and stir to combine. Add the feta and toss lightly. Adjust the seasonings with more kosher salt and pepper as necessary.

Bride and Groom First and Forever Cookbook

Dutch Oven Sweet and Sour Chicken

While we were out camping over the weekend we tried out some dutch oven recipes. I actually forgot a few things including the rice to serve it over, but what's camping if you didn't forget something, right? I halved this recipe since it seemed a little large for the three of us. And even eating it without rice was great! All the recipes we tried were really good but this one especially. Brad insisted that I post it to share. And I think it would even be great making it on the stovetop so I plan on trying that out next.

Side-note: I ended up putting extra coals on top to speed up the cooking process since I am an impatient person, but I don't think it was necessary.

1 lb. bacon

6 chicken breasts, skinless/boneless

1 cup onion, diced

1/2 cup green pepper, diced

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

12 oz. ketchup

4-5 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 tablespoon season salt

1/2 tablespoon pepper

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup pineapple juice

1/4 cup bamboo shoots, drained

16 oz. pineapple tidbits, drained

1/2 tablespoon soy sauce

12’’ Oven

With 12 coals on bottom and 12 on top, add bacon and cook until done. Drain grease. Add chicken, onion, and green pepper. Cook together until chicken is done. Add Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, cornstarch, season salt, pepper, garlic powder, brown sugar and pineapple juice, bamboo shoots, pineapple tidbits and soy sauce. Mix in well. Cover and cook for 20 minutes. Uncover and let mixture simmer down until thick, stirring often. Serve over rice.