Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

Enjoy with a tall glass of milk!


For 3 round layers:..............Regular Recipe:

4 ½..............................3 cups flour
3................................2 cups sugar
2 ¼..............................1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
1 ½..............................1 teaspoon salt
3................................2 teaspoons vanilla
9................................6 Tablespoons baking cocoa powder
4 ½..............................3 Tablespoons white vinegar
¾ cup............................¾ cup vegetable oil
3................................2 cups water

Bake in 9x13 pan (or 2-3 round pans) for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Make sure a toothpick comes out clean from the middle of the cake. Yes the above recipe is correct in that it has NO eggs. ;)


Frosting (double recipe for a layer cake)

1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
5 Tablespoons soft butter
¾ teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup heavy cream

Whip it all together and frost the cake.

When making a layer cake, I take mini Reese’s cups and chop them up and put between the layers. I also cut them in half and use them to decorate the cake.

Sun-dried Tomato & Sausage Risotto

My 6 year old declared this the best meal ever and gave it a rank of 100 on a 0-10 scale. I'm NOT a huge fan of microwave cooking, but in a time crunch it works. I'm sure you could cook the rice and onion the traditional way.

Adapted from the Spring/Summer 2009 version of Pampered Chef's Season's Best Recipe Collection

1/2 cup EVOO-packed sun-dried tomatoes
1 medium onion
3 garlic cloves, pressed
1 cup Arborio rice (check the Italian/Ethnic section of your grocery)
1 tbsp olive oil
3 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 oz grated fresh romano cheese (about 1/2 cup)
2 links sweet Italian sausage
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Additional grated fresh Parmesan cheese and finely chopped fresh parsley (optional)



Drain tomatoes using small Colander. Slice tomatoes; set aside. Finely chop onion. Combine onion, pressed garlic, rice and oil in glass casserole dish; spread mixture evenly over bottom. Cover with Parchment Paper and microwave on HIGH 2-4 minutes or until onion is translucent, stirring every 2 minutes. Stir in broth; microwave 9-10 minutes or until broth begins to simmer. Stir in tomatoes; microwave 7-9 minutes or just until rice is tender and mixture is creamy.


Meanwhile, grate cheese and set aside. Remove casings from sausage. Cut sausage in half lengthwise, then crosswise into 1/2-in. (1-cm) nuggets. Place into (10-inch skillet; cook over medium heat 8-10 minutes or until browned and cooked through. Remove from heat and drain.


Carefully remove dish from microwave. Stir in cooked sausage, cheese and parsley, if desired. Serve risotto with additional grated fresh Parmesan cheese and parsley, if desired.



Yield: 4 servings


Per serving: Calories 490, Total Fat 27 g, Saturated Fat 9 g, Cholesterol 55 mg, Carbohydrate 46 g, Protein 20 g, Sodium 1210 mg, Fiber 1 g

Double Broccoli Quinoa

In the world of grains, quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is a winner. It is easy to cook (similar to rice but much faster), has the nutritional benefits of being a whole grain, and is even a complete protein (most grains are missing a couple of the essential amino acids, which means that while they are good protein sources, you need to ensure you are eating foods with complementary amino acids to get everything you need. For example, rice and beans are a perfect combination because the beans include amino acids that rice lacks).
Our dear friend, MaryAnn made this for us while we were recently visiting Long Island.

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked quinoa*
5 cups raw broccoli, cut into small florets and stems
3 medium garlic cloves
2/3 cup toasted almonds
1/3 cup freshly grated romano cheese
2 big pinches salt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup milk

Optional toppings: sliced avocado-- we LOVE avocado, so we put two in. You could also add crumbled feta cheese

Directions:
Heat the quinoa and set aside. Now barely cook the broccoli by pouring 3/4 cup water into a large pot and bringing it to a simmer. Add a big pinch of salt and stir in the broccoli. Cover and cook for a minute, just long enough to take the raw edge off. Transfer the broccoli to a strainer and run under cold water until it stops cooking. Set aside.

To make the broccoli pesto puree two cups of the cooked broccoli, the garlic, 1/2 cup of the almonds, Parmesan, salt, and lemon juice in a food processor. Drizzle in the olive oil and cream and pulse until smooth.

Just before serving, toss the quinoa and remaining broccoli florets with about 1/2 of the broccoli pesto. Taste and adjust if needed, you might want to add more of the pest a bit at a time, or you might want a bit more salt or an added squeeze of lemon juice. Turn out onto a serving platter and top with the remaining almondsnand some sliced avocado or any of the other optional toppings.
Serves 4 - 6.

*To cook quinoa: rinse one cup of quinoa in a fine-meshed strainer. In a medium saucepan heat the quinoa, two cups of water (or broth if you like), and a few big pinches of salt until boiling. Reduce heat and simmer until water is absorbed and quinoa fluffs up, about 15 minutes. Quinoa is done when you can see the curlique in each grain, and it is tender with a bit of pop to each bite. Drain any extra water and set aside.
Adapted from : 101 cookbooks

Raisin, Date & Pecan Granola

Much more economical than store-bought granola cereal... and yummier too! My boys love this for breakfast with a little greek yogurt and fresh fruit.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter



• 1/2 cup maple syrup (or honey or any other natural sweetener)



• 4 cups whole oats



• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon



• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt



• 1/2 cup raisins



• 1/4 cup dates



• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300. Melt butter in microwave and mix in maple syrup. Combine all other ingredients (except dates) in a large bowl. Pour the liquid into it and mix well. Spread the mixture onto a cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes, stirring half way through. It should begin to turn a golden brown color. When cool, add in dates and store in an air tight container.

(Adapted from a recipe shared by Lisa York)