2 Ingredient Chocolate Cola Cake

Ok-I finally decided to try this recipe. This Coronavirus has me taking a thorough and creative look at my pantry. I had a chocolate cake mix I needed to use and a couple mini cans of Coke I’ll never drink. I looked up recipes and reviews and decided to go for it. Now-it’s technically a 3 ingredient cake because, according to the reviews, adding the eggs gives it structure (definitely true). The cake turned out great even at 6400 ft elevation. But-don’t stop there. By itself, the cake is “meh”. But add homemade chocolate frosting-wowsers! [Be sure to sift the frosting ingredients].

The recipe is literally a box cake, 12oz of cola (or diet) and 3 eggs. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

Here is the link to the chocolate frosting. [I used Hershey’s Dark cocoa]

https://images.media-allrecipes.com/userphotos/720x405/7818822.jpg

Zucchini Crust Pizza

I know I've posted something similar in the past, but this one is definitely a keeper especially with the need to conserve flour lately. It's also Keto friendly, but I ended up using 1/2 cup of regular flour because I didn't have coconut flour (which is said to be the most absorbative to handle the wetness of zucchini). It only takes 2 cups of zucchini, but takes 3 eggs-so make sure you're willing to use up your eggs for this one. It also takes 16oz of shredded mozerella, but we are well supplied with our cheeses (did you know they freeze well?). :)  For the toppings, I actually used 3 cheese spaghetti sauce and chicken, mushroom and onion. For the crust, I also sprinkled semolina on the pan and preheated a stone pizza pan in advance. It take about an hour and 15 minutes if you follow the steps of pre-heat (30min), crust bake (20min)  then the pizza itself (20min). So worth it! Zucchini grows like wildfire here in Colorado, so I have a feeling, I'll hold on to this recipe and keep making it over and over in the next few months. [I've already made it twice in 2 weeks!]

https://www.wholesomeyum.com/zucchini-pizza-crust-recipe-low-carb/

Pistachio Pineapple Dessert

So I had Pistachio pudding that needed used up and St. Patty's day was this week, so what a perfect time to make a green dessert! I actually skipped the cookie crumble step and just made the pudding mix. The addition of pineapple, lime and cream cheese was exactly what this needed. So tangy and delicious! It was hard not to eat the entire thing in one night!

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/pistachio-pineapple-dessert-1970610

Baked Corned Beef and Cabbage

Wow what a week! Coronavirus is turning everything upside down. The positive is that I've had more time to get back in the kitchen and type up the recipes I've been trying. This week was St. Patrick's day, so I managed to snag a brisket from the grocery store and cook up some corned beef and cabbage in a 13x9 pan. It was sooooo yummy! I know I have a splash of Irish in my genetics and I can't get enough potatoes and cabbage in my diet. One word of caution-don't add salt if you buy pre-seasoned corned beef. It is already plenty salty enough in the end. [I ended up having to add rice on day 2 for a Corned Beef, Cabbage and Rice stew in the crockpot-so good!] I will post the Pistachio Pineapple Dessert I made to go with it separately.

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/27024/baked-corned-beef-and-cabbage/

Blueberry Apple Pie

Happy “pie” day. I actually made this one a few days ago, inspired by my trip to the Pagosa Springs  Bakery. The hubby loves blueberry and who doesn’t like apple? I also, for the first time used an old fashioned crust recipe that uses shortening (I use butter flavored Crisco). The hubby said it was the best crust he’s ever had. I’m posting the recipe I used from the internet for the basic ingredients but I made a few changes. I used one Granny Smith and one pink lady apple. I also used tapioca instead of cornstarch.

My mom was the true pie queen. Happy to bake such a delicious pie in one of her dishes. <3

Attached is my picture before we devoured it!

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sunny-anderson/simple-blueberry-apple-pie-recipe-2014863

Rigatoni Pie

The hubby bought rigatoni noodles so I decided to take this opportunity to see if Rigatoni Pie was worth the video hype. First I read a few reviews then went to YouTube and found Jeannette from Rachel Ray. She has a whole series about testing internet recipes (cauliflower grilled cheese was hilarious). Just type #jeanettedoesthiswork in the search field on YouTube and you’ll get hooked. I definitely recommend watching the Rigatoni Pie one before attempting to make it on your own.

My version: I left out the ricotta and made my meat sauce a little thinner so that the flavor got down into the pasta. I also made extra meat sauce to go with it since it’s a lot of pasta. As Jeannette said: the cheese and meat sauce are basically “pasta frosting”. Definitely agree with cooking al dente. Don’t use a 10” cheesecake pan, it’s way too big. I used a 9” cheesecake/springform and it worked great! Definitely put a cookie sheet underneath and parchment paper. It pretty much looked just like Jeannette’s including falling apart when serving, lol. I would probably serve it as a centerpiece but definitely add extra sauce when serving.

https://www.rachaelrayshow.com/rigatonipie