Taco Soup

* 1 pound ground turkey breast
* 1 pack of taco seasoning
* 1 pack of dry ranch dressing mix
* 1 onion, chopped
* cooking spray
* 2 cans of diced tomatoes (undrained)
* 1 can of Rotel tomatoes (undrained)
* 1 can of black beans (drained)
* 1 can of corn (drained)
* 1 can of pinto beans (drained)

Spray a large pot with cooking spray. Saute onions with meat, cook until browned and no longer pink. Add the taco seasoning and the dry ranch mix. Add the beans, corn, and tomatoes. Cook until completely warm. Makes 8 servings

You can serve the soup like this or top tortilla chips with the taco soup along with sour cream and some grated cheddar cheese.

Triple-Chocolate Cherry Cake

1 box chocolate fudge cake mix
1 can (21oz) cherry pie filling
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 bag (12 oz) miniature semisweet chocolate chips
1 container whipped chocolate frosting (or you can use coolwhip with instant chocolate pudding)

1.Heat Oven to 350 degrees. (325 for dark/nonstick) Grease and flour, or spray with baking spray.
2. In large bowl, gently mix dry cake mix, pie filling, eggs, and chocolate chips with rubber scraper. Break up any undissolved cake mix. Carefully spread in pan.
3. Bake 15x10x1 inch pan 25-30 minutes. 13x9 pan 35-40 minutes, or until toothpick inswerted in center comes out clean. Cool completely, about 1 hour. Frost with frosting if desired.

Yum!

Zucchini Tomato Bake

As We've been trying to eat healthier I've been struggling with ways to fit more vegetables into our diet. I've come across a wonderful combination. I've grown up with cooked zucchini & summer squash. I've added tomatoes on my own to it, but despite the salt my mother likes to add, it's still a bland sort of dish. Not this one though.Ingredients
* Zucchini
* tomato
* Mozzarella Cheese - Grated
* Basil
* Oregano
* Onion Powder
* Garlic Powder
* Pepper
* Parsley

350 degrees

Slice up zucchinis and tomatoes. Line Bottom of baking dish with all the zucchini. Sprinkle with each of the spices. Line tomatoes on top. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil, cover top with grated mozzarella and bake until cheese is melted.

*Note: I didn't put amount on because really it depends on if you like zucchinis and tomatoes at all. For a small 5x8 glass pan I've used 3 zucchinis 1 tomato and 1/2 cup mozzarella. For a large 9x13 pan I would use 7 zucchinis, 4 tomatoes, and 1.5 c mozzarella.

Serve hot.

You'll enjoy it I promise.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I absolutely LOVE cookies. I make them quite often, and test out a lot of different recipes. They are all essentially the same-yet the end result can be flavorfully different. I tried this recipe last week and it has become my favorite.

1 cup Butter/Margarine

1 cup packed Brown Sugar

1/2 cup Granulated Sugar

1 tsp. Vanilla

2 Eggs

2 Cups Flour

1/2 tsp Salt

2 tsp. Baking Powder

2 Cups Quick Oats

2 Cups Chocolate Chips (12 oz)

Preheat oven to 350 Far. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to creamed mixture. Blend thoroughly. Stir in oats and chocolate chips.  Drop onto ungreased cookie sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes.

Approx 3 Dozen Cookies

I don't suggest making this recipe without the oatmeal. It messes up the dough consistency if you do. 

Mini Moltens

It only seems appropriate to share my all time favorite recipe as the first post on here.* 1/2 Stick unsalted butter at room temperature
* 1/2 Cup sugar
* 12 ounces of bittersweet chocolate
* 4 Large eggs
* 1/3 Cup flour
* 1 Teaspoon vanilla
* 1 pinch of salt
* 6 ramekins (ceramic molds) approx. 6-ounces in size, lined with parchment paper

1) Prepare the ramekins that you'll bake the moltens in: butter them and line the bottom with parchment. This step will insure that the moltens will ease out of the ramekin molds after baking.

2) To start melt the chocolate because it needs a chance to cool before you add it to the rest of the ingredients. To melt the chocolate start by boiling a pot that has about 3-4 inches of water in it - you want there to be enough water so that it won't evaporate quickly but you also want to be able to rest a glass or metal bowl over the pot without the bottom of the bowl coming in direct contact with the water. The idea is to melt the chocolate with indirect heat, i.e. the steam from the water. Once the water comes to a boil turn down the heat to medium and place a glass or metal bowl over it and add the chocolate to the bowl. If using bars of chocolate break them into small pieces so that they will melt faster. Once the chocolate melts take off the heat and and allow to cool. I find Ghirardelli's bittersweet chocolate works well in this recipe and their bars come in 4 oz. size so you need exactly 3 of them.

3) Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl while the chocolate cools, just use a spoon to stir them together until totally incorporated. Then add one egg at a time and beat into the mixture. Once you've added all 4 eggs add a pinch of salt and the vanilla extract. The next step is adding the flour. And finally, mix in the melted chocolate.

4) Fill the ramekins with the batter evenly. You can either cover them with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you're ready to bake them or you can bake them immediately. If you cook them immediately bake for 10-12 minutes at 400F. If refrigerating them bake for 12-14 minutes at 400F. I recommend serving with your favorite vanilla ice cream.

Note: To more easily remove the moltens from their ramekins after they've baked, gently slide a knife around them to loosen and flip onto a plate.