Paula Deen's Hot Fudge Sauce

This is the Mauck family's new obsession, as Diane has recently gotten hooked on all things Paula Deen, and made several batches of this delectable, addictive sauce for her kids. Paula serves it on homemade chocolate cake, but we keep a jar in the fridge and heat some up and spoon it on top of vanilla ice cream about every other night!

1 (4-ounce) bar German chocolate
1/2-ounce unsweetened chocolate
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter
3 cups powdered sugar
1 2/3 cups evaporated milk
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla

Melt the 2 chocolates with the butter in a saucepan over very low heat. Stir in the powdered sugar, alternating with evaporated milk and blending well. Stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer until the mixture becomes thick and creamy, about 8 minutes. Stir in the vanilla. Serve slices of cake topped with warm fudge sauce.

Homemade Hamburger Helper!

I make this meal once every couple weeks, or whenever I have about a cup of cooked hamburger meat in the fridge or freezer, and only about 20mins to have dinner on the table.

1 cup cooked hamburger meat
1 cup uncooked rotini or elbow macaroni noodles
1 cup spaghetti sauce
1 cup hot water
1/4 t. minced garlic
1/4 t. oregeno
Salt and pepper to taste
A couple handfuls of sharp cheddar cheese

Combine all but cheese in a large skillet. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 10-12 minutes or until noodles are tender. Remove from heat, sprinkle cheese on top, cover until cheese is melted.

Serve with a green veggie and some bread, and voila! Meal in less than Rachel Ray's 30 minutes!

Coconut Cream Angel Cake

I honestly did not get a single bite of this dessert, but that is GREAT when it's the dessert I take to a church lunch! Ask Jay: As ridiculous as it might sound, I judge myself based on how many servings are taken out of my potluck dishes. A wiped-clean dish after a church meal makes for a happy me, and that was the case yesterday with this dessert! I think I know the secret to making a hit dessert for our church though: pies, pudding-type desserts, and anything that resembles a coconut cream pie. This dessert incorporates a little of all of them, but is way easier than a coconut cream pie. I would even compare it to a coconut cream bread pudding, as the angel food cake kind of soaks up the pudding/ice cream combination.

Coconut Cream Angel Cake


INGREDIENTS

1 prepared angel food cake (8 inches), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1-1/2 cups cold milk
2 packages (3.4 ounces each) instant coconut cream pudding mix
1 quart vanilla ice cream, softened
1 carton (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
1/4 cup flaked coconut, toasted

DIRECTIONS
Place cake cubes in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. dish. In a mixing bowl, beat milk and pudding mixes on low speed for 2 minutes. Add ice cream; beat on low just until combined. Spoon over cake cubes. Spread with whipped topping; sprinkle with coconut. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 12-15 servings.

Let the freezer cooking begin!

I am going to do something different for when the new baby comes. I hope to have my freezer stocked with meals ready to thaw and heat. I have a wonderful friend that works full time with 3 kids and she does this monthly. I am going to try to double recipes that I make over the next few months and freeze a portion to have when I don't have time to cook. Phylliese has some wonderful recipes that she let me borrow that work great for freezer cooking. The first one was a BIG hit.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Lasagna

makes 3- 8X8 pans
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 C. chicken broth
1 lb. lasagna noodles (no boil required kind)
1/2 lb. shredded ham
1 T. dried parsley

Sauce:
1 C. butter or margarine
3/4 C. flour
3 C. milk
2 C. heavy cream
1 1/2 C. chicken broth, reserved
1 C. grated parmesan cheese

Cook chicken in pot with 1/2 c. broth and enough water to cover breasts. Cool and cut into bite size pieces. Save broth.

Make sauce: melt butter or margarine. Add flour. Cook and stir slowly. Add milk, cream, and reserved broth. Cook until boiling, stirring constantly. Add cheese and parsley.

Grease 3 8X8 pans. Spread a little sauce in the bottom and layer noodles, sauce, chicken, and ham. Repeat 3 times ending in sauce. I sprinkled a little more parsley on the top for looks.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes covered. Uncover and bake 15 more minutes until bubbly.
Wrap tightly with press and seal and put into a 1 gallon freezer bag. Label with date and directions. Thaw frozen lasagna when ready and cook for 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees until bubbly. ENJOY!

Pecan-Crusted Salmon

I fix salmon about every week, and this recipe from Taste of Home's Quick Cooking (precursor to Simple & Delicious) is definitely a keeper! Easy enough to make for just Jay and I, but fancy enough to serve for company. The sweet AND savory coating with the rich pecan crunch is delicious!


Pecan-Crusted Salmon

From Quick Cooking

INGREDIENTS
4 salmon fillets (about 6 ounces each)
2 cups milk
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons seasoned salt
2 teaspoons pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS
Place salmon fillets in a large resealable plastic bag; add milk. Seal bag and turn to coat. Let stand for 10 minutes; drain. Meanwhile, in a shallow bowl, combine the pecans, flour, brown sugar, seasoned salt and pepper. Coat fillets with pecan mixture, gently pressing into the fish. In a large skillet, brown salmon in oil over medium-high heat. Transfer to a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan coated with nonstick cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 8-10 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Yield: 4 servings.