Praline Turtle Cake

Ingredients:

1/2 cup(s) butter
1 cup(s) brown sugar
1 can(s) (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 cup(s) chopped pecans
2 cup(s) all-purpose flour
3/4 cup(s) unsweetened cocoa
2 cup(s) granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon(s) baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon(s) baking soda
1 teaspoon(s) salt
2 large 2 large eggs
1 cup(s) sour cream
1/2 cup(s) canola oil
1 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
1 teaspoon(s) white vinegar
1/2 cup(s) fudge topping
1/2 cup(s) chocolate chips, melted

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Directions

1.Make the cake: Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottoms of two 9-inch round cake pans and fit a circle of parchment paper large enough to cover 1 inch up the side of each cake pan. Heat the butter, brown sugar, and sweetened condensed milk in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat until the butter melts and the sugar is dissolved. Do not boil. Divide the sugar mixture between the prepared pans. Sprinkle 3/4 cup pecans over sugar mixture and set aside to cool. Combine the flour, cocoa, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Add the eggs, sour cream, oil, vanilla, and vinegar, and 1 cup hot water and mix with a wooden spoon until the batter is smooth. Pour the batter into the cake pans -- over sugar mixture -- and bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the cake center comes out clean -- 35 to 40 minutes. Cool cakes in the pans for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pans and turn cakes out onto a cooling rack. Remove the paper and cool completely.
2.Assemble the cake: Spread the fudge topping over the sugar mixture side of one cake layer. Place the second layer over the first and drizzle with the melted chocolate and the remaining 1/4 cup pecans. Frost the cake sides with your favorite chocolate icing.

Spiced-up Healthy Soup

14 Servings
Prep: 15 min. Cook: 40 min.

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, chopped
1/3 cup medium pearl barley
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons canola oil
5 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) Reduced-Sodium Chicken Broth
2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)
1 cup dried lentils, rinsed
1 jar (16 ounces) picante sauce
1 can (15 ounces) garbanzo beans or chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro or parsley
8 cups chopped fresh spinach
Directions
In a Dutch oven, saute onion and barley in oil until onion is tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add the broth, chicken and lentils; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove chicken and set aside.
Add the picante sauce, garbanzo beans and cilantro to soup; cover and simmer 10 minutes longer or until barley and lentils are tender.
Shred chicken with two forks. Add spinach and chicken to soup. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until spinach is wilted. Yield: 14 servings (3-1/2 quarts).

Thick Cut Out Cookies

1 c. butter
1 c. sugar
1 egg
1 T. milk
3 c. flour
1 1/2 t. vanilla
3/4 t. baking powder

Icing:
1 T. butter
1 t. vanilla
2 1/2 c. powdered sugar
3 T. milk

Beat butter and sugar until light in color, next add everything except the flour and mix well. Gradually add the flour, beating until it starts to form a ball. Split in half; wrap in waxed paper, refrigerate for 2 hours. Roll out with powdered sugar on surface to about 1/4 inch thick. Bake for 10 min. at 375 on parchment paper lined baking sheet. Rotate the halfway through baking.

This is from Angela, the perfect cookie baker. :-)
Hers are SO good. I love, love to eat them. I HATE making them!
My husband loves them, too.

Skinny Minnie Tortilla Soup

Skinny Minnie Tortilla Soup



(1) 16-oz can fat-free refried beans

(1) 14.5-oz can low-fat chicken broth

5 oz Chicken, cooked and diced

(1) 11-oz can whole kernel corn, with liquid

(1) 15.5-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

3/4 cup Salsa

2 cups Light Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese, divided

Low-fat or baked tortilla chips



Combine first six ingredients in a 3-quart pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring until the refried beans are completely mixed with the other ingredients. Turn down the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1 cup of the cheese, and stir until melted. Remove from heat. Crumble 3 to 4 chips in bottom of each serving bowl. Ladle soup over chips, and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Garnish with fat-free sour cream, if desired.

Makes 8 servings

Chocolate Pecan Pie

1 c. sugar
1/4 c. flour
1/3 c. cocoa powder
1/2 t. salt
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 c. butter, melted
3/4 c. dark corn syrup
3/4 c. cream or evaporated milk
1 t. vanilla
1 c. pecans (you may use more, if desired)
1 9-in. pie shell, unbaked

Sift together dry ingredients. Combine eggs, butter, syrup, cream, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients to mixture and blend well. Add pecans. Pour into pie shell. Bake at 425 for 40 min. (it sets up as it cools so it may seem a little underdone when you remove from oven)

Ricotta Mini Cakes

2-1/4 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 c unsalted butter,softened
1 c sugar
1 egg
1c ricotta cheese
1 tsp vanilla

Glaze:
2 c confectioners sugar
3 T. milk
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Cookies:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray. Whisk flour,baking powder,baking soda and salt together.
Beat butter and granulated sugar together till blended. Add egg,ricotta and vanilla,beating until combined.
On low speed,add flour mixture and beat till blended. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto prepared pans. Bake for 14 mins or until lightly browned around edges. Let cool on sheets 3 mins.,then remove to rack to cool completely.

Glaze: Beat conf. sugar and milk together until well blended. Dip tops of cookies into glaze and set aside until glaze is hardened, if you can resist that long.

One Pan Brownies

2 (1 0z.) squares unsweetened chocolate
1/2 c. butter (1 stick)
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1/2 c. flour
1/8 t. salt
1 t. vanilla

Spray 8 inch square pan with cooking spray; set aside. Melt butter and chocolate over low heat. Remove from heat and add sugar. Beat in eggs; add flour, salt, and vanilla. Pour into greased pan. Bake at 350 for 25 min. While brownies are cooling, make frosting.

Frosting: Melt a additional square unsweetened baking chocolate with 2 T. butter in saucepan. Remove from heat; blend in 1 1/2 c. powdered sugar and 2 T. hot water with wire whisk until very creamy. Add 1 t. vanilla and spread over cooled brownies.

Turtle Pretzel Sticks

1 bag caramels -- (14 oz.)
2 teaspoons water
Nonstick cooking spray
1 bag pretzel rods -- (10-ounce)
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (I like to use milk
chocolate)
2 teaspoons vegetable shortening (not butter)
1 cup very finely chopped pecans

Unwrap caramels and place in a 2-cup glass measuring cup. Add water. Microwave on High (100 percent) power 2 to 3 minutes, stirring every minute, until caramels are melted and smooth. (For ease of stirring, coat spoon with cooking spray.)

Coat a sheet of foil with cooking spray. Dip half of each pretzel into hot caramel; twirl to coat. Let excess drip from pretzel, and then place on coated foil.

Place chocolate chips and shortening in a clean 2-cup glass-measuring cup. Microwave on High for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes or until shortening melts, stirring after 1 minute. Stir until chocolate melts. Dip caramel- coated end of pretzel sticks in chocolate; roll tips in nuts. Refrigerate immediately. Remove from refrigerator about 10 minutes before serving.

Yield: 24 pretzel sticks.

These make a wonderful treat to give to your guests if you have a Christmas party. Put them in a clear bag (approved for food) and close with a Christmas ribbon or colorful twist tie.

Apple Dapple Cake

Ingredients
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups diced apple without peel
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts

Glaze (optional)
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup milk

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour one 10 inch tube pan.
2.Combine oil, butter or margarine, and sugar together. Beat well with a mixer. Add eggs, flour, baking soda, salt, and vanilla; mix well. Stir in apples, coconut, raisins, and walnuts. Pour batter in prepared pan.
3.Bake for 90 minutes. Remove cake from oven. Let it cool in the pan for a few minutes, and then remove from pan.
4.If desired, make glaze. In a small saucepan, heat brown sugar, butter or margarine, and milk. Bring mixture to boil, and stir for 1 minute. Pour over warm cake.

Golden Chocolate Cake

Ingredients
1 package (18-1/4 ounces) yellow cake mix
1 package (3.4 ounces) instant vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup water
3 milk chocolate candy bars (1.55 ounces each), chopped
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup flaked coconut
Confectioners' sugar, optional
Directions
In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, sour cream, oil and water; beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes. Stir in candy bars, chocolate chips, nuts and coconut.
Pour into a greased and floured 10-in. fluted tube pan. Bake at 350° for 60-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
Cool in pan 15 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Chill before slicing. Dust with confectioners' sugar if desired. Yield: 12 servings.
If you omit dusting with sugar, you can use the following to glaze.

Glaze
3 T. butter, melted
2 1/4 c. conf. sugar
3 T. water or milk
1 1/2 t. vanilla
Mix together and pour over cake.

This recipe was given to me by Lois Ring. SO delicious!