Tres Leche Cake

Equipment 9×13 metal baking dish Ingredients US Customary Metric 1x 2x 3x Cake: ▢1 cup all-purpose flour ▢1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder ▢1/4 teaspoon salt ▢5 large eggs , separated ▢1 cup granulated sugar , divided ▢1/3 cup whole milk ▢1 teaspoon vanilla extract Milk Mixture: ▢12 ounce can evaporated milk ▢14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk ▢1/4 cup whole milk Whipped Topping: ▢1 pint heavy whipping cream ▢3 Tablespoons powdered sugar ▢1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract ▢ground cinnamon , for topping Instructions Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Separate the eggs into two other mixing bowls. Add ¾ cup sugar to the bowl with the egg yolks and mix on high speed until yolks are pale yellow. Add ⅓ cup milk and vanilla and stir to combine. Pour the egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and stir gently just until combined (don't over-mix). Use electric beaters to beat the egg whites on high speed. As the begin to whip into stiff peaks, gradually mix in the remaining ¼ cup of sugar. Fold the stiffly beaten egg whites into the batter gently, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl, until combined. Pour batter into un-greased pan and smooth it into an even layer. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow cake to cool completely. Combine the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and whole milk in a small bowl. Once the cake has cooled use a fork to poke holes all over the top of the cake. Slowly pour the milk mixture over the the top of the cake, making sure to pour near the edges and all around. Refrigerate the cake for at least 1 hour or overnight, to allow it to soak up the milk. In the meantime, whip the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks. Smooth over the top of the cake. Sprinkle cinnamon on top. Serve with fresh sliced strawberries, if desired. Enjoy! Notes Store Tres Leches Cake in the refrigerator, covered, for 3-5 days. Make Ahead Instructions: You can make Tres leches cake 1-2 days in advance. In fact, I love to make this cake the night before so that the cake has a lot of time to soak up the milk mixture. Freezing Instructions: The baked and cooled cake can be frozen for up to 3 months, covered well. Thaw overnight in the fridge before pouring the three milks on top.

Mexican Street Corn Casserole

INGREDIENTS 40 oz bag frozen corn - thawed, or not thawed (see notes) 2/3 cup mayonnaise 2/3 cup sour cream - full fat or light is fine 2 teaspoons chili powder - divided 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 6 oz queso fresco - crumbled and divided 3 tablespoons cilantro - chopped fresh limes - optional, for spritzing at the end if desired, see notes EQUIPMENT 13″x9″ glass baking pan INSTRUCTIONS Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 13×9 with nonstick spray. In a large bowl stir the corn (can keep frozen or thaw it), Mayo, sour cream, 1 ½ tsp chili powder, garlic powder, salt, and 4 oz of the queso fresco. Pour in the pan, sprinkle the remaining chili powder on top and bake for 35-45 mins or until heated through and bubbly on the edges. Remove and top with the remaining cheese and cilantro. Serve warm. NOTES Corn: You can thaw the corn or bake it frozen (I didn’t notice a difference when I did it both ways). When frozen it’ll bake longer, around 40-45 minutes. Feel free to use fresh corn off the cob as well. Lime: Can add some lime juice and lime zest to the top if you’d like a punch of lime flavor!

Kathy's Egg Rolls

I have to confess, I don't know Kathy. My girls went to their first young women's activity and they made eggrolls. We loved the recipe, so I'm keeping it. Kathy is Kathy Pyne and that's all I know. 4 check breasts, cooked, shredded 2 cubes chicken bullion (or 2 tsp.) 2 Tbsp. olive oil 1 tsp. onion powder (or chopped chives) 2 Tbsp. fresh parsley 1/2 bell pepper, chopped salt and pepper to taste 1 bag shredded carrots 1 cup shredded cheese, optional 2 pkgs. egg rolls skins 1 bag shredded cabbage oil to fry egg rolls in This makes 40 egg rolls. This makes a lot for not much meat. Brown the chicken breasts in olive oil, chicken bullion, onion powder, parsley, 1/2 bell pepper and salt and pepper. Cut chicken up very small (shredded). Add the shredded carrots and cook until carrots are tender. (It just takes a few minutes.) Add shredded cheese after carrots are tender. Spoon the mixture onto the egg roll skins. Roll up and seal. After the egg rolls are all filled, heat the oil. (The oil should be about 1/2 an inch deep in the pan you are using.) Fry the egg rolls, turning once to brown the sides. Wehn skin is brown, they are done.

Street Corn Nachos

Cliss has been making chips with cheese on them. The basic recipe goes as follows:

Chips and Mexican cheese layered  and then sprinkled with the Street Corn seasoning with Lime.

Broil in oven until melted. Eat.

Here is another version of that.

INGREDIENTS

2 tbsp. 

extra-virgin olive oil

3 c. 

frozen corn

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 

jalapeño, seeded and minced

2 tbsp. 

lime juice, divided, plus wedges for serving

1/4 c. 

sour cream

2 tbsp. 

mayonnaise

1 

(9-oz.) package corn tortilla chips

2 1/2 c. 

shredded Monterey Jack

2 tbsp. 

crumbled cotija

2 tbsp. 

freshly chopped cilantro

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375°. In a large ovenproof skillet over high heat, heat oil. Add corn and season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing until just cooked through, about 2 minutes. Transfer corn to a large bowl and wipe the skillet. 

1. Stir in jalapeño and 1 tablespoon lime juice to the corn. In a small bowl, stir together sour cream, mayonnaise, and remaining tablespoon lime juice. Season with salt.
2. Layer tortilla chips and Monterey Jack in skillet. Bake until cheese is melty, about 5 minutes. 
3. Top broiled tortilla chips with corn mixture. Garnish with mayonnaise mixture, cotija, and cilantro.

Carne Asada

I had some requests to explain how to make this. It's pretty easy if you have the right ingredients, similar to a steak. This recipe was verbally given to me by my friend Fernando Morales Llan.

It is great for a BBQ, but you need to make completely different sides (beans, rice, etc.)

Here is what you need:
3-4 lbs of the Ranchero cut of meat
      *I usually get this from a Mexican Market. But if you don't have one, it is just flank steak thinly cut. About 1/2 an inch or slightly less.

Carne Steak and Meat Seasoning. I get this at the Mexican Market, but I've seen it at Walmart and Winco.

Directions:
I sprinkle the seasoning over the steak, covering it completely and let it marinate overnight.

The next day I grill the meat until it's cooked. Since it's so thin, it doesn't take long. I let it sit, for a bit, then I slice the meat and it's ready for tacos.

I serve it with Queso Fresco cheese (I get this at the Mexican Market deli.)

I also put salsa on it.

Mexican Fried Rice

From Elsa.

You should keep in mind the following guidelines:
1 clove garlic for every cup of rice
2 cups water for every cup of rice
1 Tbsp oil for every cup of rice
1 Tbsp chicken bouillon for every cup of rice
2 tsp salt for every cup of rice



The following recipe if for two cups of rice:

2 cloves garlic
1/2 white onion chopped
3 large chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup water

Place in blender and blend.

In pan cook on medium heat:
2 Tbsp oil and two cups of Jasmine rice. Stir constantly until rice reaches a nice golden brown color. About 15-20 minutes.

Then add:
4 cups of water
Blended Tomatoes
2 Tbsp. chicken Bouillon
2 tsp. salt
Bring to a boil, then cook the rice for ten minutes or until rice is mostly soft. (This took longer than ten minutes in the demonstration. More like 20.)

Refried Beans

This is a recipe from Elsa.

In a pressure cooker place:
1 clove garlic
1 cup beans
3 cups water
1 Tbsp Salt

--Cook in pressure cooker on high for one hour.

In a pan heat 5 Tbsp of Lard (can use olive oil)
If you would like peppers, tomatoes or onions to your beans, you should cook them in the lard now.

Add cooked beans to pan with lard. Doesn't have to be all the cooked beans. Cook and mash. The longer you let it cook on medium heat, the better it will taste.  Add bean water if you need wetter beans.

Salsa

This is Elsa's salsa recipe.

7 tomatoes (big round ones like beef steak, cooked in a skillet lined with tin foil until skin starts blackening.)
1 Arbol dried chili (more if you want more heat)
Scant 1 Tbsp. salt
Scant 1/4 cup water

-- Place in blender and blend.  Add diced cilantro and onion to taste when salsa is cooled.

Pressure Cooker Risotto

I have an Instant Pot, which is a combo pressure cooker, rice cooker, slow cooker, yogurt maker and more. It's been really fun playing with this new appliance. So if anyone is still reading this blog, I'm about to start putting pressure cooker recipes on here. Brace yourself.

This came from hippressurecooking.com

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups of Arborio Rice (can be substituted with "Short Grain White Pearl" rice)
• 4 cups (or 1L) of chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 swig of white wine
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 tablespoon parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In the pre-heated pressure cooker on medium heat add the oil, and onion. Sauté the onion until it becomes translucent (about 5 minutes).
2. Add the rice and lightly toast it to release the starch. When you add the Arborio rice to the onions, the rice will turn from solid white to translucent as it absorbs the oil and onion juice, then in about a minute back to white. Wait until just a couple of grains look golden and your rice is toasted!
3. Add a swig of white wine and un-stick any grains from the bottom of the cooker with it and stir the rice until the wine has fully evaporated.
4. Add the broth (or broth and veggie mixture), mix and close the top immediately.
5. Close and lock the lid of the pressure cooker.
6. For electric pressure cookers: Cook for 7 minutes at high pressure.
   For stove top pressure cookers: Turn the heat up to high and when the cooker indicates it has reached high pressure, lower to the heat to maintain it and begin counting 7 minutes pressure cooking time.
7. When time is up, open the cooker by releasing the pressure. For electric pressure cookers cook for a minute less (since the release takes longer) and remove the inner pot from the cooker immediately to keep the rice from over-cooking .
8. The risotto should appear just slightly too wet. Stir, and the rice will continue to absorb the extra liquid in about 30 seconds. If the rice is still very wet, put the open pressure cooker back on a medium flame, without the lid, and finish cooking it this way - stirring often- until it reaches the right consistency.
9. For a classic finish, melt a tablespoon of butter and grated cheese and stir in right before serving.

Baklava

I found this recipe off delciouslyyum.com. It was pretty easy, it's just time consuming to make this. I changed minor things, but followed this recipe pretty closely.

Ingredients:

1. 1 (16 oz.) package phyllo sheets, thawed
2. 1 lb. (about 4 cups) walnuts, finely chopped
3. 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4. 1 cup granulated sugar
5. 3/4 cup water
6. 1/2 cup honey
7. 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted (I ended up using closer to three sticks.)

Instructions

1. Thaw phyllo sheets. I usually take mine out of the freezer an hour before I'm ready to start making the baklava.
2. 1. Meanwhile, using your food processor, chop walnuts into small pieces. Add cinnamon and give it another quick pulse to incorporate. Set aside.
3. Next, combine sugar, water, and honey in a medium saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil while stirring frequently. Once mixture has come to a boil and sugar is completely melted, reduce heat and simmer mixture for 4 minutes. Remove from the stove and let cool completely.
4. Next, melt butter.
5. Before you're ready for assembly, butter a 9-x-13-inch baking pan and preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Remove phyllo sheets from the packaging and trim sheets according to your baking pan. My phyllo sheets were about 1" too long, so I just cut them accordingly. This varies depending on the brand of phyllo sheets you purchase.
6. 2. For the assembly: {Step 1} Add one sheet of the phyllo dough to the baking pan and brush with melted butter. Repeat process with another 9 phyllo sheets. Until you have a stack of 10 buttered phyllo sheets. Top with 3/4 cup of the chopped cinnamon walnuts. {Step 2} Top walnut layer with another phyllo sheet, butter and repeat until you have a stack of 5 buttered phyllo sheets. Top with another 3/4 cup of the chopped cinnamon walnuts. Repeat {STEP 2} 3 more times. Finally {Step 3}, add another 10 phyllo sheets, buttering each sheet between layering and spreading the remaining butter on top. (6 layers of phyllo all together.)
7. (I watched a tutorial on cutting the Baklava and it helped a ton to watch it. It suggested chilling the Baklava before cutting, which I can see be very helpful, but I didn't do this.)
8. 3. Cut baklava lengthwise into four 1 1/2" wide strips. Then cut diagonally to form diamond shapes. Place baking pan in the oven and bake for 1 hour 15-20 minutes or until top is golden brown. Remove from the oven and place on wire racks. Immediately pour cool honey syrup over the top and let cool completely. 
9. (Another recipe suggested letting the flavors mellow for at least six hours before eating. I did this and it was a great idea.)

Notes

1. Can be stored at room temperature for up to 7 days.

Chocoflan

Chocoflan

 

--This recipe is from Rocio Huffman. It is also in the ward cookbook I made last year. It is the best Mexican dessert I've ever eaten.

 

½ cup cajeta (goat milk caramel)

1 can (12-oz.) evaporated milk

1 pkg. (8-oz.) Cream Cheese, softened

7 large eggs, divided

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup sugar

1 pkg. (2-layer size) chocolate cake mix

1 cup water

1/3 cup oil

½ cup Sour Cream

1 cup thawed Whipped Topping

--Heat oven to 375º. Pour cajeta into 12-cup fluted tube pan sprayed with cooking spray. Blend evaporated milk, cream cheese, 4 eggs, vanilla and sugar in blender until smooth. Beat cake mix, water, oil and remaining eggs with mixer until blended. Add sour cream; mix well. Pour over cajeta in tube pan; gently ladle flan mixture over cake batter. Cover pan with foil sprayed with cooking spray, sprayed-side down. Place in larger pan. Add enough water to larger pan to come halfway up side of tube pan. Bake 1-1/2 hours or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Refrigerate 2 hours. Loosen dessert from side of pan; invert onto plate. Remove pan. Serve dessert topped with cool whip.

How To Unmold Chocoflan:

Place serving plate over cake pan. Invert dessert onto plate. Gently remove pan; spoon any remaining caramel left in pan.

Substitute

Caramel sugar is a great substitute for cajeta. Simply mix 1/2 cup sugar and 2 Tbsp. water in saucepan; cook on medium heat 7 min. or until sugar is deep golden brown. Pour into prepared pan; continue as directed.

Tinga

This is a recipe from Isela Garcia. My nephew, Josh, requested authentic Mexican food. So I asked a Mexican for help. She is great and this is very good.

This can be adjusted for larger groups. It's a great party food.

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts
1 clove garlic
salt to taste
1 1/2 onions, sliced
6 tomatoes, cubed
1 can whole chipoltes (read directions! You don't need the whole can.)
Chicken bouillon to taste

Boil chicken in water with garlic and salt until chicken is cooked. Remove chicken from water, but save chicken water. Shred chicken.

Sauce:
Put 6 cubbed tomatoes in a blender and blend with chipolte. You will add a couple of the chili's and a little bit of the sauce the chilis are in. With a little bit of chicken water, chicken bouillon and some salt to taste. Should be a paste, not runny!

Grill 1 1/2 sliced onions in a little bit of oil. Once soft add sauce and boil in pan long enough to cook the tomatoes.

Add chicken to sauce. If too thick, add stock from chicken pot.

Put in crockpot to keep warm.

Serve on Tostadas, with sour cream and lettuce.

Suggested sides:
Spanish rice, refried beans, chips, salsa and guacamole.

Island Beef Kabobs

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds beef, cut in strips
1 yellow onion
1 green bell pepper, seeded
8 ounces pineapple chunks
1 container cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Ground pepper to taste
Skewers, soaked in water


Directions: 1. Cut bell pepper and onion into even 1 inch chunks. Drain and reserve the juice from the pineapple chunks.
2. In a medium bowl mix the pineapple juice with brown sugar, honey, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce and pepper until sugar dissolves.
3. Take half of the marinade and toss with beef strips in a sealed bag. Let these marinate for 30 minutes.
4. Use skewers to pierce and hold the vegetables and beef strips. Preheat grill to medium high.
5. Grill kabobs for 20 minutes, turning frequently and brushing with marinade often

Cheeksecake Factory Thai Lettuce Wraps

We recently went to Cheesecake Factory and there were two things we REALLY enjoyed.  And so I found the recipes! Matt loved this one in particular.

Ingredients:
    6-8 butter lettuce leaves
    thai chicken satays (recipe below)
    julienne carrots
    sesame bean sprouts (recipe below)
    thai coconut curry noodles (recipe below)
    thai marinaded cucumbers (recipe below)
    1 tablespoon roasted peanuts – chopped
    tamarind cashew dipping sauce (recipe below)
    thai peanut sauce (recipe below)
    sweet red chili sauce (recipe below)

Directions:
Remove the hard stems from the bottom of each leaf of lettuce.
Wash and dry the leaves and arrange in a group on a larger platter.
Remove 2 red cabbage leaves, wash and dry and slice in half vertically.
Arrange on the serving platter and fill with each one of the fillings (chicken, bean sprouts, thai coconut curry noodles and marinated cucumbers).
Let your friends or family create their own lettuce wraps by choosing a filling or fillings and placing it on a leaf along with a choice of sauce.
Fold the leaf in half and enjoy!

Here are the individual recipes:

Thai Chicken Satays
Ingredients:

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 cloves garlic – minced
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons water
4 green onions – cut into 1? pieces
8 Bamboo skewers (10-12 inches)

Directions:

Cut chicken into 3/4-inch strips
Place in a shallow glass dish
Combine soy sauce, lime juice, garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes in a small bowl.
Add water and mix thoroughly.
Pour over chicken.
Toss to coat all of the chicken pieces.
Cover and marinade in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, up to 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Soak bamboo skewers 20 minutes in cold water to keep them from burning.
Drain the chicken and reserve the marinade.
Weave the chicken strips onto each skewers, alternation with green onion pieces. You may need to use several pieces to cover each skewer.
Brush chicken and onions with reserved marinade.
Grill the skewers on an uncovered grill over medium-high heat for 6 to 8 minutes, turning halfway through the grilling.

Bean Sprouts
Ingredients:

1½ cups bean sprouts
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp roasted sesame seeds

Directions:

Heat the oil in a frying pan
Add the bean sprouts along with the other ingredients.
Cook over a medium-high heat until the bean sprouts are tender
Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Thai Coconut Curry Noodles
Ingredients:

12 oz fresh egg noodles
1 tbsp minced garlic cloves
1 tbsp red curry paste
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup chicken broth
1 tbsp curry powder
1 pinch turmeric powder
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp lime juice

Directions:

Place the noodles in hot water, separating with a fork.
Let the noodles soak until tender or according to the directions on the package.
Drain and keep warm.
In a medium saucepan, heat the coconut milk on low heat and slowly stir in the curry paste.
When it begins to simmer, add in the remaining ingredients.
Continue to simmer for approximately 2 minutes.
Stir in the noodles and serve.

Thai Marinated Cucumbers
Ingredients:

1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 large cucumber – seeded

Directions:

Combine the vinegar, sugar, water and salt in a small pan.
Cook over a medium heat, stirring until it boils and the sugar is dissolved.
Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature.
Peel the cucumber and cut lengthwise into quarters and again crosswise into 1/8? slices.
Place in a serving bowl and pour marinade over cucumbers, stirring to blend.
Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 hours.

Tamarind Cashew Dipping Sauce
Ingredients:

1/4 cup chopped cashews
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
2 medium garlic cloves – minced
2 green onions – chopped
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 cup canola oil
3 tsp honey
6 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1/2 tsp tamarind pulp
1/2 tsp toasted sesame seeds

Directions:

Combine cashews, hoisin sauce, garlic, green onion, cayenne pepper and black pepper in a blender or food processor and mix until smooth.
In a small sauce pan add oil, honey, rice wine vinegar and tamarind pulp.
Heat at medium for 1 minute.
Stir until the tamarind pulp is completely dissolved.
Add this to the cashew mixture and process until smooth
Pour into a serving bowl and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.
Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes

Peanut Sauce
Ingredients:

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tbsp water
4 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp lime juice
1/2 tsp chili oil

Directions:

Combine peanut butter, water, sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, and chili oil in a small saucepan.
Stir mixture over a medium heat until it begins to bubble.
Cover the pan and remove from the heat.

Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce
Ingredients:

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp fish sauce
1/4 cup hot water
2 tbsp sugar
1 lime – juiced
1 tsp garlic – minced
1 tsp red chili paste

Directions:

Combine the rice wine vinegar, fish sauce, hot water, sugar, lime juice, garlic and chili paste in a blender.
Puree until smooth.
Pour into bowls and serve.

Pizza Margherita/Cinnamon Sticks

Crust:
5 tsp. yeast
2 1/4 cups warm water
2 tsp. sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
5 cups bread flour
1 Tbsp. salt

Topping:
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup fresh basil
6 tomatoes diced
salt and pepper
1 lb. mozzarella cheese
2 Tbsp. olive oil

Dissolve the yeast in warm water and let stand until foamy (about 5 minutes).  Add sugar, oil, flour and salt.  Knead dough on low speed until dough is elastic, about 8-10 minutes.  Add up to 1 cup of flour until dough pulls away from bowl.  Remove from bowl and form into a ball and transfer into greased bowl.  Cover and let stand in a draft free spot until dough doubles in size (1 1/2 to 2 hours).  Cut dough in half and let stand for 10 minutes.  Roll out dough on cookie sheet and sprinkle half the Parmesan cheese, basil, tomatoes and mozzarella over dough.  Sprinkle salt and pepper over top.  Drizzle the pizza evenly with 1 Tbsp. olive oil and cook @ 500 degrees for 10 -15 minutes.

Makes two pizzas.

Or you can make Cinnamon Sticks with the other pizza dough:
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Icing:
2 cups powdered sugar
2-4 Tbsp. whipping cream (or milk)
1 Tbsp. melted butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Roll out dough on a cookie sheet.  Spread butter over the top and sprinkle sugar and cinnamon over the butter.  Cook at 350 degrees for about 8 minutes or until the sugar starts to bubble.  Then drizzle icing over the top.

Spumoni Cake

How many of you have been to a nice Italian restaurant and loved the Spumoni?  Well I have.  I love Spumoni. One of my very favorites (along with Creme Brulee).  Oh yum.

My Aunt Emmie made this for us.  It was delicious.  It is adapted from a Pistachio Cake recipe.

Cake:
1 white cake mix
1 pkg. pistachio pudding mix (3.4 oz.)
3 eggs
1 cup oil
1 can 7-up (12-oz.)
1 bottle of maraschino cherries, cherries cut in half

Frosting:
1 pkg. pistachio instant pudding mix (3.4 oz.)
1 1/2 cups milk
1 container whipped topping

1.)  Heat oven to 350 degrees and spray 2 nine-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray.
2.)  In a large bowl, beat cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, oil and 7-up in a large bowl for 4 minutes on medium speed.
3.)  Divide batter in the two pans, place cherries gently on each pan of cake batter (until the top surface is covered) and cook at 350 for 35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean, when tested.
4.) Let cake cool in pans for 15 minutes and then put on wire racks to completely cool.
5.)  When cool, mix frosting by mixing pudding and milk in a large bowl on medium speed for 2 minutes.
6.)  Fold in the whipped topping.
7.) Frost cooled cake, with frosting in the middle and on the top and sides.
8.) Serve with chocolate ice cream and enjoy!

Sesame Ginger Slow-Cooker Chicken

Ingredients:

12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 2 lbs)

1 bag (16 oz) ready-to-eat baby carrots

2 Tbsp grated fresh ginger root

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup honey

2 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp dried minced garlic

1/4 cup soy sauce

3 Tbsp cold water

3 Tbsp corn starch

1 Tbsp sesame seed, toasted

2 green onions, sliced with tops

-Spray 3 1/2- to 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Place chicken in slow cooker. Add carrots; sprinkle with ginger root. In small bowl, stir broth, honey, oil and dried minced garlic. Pour over chicken and carrots.

-Cover; cook on Low heat setting 6 to 8 hours.

-With slotted spoon, remove chicken and carrots to serving platter; cover to keep warm. Strain cooking liquid; pour into 1-quart saucepan. In small bowl, mix soy sauce, water and cornstarch until smooth; add to liquid in saucepan. Cook and stir over high heat until thickened and sauce begins to bubble.

-To serve, pour sauce over chicken and carrots. Garnish with sesame seed and onions.

Quick Chicken Luau

From Denise again!

1/2 10 ounce package of frozen spinach (or real taro leaves if you have them!)
1 standard size can of cream of chicken soup
1 12oz can of coconut milk
8-12 chicken thighs, skin removed

Squeeze as much water out of the spinach as you can and layer in the bottom of a casserole dish. Combine the soup and the coconut milk. Arrange the chicken in the pan and pour the mixture over the top. Bake 350 for one hour. This is very mild flavored chicken.

Kalua Pig

Denise (My SIL) gave me some of her Hawaii recipes:

Kalua Pig in the Crockpot:
1: 4 or 5 pound pork butt roast
2 tablespoons of sea salt
1/4 cup of soy sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon liquid smoke
1/2 cup water (to keep it moist while cooking)

Place all ingredients in the slow cooker and cook six hours or until the meat is tender enough to shred with a fork. Remove the meat and shred it into a serving dish. Pour some of the juices back over the shredded meat to keep it from drying out and discard the rest.

Teriyaki Sauce

This is from Cheat Day Cafe. It's actually supposed to be for chicken on a stick, but we have just been using the sauce. It's a bit cheaper than buying sauce. And we can use it in a pinch. For all our teriyaki needs.

3-4 TBSP hoisin sauce (found in Asian food section)
3 TBSP soy sauce
2 TBSP honey
2 TBSP sesame seed oil
1/2 tsp ground ginger