Mrs. Zinke's Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:
Cake:
2 C sugar
2 C flour
2 sticks butter
4 Tblsp cocoa
1 C water
1/2 C buttermilk (NOT lowfat!)
1 tsp soda
2 eggs, well beaten

Icing:
1 stick butter
4 Tblsp cocoa
6 Tblsp milk
1 lb powdered sugar

Preparation:
1. Mix sugar and flour in bowl.
2. Bring water, butter and cocoa to boil, then add to flour mixture.
3. In a separate bowl, mix buttermilk, soda and eggs, then add to above.
4. Bake at 350 for approximately 40 minutes.

Icing:
1. Bring milk, cocoa and butter to a boil.
2. Add powdered sugar and mix.
3. Pour over hot cake.

Nilla Wafer Dip

Ingredients
1 can crushed pineapple, not drained
1 C Cool Whip
Small box of vanilla pudding

Preparation:
Mix all ingredients. Serve with Nilla Wafers.

Chopped Thai Chicken Salad

Ingredients:
Salad
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 small head green or white cabbage (2 cups shredded)
1 large carrot (1½ cups shredded)
1 green papaya (1½ cups shredded)
½ cup fresh cilantro
½ cup green onions
½ cup chopped peanuts

Dressing
2 cloves garlic
3 bird’s eye chili peppers (sub ½ teaspoon minced hot pepper)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon oil
½ teaspoon fish sauce
¼ cup peanut butter
¼ cup water

Preparation:
1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the chicken breasts, cover, and cook for 15-20 minutes.
2. When the chicken is done, remove from heat, drain water, let cool, and shred with two forks.
3. Chop the cabbage into very thin pieces, like it would be for coleslaw.
4. Peel and grate the carrots.
5. Cut off the skin, remove the seeds, and grate the papaya.
6. Roughly chop the cilantro and green onions.
7. Toss the chicken and vegetables in a large bowl and keep chilled.
8. Mince the garlic and chili peppers.
9. Place garlic and peppers in a small mixing bowl with the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, lime juice, oil, and fish sauce. Whisk until smooth.
10. Add the peanut butter and water and whisk again until smooth and creamy.
11. Toss the salad with the dressing.
12. Add the crushed peanuts.

Serve chilled. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to one day. For best results, keep the leftover salad and dressing separate until ready to serve.

Source: http://pinchofyum.com/

Dirt Puppy Chow

Ingredients:
6 C. Rice Chex Cereal
1 C. chocolate melts
1/3 C. peanut butter, smooth
1 1/3 C. crushed Oreos
2 C. Gummy Worms

Preparation:
1. Place cereal in a large bowl and set aside.
2. In a microwave proof bowl, melt chocolate and peanut butter together until smooth. (About 45 seconds, then stir, then 15 seconds more)
3. Pour melted chocolate/peanut butter over cereal and stir until coated.
4. Dump into a large plastic bag or tupperware with a lid and add crushed Oreos. Shake until covered.
5. Dump onto a cookie sheet to let cool, then add gummy worms.

Source: http://www.yourcupofcake.com/

Fruit Dip

Ingredients:
7oz Marshmallow Creme
8oz low-fat or whipped cream cheese, softened to room temperature
2 Tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate
Fruit dippers: strawberries, grapes, pineapple, apples, berries, cantaloupe

Preparation:
1. Spoon marshmallow creme into a large, microwave safe bowl, and microwave for 20 seconds.
2. Whisk in softened cream cheese and orange juice concentrate until very smooth.
3. Chill, then serve with fruit.

Source: Iowa Girl Eats

Snickers Peanut Butter Brownie Ice Cream Cake

Ingredients:
1 8-inch cake
1 box brownie mix, plus ingredients required on box
1/4 cup milk
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups peanut butter
8 oz Cool Whip, thawed (OR 1 recipe of homemade whipped cream)
1 20 oz bottle chocolate sundae syrup (Here’s the one I used)
1 20 oz bottle caramel sundae syrup
1 11.5 oz bag mini snickers, chopped, divided into three groups

NOTE: An 8-inch springform pan is best for this recipe so that you can easily remove the cake once it’s been assembled. If you do not have a springform pan, line your pan with clear wrap before adding your parchment paper and cake board. You can use the clear warp to lift your cake out of the pan once it’s assembled and frozen.

Preparation:
Brownies:
1. Make brownie dough according to instructions on back of box.
2. Grease two 8-inch pans (preferable springform pans, see above) and line the bottoms with parchment paper to allow for easy removal. Bake at temperature on box, reducing baking time to about 20 minutes (You can also bake 1 big brownie – which would cook for the normal time – and cut it in half, but cutting a brownie in half isn’t super easy).
3. When brownies are done baking, allow to completely cool.
Ice Cream:
1. Combine milk, cream cheese, sugar and peanut butter together in the bowl of a stand mixer, or with a hand mixer. Mix until completely combined.
2. Fold in the cool whip.
Assembling it all:
1. Line the sides of an 8-inch springform pan with parchment paper. The parchment paper should stick up above the top edge of the pan, since the cake will probably be a little taller than your pan. If you want, put a cardboard cake circle in the bottom of the pan.
NOTE: You should be using the same 8-inch pan you used for the brownies. Not all 8-inch pans are exactly the same size. Your brownie needs to fit in this pan.
2. Put the first brownie layer in the bottom of your pan.
3. Spread 1/2 cup caramel sauce and 1/2 cup chocolate sauce over the brownie. Top with first group of chopped snickers.
4. Top with half of the peanut butter ice cream.
5. Add second brownie to the pan, on top of the ice cream.
6. Again cover with 1/2 cup caramel sauce and 1/2 cup chocolate sauce. Top with second group of chopped snickers.
7. Top with remaining peanut butter ice cream.
8. Allow ice cream cake to freeze completely.
9. When frozen, remove from springform pan and remove parchment paper from sides.
10. Top with additional caramel sauce and chocolate sauce, allowing it to drizzle down the sides.
11. Cover with remaining chopped snickers and a little more caramel and chocolate sauce.

Source: http://lifeloveandsugar.com/

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

Ingredients:
Pancakes:
4 cups all-purpose flour
8 tsps baking powder
2 tsp. salt
4 cups milk
4 tbsps vegetable oil
4 large eggs, lightly beaten

Cinnamon Filling:
1 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tbsp ground cinnamon

Cream Cheese Glaze:
1/2 cup butter
4 oz. cream cheese
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:
1. To make the Cinnamon Filling:
Mix the three ingredients together. Place in a disposable piping bag and snip the end off or put in a Ziploc bag and snip the corner off.

2. To make the Pancakes:
a. Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another bowl. Stir them together until everything is moistened leaving a few lumps.

b. Heat your griddle to exactly 325 degrees. You don't want these too cook too quickly, and you won't want your cinnamon to burn.

c. Make desired size pancake on greased griddle and then using the piping bag and starting at the center of the pancake, create a cinnamon swirl. Wait until the pancake has lots of bubble before you try to turn it. You will find that when you turn it the cinnamon swirl will melt. The cinnamon will melt out and create the craters which the cream cheese glaze will fill.

3. To make the Cream Cheese Glaze:
In a microwave safe bowl melt the butter and cream cheese and then stir together. Whisk in the powdered sugar and vanilla. Add a little milk if needed to make it a glaze consistency.

4. Place pancake on plate, then cover with cream cheese glaze.