Too Much Chocolate Cake (from allrecipes.com)

I have made many cakes in my life (as you all know) but this one is my very favorite)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 package devil's food cake mix
• 1 (5.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup milk
  
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1-2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (mini chips work & taste best)
  

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, beaten eggs and water. Stir in the chocolate chips and pour batter into a well greased 12 cup bundt pan.
3. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until top is springy to the touch and a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool cake thoroughly in pan at least an hour and a half before inverting onto a plate If desired, dust the cake with powdered sugar.

Ignore that last line, this cake is best topped with a raspberry sauce. I've found that topping it with fresh raspberries tastes great, but if it's not consumed that day the moisture from the cake will make the raspberries mold rather quickly.
It's best to cook some fresh or frozen raspberries over a stove until bubbly, whisk in some sugar and cornstarch to sweeten/thicken it if you want. It will thicken as it cools. Don't poor it over the cake until it is cool or it will seep into the cake.

If you'd rather do a glaze, or both (recommended) here is a top recipe:

• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In a double boiler over hot, but not boiling water, combine chocolate chips, butter and corn syrup. Stir until chips are melted and mixture is smooth, then add vanilla.
2. Spread warm glaze over top of cake, letting it drizzle down the sides.

Raspberry Lemonade Pie

(from KraftFoods.com)

1-1/2 cups boiling water

1 pkg. (3 oz.) JELL-O Lemon Flavor Gelatin

4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) Cream Cheese, softened

6 oz. (1/2 of 12-oz. can) frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed

1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed

1 cup fresh raspberries

2 Graham Pie Crusts (6 oz. each)

ADD boiling water to gelatin mix in small bowl. Stir 2 min. until completely dissolved; set aside. Beat cream cheese in large bowl with mixer until creamy. Gradually beat in concentrate, then gelatin until blended.

STIR in COOL WHIP and berries. Pour into crusts.

REFRIGERATE 1 pie 4 hours or until firm. Freeze remaining pie up to 1 week before thawing to serve.

Banana Bread

This recipe is adapted from "Deceptively Delicious". You may add 1 T of ground flax seed, or instead of whole-wheat flour I like to use a 7 or 11 grain cereal mix from Bob's Red Mill.

3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup applesauce, or oil
2 eggs
2 cups banana puree
l tsp vanilla
1/2 cup walnuts (optional)

1. preheat oven to 350, coat two mini pans, or one 9x5 loaf pan
2. mix flour through cinnamon together in a bowl
3. in another bowl mix sugar wiht applesauce, and then add eggs, banana, and vanilla. Add flour mixture and stir until just combined.
4. Pour into loaf pans and bake until toothpick comes out clean, 55-60 minutes, or 25-30 minutes for mini loaves.

Apple Butter

First, make a basic apple sauce. Core and cut (but don't peel) apples. Boil down the apples for about 10 minutes until soft. Blend the apples in a food processor or blender.

To make apple butter, put in a crock pot:
6 quarts apple sauce
2 T ground cinnamon
1 t ground cloves
1/2 t all-spice
2 cups sugar

Stir the ingredients together and cook overnight (6-12 hours) on medium/low.

Then, the next day, add 4-5 more quarts apple sauce and 2 cups sugar. Cook down for 2 more hours. Put into canning jars while hot, and seal the lids.

That makes the tastiest apple butter EVER.

Luscious Four-Layer Pumpkin Cake

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

1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin, divided

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup oil

4 eggs

1-1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice, divided

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

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed

1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping
1/4 cup Chopped Pecans

HEAT oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 2 (9-inch) round baking pans. Beat cake mix, 1 cup pumpkin, milk, oil, eggs and 1 tsp. spice in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Pour into prepared pans.

BAKE 28 to 30 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 min. Remove from pans to wire racks; cool completely. Beat cream cheese in small bowl with mixer until creamy. Add sugar, remaining pumpkin and spice; mix well. Gently stir in COOL WHIP.

CUT each cake layer horizontally in half with serrated knife; stack on serving plate, spreading cream cheese filling between layers. (Do not frost top layer.) Drizzle with caramel topping just before serving; sprinkle with nuts. Refrigerate leftovers.

Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Salad

Line the plate a flour tortilla. Top the tortilla with pork, rice, black beans and cheese. Cover with romaine lettuce and a few tortilla strips for crunch and garnish. Top with creamy cilantro salad dressing.

(This salad is such a crowd pleaser and PERFECT if you are having people over and giving out food assignments. You can also use uncooked tortillas from Costco. Throw them on the griddle and cook just before serving.)

Sweet Pork
4 lb. pork roast
2 to 3 cans tomato sauce (8 oz.)
1 tsp. pressed garlic cloves
1 1/2 to 2 cups brown sugar (packed)
2 tsp. cumin
2 cups Dr. Pepper (optional)
2 Tbsp molasses
1/2 tsp. salt Pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients except pork until sugar is dissolved. Place pork roast in a crock pot sprayed with Pam. Pour mixture over roast and let simmer until meat is tender and pulls away with fork. (Cook on low over-night if desired.) Shredding pork and return to liquid. This pork/liquid mixture freezes well for later use. Serving size is about 1/2 cup cooked pork.

Lime Rice
2 Tbsp. butter
1 1/4 cup rice
2 1/4 cup chicken broth (or chicken bullion crystals)
3/4 tsp. salt
Pepper to taste
Juice and zest (peel) of 1 large or 2 small fresh limes
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro leaves 1/4 tsp. cumin
Melt butter with rice in skillet.

Add the rest of ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Makes about 4 cups of cooked rice. Serving size is 1/2 cup per person.

Creamy Cilantro Dressing
16 oz. bottle of La Victoria green salsa (or any other tomatillo green salsa)
1 package dry buttermilk ranch dressing (about 4 Tbsp)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup fresh cilantro (just use leaves and really pack cup)
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar (Taste and decide)

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Refrigerate. Makes about 1 quart dressing.

fruit salsa

chop into small pieces:
4 granny smith apples
4 peaches or apricots
1 box of strawberries

mix chopped fruit with one can of crushed pineapple (juice included).

for the sugar/cinnamon chips:
preheat oven to 350 degrees. cut 10 tortillas into 16 triangles. Spread each triangle tortilla into a cookie sheet. cover each triangle with melted butter. sprinkle a sugar/cinnamon combination graciously over the tortilla triangles. bake for 10 minutes.

eat the salsa with the chips for a yummy, healthy snack!