Let them eat cake...

So I made cupcakes for the little one's preschool class this week. They were Easter themed (yeah, I know, I was two days behind on that...but its a Tuesday/Thursday school, so what can you do), and kinda cute. I borrowed the idea from a cupcake article, and I think they turned out pretty good, although 3 year olds and coconut aren't the best combination. Here's a picture:

For these cupcakes I used by absolute favorite chocolate cake recipe. I take that back, the one my grandmother used that my mother now uses is my favorite, but mine never turns out the same, so I leave that one for her to do. The recipe I like to bake with turns out a very moist, chocolately cake that goes perfectly with the Cream Cheese Fudge icing I paired with it underneath the coconut and candies.

This recipe was submitted to AllRecipes.com (my all-time favorite recipe site) by shirleyo, but may have originated elsewhere. I love it because its easy, only uses one bowl (as the title may suggest), and I've never messed it up. Here it is:

One Bowl Chocolate Cake III
Ingredients
2 cups white sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two nine inch round pans.
2.In a large bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla, mix for 2 minutes on medium speed of mixer. Stir in the boiling water last. Batter will be thin. Pour evenly into the prepared pans.
3.Bake 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until the cake tests done with a toothpick. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.


The one thing that might throw people off about this recipe is how thin the batter is. Its thin. Really thin. Like, practically chocolate milk thin. Don't think you've done something wrong, because you haven't, and I promise it will turn out perfect. Happy baking!

Mexican Cornbread Casserole - My most shared recipe

So the inspiration for this blog comes from the fact that I get so many requests for certain recipes that I am tired of rewriting them when I can't find the last person I sent it to (which I could copy and paste and save so much time). My most requested recipe is, as you might guess, Mexican Cornbread Casserole. This is an amazingly easy recipe that is quick, inexpensive (like, under $10 usually), can be made kid friendly (depending on the type of Rotel and seasonings), and can feed a large family (our family of four eats it for two nights). So here it is:

Mexican Cornbread Casserole

4 pkgs cornbread mix (i use the Texas Yellow Cornbread, because its less sweet; additional ingredients for mixing the cornbread batter will likely include 1 egg and 2/3c milk )
1 lb ground beef (can be made vegetarian by using drained and rinsed black beans)
1 can rotel tomatoes
1 can sweet corn
1 can ranch style beans
1 -2 pkgs shredded cheese (I like the mexican blend, 1-2pkgs depending on how much cheese you like)

Follow directions on the back of the pkg to mix up the cornbread. (I usually do two first, to use for the bottom, and then do the other two together for the top)
In an oiled 13x9 pan pour 2 pkgs worth of cornbread batter. Brown and season (to taste) beef. Drain cans of tomatos, corn, and beans. Add to pan. Scoop combined mixture over first layer of cornbread. Cover with cheese. Top with remaining cornbread batter. (A tip for that is to dollop several spoonfuls and then try to spread it over the cheese. It doesn't spread well if you just pour it on top - tried that too many times.)

Bake as directed on the back of the cornbread package.

Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 20 mins

Hope you enjoy!

Hello world! Welcome to my kitchen!

After amazing a few with my genetically acquired cooking ability, I've decided its time to start a blog. This way, when asked for the recipe to something, or asked how I did it, I can just refer them to this site. Hey, it beats typing up the same recipe a billion times.

So first, a little bit about myself:
I am 22, own a massage therapy business, am about to finish my Associates in Business (then move on to my Bachelors), and am a very busy woman. I have two kids, ages 5 and 3 years, named Alexa and Elizabeth (Lizzie) respectively. I'm engaged to a wonderful, hardworking man who I looove to cook for. We all live together in Georgetown, TX, and have been here for three years.

What I discovered when we first moved into this house that I now had my own kitchen. This discovery brought about the realization that I can actually cook, and pretty well. Having your own family, even at a young age, means that you have other people to feed, and that those other people would most likely prefer something other than Ramen noodles for dinner. Well, not entirely. My fiance is a corn-fed country boy who loves such back-of-the-pantry finds as Ramen noodles, corned beef hash, and potted meat (bleh!). The thought of any of these just turns my stomach, so I decided to learn to cook, and it has now become my passion.


This blog will be more than just recipes. I plan on sharing with you, my audience, about my entire kitchen experience - from me cleaning my oven (that was last week, but my sweetie did most of it, so it wasn't too bad) to me getting up early to bake cupcakes for my kids' school snack (which will be in about four hours), and everything else in between.

So welcome to my kitchen. Sit down, have a glass of sweet tea, and stay awhile. Hope you enjoy!