Recipes, being real, and wisdom

Due to my crazy husband's comment on facebook (I will leave it at that!) I have had many requests for the molten chocolate cake recipe. Funny story, I have made them several times and my family loves them. So, last summer when A's parents were here I made them and they were AWFUL! I still do not know what I did wrong but they tasted like dirt. It was really bad! All of that to say, I finally got brave enough to try them again because they do make my man and my girls very happy!

Here's the recipe:

Molten Chocolate Cake
4 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup powdered sugar
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
6 Tbsp. flour
1/2 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping (I always serve them with ice cream instead of cool whip)

PREHEAT oven to 425°F. Butter four 3/4-cup custard cups or soufflé dishes. Place on baking sheet.

MICROWAVE chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1 min. or until butter is melted. Stir with wire whisk until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in sugar until well blended. Blend in eggs and egg yolks with wire whisk. Stir in flour. Divide batter among prepared custard cups.

BAKE 13 to 14 min. or until sides are firm but centers are soft. Let stand 1 min. Carefully run small knife around cakes to loosen. Invert cakes onto dessert dishes. Serve immediately, topped with whipped topping.

They really are not difficult at all. The key is getting the center right but they were perfect last night! I served them once at Supper Club with Coffee Gelato and WOW!



I am always looking for new recipes because I have to change things up a little and I love trying new things so a while back I made this bread and it was SO GOOD! It is a Paula Deen recipe.

Herbed Monkey Bread
1 stick butter melted, plus 1/4 cup melted butter, plus more for pan
1 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for sprinkling
2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
2 packages biscuits
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter a 12-cup Bundt pan; set aside.

In a small bowl, combine cheese and Italian seasoning.

Roll each individual biscuit into a ball. Dip each piece in the 1 stick of melted butter, then coat with the cheese mixture. Place dough into prepared pan; overlapping will occur. Bake bread, 30 to 35 minutes. Cover with aluminum foil during the last 10 minutes of baking to prevent excess browning, if needed.

Let cool in pan, 10 minutes; invert bread onto a serving plate. Drizzle remaining 1/4 cup melted butter on top and sprinkle with grated Parmesan.



We love this time of year! Fall and football! We usually have "football food" as we call it on Saturday nights so this past Sat. was our first football Saturday! I made a new dip that was so easy and good and A made buffalo and garlic parmesan wings and they were great! Here's the dip recipe:

White Ro-tel Dip
3 pkgs. pork sausage
4 pkgs. cream cheese
2 cans ro-tel
(I am sure this is for a crowd-I halfed the recipe)

Brown the sausage and drain. Add to cream cheese and ro-tel and heat until the cheese is melted. Of course, you could do this in a crock pot. Serve with tortilla chips. I think it would be good with scoops too. Cream cheese and sausage-you can't go wrong!!!



I made these for dinner last night and they were delicious. We were grilling and as easy as baked potatoes are, we get tired of them so I found this recipe (Pioneer Woman!) and we were not disappointed!

Potato Bundles
•6 whole Russet Potatoes
•½ whole Yellow Onion, Diced
•1 stick Butter
•½ cups Heavy Cream
•Kosher Salt To Taste
•Paprika To Taste
•Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
•2 Tablespoons Minced Parsley

Preparation Instructions

Pile potatoes and onions on a square of foil. Add 2 tablespoons butter. Splash on cream. Then sprinkle on salt, paprika, and black pepper. Sprinkle minced parsley over the top.

Wrap bundles tightly and bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes, or until extremely tender.

Serve bundles right on the dinner plate.


What have we been doing besides cooking? Well, I think that is our therapy! A is in full force with his classes. Lizzie is adjusting to Discovery School. She seems excited about going. She is quite while she is there. She never stops talking here but she is much more reserved until she really gets to know you. Ell is still enjoying her new curriculum. The change has helped us tremendously. Millie is not wanting to go to Discovery School. I think she mostly sucks her thumb (great!) and observes all day. The crying has gotten worse each morning. Today it was "I want you mama" and "Daddy don't leave me!" all before we left home! Her teachers assure me that the crying does not last long. She started this weekend telling us she did not want to take a nap at school. She has yet to go to sleep. They say that she just stares at them! Well today she would not eat her lunch. Her teachers think it was because they were getting the nap mats out and she so dislikes that time. This is about to get me! Surely it will get better. Surely! Prayers please! Sallie and I had a really rough day. She was the most defiant she has been and I felt like I don't know what when we finished. As much as I thought I was prepared for this, I wasn't. I don't think I ever let myself think I would see results for a while. I knew what it would entail (although I had no idea how physically and mentally drained I would be). I think the thing is I didn't realize how much it would hurt every time she can't do something. Honestly, I just want to scream, "this is not fair." Now you all know that I really deep down don't feel that way but right now on the surface that is what I want to scream as loudly as I can! That and "what am I supposed to do next, please tell me how to do this!" I just fell apart 3 times today during our school time. Fell completely apart. The harder I cried the tighter that sweet child would hold me and kiss me over and over again and with her in my arms I thought "thank you Lord for allowing her to be here with me and for not taking her from me and for all she has taught me, now please show me how to teach her." This may just be the hardest thing I have ever done (it ranks right up there with handing her over 19 times to be put to sleep and not knowing whether she would live or die when she was born, and waiting hour after hour through surgeries, and being told you child is hearing impaired and on and on...) and this is ongoing but I am not giving up but I do need you all so much to be praying for us. It is like I was telling a friend last week, I do not begrudge any of this but it is real and it is tough! I hope I am never misunderstood because I love her just the way she is but sometimes I think can I really do this. I know this is another refining time for me and if I lean on Him, I will draw nearer to Him.

On a lighter note:
Lizzie to Elleigh (completely out of the blue last week) "Elleigh, you need to go to church and praise God!" Words of wisdom for all of us from the 3 year old Hall priss!!!