Oh my, this cake is just so good, it's indescribable.  It's better than grandma's homemade chocolate cake, it's better than Aunt Edna's secret recipe that she won't share, it's better than any cake you can buy in a bakery, it's just that that good!   If you've been looking for a decadently moist homemade chocolate cake with silky chocolate frosting, look no more, your search has ended.  This recipe dates back to the 70's, it's definitely stood the test of time and has been passed down for generations, now

I make this cake, my friends make it, my daughter-in-law requests it every year for her birthday.  It's just the best homemade chocolate cake, period! The only thing that could possibly improve this is just to drink it with a glass of cold milk. 

Ingredients:

* 2 cups white sugar

* 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

* 3/4 cup HERSHEY®'S 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

* 1/2 cup butter

* 2/3 cup HERSHEY®'S Cocoa Powder

* 3 cups confectioners' sugar

* 1/3 cup milk

* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.

2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.

3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Frosting.

Frosting:

4. To make "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Frosting: Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla.

What Do I Bake This In?

1.  One Pan Cake: Grease and flour 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Heat oven to 350 F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely. Frost.

2.  Two Layer Cake in 9" Pans.  Don't do it!  The layers will be too flat, trust me...

4.. Three Layer Cake: Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans. Heat oven to 350 F. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost.

5.. Bundt Cake: Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan. Heat oven to 350 F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely. Frost

6.. Cupcakes: Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Heat oven to 350 F. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. About 30 cupcakes.

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I've made this recipe since the 70's and it's still a family favorite after all these years.  Serve it with mashed potatoes, corn, hot rolls and coleslaw and it's comfort food at it's finest.  

1 (10 1/2 ounce) can Campbell's Condensed Golden Mushroom Soup, divided, you only use 1/4 cup in the Salisbury steak, the rest you. mix with water for the gravy.

1 1⁄2 lbs ground round - I used chuck

1 ⁄2 cup plain dry breadcrumbs

1 large egg, beaten

1 ⁄2 cup chopped onion

salt and pepper

garlic powder - about 1/2 tsp.

1 ⁄3 cup water

Steps

Sauce onion in a tablespoon of olive oil until soft.  If you omit this step they can be crunchy

Combine 1/4 cup of the can of soup with ground beef, bread crumbs, egg, onion, salt, pepper, and garlic salt; mix well.

Shape into 6 patties.

Place in shallow baking dish.  I line with parchment paper for easy cleanup. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Drain off fat, if needed

Combine remaining soup and the 1/3 cup water; pour over patties.

Bake an additional 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Notes

We like a lot of gravy so I use an additional can of Golden Mushroom Soup, not listed above.  I add 1/3 cup water to the soup, warm it in a saucepan and pour over the potatoes when we serve it.

Pizza doesn't get better than this!  Many, many years ago we had a neighbor named Jack and he made the BEST pizza!  He perfected his dough and gave me the recipe.  This is Chicago style, decadent pizza and it's beyond delicious.  It's a bit of work, making homemade crust, but so worth the effort and the Cuisinart simplifies things.  Don't be tempted to buy a premade crust for a shortcut, the crust is what makes the pizza so good.

This recipe make 2 pizzas

Pizza Dough

4 cups bread flour

1 pkg. yeast

1.3 cups warm water

2.5 tbs. oil

1 tsp. salt

.5 tsp. sugar

Put the warm water with a 1/2 teaspoon on sugar in the Cuisinart, add one package of Red Star yeast sprinkled on top and let it set for 10 minutes until it starts to form bubbles. The sugar activates the yeast. Once it's active and bubbles, add the flour, salt and oil. Using dough hook, let it spin until all the dough doesn't cling to the sides and it forms a smooth ball, about 8-10 minute.

Dump into an oiled bowl and let it set until doubles. Punch down and you are ready to roll out. 

Sauce for 1 pizza:

8 oz. can tomato paste, thinned with a bit of water

pinch of sugar

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. oregano

add additional spices to taste, Italian seasoning is a good option

If making sausage pizza, brown sausage lightly

Assembly:

Roll out crust in a circle, I use a pizza stone which I sprinkle with cornmeal

Add tomato sauce, preferred meat, sautéed sausage or pepperoni, mushrooms and raw veggies, if desired, then top all with parmesan cheese.

Bake in preheated 400 degree oven for 10 minutes, take out of oven and add mozzarella, the amount you add depends on how much cheese you like, I usually add 1/2 to 3/4 a lb. of cheese per pizza.  Bake an additional 10-15 minute or until edges are brown.

It's never too early to start planning your Thanksgiving menu.  

I went into my archives and found this post from 2008.  I had asked my friends for their favorite Thanksgiving dishes, the ones they make for family and friends.

So many good recipes, after you click on the link below, just hover over the name of what you're interested in, click and it will link to the recipe.  Nothing like planning ahead...

http://munchiebusiness.com/thanksgivingrecipes08.html

~ Jan

Here you have it, folks—a summer salad that's bursting with flavors and textures. The combination of lettuce,  crispy bacon, and blue cheese creates a harmony of tastes that will make your taste buds sing with delight. I also like to change it a bit by adding nuts and apples.  Whip up this salad for your next backyard barbecue, potluck, or a refreshing weeknight dinner. It's the perfect way to celebrate summer's bounty and savor the sunny season. So, go ahead, grab your salad bowl, and enjoy this scrumptious creation. Happy summer salad-ing!

Ingredients

Iceberg lettuce - if you're not a fan of wedge salad, just chop your own it's so much fresher than bagged

.5 lb. of thick sliced bacon

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes

1/2 cup dried cherries or cranberries - totally optional

1 large smith apple, chopped.  Honeycrisp never disappoint, again optional

Chopped egg (optional

1/2 cup toasted pecans or walnuts, and the final optional ingredient, just to mix it up a bit

I like lots of blue cheese on this, but cheddar works too if you aren't a fan of blue cheese

I'm going to give you two options for dressing, of course Blue Cheese Dressing is the classic, but if you don't care for it, the Sweet Balsamic is ahhh-mazing...

Classic Blue Cheese Dressing

4 ounces blue cheese crumbles

1/3 cup buttermilk

1/3 cup sour cream

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 Tablespoon parsley chopped

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

Steps

In a small bowl add the blue cheese crumbles and buttermilk. Mash the crumbles with a fork.

Add in the sour cream, mayonnaise, parsley, garlic powder, and salt and pepper and whisk. Add in more buttermilk if you want a thinner consistency.

Sweet Balsamic Dressing

1/2 cup canola oil*

1/3 cup sugar or more to taste

4 tablespoons good balsamic vinegar

1/8 teaspoon dry mustard (I actually prefer a squeeze of yellow or Grey Poupon mustard)

Few twists of fresh cracked pepper, always use fresh cracked, the flavor just zings

Directions

Put all of the ingredients in a jar, put on the lid and shake until blended. 

*I use canola oil instead of olive oil so that I can refrigerate what I have left.  Olive oil congeals in the fridge, canola oil doesn't.

I added OXO links.  I'm really loving this smaller size salad spinner this summer.  Why?  Because you can wash your lettuce, spin it dry and put the whole container in the fridge.  Works for me and I'm such a fan of OXO products, they never disappoint...

#SummerSaladInspiration

#CheeseLoversDelight

#FreshAndFlavorful

#SaladGoals

#SummerEats

#SaladPerfection

#CrunchyGoodness

#CheeseObsession

#SavorTheFlavors

#SummerSensations

#TastyAndTangy

#SaladAddict

#FoodieFaves

#SaladTime

#jancooks

#jancooksrealfood

Are you ready to indulge in a decadent dessert that will satisfy all your sweet cravings? Look no further than a delicious strawberry cheesecake. This creamy, velvety dessert is a classic favorite for a reason, with its rich flavor and smooth texture that is perfect for any occasion. Whether you're celebrating a special occasion or simply looking for a delicious treat to enjoy with friends and family, a decadent strawberry cheesecake is the perfect choice. 🍓
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This is a the kind of pie, when you take one bite, you say ahhhhhhh, and your eyes roll back in your head. I've shared this before, DEFINITELY worth repeating for the lemon pie lovers that read this blog. Go ahead, just take an hour and make this. It's SO good warm or room temperature or chilled if there is any left. 

Tis the season, cough, cough, hack, hack. If only there was an all natural cough syrup that actually worked.

This pie is adapted by a recipe from Trisha Yearwood. It's so easy, goes together in minutes, but her recipe didn't have enough apples, so I doubled it to two cans and simmered them a bit before putting in the pie shell and baking it. Seriously yummy with little effort. 

 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick) 

1/2 cup light brown sugar 

2 refrigerated rolled pie crusts, such as Pillsbury 

Two 21-ounce cans apple pie filling, simmered for a few minutes

2 teaspoons cinnamon sugar 1 tablespoon for melted butter for top. 

 Directions: 

Melt the 1/2 stick of butter in a 9-inch cast iron skillet. Then add the brown sugar and melt them together on medium heat, about 2 minutes. Add the apple pie filling, remove from the heat and set aside while preparing the crust.  

Unroll the crusts and put one in the bottom of the black iron skillet.  Pour the apple pie filling over the crust and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the cinnamon sugar. Use the second pie crust to cover the filling. Brush the top with the 1 tablespoon of the melted butter, then evenly sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon cinnamon sugar on top. 

Cut vents in the middle of the pie. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.