Homemade Chocolate Cupcakes

I made these cupcakes for a friend's birthday tonight. They were so yummy and pretty. 

Recipe for Homemade Chocolate Cupcakes:

Mix together 2 sticks softened butter and 3 c. sugar, add 4 eggs and beat until fluffy. Add the following and mix until smooth; 3 c. flour, 1 T. baking soda, 1/2 t. salt, 3/4 c. cocoa powder, 1 1/2 c. hot coffee, 1 box instant vanilla pudding, 4 oz. applesauce, and 1 1/4 c. light sour cream. Pour into greased muffin tins and bake in a 350 degree oven for 18-22 minutes. Cool and frost with the following ganache recipe.

Recipe for ganache:

In a large glass bowl add a bag of peeled Hershey kisses, pour over 3/4 c. heavy cream and 1/4 c. hot coffee, stir until mixture is smooth, cool, add 1 container marscapone cheese and 1 c. smooth peanut butter. Place into a plastic bag, put in fridge until mixture is cold. Pipe into cupcakes and sprinkle with gold decorating sugar.

Enjoy! Not only are these cupcakes pretty, but they are delicious.

The Lunch Lady :)

Saturday Brunch

Saturday morning in our house is slow and quiet. I usually try and making something hearty for us to eat by mid-morning. Today I made an old favorite. I hope you try it.

My recipe is as follows:

Open Face Turkey Sandwich

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a cookie sheet place 4 slices of bread or English muffins, top with sliced turkey, garden fresh sliced tomatoes and top with homemade cheese sauce, see recipe below. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Broil until cheese sauce is golden. Enjoy!

Homemade Cheese Sauce Recipe:

In a saucepan over a medium heat place 2 T butter, melt and add 2 T flour, stir well add enough milk to thin slightly, add 2 pieces American cheese, 2 pieces Swiss cheese and 2 T Parmesan cheese, add salt and pepper to taste. 

When you remove sandwich from oven top with an over easy egg or dunky egg as my husband calls them.

I hope your family enjoys this recipe as much as mine does.

The Lunch Lady :)

Beef Stroganoff w/ a Twist

I hope you try this different version of an old classic. 

My recipe is as follows:

Cook 1 pkg of egg noodles, drain and set aside.

In a large skillet brown, 1 lb ground beef, 1 onion, and 1 pkg mushrooms, add the following over low heat: 4 chopped tomatoes, 6 chopped basil leaves, 1 sprig chopped rosemary, 4 oz ricotta, 4 oz sour cream, salt ad pepper to taste, 1 squeeze of ketchup, 1 dash of steak sauce, and 1 t minced garlic, heat for 5 minutes. Add noodles and stir. Serve in a bowl and top with shredded cheese is you prefer.

The Lunch Lady :)

Berrygood Lowfat Muffins

Today I made some delicious lowfat muffins. I hope you try this recipe.

My recipe is as follows:

In a large bowl add 2 1/4 c all purpose flour, 1/2 c brown sugar, 2 small containers applesauce, 2 eggs, 1 t baking soda, 1 t baking powder, 1 t salt and 1/2 pkg frozen mixed berries. Mix well and top with streusel topping.

Recipe for streusel topping:

In a bowl combine 1/2 c brown sugar, 1 c oatmeal, 1 t pumpkin pie spice, and 3 t softened butter. Mix until crumbled, sprinkle over muffins before baking.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

The Lunch Lady :)

Pancakes with Berry Sauce

My husband just got back from Canada where wild blueberries were in abundance, so I decided blueberry pancakes with homemade berry sauce should be on the menu for breakfast. Delicious!

My recipe for Homemade Berry Sauce is as follows:

In a small saucepan add blackberries, blackberries and 1/2 c. sugar, cook over low heat until berries break down, use a whisk to break up berries, allow to cool slightly, while you cook your favorite pancakes. 

I made blueberry pancakes and poured the sauce over. They were delicious. Hope you try them.

The Lunch Lady :)

Potato Soup

Making a pot of soup is one of the easiest ways to stretch your food budget, and it is delicious. I think you will enjoy trying this recipe.

The recipe for my Potato Soup is as follows:

In a large stock pot over med heat add 2 T. olive oil, then add 1 large chopped sweet onion, 2 stalks of chopped celery, 1 c. chopped carrots, salt and pepper. Cook until tender. add 1/4 c. flour and stir well. add 4c. chicken stock and 1 c. heavy whipping cream, and simmer. In another large skillet over medium heat cook 1/2 lb. bacon until crisp.remove bacon and drain on a paper towel. Pour grease in a bowl. Add 2 T. back to skillet and heat over medium high heat, add 8 diced small white potatoes and 1 sweet potato, diced. Add 1 T. garlic salt, 1 T. paprika, 1T. Black pepper, 1T. Italian seasonings, cook until potatoes are fork tender. Add cook potatoes to soup, add 2 c. corn,  1 c. shredded cheddar cheese. Season as you desire. Heat, stir and serve..

To plate, ladle soup into bowl, top with crumbled bacon and chopped chives.

I hope you enjoy trying this recipe.

The Lunch Lady :)