Sunday, January 29, 2012

Coca-Cola Cake

I was looking back through my recipes on here because I thought I had already posted my Coca-Cola Cake recipe. I didn't find it, so my apologies if I have already posted it.

I'm a little late with this because January 27 was National Chocolate Cake day and I got busy with things and forgot to post. I guess its better late than never.

I wish I could take credit for this recipe, but it was given to me by my late aunt, who was a wonderful cook. It has to be the most moist chocolate cake I have ever had. If you need a dessert for your Super Bowl party, Valentine's Day, or you're just craving chocolate, I highly recommend this one.

Coca-Cola Cake
2 c. flour
2 c. sugar
2 T. cocoa
1 t. soda
2 sticks butter or margarine
1 c. Coca-Cola
1 t. vanilla
1/2 c. buttermilk
2 eggs, beaten
1 3/4 c. mini marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350° f. Mix all dry ingredients together and set aside. Heat butter/margarine, cocoa, and Coke to boiling. Pour into dry ingredients and mix well. Add buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla. Mix until well blended. Finally, add the marshmallows and stir until they've melted.

Pour into a 9 x 13 inch prepared baking pan and bake for 40-50 minutes.

Icing:
1/4 c. butter or margarine
1 1/2 T. cocoa
3 T. Coca-Cola
1/2 t. vanilla
powdered sugar

Put all ingredients, except the powdered sugar into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Add just enough powdered sugar to the mixture to make it a consistency to spread.


Sunday, January 8, 2012

Popcorn

If I were only allowed one snack in my life, it would be popcorn. I love the stuff and never seem to be able to have enough of it. It's considered a staple around our house. During football season, I always pop a big bowl of it to munch on during the game.

Normally, I pop it on top of the stove in a popper that my parents used when I was a kid, but when I only want a little, I will grab a bag of microwave popcorn. The bad thing about microwave popcorn is that some bags are coated with something that can get onto the popcorn during the cooking process. This chemical is not really good for you and has been thought could cause cancer.

So, since it's a new year and I'm trying to eat healthier, I'm going to try and make my own microwave popcorn where I can control the ingredients. It's actually easy to make, but you'll have to do the trial and error thing with your own microwave to make sure you get the right amount of cooking time and remember that, as with regular microwave popcorn, not all of the kernels will pop. Keep an eye on your bag during the popping, you don't want it to catch fire, if popped too long.

Homemade Microwave Popcorn
1/4 c. popcorn
1 t. oil, vegetable or olive oil (either will work)
salt to taste

Mix ingredients together and pour into a small brown paper lunch sack. Microwave on high for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes on high. Pour into a bowl and enjoy.