Chili's White Chocolate Molten Cake

So Chili's White Chocolate Molten Cake is quite possibly my favorite dessert ever! I've unsuccessfully looked for a copycat recipe before. Tonight, I just decided to look again and voi la! Thank you, www.recipezaar.com. I haven't tried it yet, but I'll probably mess with it a bit by trying to make the cake from scratch and find a special pan to use.

Ingredients

18 ounces Duncan Hines yellow cake mix

1 (12 ounce) package nestle white chocolate chips

1 1/3 cups water

1/3 cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs

1-2 teaspoon vanilla extract

vanilla ice cream

raspberry sauce

vanilla bark (optional)

Prepare your cake mix as directed on box. Prepare a bundt cake pan with cooking spray.

Bake as directed. Let you cake cool just a little -- you want to serve it warm. Now, if you want to be really creative, you can slice your cake so that you can fill it with the white morsels that you will be melting. We haven't worried about being that creative yet.

So we melt the white morsels in the microwave just enough to warm them, stir them & spread over each cake slice. Scoop your desired amount of ice cream (we like Publix vanilla) & place it on your cake slice. Drizzle with Raspberry sauce & if you like, you can use a vegetable peeler & grate some vanilla bark to sprinkle over the top. Enjoy!

You can use your judgment on the white morsels, vanilla ice cream, raspberry sauce & vanilla bark to suit your taste.

BRUNCH ROLLS

Yeast Roll Dough (we used Janell’s Rolls recipe)

8-oz pkg cream cheese, softened

2 c ham, cubed

1 ½ c broccoli or spinach, chopped

2 c cheese, finely grated (we used cheddar)

1 c fresh Parmesan cheese, finely grated

1 c scallions, finely chopped (we omitted and sprinkled with onion powder)

Make your favorite recipe for white yeast rolls. Roll the dough out as if you were making cinnamon rolls. Spread with cream cheese. Top with ham, broccoli or spinach, cheese, Parmesan cheese, and scallions. Roll up and slice, let rise, and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

To make them extra pretty, brush with butter and sprinkle with sea salt, sesame seeds, or poppy seeds. (Use this general process to make pizza rolls, four-cheese rolls, and other varieties.)

modified from Worldwide Ward Cookbook

Grape Salad

This is a great recipe from my book club friend, Davyne. I have tried several grape salads and this is by far my favorite.

2 lbs. each red and green seedless grapes (wash and then dry) (made only with red grapes in the picture seen above)

8 oz. sour cream

8 oz. cream cheese

1/3 C. powdered Sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

3 Tbl. Brown sugar

chopped pecans

Mix together the sour cream and cream cheese. Then add 1/3 cup powdered sugar and 1 tsp. vanilla. Continue mixing until nice and smooth

Fold in the grapes and chill. Right before serving sprinkle the brown sugar over the top and then sprinkle with the chopped pecans.

PINK MERINGUE CUPCAKES WITH RASPBERRY CURD

From Martha Stewart Living February 2010

Pink Meringue Cupcakes
Makes 1 dozen

6 large egg whites, room temperature
1 t white vinegar
1 t vanilla
1/2 t salt
2 c sugar
red food coloring
2 c creme fraiche (or whipping cream)
1 container (6 oz) raspberries

1. Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Line every other cup of 2 nonstick 12-cup muffin tins with baking cups; coat with cooking spray. Whisk egg whites, vinegar, vanilla, and salt with a mixer on medium-high speed until frothy. Add 1 3/4 cups sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition, making sure the sugar dissolves. Beat until stiff, glossy peaks form. Mix in 6 drops food coloring.
2. Transfer mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a plain coupler (no tip), and pipe into prepared baking cups, about 2 inches above rims, finishing with a peak in the centers. Bake, rotating halfway through, 3 to 3 hours and 20 minutes. (Cupcakes should be completely dry on the outside but still soft in the middle. A toothpick inserted horizontally at base of top should have moist but cooked crumbs attached.) Transfer cupcakes in baking cups to wire racks; let cool completely.
3. Beat creme fraiche and remaining cup sugar in a clean mixer bowl on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Carefully slice off tops of cupcakes using a serrated knife. (Run the knife just above the liner and slowly work your way to the center.) Top each cupcake with 2 tablespoons raspberry curd, a few raspberries, and 2 tablespoons creme fraiche mixture. Replace tops, and serve immediately.

Raspberry Curd
1 container (6 oz) raspberries (I used frozen)
1 1/4 c sugar
4 large egg yoks
1 stick unsalted butter
1/4 c lemon juice
pinch of salt

Whisk all ingredients in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water until slightly thick, 8 to 10 minutes. Strain; refrigerate until cold and thick.

Mexican hamburgers

1 lb ground turkey

1 packet taco seasoning

Avocado

Tomato

Cheddar cheese

Buns

Mix turkey and taco seasoning and for four patties; grill. Stack each one on a bun with a slice of avocado, tomato, and cheese. Enjoy!

• These are really fun as sliders, mini hamburgers that you put on homemade rolls. Just stick each one with a toothpick to make sure all the toppings stay put.

Spinach Mandarin Poppy Seed Salad

While I was going to school, I had a salad very similar to this at various activities because the school's catering service makes it. I adapted a recipe I found from Our Best Bites to come up with this great salad.
6-8 oz. bag of baby spinach

1 bag Romaine lettuce, chopped

1/4 thinly sliced small red onion

8 oz. mozzarella, freshly shredded

8-10 oz. Hormel Real Crumbled Bacon (found at most grocery stores and big bags found at Sam's Club.)

1 large can Mandarin oranges, drained

3/4 c. candied walnuts

poppy seed dressing to taste

Combine all ingredients except dressing in a large bowl. When ready to serve, toss with desired amount of salad dressing and serve immediately. If you anticipate leftovers, just let your eaters dress their own salads because the dressing will make the salad wilt.

Poppy Seed Dressing

1/3 c. white vinegar

1 t. Kosher salt

A few turns of freshly ground black pepper

3/4 c. sugar

1 t. mustard

1 green onion, both ends removed

1/2 c. vegetable oil

1 t. poppy seeds

In a blender, combine vinegar, salt, pepper, sugar, and mustard. While the blender is running, add the green onion, Continue running the blender and add the oil. Whisk in the poppy seeds. Serve over salad.

Blueberry Muffins

I have been on the look out for a good blueberry muffin recipe. I looked on allrecipes.com and found a recipe that had great reviews. This turned out to be a GREAT recipe and I've made them twice in the last four days. :) I used my heart muffin pan and they turned out cute!

1 1/2 c. flour

3/4 c. sugar

1/2 t. salt

2 t. baking powder

1/3 c. vegetable oil

1 egg

1/3 c. milk

1 c. fresh blueberries

crumb topping

1/2 c. sugar

1/3 c. flour

1/4 c. butter, cubed very small

1 1/2 t. ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.

Combine first 4 ingredients. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill cup. Add this to flour mixture and mix. Fold in bluberries. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full, and sprinkle with crumb toppping.

For crumb topping: mix with a fork or in a food processor until small crumbs.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until done.

RASPBERRY LEMONADE SLUSH

6 c hot water
4 c sugar
1 (12 oz) can frozen lemonade concentrate
1 (46 oz) can pineapple juice
2 (10 oz) packages frozen raspberries
2 liters lemon-lime soda

In a large saucepan, combine hot water and sugar. Stir over heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. Add lemonade, pineapple juice, and raspberries and stir until well mixed. Pour into large freezer bags or a 5-quart ice cream bucket. Freeze overnight. Serve with desired amount of soda.