Day 364: Fudgey Cake Bars

First thing this morning I have some news about the cookbook.  There haven't been very many orders so far.  If I were to print it with so few orders I would lose money on it.  I'm going to wait a few more weeks and see if more orders come in before I make a decision on whether or not to have it printed.  I'm hoping everyone is just waiting until after the Christmas expenses are over to order.  So if you want a copy place your order soon!  But I'll keep everyone updated.

Second, I had a request from a reader to do a review of how my equipment held up after such heavy usage and I think its a great idea!  So next week I'll do a review of my equipment and post some pictures of how my pots and cooking table look now.

Finally, I have one more recipe to post this afternoon to reach my goal of 365 days.  So come back later today so I can give you all a temporary farewell and my thanks!

I made these yesterday afternoon as a treat for my kids.  They are so simple and easy to put together that its ridiculous.  I have to admit that I melted the chocolate in my microwave.  Its about 22° outside, the wind is blowing like crazy, its cold in my garage and I'm wimping out!  I did bake these outside though so I didn't completely give up!  :)  I found this recipe here.

Fudgey Cake Bars
12" dutch oven

1 yellow cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup chocolate chips, I used semi-sweet

Combine cake mix, eggs and oil and press 2/3 of it into a greased 12" dutch oven. In a microwave safe bowl, combine milk and chocolate chips. Microwave to melt, stopping every 30 seconds to stir. Don't microwave too long, stir well and allow the melted chocolate to melt the chunks still left after microwaving two times at 30 seconds each. Pour chocolate mixture over crust. Sprinkle remaining crust over chocolate. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until they start to turn golden. Use 1 1/2 rings on top and 1 ring on the bottom.  Serves 12.

The Finished Product

The Review

Whoever came up with this recipe is a total genius!  Cake mix, chocolate and sweetened condensed milk?!  All I can say is YUM!  These were super easy and best of all fast and delicious!  My kids loved them!  These are a keeper.  Grade A.

Day 363: Black Bean and Pumpkin Chili

Today was most certainly a soup night!  Its supposed to be about 8° tonight so we all needed something to warm us up.  I found this recipe in a taste of home cookbook and I was really intrigued by it.  I wondered how pumpkin would taste in a chili.  I was also a little worried about how my kids would react if they knew it was there.  Only one way to find out!  We ate these in bread bowl and it was a hearty meal.

Black Bean and Pumpkin Chili
12" dutch oven

1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium sweet yellow pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups chicken broth
2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, rinsed and drained
2-1/2 cups cubed cooked turkey (I used chicken)
1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
2 teaspoons chili powder
1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a dutch oven over a full spread of coals, saute the onion, yellow pepper in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Move about 1/4 of the coals to the lid and simmer for 2 hours or until heated through. Yield: 10 servings.

The Finished Product

Sorry!  That pic doesn't even let you see the chili!

The Review

This was surprisingly good!  It was originally a slow cooker recipe, but it was easy enough to adapt for the dutch oven.  The pumpkin was very subtle and if you didn't know it was there you'd never guess.  I'll be making this one again next fall.  Grade B+.

Day 362: Sukiyaki

This is our traditional New Year's Eve meal.  My hubby's family has been making this on New Year's for over 30 years.  A family friend lived in Japan for several years and learned to make it while he was there, so I can actually vouch for the authenticity of this one.  Since most of our family was in town for the week we decided to celebrate early.  It also meant I got to share the recipe with all of you.  It is a mixture of thinly sliced beef and vegetables simmered in soy sauce.

Sukiyaki
12"or 14" deep dutch oven
Sauce

2 cups soy sauce
4-6 cups water
1 1/2 -2 cups sugar
Pepper

Combine the sauce ingredients and adjust to taste.  You don't want it too strong or sweet.

Vegetables

Rice sticks or bean threads, soaked in water until softened (In a pinch you can use ramen noodles without the seasoning packet)
Bean sprouts
Bamboo shoots
Mushrooms, sliced
Chinese cabbage (Napa cabbage), torn
Green onions, sliced into strips lengthwise
Yellow onions, quartered
Tofu, cubed
4 lb. sirloin tip roast, sliced thin.

Heat some oil in a deep dutch oven over a full spread of coals. Add roast and cook in batches. Place vegetables and noodles in the dutch oven (It should be really full). Cover with sauce. Move about 1/4 of the coals from the bottom to the top and simmer until everything is tender. Serve with rice.

The Finished Product

The Review

Since this has been a tradition in our family forever, you can guess how good it is.  It is one of my favorite meals, bar none.  The only draw back to this meal is that it is expensive and time consuming.  But for a once a year celebration I can't complain.  The onions are my favorite part so I always make a ton of them.  Grade A.

Day 361: Pumpkin Ginger Scones

Here is the pumpkin scone recipe I made last night to go with the marinated baked chicken. 

Pumpkin Ginger Scones
10" dutch oven

2 cups flour
7 Tbs. plus 1 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. baking powder
5 Tbs. cold butter, divided
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup sour cream

In a large bowl, combine the flour 7 Tbs. sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, ginger and baking soda.  Cut in 4 Tbs. of butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Combing the egg, pumpkin and sour cream and stir into the dry ingredients.  Turn onto a floured surface and knead 10 times.  Pat into a 8-9 inch circle.  Cut into 8 wedges.  Separate wedges and place in a greased dutch oven.  Melt remaining butter and brush over the dough.  Sprinkle with remaining teaspoon of sugar.  Bake at 425° for 15-20 minutes using 2 rings on top and 1 ring on the bottom.  Serve warm.

The Finished Product

The Review

I really liked the subtle pumpkin flavor these had.  My only complaint is that they were way too crumbly.  I think next time I'll up the pumpkin or sour cream just a little to make them more moist.  Grade B.

Day 360: Marinated Baked Chicken

I have to admit, this was one of those meals where I threw together what I had in the fridge and pantry just so we could eat something.  I really didn't plan ahead.  Actually, we were lucky to have something to eat!  But it turned out well.  I served this chicken with a green salad, baked spaghetti squash and pumpkin scones (which I'll post later this afternoon) and it made a tasty meal.  I didn't marinate my chicken because I was running behind lazy.

Marinated Baked Chicken
12" dutch oven

1/2 cup Italian salad dressing
1/2 cup soy sauce
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. onion powder

Combine all the ingredients except the chicken and set aside 1/4 cup.  Place the remaining 3/4 cup into a resealable plastic bag.  Add the chicken and marinate in the refrigerator at least 4 hours. Drain the chicken, discarding the marinade.  Place the chicken in a greased dutch oven and bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until juices run clear.  Use 1 1/2 rings on top and 1 ring on the bottom.  Brush the chicken with the reserved marinade several times during baking.  Serves 6.

The Finished Product

The Review

I really wish I'd marinated the chicken.  It had such good flavor, I can only imagine how much better it would have tasted if I'd made it properly.  Funny how that works!  :)  The meat was so tender that we could cut it with a fork.  This is very simple and easy and yummy.  Even my little kids liked it. We gave this a B+.