Honey Lime Chicken - To Die For!

What a day, what a day, what a nearly perfect day!  March 1 and the weather is absolutely glorious here in middle Tennessee.  Actually, I would call it perfect weather.  Sun, gentle breeze, and the flowering trees are all beginning to bloom.  There is a riot of color everywhere which is so nice to see after the dullness of winter.

Today, we made a trek across town to visit the good old insurance man to sign Dan up for all the Medicare supplements.  Forms, forms and more forms.  Yup, he starts receiving benefits on April 1.  I am not sure sometimes how he can possibly be eligible for Medicare.  Where has the time gone?  I met him when he was 17 and I was 15 and it has all gone by in a flash!  One day we were going to the prom and today he is signing up for Medicare.  So, all of you younger people remember to savor every moment because it won't be long and you will be asking where has it gone?

On the upside, because it was such a fabulous day weather wise I pronounced that supper would be cooked on the grill.  Yes!!  Everything done out of doors and let me tell you, this recipe is a KEEPER!  I found it on one of my favorite web sites, PlainChicken.com.  Most every recipe I have made from her site has been excellent.  I thought I would pass this one on to you so you can try it too.   We had this delicious honey lime chicken with grilled vegetables and if I had just had an ocean and some sand right outside the door, it would have been like eating at the beach!  Oh, I need to go to the beach.

Anyway, here is what you need:

4 chicken breasts (I use boneless, skinless)
1/2 cup lime juice (it took 3 whole limes)
1/3 cup oil
3 Tbsp honey
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried rosemary
3 cloves garlic mashed
1/2 tsp black pepper

Mix the lime juice, oil, honey, thyme, rosemary, garlic cloves and black pepper in a bowl.  Put the chicken breasts in a gallon sized zip lock bag and pour the marinade over the chicken.  Squeeze out the excess air as you zip the bag and knead it over and over to make sure all the chicken has been covered with the marinade.  Put the bag in a container (in case of leaks) and marinate in the refrigerator for 4 - 6 hours.  (I knead it again from time to time, just to make sure all the chicken gets it's chance in the pool.)  Put the chicken on the grill and cook until juices run clear.  The marinade allowed the chicken to take on a beautiful color and lots of nice grill marks.    All the chefs on the Food Network say grill marks are very important.  Whatever.  I always thought it mattered if it tasted good.

Fantastic!  All I have to say.  The chicken was super tender and oh so tasty.  Dan and I decided it would be nice to save back a little of the marinade before adding it to the bag to use as a dipping sauce for the cooked chicken because the flavors are so good.  I'll do that next time and there will be many next times with this recipe.

I actually cheated and did 6 chicken breasts because that's how many I had and there was plenty of marinade for all of them.  Now, we have extra chicken for tacos - yippee -  another one of our favorites.  This yummy chicken would also be fantastic on a green salad.  Since tomorrow is Friday, and cleaning day, it will be an easy food day because I cooked ahead.  Yes!  Don't you love when that happens?  I sure do!

Here's hoping you have a wonderful weekend.  Hope you have great weather and you have a new recipe to try!   I really think you are going to like this one.  Now, if I just had that ocean and sand outside the door, it would really be perfect.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

It is very important that when you put something on the grill, you leave it in place to cook. If you move it around too quickly, chances are it is going to stick.
Bobby Flay

Fried Polenta With Sauteed Spinach And Lardons Of Bacon

Do you ever get tired of the same old side dishes over and over?  Corn, peas, beans and carrots fixed 5 different ways to Sunday.  And of course, potatoes and rice done to death.  Sometimes I just want something different, with a little punch of flavor - a hint of spice or heat.  I whipped this up one night to go with a pasta dish we were having and it was such a hit, I have continued to make it.

We do love spinach in our household - baby spinach to be exact.  I often saute' it with garlic and olive oil to serve as a side.  We also eat a lot of fresh spinach in salads which is super delicious.  But, this dish is something different and is excellent served with pasta.

Do you ever use polenta?   Polenta is made with ground yellow or white cornmeal (ground maize), which can be ground coarsely or finely depending on the region and the texture desired.   Wikipedia   You can buy it in tubes like in the picture below and you can get it in different flavors.  For this recipe, you just want plain old polenta.  Delish!

 We love it sliced and  fried all crispy and brown around the edges and topped with something delicious.  Just slice it in rounds and fry in a pan with a little oil.  I use olive oil for this recipe.

 Growing up my mom used to fix what we called fried mush and topped it with maple syrup for breakfast.  Well, mush meet polenta.  Same thing, just a much fancier name.  Polenta - has a nicer ring to it doesn't it?  We had polenta for dinner.  Yes.  We had mush for dinner.  Nope.

Actually, polenta was considered peasant food in Italy just as mush would have been considered poor man's food here in the good old USA.   My research tells me that mush was a southern staple, so that explains why my "Kentucky" side of the family ate it.  Polenta now has achieved a new place in the world of cuisine, being served in many fancy restaurants.  If you watch the Food Network, you will see polenta prepared by many of the chefs and I must say, I do love it!

Now, let's talk about smoked bacon.

I buy smoked bacon at the farmer's market in fragrant little chunks like the one above and it is so fabulous to use for adding amazing layers of flavor to any recipe.  You get so much "oomph" with just a few little lardons cooked all crisp and brown.  Now "lardon" is a fancy term I learned on the Food Network.  It is pronounced lar-DONE (long O) and is a French term.  It means to cut little match stick pieces of bacon.  That's it.  Yeah, fancy huh?  Learn the term and use the technique in your next recipe!  You will impress everyone when you ask if they love the lardons of bacon.

Here is how you make lardons.  Just cut a piece across the bacon about 1/4 inch thick.  Then, you slice that piece into little match stick pieces to cook.  If all you have is strip bacon, just place a few strips on top of each other, place them parallel to you and cut across the strips in about 1/4 inch pieces.  It is just not as thick as the country bacon, but will serve the purpose.  Remember - lardons!  Use the term to impress!!

Now, place the lardons in a saute pan with just a few drops of olive oil and cook until crispy.  Cutting them this size lets them cook at the same time.

When they are nice and crispy, remove the bacon lardons from the pan.   This keeps them from getting soggy while you cook the remainder of the dish.

Add 2 cloves of garlic that you have minced and quickly saute'.  Now, add 1 bag of spinach a few hands full at a time and let it wilt down, stirring as it does.  Throw in a couple pinches of red pepper flakes for a little kick.  Remove from the pan and add the bacon.  Place a few rounds of fried polenta on a plate and cover with some of the sauteed spinach (and be sure and get some of that bacon in there),  It's all garlicky and bacony and spinachy and  yummy.  Mm Mm Mm

This is really an easy recipe to make and it is wonderful as an alternative to always serving a salad with pasta.  The contrast of the crispy fried polenta is so good with the sauteed spinach.  Actually, you could serve this with just about any entree.

Give this recipe a try next time you want something a little different.  And, if you want to try polenta for breakfast with some maple syrup, give it a shot!  It's very tasty and a nice alternative to all the regular breakfast fair.  Polenta - the new mush.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

"Polenta? Oh, you mean Italian grits."    unknown

Pulled Pork In The Slow Cooker - Delish!

That my friends, is a pulled pork sandwich made in the slow cooker and is it ever delicious and easy.  Talk about a tasty meal to come home to after a long day at work or a long day anywhere.  This is something you can put in your slow cooker in the morning, come home and - ta dah - dinner is almost complete.   No fretting or standing long hours at the stove to feed you and your family and it's much better than carry out!

I grew up in Evansville, Indiana, where barbecue was king and everyone had their favorite barbecue joint.  Growing up, there were so many wonderful barbecue restaurants.  Each one was slightly different from the other, yet similar.   Evansville barbecue used a tomato based sauce and the meat was cooked over open pits using hickory wood to give the barbecue that awesome smokey flavor.  Makes my mouth water just thinking about it.   Mac's Barbecue also had the best potato salad EVER and their pies were to die for.  Just sayin' for all of you who remember Mac's!

When I was young, my uncle moved to California to work for the space industry and he would request barbecue for holiday gifts since they could not get barbecue like we were accustomed to in Evansville.  Many of the barbecue places in town had barbecue gift packages that could be shipped.   My mom always sent barbecue because that's what their family always requested.  That's how good Evansville Barbecue was!

Isn't it funny how you get attached to food memories from childhood and it's hard to change to anything different?  My husband has cousins in Alabama and we visited several times.  They served barbecue for dinner one night, but I did not recognize it as anything I was accustomed to.  They barbecued chicken and basted it with a concoction of mayonnaise, black pepper and vinegar and called it barbecue.  That was unlike any barbecue I had ever eaten.

There are so many styles of barbecue.  Besides Evansville barbecue, some that I have eaten are Memphis style barbecue, North Carolina barbecue, Kansas City barbecue, and Texas barbecue.  Each kind of barbecue is as different from the other as can be.   The only kind that Dan didn't like was North Carolina because it is vinegar based and he does NOT like vinegar.  I can eat about any of them, but Evansville barbecue is still my favorite, hands down.

This pulled pork recipe lacks that wonderful smokiness of pit barbecue, but it is super easy to make and really delicious which are the two most important things  - easy and delicious!  Here is what you need:

about 2 pounds of pork loin or pork tenderloin

1 12 oz can root beer

a 28 oz bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce (I used Sweet Baby Rays)

Put the pork in your slow cooker and pour in the can of root beer.  Put the lid on and set the slow cooker on low for 8 hours or high for  5/6 hours.  When cooking time is up and the meat is tender (and it will fall apart), drain the rootbeer and any fat.  Using two forks, pull the pork apart (hence the name pulled pork).  It literally fell apart, took about 1 minute to accomplish this task.  Cover the pulled pork with your favorite barbecue sauce and let it heat up in the slow cooker for about 20 minutes.  That's it! 

Place the pork on a bun, rye bread, kaiser roll or however you like to eat it.  Delicious!  Add pickle and onion if you like it that way.  Serve it up with some cole slow on top if that's the way you like to eat your barbecue or add some extra sauce for that "drip down your elbow" effect that makes barbecue sooooo good.  We had roasted potatoes and a salad with our sandwiches and let me tell you, it was very tasty, super quick and easy.   

Now, was that not the easiest barbecue recipe ever?  I know it's not as much fun as cooking it on the grill or smoker and getting that extra kick from the delicious smoke flavor, but it is so easy and extra nice to come home to a meal that is almost done!  

Give this recipe a try next time you have a busy day ahead and need something quick and easy for dinner that will not require waiting hours to eat.   I think you are going to like it!    

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:   

"Spare rib anyone?" - Adam    

Easy Peasey Cake

Hope this finds you all well and happy after a wonderful weekend.  The weather here was glorious and there are definite signs of spring everywhere (even though it seems a bit early).  Trees are flowering and daffodils and quince are blooming and the grass is starting to get some green patches in it.  We will be mowing and trimming before you know it.

Dan and I had a very lazy Sunday after a rather busy week of helping out with our new grandson and having the older grandsons for an overnight.  Saturday morning we had to get up bright and early (and I do mean early) to help our daughter with the baby and her two year old while her husband worked at a medical conference.  It's just a bit too soon to try several flights of stairs with a 10 day old and a 2 year old.  So, we breezed by the coffee shop on our way over and spent the day helping out wherever needed.

When Sunday rolled around, we were both exhausted.  Needless to say, we didn't do a lot most of the day.  We did run a few errands and enjoyed the sunshine.  I wanted to watch the Academy Awards last night so I prepared a simple supper of chicken and noodles and made the killer cake in the picture just so we would have something elegant to enjoy while watching the awards.  I have to give a shout out to Meryl Streep for winning best actress.  Way to go Meryl!

Let me tell you, this cake is SUPER easy to make and is soooooooo good.  The recipe comes from my St. Louis Days, St. Louis Nights cookbook and I have been making it for years.  Anybody out there remember jelly rolls?  Did you ever eat a jelly roll as a child?  I happen to be a huge fan of jelly rolls - delicious sponge type cake with a layer of raspberry filling rolled up in it.  YUM!   This recipe is reminiscent of those and way easier than making a jelly roll.

Here is what you will need:

1 Sara Lee frozen pound cake, 16 oz
1 jar raspberry all fruit spread
12 ounces semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla

That's it!  Easy peasey.

This cake is perfect for all of you with a baking phobia or little time to make a dessert.  Everyone will think you slaved for hours in the kitchen.  We will keep this secret between us (wink wink)!

Slice the cake while it is mostly still frozen because it slices easier.  Try to get 5 layers of cake, sometimes I can only seem to get 4.  Works fine either way.   Hold the cake perpendicular to the cutting board and slice very thin slices top to bottom using a good bread knife.  When you get to the third or fourth layer, you may have to set the cake on the cutting board and cut from right to left or vice versa depending on which hand you use to cut.

Now, use a couple tablespoons of raspberry fruit spread on the first layer.  Put the next layer on top and repeat until you come to the top layer.

Now it's time to make the fabulous chocolate icing.  Again, easy peasey.  Melt the 12 ounces of chocolate chips in a sauce pan over medium low heat, stirring constantly so they don't scorch.  When all the chips are melted, remove the pan from the stove and stir in the cup of sour cream.  When all the sour cream is incorporated, add one tsp of vanilla and REFRAIN from eating it all before you ice the cake.  Oh my goodness it's so good.

Ice the sides of the cake first, and then the top.  There is lots of icing for this cake, so at this point I cut the corner off a zip lock bag, put a star tip in and fill the bag with the remaining icing and pipe the remaining icing around the cake just to fancy it up and not waste any of the icing.  This is how your cake will look when you slice it.

Look at those layers of raspberry between the yummy, buttery pound cake covered in fabulous chocolate icing.  Now, how much easier could that possibly be and how much tastier?  I just don't know.  It is very reminiscent of those delicious childhood jelly rolls that we used to have,  but this is all doctored up with incredible chocolate icing.

You may have shied away from some of the other recipes that required measuring and mixing and baking, but you really really need to give this one a try.  Everyone will think you are amazing!  Remember, it's our little secret.   They will think you are a regular Betty Crocker.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

“Cooking is like love, it should be entered into with abandon or not at all.”
-  Harriet Van Horne, Vogue 10/1956

Wangs

Why are chicken wings so popular?  Do you ever think about crazy things like that?  And what are the parts of a chicken wing called?  Yes, it's crazy I know,  but I like knowing facts - crazy bits of trivial information.  I knew the main part was called the drumette and the end piece was called the wing tip.  What about that funny piece in between that is actually very tasty but restaurants never use?  I found out from the web that is it called the "wingette."  Who knew?  Now I'm happy.  Drumette, wingette, wing tip.  There you go, your trivia for the day.  Maybe it will win you a contest sometime.

Are you having an Oscar party this weekend or attending one where you are supposed to contribute to the food cache?  How about some "wangs" as they call them in the mid-west?  They are easy, delicious and everyone loves them.  That returns me to my original question.  Why are chicken wings so popular?

Perhaps it because they can be fixed so many different ways and they are such a fun, delicious finger- type food.  I made this recipe on Super Bowl Sunday and our grandsons and sons in love LOVED them.  Kids must like them because they are just their size - but what about adults?   Hmmmmm.  Something to ponder.

Anyway, even if you are not having, or attending, an Oscar party this weekend, these are good anytime.  They would make a fun Sunday evening repast to enjoy while sitting in front of the television relaxing - well worth the effort.  This recipe came out of one of those paperback cookbooks they always have in the checkout lane at the grocery.  The publishing date in it is 1991, so I have been making this recipe for over 20 years.  When we were living in Southern Indiana, I used to make these for a group of friends that got together for just about any occasion because everyone loved them.  Here is what you need:

About 3 pounds of whole chicken wings (you can use frozen drumettes if you want, but I like the wingette part too and it's cheaper to buy whole wings)

3/4 cup Pace picante sauce, or whatever brand picante/salsa you like (I use hot - use whatever level of heat you like)
2/3 cup honey
1/3 cup soy sauce
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp grated orange peal (optional)

additional picante/salsa for dipping

Here is how to cut your wings.

Using a sharp knife (I use a steak knife), cut at the joint between the tip and the wingette and discard tip. I really like knowing what to call that mystery part.  : )

Cut at the joint between the drumette and the wingette.  There is LOTS of meat on both pieces so don't waste any of the goodness.

Now, mix all ingredients.  Place all the drumettes and wingettes in a gallon sized zip lock bag.  Pour sauce over wing pieces and knead the bag with your hands to make sure all the pieces are coated.  Place in refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight.  Be sure and set the bag in a bowl in case of a leak.  How do I know this?  Uh huh.

To cook:

Line a 15 x 10 jelly-roll pan with foil.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Place all the chicken wings and sauce in a single layer on the pan.  Bake 40 - 45 minutes or until brown.  At this point, I usually turn my broiler on for  just a few minutes to really crisp the wings up.

Remove all the pieces from the baking pan and place on serving platter.  Serve with a bowl of picante/salsa for dipping if you want.  These are SOOOOO good.  They are a little spicy, a little sweet with an undertone of that salty soy sauce - sort of like Chinese barbecue.  YUMMMMMMMO!  Make plenty because they will go super fast.

My sister called me before the Super Bowl and asked me how I made my wings.  I gave her the recipe and she called to say they were quite a hit with all her guys.  Quite a testimony coming from a bunch of picky eaters!  Sitting here looking at this picture makes me crave a plate full of these wings.  Guess that means a trip to the store.  Hoping you enjoy these as much as we do and here's hoping all your favorites win at the Oscars (go Meryl Streep)!

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

You can't get spoiled if you do your own ironing.   Meryl Street

Gus's Dump Truck Cake

Hey everybody!  What did you do today?  I did this - made this birthday cake for our grandson Gus.  Obviously, he is turning two today and he LOVES trucks.  I mean, loves, loves, loves trucks of all kinds so this is his birthday cake - a yellow dump truck.

Now, I am not The Ace of Cakes, make no claims to be, but I can find information on the world wide web and follow instructions.  Thank you ask.com for the information on how to make a dump truck cake.  My oldest daughter and I were just discussing what we did before the web.  Things definitely were not as easy to accomplish.  This would have been a trip to the library, praying the whole way that there was some kind of book that would tell you how to make whatever you were wanting to make.  You weren't always lucky enough to find such information.

Thanks to the graciousness of all those who share their skills and information, we lead a whole different life today than even 15 years ago.  This is one of those "who would a thunk back in the day" situations that we are all more than grateful for and actually take for granted.  From homework, to crafting, to recipes - I say YAY for the world wide wonderful web (and the genius who thought up Pinterest)!  Wish that idea had been mine.

Back to Gus's cake, it really wasn't that hard to make.  His momma has a week old baby and wasn't sure what she was going to do about his birthday which is today.  So, yesterday (yes, yesterday) we finally decided and I made a flying trip to "Wally world" to pick up supplies, made a mad dash home and set to work.

I baked a yellow box cake in a 9 x 13 pan  for the base of the cake, let it cool, dumped it out and iced it with chocolate icing (one of my favorite combinations and I wanted it to look like dirt).  For the dump truck, I cheated and used a Sara Lee frozen pound cake.  SOOOOOO much faster than baking your own pound cake and no risk of error.  I also used Pillsbury canned frosting because the consistency is great for icing fancy cakes.  I bought two cans of white so that I could tint them colors I wanted, and one can of fudge icing for the dirt.

I have icing tips that I keep on hand, and zip lock bags to use for piping the icing.  I bought Almond Joy bits to use as hub caps, headlights and some of the "rubble" the dump truck is dumping.  I also used chocolate teddy grahams for the rest of the rubble and a Lindt white chocolate bar for the windows.  Oh, and some mini chocolate donuts for the wheels.

These are not bad to eat while you are working on the cake!  Yum

Perfect little rectangles to use for windows!

Why didn't I put them all in one picture?  Heck if I know.

Start with this pound cake.  Remove it from the tin and turn it out on a cutting board.  Using a bread knife, cut a few inches off the end of the cake to make the cab of the truck.

Turn the cake on end and slice a wedge out of the cake.

Lay the remainder of the cake on the cutting board and trim the top to make it flat.   Like this.

I cut about 1.5 inches off the end because the bed of the truck was going to be too long.

Now, put the base of the truck together.  The cab on the end, lay the wedge slice next to the cab with the wedge on top.  Lay the remaining piece on the wedge to form the bed of the truck.  So easy and you didn't have to bake anything.

Now, place the "truck" in the middle of the sheet cake and decorate however you want.  I chose yellow icing for the truck.  I scooped out some of the canned white icing, put it in a bowl, added drops of yellow food coloring and stirred until I got the color I wanted.  Next, ice the entire truck form trying to get the icing as smooth as possible.

Now for the detail.  I tinted some icing black for the detail piping.  Black icing tastes gross.  Sorry, but it does so I tried not to use very much.  I put mini chocolate donuts next to the truck for wheels.  If you put a bit of icing on the back of some of the Almond Joy pieces, you can put them in the center of the donuts for hub caps.  I also put two cream colored Almond Joy pieces on the front for headlights.  Cut a few squares of the white chocolate for windows, and a longer rectangular piece for the windshield.

Next, fill the bed of the truck with "rubble."  It can be whatever you want to put in there.  I used Teddy grahams because Gus is only two and they are something he can eat.  I mingled some Almond Joy pieces in to look like rocks.

Now, for the trim work.  I piped some of the black icing all around the truck for detail and on the front to make a grill and bumper.  Next, I tinted some icing green for contrast and piped the number "2" for Gus's age and his name on the top of the truck.  I also piped a little around the truck and the base of the cake to look like grass.  All done.  I think it's really, really cute and he is going to flip out when he sees his truck cake!

Well, I have had my fun for the day and it's time to head over to Gus's house to party down.  We'll put his #2 candle on the cake for him to blow out, open presents (he loves presents) and eat cake.  Grandma's are such lucky people.  We get to do so many fun things in a day's time.  Pure bliss.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

For a good time and lots of treats call 1-800-grandma

Super Easy Nutella Brownies And My Baking Disaster

Hope you all have had a good Wednesday.  It's been raining off and on all day, but it has been fairly warm which makes the rain more bearable.  Wednesday is our day to volunteer, so we enjoyed a very productive day.  After work, we had to buzz by our daughter's house to discuss the birthday cake for her son who will be two tomorrow.  For Gus it's all about trucks - trucks of every size and description.  Bet you can't guess what kind of birthday cake he is going to have.  Now all I have to do is figure out how to make it.  

Yesterday, I had a total "Lucy" moment in the kitchen while baking.  All of these years and I have never had anything happen like this.  I should have taken a picture to show you, but I was so distraught over the whole mess that I forgot.  Also, the oven was on and I had to clean things up in a hurry before the oven caught on fire.  Melted caramel in a hot oven is NOT fun to deal with.  

I was baking a pan of these lovely Nutella brownies with a caramel in the center (yum) and when they were done, I was removing the pan from the oven and hit it against the top of the oven. They went flying everywhere!!  I mean everywhere.   They were all over the oven, between the crack in the oven door, on the floor.  Oh my what a mess.  I almost cried because I really, really wanted those brownies for dessert last night.  I hurried and turned the oven off and Dan and I started cleaning.  It took both of us.  Melted caramel is not fun to clean up from a hot oven let me tell you.  Ugh.

As soon as the mess was cleaned up, I quickly mixed up another batch.  This is the easiest recipe ever! I got the recipe from a blog called Butter and he filled his with malted milk balls.  I didn't have any, but I did have Kraft caramels, so I cut them in half and put those in the brownies.  It totally works!!

Here is what you need:

1 cup Nutella

2 eggs

10 TBSP (1/2 cup) all purpose flour

preheat oven to 350 and line a 12 hole muffin tin with cupcake papers

Mix the ingredients thoroughly, making sure the eggs are well incorporated.  Fill each paper with about 1 TBSP batter, dividing batter equally.  If using malted milk balls, place 4 mini milk balls in each brownie.  I cut 6 caramels in half and placed one in the center of each brownie.  Bake for approximately 15 minutes.  Watch closely and do not over bake.  Remove when a toothpick comes out clean.

You can see that lovely melted caramel in the center of the brownie.  So, so good!

This makes the perfect brownie - great texture, fabulous taste and so cute.  I placed a brownie on a plate, added some vanilla ice cream and drizzled it with chocolate sauce.  Heaven!  So glad I baked another batch.  Dan was REALLY happy.   Doesn't that dessert look fabulous in the picture?  It is!

If you want to make your own chocolate sauce, here is a good recipe:

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 2/3 cup white sugar

1 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

Heat all ingredients except vanilla in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.  Store in refrigerator for up to a week.

Eating that delicious Nutella brownie with ice cream and chocolate sauce made up for the baking disaster from earlier.  Talk about a stress reliever!  If you look at the picture, you can see how the chocolate sauce pooled in the indention made by the caramel.  Oh my goodness good.  I really hope you never experience a baking disaster, but having something chocolate and decadent to eat afterwards sort of made up for the whole mess.  I just hope it never happens again.

Everyday Donna

Things to remember:

If you break your neck, if you have nothing to eat, if your house is on fire, then you got a problem.

Everything else is inconvenience.   ~Robert Fulghum