Asian Salad

This is probably a pretty ridiculous recipe to post, since most stores sell those kits that come with (almost) everything you need for this salad. But it just sounds yummy to me right now, so there you go! Once again, I haven't listed quantities so you can decide how much you like of what.

Ingredients

lettuce (I prefer romaine)
red or orange bell pepper, julienned
sugar snap peas
can(s) of water chestnuts, drained
can(s) of mandarin oranges, drained
slivered almonds or cashew pieces
crunchy chow mein noodles
dressing (I love Girard's Chinese Chicken Salad dressing)

cooked chicken, cubed (if desired)

Directions

Mix everything together and eat it, because it's delicious! You could make it ahead of time, though keep in mind that the crunchier items will get soft, and the softer items (mandarin oranges, I'm looking in your directions) might get mushed up. It would be just as easy to have everything prepped but separate until right before serving. I like chicken in this salad, but it's definitely not essential; I bet diced steak would be good too.

Zucchini Squares

This is an appetizer I took to a Valentine's Day party earlier this year, and am taking to another party tomorrow night. They are yummy, but most importantly: So easy to make! You could serve it as a side dish, too.

Ingredients

3-4 zucchini, thinly sliced
1 cup biscuit mix
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 cup grated cheese*, divided
1/4 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, lightly beaten

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, setting aside some of the cheese, and mix well. Pour the mixture into a 9"x13" or 9"x11" baking dish and top with the reserved cheese. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown. Cut into squares and serve warm or cold.

Cheese

The original recipe called for parmesan only, which is fine, but I prefer to use a mixture of parmesan and cheddar. Pepper jack cheese would be good too, if you love it like I do.

Kahlua Chocolate Cake

First off, apologies for letting it be so long (almost a week!) since my last post. Time flies when you're not getting much done!

Now, onto... cake! I first had this when hanging out with a couple friends on Valentine's Day two years ago. We were missing one of the ingredients - the sour cream, I think? - and it still came out pretty yummy, but if you get this recipe right, it's perfectly moist and chocolatey.

Ingredients

1 box devil's food cake mix
1 small (4-serving size) box chocolate instant pudding mix
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup Kahlua

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F.

Combine all ingredients except the chips in a large bowl. Blend well and beat either by hand or on medium speed with electric mixer for 4 minutes. Stir in the chips.

Pour cake batter into greased 10" tube or Bundt pan and bake for 45-55 minutes or until cake tests done. Let sit in pan until slightly cooled (10-20 minutes) before removing the cake.

Blah blah blah

This cake is so good that it doesn't need frosting, but if you wanted something super-decadent I think a ganache frosting would be a great way to go. And though you do have to let this cool a little bit to get the cake out of the pan without breaking it, eat it warm!

Slow-Cooker Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

Are all scalloped potatoes cheesy? Or are all cheesy potatoes scalloped? I don't know - but I do know that these are the most delicious and easy thing ever to make, if you can stand waiting a few hours to let them cook. The cold weather is definitely making me crave a big ol' plate of these potatoes.

Ingredients

cream of tartar
cold water

8-10 medium potatoes, sliced thinly
1 onion, diced
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup jack cheese, grated
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1 (10 3/4 oz) can cream of chicken soup, undiluted

Directions

In a large bowl, dissolve the cream of tartar in the cold water (you can also use just plain cold water). Use about 1/2 teaspoon per cup of water. As soon as you have sliced the potatoes, put them in the water to keep them from discoloring. Drain well.

Layer half of the potatoes in the bottom of the slow cooker, and top them with half of the diced onion, salt and pepper, and half of the cheese. Repeat layers, and then top with the undiluted soup. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.

Variations

To make this a truly vegetarian dish, use a different cream soup in place of the chicken: cream of potato, cream of mushroom, what have you. Also: Because we have such a ginormous slow-cooker, I often use two cans of soup, pouring one in before starting the second potato layer.

Also: The more cheese, the better! I've yet to try anything other than jack and cheddar with this dish, but I'm getting very tempted to try it with either goat's or blue cheese. Mmm.