Recipe of the Week

I was sent this recipe, which was dubbed as the "Most dangerous cake recipe ever" because it means you're now only five minutes away from a serving of chocolate cake!

4 tablespoons flour 
4 tablespoons sugar 
2 tablespoons cocoa 
1 egg 
3 tablespoons milk 
3 tablespoons oil 
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional) 
a small splash of vanilla extract 
1 large coffee mug 

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again. 

Put your mug in the microwave and cook for about 2 minutes 15 seconds at 1000 watts. The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed! Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired. 

Enjoy this recipe in celebration of October being National Pork Month!

Makes:18 fajitas

1 pork boneless loin roast, (2 1/2 pounds), trimmed on fat
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 cups barbecue sauce
3/4 cup Old El Paso® Thick 'n Chunky salsa
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 bag (1 pound) frozen stir-fry bell peppers and onions
1/2 teaspoon salt
18 flour tortillas (8 to 10 inches in diameter)
Shredded cheese, if desired
Guacamole, if desired
Sour cream, if desired

1. Place pork in 3- to 4-quart slow cooker. Place onion on top. Mix barbecue sauce, salsa, chili powder and cumin in small bowl; pour over pork and onion.
2. Cover and cook on Low heat setting 8 to 10 hours.
3. Remove pork from cooker; place on cutting board. Shred pork, using 2 forks. Return pork to cooker and mix well. Stir in stir-fry vegetables and salt. Increase heat setting to High. Cover and cook 30 minutes or until mixture is hot and vegetables are tender.
4. Using slotted spoon to remove pork mixture from cooker, fill each tortilla with 1/2 cup pork mixture. Fold one end of tortilla up about 1 inch over filling; fold right and left sides over folded end, overlapping. Fold remaining end down. Serve with cheese, guacamole and sour cream.

In honor of World Dairy Expo, we're featuring a recipe that's loaded with cheese and sour cream.

Ingredients:

* 4 large Idaho baking potatoes, scrubbed clean
* 2 tsp olive oil
* 2 tsp kosher salt
* 6 slices bacon, cooked, drained, and crumbled
* 1-1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided use
* 1/2 cup sour cream
* 1/4 cup chopped chives or green onions
* Kosher salt, to taste
* Freshly ground pepper, to taste
* 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
* Sweet Hungarian paprika (optional)

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400 F.

Rub potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Prick in several spots with a fork. Place on a shallow baking pan 6 inches apart and bake until center is soft, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

When potatoes are cool enough to handle, slice each one in half lengthwise. Carefully scoop out the soft flesh, leaving 1/4-inch rim around the potato skin, and place flesh in a mixing bowl. Set skins aside to stuff later.

Mash the potatoes with a fork or masher (do not use a mixer). A few small lumps are good for flavor and texture, so do not try to get them perfectly smooth. Stir in bacon bits, 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, sour cream, chives, salt, and pepper .

Spoon or pipe mashed potato mixture into the potato skins and return to the baking tray. Sprinkle with reserved 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, and optional paprika. (May be made in advance to this point. Cover and refrigerate or freeze.)

Return to the 400-degree F. oven and bake about 30 minutes until potatoes are lightly browned and heated through.

Yield: 8 servings as a side dish

I just happened upon this recipe and the picture made it look so appealing that I had to check it out. It had received numerous reviews and everyone was extremely pleased with how it turned out. Comments were that it looked great on a holiday dinner table, was easy to make, yet looked impressive. Sounds like it might be a great choice for all those office and holiday parties. I was a little skeptical about the idea of the peppermint with the cake, but it got rave reviews and most said their cake plates came home empty.

1 box white cake mix
Water, vegetable oil and egg whites called for on cake mix box
1 teaspoon red food color
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract (more of less depending on your own level of peppermint tolerance)
1 container of ready-made vanilla frosting

Decoration
Crushed candy canes or crushed hard peppermint candies, if desired

Heat oven to 325°F. Generously grease and flour 12-cup fluted tube cake pan.
Make cake batter as directed on box. Pour about 2 cups batter into the cake pan. Pour about 3/4 cup batter in a separate small bowl; stir in food color and peppermint extract.
Carefully pour pink batter over white batter in pan. Carefully pour remaining white batter over pink batter.
Bake as directed on box or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Turn pan upside down onto cooling rack or heatproof serving plate; remove pan. Cool cake completely, about 1 hour.

Microwave about 1/2 container of icing on low heat until, stirring occassionally until it turns into a nice glaze. Drizzle icing over the top and down the sides of the cake leaving some of the sides of cake exposed. Sprinkle top with crushed candy, if desired. Store loosely covered.

Enjoy!

Here's a fast and easy one for your football tailgate.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

1-8oz. cream cheese
1 can 8.75 oz. white meat chicken
1 cup ranch salad dressing or can use blue cheese
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded
2 or 3 ounces Franks hot sauce or more if you like it hotter

Combine all ingredients in crock pot. Heat until cheese is melted. Serve from crockpot with chips or crackers