Molten Chocolate Cakes

I first made these for a girls dinner party I hosted years ago (three houses ago!) and they were a huge hit. They are so easy to make, especially for a dinner party since you can prep them before hand and bake just before serving. They have always been spot on for me as far as cook times go. The delcious, warm, chocolatey center is so lovely with a rich vanilla ice cream. I cannot get enough of these cakes! If you are feeling especially lazy and hungry for molten chocolate cakes, semisweet chocolate chips can be subbed and the dishes can be sprayed with cooking spray. With those shortcuts, you can make these whenever you crave them!

Molten Chocolate Cakes
printable recipe

5 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
10 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour

Preheat oven to 450°F. Butter six 3/4-cup soufflé dishes or custard cups. Stir chocolate and butter in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until melted. Cool slightly. Whisk eggs and egg yolks in large bowl to blend. Whisk in sugar, then chocolate mixture and flour. Pour batter into dishes, dividing equally. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.)

Bake cakes until sides are set but center remains soft and runny, about 11 minutes or up to 14 minutes for batter that was refrigerated. Run small knife around cakes to loosen. Immediately turn cakes out onto plates. Serve with ice cream.

Pin It Now!

Ranch Chicken Salad

There are three things that I wouldn't eat when I moved to Texas: Guacamole, Queso and Ranch Dressing. I would probably be about 10 pounds lighter if I had never tried them, but hindsight is 20/20. The first time that I ever tried Ranch dressing was at my friend Jen's house. We were having a movie night and she served Bagel Bites with Ranch dressing that she had made with a seasoning package, mayonnaise and milk. How had I not tried it before? And I still enjoy dipping pizza in Ranch dressing, only made from the packet, the bottle stuff just doesn't work for me. I sure wish I could keep it a little classy and not, but it tastes too good. Trust me. C cleared his entire plate, he said it was because he was starving and not because it was delicious. A cleared plate is compliment enough for me.

Ranch Chicken Salad
printable recipe

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced
½ cup Ranch dressing
½ red bell pepper, sliced
1 small tomato, cut into wedges
1 package mixed salad romaine blend
1 firm, ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced
3 slices bacon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x9 glass baking dish. Toss chicken breasts with ¼ cup Ranch dressing, season with salt and pepper in the dish. Bake chicken breasts for 25 to 30 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink inside.

Cut bacon into bite size pieces and fry over medium heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels.

In a large bowl, toss greens with ¼ cup ranch dressing, red bell pepper, tomato, avocado slices, bacon and top with the chicken slices.

Pin It Now!

Tortilla Soup

I love tortilla soup, what is not to love? Chicken, cheese, avocado, crunchy tortilla strips? Heaven in a bowl. I had this soup for lunch leftover from the night before and it was even better when the flavors had time to come together even more. You can increase or decrease the spice level depending on how much jalapeno you choose to use. I might try something spicier next time a make it, like a serrano, to give it more heat since the jalapeno flavor is covered by the Rotel. This works great as a weeknight meal since it comes together so quickly. You can also add a dollop of sour cream or some chopped cilantro.

Tortilla Soup
printable recipe

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 teaspoons cumin, divided
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
6 (6-inch) corn tortillas, preferably a little old and dried out
¼ cup vegetable oil
½ small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 medium jalapeno chile, four slices, finely chop the remaining
4 cups chicken broth
1 can Rotel diced tomatoes with chiles, undrained
½ teaspoon coarse salt
1 ripe medium avocado
½ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 lime, cut into wedges

In a saucepan, cover chicken with water and add 2 teaspoons of cumin, garlic powder and onion powder. Bring to a boil over medium high heat and cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove chicken from water and shred. Reserve.

Cut tortillas in half; cut halves into 1/4-inch strips. In a dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Fry strips in oil, 1/2 at a time, until light brown and crisp. Remove from pan; drain on paper towels. Reserve.

Spoon out all of the oil from the dutch oven, reserving one tablespoon. Heat oil remaining over medium-high heat. Cook onion in oil 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic and the chopped chile; cook 30 seconds, stirring frequently, until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir in broth, tomatoes, cumin and salt. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 15 minutes. Add chicken; heat until hot.

To serve, peel and pit the avocado. Cut into 1-inch slices. Divide half of tortilla strips among 4 individual serving bowls; ladle in soup. Top with avocado and cheese; garnish with remaining tortilla strips. Serve with lime wedges and jalapeno slices.

Pin It Now!