Fabulous Chocolate Waffles

Originally from: my Cookbook

Ingredients:
<VERIFY HAVE ALL INGREDIENTS>
1/3 c Cocoa Powder
1/3 c Sugar
3 c Flour
1t Vanilla
2 Eggs, Separated
1T Baking Powder
1.5c Milk
1/2 c Vegetable Oil

Directions:
Put dry ingredients into a bowl.  Heat waffle iron.  Put wet ingredients and egg yolks into a bowl and mix well.  Whip up egg whites.  Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, do not overmix.  Then gently fold in the whipped egg whites.  Put in waffle iron.  Voila!

Hot Mama Grade: A+!

Hot Mama Notes: These chocolate waffles are unbelievably good.  You should go make them.  Right now.  Seriously, SO GOOD.  We eat them with sour cream sweetened with sugar, or with maple syrup.  But they are good even plain.  That's how good they are.  YUM!  I make this recipe as a double batch almost every weekend, and then we freeze the leftovers for weekday breakfasts. :)

Orange Chicken

Originally posted at: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/61024/asian-orange-chicken/?internalSource=hub%20recipe&referringContentType=Search

Ingredients:

• Sauce: 
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic 
• 2 tablespoons chopped green onion
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons water 
•  
• Chicken: 
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

 Directions:

1. Pour 1 1/2 cups water, orange juice, lemon juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce into a saucepan and set over medium-high heat. Stir in the orange zest, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, chopped onion, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat, and cool 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Place the chicken pieces into a resealable plastic bag. When contents of saucepan have cooled, pour 1 cup of sauce into bag. Reserve the remaining sauce. Seal the bag, and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
3. In another resealable plastic bag, mix the flour, salt, and pepper. Add the marinated chicken pieces, seal the bag, and shake to coat.
4. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place chicken into the skillet, and brown on both sides. Drain on a plate lined with paper towels, and cover with aluminum foil.
5. Wipe out the skillet, and add the sauce. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Mix together the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water; stir into the sauce. Reduce heat to medium low, add the chicken pieces, and simmer, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

 Hot Mama Grade: A

Hot Mama Notes: This chicken is very sweet, to me.  My kids love it.  Then again, Orange Chicken is nothing that I would ever order, but my kids do, and they think it is right on.  I've made it numerous times.  It is a lot of work, but if you want Orange Chicken from scratch instead of buying it at Panda Express or buying it frozen, then here you go!

Peanutbutter Brownies

Originally from: Lisa R (Book Club)

Hot Mama Grade: A-

Hot Mama Notes: I had this dessert at Book Club recently, and it was fantastic.  I would make it! :)

Curried Cheese Ball

Originally from: Lisa R (Book Club)

Hot Mama Grade: A

Hot Mama Notes: I had this cheese ball at Book Club the other day, and it was fantastic.  Here is the recipe.  I would make it, for certain! :D

Veggie Pesto Lasagna

Originally posted at: https://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/easy-spinach-lasagne-with-pesto-and-cheese-314626

Ingredients:

2cups ricotta cheese

1cup shredded parmesan cheese

1large egg

2(10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1(8 ounce) packageprepared pesto sauce

3cups chunky pasta sauce

12no-boil lasagna noodles

2cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. Grease a 13x9 inch baking dish or lasagne pan.
2. Spread 1/2 cup pasta sauce on bottom of dish.
3. Mix together Ricotta, egg, and pesto until thoroughly blended. 
4. Grease a 13x9 inch baking dish or lasagne pan.
5. Spread 1/2 cup pasta sauce on bottom of dish. 

1. Mix together Ricotta, egg, and pesto until thoroughly blended.
2. Layer noodles, ricotta and pesto mixture, spinach, 1/2 cup parmesan, 1 cup mozzarella, and 1 cup pasta sauce.
3. Repeat layers using remaining ingredients.
4. Bake 1 hour at 350°F.

Hot Mama Grade: B

Hot Mama Notes:

I made this veggie lasagna when I hosted my bunko group. I wanted to use my chicken pesto lasagna recipe, but the Wednesday fell on Ash Wednesday, so it was no meat.  I thought about making that recipe without the chicken, but I figured I would look around for a Pesto veggie lasagna recipe. 

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Lentil Bake

Originally posted at:
https://www.easycheesyvegetarian.com/very-veggie-lentil-bake/

Ingredients:

110 g red lentils (~ 1/2 cup)
75 g white rice (~ 1/4 cup)
650 ml vegetable stock (~ 2 1/2 cups), or 2 stock cubes made up in 650ml water
1 tbsp oil
1 small leek or 1/2 large leek, sliced
1 bell pepper, diced fairly small (I used orange)
5 medium mushrooms, diced fairly small
1 small courgette (zucchini), or 1/2 large courgette, diced fairly small
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Black pepper
90 g grated cheddar cheese (~ 1 cup) 

Directions:

Boil the lentils and rice for 15-20 minutes in the vegetable stock, stirring occasionally. You'll need to stir constantly during the last 5 minutes or so, to ensure they don't stick to the bottom of the pan. Once they're cooked, don't drain the water, but instead continue stirring over the heat until enough water has boiled off for the mixture to resemble porridge.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan, and add the chopped leek, pepper, mushrooms and courgette. Cook over a medium heat for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft.

Heat the oven to 190°C (Gas Mark 5 / 375°F).

Combine the cooked lentils and vegetables in a large mixing bowl, and add the paprika, cayenne pepper, and plenty of black pepper. Mix well.

Transfer half of the mixture to a baking dish, and sprinkle over half of the grated cheese. Add the remaining lentil mixture, smooth out the top, and finish with the remaining cheese.

Bake for around 25-30 minutes, until the cheese topping is golden brown and crispy.

Hot Mama Grade: A

Hot Mama Notes:

This recipe is getting to be a favorite of mine! I've made it 3 or 4 times already! It's so flexible, and as the original chef mentions, you can use whatever veggies you want!

For the first time, when I hosted bunko, I pretty much made the recipe true to recipe. Except... This was tasty Tuesday recipe at work, and there was a typo of 1.5c lentils instead of 0.5c lentils. Oops! So that's how I made it. Which is actually great. I love lentils! I just had to add more liquid. The only change beyond that was that I used green lentils and added a few carrots, thinly sliced. A great addition, I think. I did add cheese and bake it, too.

The second time I made this, I used red lentils, chicken stock, and added a pkg of fresh spinach. I also had no zucchini, but I did use a leek.  I didn't add cheese or bake it. I don't think it needs that, at all. Just added time, and dries it out some. Delicious! I think I did have mushrooms and a green pepper, but I can't remember. I may have added some of my frozen omelet veggies, which has onion, pepper, and mushrooms.

The third time, I did the same as the second except I had no leek.  Still excellent. :) I also used the last little bit of my omelet veggies. I also added 2 cloves of fresh pressed garlic cloves. 

This recipe is a winner. I'm sure I'll make it again! :D

Chocolate Peanut butter Pie

Originally posted at:
https://chefsavvy.com/chocolate-peanut-butter-pie/

Ingredients:

Oreo Crust
20 Oreos (about ¾ of a full package)
5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Peanut Butter Filling
1½ cups creamy peanut butter
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate Ganache
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
½ cup heavy whipping cream

Directions:

Oreo Crust
Add Oreos to a food processor and pulse until you have fine crumbs.
Add the melted butter to the food processor and pulse a couple more times to combine. (If your food processor is not big enough you can do this in two batches or mix in a small bowl)
Press into a 9 inch pie pan and place crust in the freezer for 10 minutes to set.

Peanut Butter Filling
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream butter and peanut butter until smooth.
Add in powdered sugar and vanilla and beat on low speed until incorporated.
Spoon the peanut butter mixture into the crust. Place in the refrigerator while you are working on your ganache.

Chocolate Ganache
Add chocolate chips, peanut butter and heavy cream to a microwave safe bowl. Heat in 15 second intervals until fully melted.
Allow the ganache to cool for about 2-3 minutes. Pour and spread ontop of the peanut butter layer.
Place back in the refrigerator for at least 1 hours to set.

Hot Mama Grade: B

Hot Mama Notes:
I originally had this recipe at a Pie Party. It was so amazing that I asked for the recipe. However, when I made it for my family, we found it to be too rich. I think if I make it again in the future, I would adjust it in the following ways:

* use milk chocolate chips
* use half as much Ganache
* make twice as much crust
* potentially cut the peanut butter layer down by 25% or 30%

I think these improvements would make for a much better pie. That being said, we did enjoy it very much, and found it to be very tasty! :)

Butternut Squash Soup

Originally posted at: 

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/208092/best-butternut-squash-soup-ever/

Ingredients:

1.5T butter

1/2 onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic

2 sprigs fresh thyme

1/2 butternut squash - peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes

4 cups chicken stock

1/2 cube chicken bouillon

1 pinch ground cumin

1 pinch ground allspice

salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat; cook the onion, garlic, and thyme in the hot butter until the onion has softened, about 5 minutes. Add the squash and chicken stock; bring to a simmer and cook until the squash is tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Crumble the bouillon into the soup; season with cumin, allspice, salt, and pepper; remove from heat.

Pour the soup into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway. Hold the lid of the blender in place with a kitchen towel and carefully start the blender using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth and pour into a serving bowl. Alternately, you can use a stick blender and puree the soup in the pot.

Hot Mama Grade: B+

Hot Mama Notes: This soup is good. I like it's flavor even though I want able to replicate the exact ingredients. I only had one 14.5 oz can of chicken broth, so the balance of the 4c was water. I also had no bouillon cubes. Despite this, I feel the soup was tasty. I think it you make it as directed, it probably has a richer flavor. Also, I used the whole butternut squash, not just half. And I cooked it first in the microwave because I find it easier to scoop out cooked squash than to peel and cube raw squash to Sautee (that sounds like a nightmare!). I also didn't have fresh thyme so I used dried. I sprinkled some in. I probably used too much (oops). It definitely has a strong thyme flavor. In the future I would try to make it as directly so less thymey and younger with hair a squash (or more broth). Otherwise, this is a good simple, easy, relatively quicj recipe that I plan to make again. :). I also used olive oil to Sautee the onion & garlic.