Chocolate Hershey Kiss Cookies

Hot Mama Grade: A

Hot Mama Notes: a quick and tasty cookie! 

Easy Chili

Originally posted by: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/16248/easy-homemade-chili/

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped 
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
• 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 pinch chili powder
• 1 pinch garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the beef and onion and saute until meat is browned and onion is tender. Add the stewed tomatoes with juice, tomato sauce, beans and water.

Season with the chili powder, garlic powder, salt and ground black pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer for 15 minutes.

Hot Mama Grade: A-

Hot Mama Notes: Quick and easy! Simple and tasty! :). I like it with corn chips and shredded Cheddar. 

Bombshell Brownies

Originally posted by:

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/143667/brookes-best-bombshell-brownies/

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, melted
• 3 cups white sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 4 eggs

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish.

Combine the melted butter, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each, until thoroughly blended.

Sift the flour, cocoa powder, and salt in a bowl. Gradually stir flour mixture into the egg mixture until blended. Stir in the chocolate morsels. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking dish.

Bake in preheated oven until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove, and cool pan on wire rack before cutting

Hot Mama Grade: A

Hot Mama Notes:

Toothpick did not come out clean at 35 minutes. At 40 minutes, I took it out of the oven. The brownies turned out delicious. Very rich and fudgy. We received lots of compliments at the pot luck. :D

Eyeball Cake

Originally posted by: 

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/eyeball-cake-5468161

Ingredients:

Pupil and Iris:

Nonstick cooking spray

One 3-ounce box berry blue gelatin, such as Jell-O 

2/3 cup boiling water 

1/8 teaspoon black gel food coloring 

Eyeball and Crust:

Four 11.1-ounce boxes plain no-bake cheesecake mix

4 1/2 cups milk 

1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted 

1 1/2 teaspoons red gel food coloring 

1/4 cup sugar 

Garnish:

One 0.67-ounce tube red writing gel

One 21-ounce can cherry pie filling

Directions:

Special equipment: a 2 1/4-inch round cutter

For the pupil and iris: Spray a 3-quart mixing bowl with nonstick cooking spray. Combine the blue gelatin with the boiling water in a small bowl and mix until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Pour 1/4 cup of the gelatin into a second bowl and mix in the black food coloring. Set the remaining blue gelatin aside. Pour the black gelatin into the prepared bowl.

Place in the refrigerator to set, about 30 minutes. Use a 2 1/4-inch round cutter to cut the gelatin into a circle and carefully remove the excess gelatin from around the outside of the cutter to leave a "pupil" in the bottom of the bowl. Discard the excess gelatin.

Pour 1/4 cup blue gelatin into the bowl over the black pupil (if the blue gelatin has set before pouring, pop it in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds to loosen it). You will have some excess blue gelatin. Place the bowl back in the refrigerator to set another 30 minutes.

For the eyeball and crust: Combine the cheesecake mixes and milk in a large bowl. Blend with an electric mixer until thick but still pourable, about 2 minutes. Pour the batter into the bowl over the pupil and iris. Gently drop the bowl on your counter a few times to release any air bubbles. Place in the refrigerator and let set for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, mix together the melted butter and red gel food coloring and whisk to ensure that the food coloring is completely blended into the butter. Combine the sugar, red melted butter and 2 bags of the crushed graham crackers that came with the no-bake cheesecake mix in a bowl and mix with an electric mixer on medium-low speed until the graham cracker crumbs are colored red, about 2 minutes.

Remove the eyeball from the refrigerator and press the crust on top. Place the entire eyeball cake back in the refrigerator to let the crust harden, about 1 hour.

To plate and garnish: Place a large round plate or platter over the bowl with the eyeball cake. Flip the bowl over so the bowl is on top of the plate. Gently tap the bowl and plate on the counter to help release the eyeball. Gently remove the bowl to reveal the eyeball cake (if the cake does not release from the bowl, dip the bowl in warm water to help it loosen).

Use the red writing gel to make branching lines around the eye to resemble the veins of a bloodshot eye. Spoon the cherry pie filling around the entire base of the eyeball (you may not use the whole can). 

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! :)