TEXAS Sheet Cake AKA: Cocoa Cola Double Fudge Cake

A YUMMY TEXAS TRADITION!

WARNING: If you make this for your guests, they will BEG you to make it again!

Ingredients for Cake:

1 cup Coca Cola

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 stick of butter (8 TBSP)

3 TBSP cocoa

2 cups sugar

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

In a saucepan bring Coca Cola, oil, butter, and cocoa to a boil. Mix the sugar, flour and salt together and then pour in the boiling mixture and beat well. Add the eggs, buttermilk, baking soda, and vanilla and beat well. Pour into a greased "sheet cake pan" (larger than a 9x13 if possible!) and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Icing Ingredients:

1/2 stick butter

3 TBSP cocoa

6 TBSP buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup chopped pecans

1 lb. (16 oz) powdered sugar

In a saucepan combine the butter, cocoa, and milk and heat until the butter melts. Beat in the remaining ingredients and spread on the HOT cake. Cool completely and then serve!

Your guests will beg you to make it next time! I promise!

Pineapple Crumble

Want the simplest dessert on the planet???? But one that will make people think you worked all day??? And no, it's not Rice Krispie Treats!

Preheat oven to 375.

Grease a 9x13 baking dish.

Pour a large can of CHOPPED pineapple in the dish, juice and all!

Evenly sprinkle one package of DRY yellow cake mix over the pineapple.

Evenly sprinkle 1 1/2 cups of chopped pecans over the cake mix.

Melt 3/4 cup of butter (1 1/2 sticks) and pour over the pecans.

Bake 25 minutes, or until golden!

Serve warm....your guests will be AMAZED!

Andouille & Shrimp Stew

Want another Cajun option for a chilly night, other than GUMBO?

This recipe will NOT disappoint you!

It was an experiment, but after Mads' reaction, it will be a regular on the menu at our place!

Ingredients:

-1/4 cup olive oil

-1 pound (16 oz) of andouille sausage (in DK, I use Kålpølser)- Slice into 1 inch pieces and then half each piece

-1 chopped yellow onion

-Slap ya Mama (or your fave Cajun seasoning)

-2 cloves of garlic, minced-- I prefer to grate my cloves on a cheese grater. The consistency is PERFECT--better than a garlic press, in my opinion!

-2 cans of Rotel tomatoes

-1 pound of sliced okra (frozen or fresh will do, although you know fresh would be just a little bit better!) (In DK you have to buy this in the Turkish

market.)

-2 cans of chicken broth

-1 can of hot water

-1 pound of large shrimp, peeled and deveined

-1/4 chopped green onions

In a soup pot heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the sausage. Cook until browned (about 10 min). Transfer the sausage to another bowl (just to hold it until later), reserving the grease in the pot.

Add the onion, season generously with Slap ya Mama, and cook until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook about 1 minute longer. Replace the cooked sausage in the pot with the onions, and add the cans of Rotel tomatoes, the chicken broth, water, and okra. Bring to a boil, stirring often.

Reduce heat and simmer for at least 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Peel and devein shrimp and of course, season with a little Slap ya Mama! Set the shrimp in the fridge until you are ready for them.

When you are about 10 minutes from being ready to serve dinner, add the shrimp to the stew and cook about 6 minutes longer (until shrimp are pink). You should not need to use a thickening agent because the okra helps the broth to thicken to a stew-consistency.

Serve with a small serving of white rice and top with the green onions.

Banana Crumb Muffins

Need an idea of what to do with those overripe bananas OTHER THAN making banana bread? Trust me, after you make these one time, you will always pick this recipe over the one you have for regular ol' banana bread!

Preheat oven to 375.

Grease the 12 cups of a muffin tin (In DK, I use Becel.). Don't use muffin paper cups.... it robs them of their moistness!

In a large bowl mix together:

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

In a 2nd bowl mix together:

3 overripe bananas, mashed

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1/3 cup butter, melted

Add the ingredients from bowl #2 to bowl #1 and mix, just until it is moistened.

Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups.

In a small bowl mix together:

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 TBSP flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1 TBSP butter (NOT melted!)

Crumble these ingredients together with your hands so that it looks like a course cornmeal. Sprinkle this topping over each muffin cup.

Bake 18-20 min, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Make a cup of tea and ENJOY!

Apple Streusel Coffee Cake

This recipe makes about a dozen yummy muffins! Or you can use the SAME recipe to create a delicious coffee cake. Instead of a muffin tin, round cake pan--- I use a bundt pan!

In one bowl mix together:

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. cinnamon

Cut in 4 TBSP butter. Mix with your hands until the mixture has the consistency of cornmeal.

In a second bowl, mix:

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

Add this to the dry mixture, stirring just enough to moisten.

Peel, core, and chop 3 tart apples.

Add the apples to the mixture.

Grease the 12 cups of a muffin tin or a bundt cake pan. (I use Becel in DK.)

Pour the mixture in.

In a small bowl mix together:

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup chopped pecans (in DK you have to use walnuts unless you can import the pecans!)

1 tsp cinnamon

Sprinkle this mixture on top of each muffin cup or on top of the cake batter.

Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes.

Texas Chili

I have had to adjust a bit.....being in DK.....but in the end, it still tastes fantastic!

In a LARGE POT (we call 'em "gumbo pots" where I come from...):

1. Brown 1000 grams (whoa, I just used metrics) of ground beef with 2 chopped yellow onions and a few shakes of Slap Ya Mama.

2. Add 3 or 4 shakes of Chili Powder and 1 generous shake of CHIPOTLE chili powder. (You cannot use Chipotle powder as your only source or your guests' tongues will never recover!)

3. Add 1 can of Rotel tomatoes AND 1 box of the "Hakkede tomater med Chili".

(Note: Rotel tomatoes are mixed with water and the ones in DK are in more of a tomato sauce. I import the Rotels-- they are tomatoes with green chiles in WATER, whereas the ones we have in DK are in a tomato sauce and have NO spice to them.) If you are in DK, you can use 2 boxes of the Hakkede tomater... if you are in the US, you can use 2 cans of Rotel. :-) I "integrate" the 2!

4. Add 2 boxes/cans/jars of tomato sauce (I buy the boxes in DK as they are super cheap).

5. Add 3 cans of pinto beans. In the US, I used DRAINED Ranch style beans. In DK, I use "Chili Bonner".

6. Add 2 cans of beer (any brand will do!) and 1 can of water.

7. Simmer all of this together for several hours. The longer it simmers, the better the flavors meld together.

8. Serve with Mexican cornbread and top with a dollop of creme fraise and a handful of grated cheddar cheese. And if it is not spicy enough, dice a few jalapenos on top!