Ooey Gooey Butter Cake

 Am I the only person that was like 2 weeks ago old when they tried Ooey Gooey Butter Cake?  I have never had it and never made it.  True story.  Has anyone else never had it before?  My husband was quite literally horrified and after hearing about it, and how rich it is and buttery and everything good in the world I had to try it.  I had to find a recipe, and honestly who better to go to than that southern queen Paula Deen? I am admittedly not a huge fan, but I knew she would have the 411 on anything "butter".

I did step out of her recipe a bit but none the less, what I did was actually an option she gave in the recipe.  So this recipe is not mine, but it is mine in MY kitchen!  Thanks Paula, you do know your butter!  And in case you didn't know, these are actually bars and not a cake.  Fun fact.  Let's do this!

You will need for the "crust":

• 1 white box cake mix
• 1/2 cup or 1 stick of melted butter
• 1 egg

Combine all ingredients in a mix bowl with a hand mixer.  You can use your stand mixer but a hand mixer works perfectly!  Mix until completely combined.  Pour into a greased 9x13 pan and using  clean hands spread it out to cover the entire bottom like a crust.  Set aside.

For the "cake" part, you will need:

• 1 8oz block of softened cream cheese
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 2 cups powdered sugar

In the same bowl you mixed your crust in.  Add in the softened cream cheese and mix for 1-2 minutes until creamy and smooth.  Add in the rest of your ingredients, vanilla, eggs, butter and mix again until combined.  Now add in your powdered sugar and mix until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides a couple of times.  Pour over crust and spread evenly.

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.  DO NOT OVERBAKE or you will ruin the wonder of this cake!  Let sit for 30 minutes before cutting.  That is MY recommendation.  We think these are WAY better cooled than warm.  You be the judge though!  

These will become a fast favorite in your house.  They are SUPER rich and sweet, a small piece will do ya'!

ENJOY!

Ravioli Lasagna

 Ready for another easy recipe?!  This was a family favorite back in the day and I just started making it again on occasion.  It is easy, maybe a good one to get the kids in on.  I have said it before and I will say it again, getting your kids in the kitchen to cook WITH you will make them much more willing to eat food they think they don't like.  Stop the whole chicken nuggets, frozen pizza, cereal thing if they don't like what is being served for dinner, get them to try new food.  I apologize if this offends anything but, it is exactly how I feel, add a face in my hands emoji and it is spot on.

You can easily add some fresh spinach into the cheese filling, some grate veggies, or whatever else you can think off.  Bump it up wherever you can in nutrition.  You know the second you tell the kids you are having ravioli for dinner, they are going to be all in anyway.  You can do it mom and/or dad!

Here is what you will need:

1-2 1lb bags of frozen ravioli (I use beef, use whatever you like)

1 cup ricotta cheese

3 cups mozzarella cheese divided (or more :) )

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 jar of marinara or 4 cups homemade

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray your 9x11 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.  I used parchment on the bottom.  In a bowl combine ricotta cheese, half of the mozzarella cheese, Italian seasoning and salt.  Mix until combined completely.  (This is also where you could stir in spinach, etc)  Set aside.  Start laying out your frozen ravioli until the bottom is covered. Spoon the ricotta cheese mixture over the ravioli and spread out.  Pour half of the marinara sauce over the cheese mixture and spread out evenly.  Now add the next layer of ravioli, if you only have one bag, it may be sparse but don't quit now!  Pour over the last of the marinara sauce, top with cheese and cover tightly with foil.  Bake for 40 minutes covered, remove foil and bake another 10 minutes to get the cheese good and golden and bubblahhhhh!

Serve, and enjoy!

3 Ingredient Queso Dip

Happy July!  How did we get here so fast?  At the same time, we are closer to Fall!  Mild temps, open windows, crisp fresh air, all the feels going on here since it is currently 62 degrees F in my home.  

My husband's birthday is in a couple of days, and I like to spend a few days leading up to it making all of his favorite things. This dip is one of his favorite things. He is a dipper from way back.  He will dip, spread, slather and dunk, all things and into all things.  I think he could eat ______ and dip for nearly every meal!  And don't get me going on condiments, he has all of them, from every country and he is not afraid to try anything.  I love that about him.  So, with all of that said, we had chips and dip, and since we didn't eat nearly all of it, we put it in the freezer because it freezes like a dream.  Take it out and microwave or heat on the stove to enjoy it again and again!

While you may not enjoy using or eating Velveeta, this recipe can't be made without it.  This is not the time for real cheddar etc.  I am sure you can find those recipes out there, but this one, this one is not it.

Here is ALL you need!

1 2lb block of Velveeta Cheese

1 24 oz jar of any salsa, we use chunky

1 lb. browned ground beef, seasoned or unseasoned we use my homemade Taco Seasoning

Set your slow cooker to low and add in your cheese, cut into chunks, salsa and drained ground beef.  Place lid on and let it cook/warm for 2 hrs.  You can stir at 1 hr. and then again at 2 hrs.  Once the cheese is all melted and it is mixed thoroughly, put your slow cooker on the warm setting and enjoy it warm all night or day long!

NOTE: If you like your queso a bit thinner, add in 1/4 to 1/2 cup of milk.  Stir it in and enjoy!

This is also awesome ladled over burritos or enchiladas!  Freeze any you don't use!

Thank you for your never-ending support and friendship.  I appreciate you and feel free to leave me your comments!

ENJOY!

Ramen...at HOME!

 Ok, I get it, you were hesitant to even click on this let alone read it.  But come on, it won't take too long and you might just enjoy it!

I am a closet ramen lover.  Not even closet, it is what it is.  It is sodium laden so I had to find a way to make it at home, as good as at a Ramen Bar or Noodle Bar.  I learned to add things, take away things.  I mean why am I so ashamed of loving ramen?  I have been a noodle girl since birth, but, it is what it is.  I had a recipe/article published on Fox News Magazine Online featuring my Asian Chili Ramen Wrapped Shrimp.

I wanted ramen to be able to be eaten without the stigma of being TERRIBLE.  We are a country experiencing unreal inflation in the cost of food.  People need to be able to buy more budget friendly food to spread out the healthy food and use up food instead of throwing it away.  This "recipe" if you will, does all of that.  A ramen bar or noodle bar will easily cost you 50.00 or near that.  Sometimes we want it at home, and here is how I do it!

I am going to base this on 2 packages of cheap ol' ramen.  Ready?  Here is what I had in the fridge this day that needed used, carrots and celery.  I thought I had a small head of cabbage but it had gone way to far to the other side to be salvaged.  I make the soup as directed but use only one packet of seasoning, just one.  Add both if you like.  I also had a little piece of round steak left from a meal earlier in the week, and so I sliced it up thin and threw it in as well.  Add some ginger if you have it, literally whatever you have.  If they are already cooked add them in at the end, and if raw, follow my video.  You are getting the delight of those long slurpy noodles AND fresh veggies and protein.  Add in a beaten raw egg at the end of cooking, or any meat or no meat.  Tofu?  YES!  

Just like I use leftover cooked veggies for veggie soup, I use raw for ramen.  Just kind of as a guide.  There is absolutely no measurement, not too much, not too little, none of that.  Add in as much as you can cook in the pot!  I use some soy sauce, low sodium and like I said, omit the second package of seasoning but if salt isn't a concern for you, no worries.  

I hope you enjoy!!