Chocolate Coca Cola Cake

Is there anything better than chocolate and coca cola? Probably this chocolate coca cola cake! It is super moist, super chocolately, and super yummy! I found this recipe on pinterest and I just had to try it because it looked so good! You can find the original recipe here at Confessions of a Chocoholic. I think I like chocolate just as much as this chocoholic so I will be checking out more of the recipes there!


First, I mixed my dry ingredients together. I added 2 cups flour, 2 cups sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.

Then I put the other ingredients in a saucepan. I added 1 cup butter, 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 cup coca cola, and 1/2 cup buttermilk.

 Heat in the saucepan until it boils. Then add it to the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Add 2 eggs and 1 tsp vanilla. Put in in a greased 9X13 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Be sure not to overbake it!

The cake is done when a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Now for the frosting! Every cake needs a good frosting! In another saucepan, boil 1/2 cup butter, 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, and 1/2 cup coca cola. 

Remove from heat and add about 4 cups powdered sugar and mix until smooth.

Frost your cake!

Enjoy!

This cake tastes a lot like the Texas sheet cake recipe that I have. The only difference is that this cake calls for coca cola. Both are delicious!

Linking up to Made From Scratch Tuesdays with From Mess Hall to Bistro!

Also linking up to Tasty Tuesdays with For The Love Of Blogs!

Also check out 2 Maids a Baking at Two Maids a Milking!

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

Aren't slow cookers super helpful? You put your food in and it cooks it for you. All day while you are at work. Or the pool. Or shopping. Or whatever else you might be doing. I love my slow cooker. Especially during the school year when I am not home to cook all day. I recently came across a recipe for slow cooker beef stroganoff. It was divine! The meat turned out super tender and the sauce was perfect. You can find the original recipe here at the Taste of Home website.

Here is how I made it. First, I cut up my beef into small slices and bits. I used a chuck steak that I think was roughly 2 pounds.

I cooked it over medium heat in some olive oil (about 3 tablespoons) until it was done. Then I added 1 cup of water and a packet of beef stroganoff seasoning that I bought at the grocery store.

Once that was mixed through, I put the meat and all the drippings into my slow cooker. Then, in the same pan I cooked the meat in, I melted 3 tablespoons of butter. I cooked the onions and the mushrooms in it until they were soft. I used about 1/3 of a large onion and an 8 ounce package of mushrooms.

Then I made a sauce with 1/4 cup beef broth, 2 teaspoons of ground mustard, 1 teaspoon sugar, and a splash of red wine vinegar. I added this to the mushroom and onion mix.

Then I added the onions and mushrooms to the slow cooker with the beef and stirred. Let it cook for around 6 hours on low.

Before serving, add about 1 1/2 cups our cream.

Serve over egg noodles cooked according to package directions. This was so good that we didn't have any leftovers! If you're looking for a new slow cooker recipe I'd definitely try this one out!

I'm linking up to Hunk of Meat Mondays with Beyer Beware!

Also linking up to Made From Scratch Tuesdays with From Mess Hall to Bistro!

Single Serving Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

Have I got a treat for you! It is so good that I had it for breakfast! While I was stalking Pinterest one night, I found a recipe for a single serving of chocolate chip cookie dough that is safe to eat because it contains no eggs. That's right. I said it. Safe to eat chocolate chip cookie dough. I have heard that you can make this but I have never looked for a recipe. Since I stumbled upon this one, I decided to try it. You can find the original recipe here.

First, I mashed my butter. You need 1 1/2 TBSP of it.

Then, you add the dry ingredients. You need 3 TBSP flour and 2 TBSP sugar. I used 1 TBSP white sugar and 1 TBSP brown sugar.

Then, mix everything until it is crumbly.

Next, add a splash vanilla and the milk, a little bit at a time. Add enough to make it a cookie dough consistency. You will need a little less than 1 TBSP milk. (The original recipe doesn't call for vanilla. But I had to have it.)

Add the desired amount of chocolate chips and enjoy! I stuck mine in the fridge for a few minutes because I like it cold.

I'm linking up to Made From Scratch Tuesdays with From Mess Hall to Bistro! Enjoy!

Also linking up to Tasty Tuesday over at For the Love of Blogs!

Shedd Aquarium

As I have mentioned, I went to Chicago recently with my sister. She was going for a job interview and I tagged along. I thought it would be a great opportunity to visit someplace that I had never been before! It was great! I really don't think that I could live there, but I definitely would like to visit again.

While my sister was at her interview, I went to Shedd Aquarium. It was amazing! I took so many pictures that my camera ran out of memory! Here are some videos and pictures that I took while there. Enjoy!

I LOVED the jellies exhibit. The jellyfish were so graceful and at peace. They are amazing amimals.




I thought that the penguins were so cute and playful. I have always had an interest in penguins.





I also took some video of beluga whales. I was in awe at the grace of these huge animals!




I got some great photos of other fish and animals. I am looking forward to another visit!

starfish

some kind of crab

jellyfish

more jellyfish!

Mr. Penguin

I heard so many cries for "Nemo!"

My First Po' Boy

While in Chicago, my sister and I went to Heaven on Seven, a quaint little Cajun style cuisine on the seventh floor of a building on Wabash. I tried my first po' boy sandwich, the shrimp po' boy. It was great! The shrimp was crispy, the bread was toasty and buttery, and the sauce had a nice tang to it. The coleslaw was scrumptious! With my sandwich I also got a bowl of gumbo, which I was also eating for the first time. I really liked the rice in it.

Of course if you didn't think it was spicy enough (it really wasn't spicy at all), there was a wide variety of sauces you could add.

I didn't try any, but I was very curious about the "Hot Buns At The Beach". These were just the sauces that were on the table. There were over 3,000 on the wall as a display! I had no idea there were that many kinds of sauces! Can you believe it?!

And of course since I was on vacation, I had to have dessert! This was another first for me since I had never had key lime pie before. It was cool and creamy. The whipped cream was to die for!

Are there any other places that you recommend to eat in Chicago? I need to start planning my return trip!

I LOVE Pizza!

I just LOVE pizza! I love deep dish super cheesy pizza. I suppose this is part of why hubby considers me a carbaholic! I recently went to Chicago with my sister and we went to Gino's East for some deep dish, super cheesy, Chicago style pizza. We were not disappointed! I'd go back to Chicago just for this pizza! We ordered half pepperoni and half sausage. Both were delicious! Next time I go I think I'll get the four cheese pizza. Just thinking about it is making me hungry!

It was worth the wait in line!

Deep dish!

Super cheesy!

The aftermath!

Have a great weekend!