Chicken Goodness (By Cheesy Diva)

This is a recipe that comes from a "back in the day" friend. It is delicious, cheesy and OH SO good!

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 soup can size sour cream

¼ cup sherry cooking wine

1-2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Cooked Shredded chicken

Crumbled ritz crackers on top with a stick of butter (yes, a whole stick!) poured over the crackers

Cook 350 for about 20 to 25 minutes or until its bubbly

I usually double the recipe and use 2 cans of soup, 2 cans sour cream, and ½ cup of sherry wine, however much chicken you want, and then add more mozzarella (about 2-3 cups – depending on how cheesy you want it…so for me maybe 4 cups of cheese...KIDDING....kinda!
If you add the ritz crackers at the beginning cover the pan with foil for the first 10 – 15 minutes so the crackers don’t burn. Then take the foil off so they can get just a little crispy.

I cannot tell a lie, this meal is not the healthiest recipe on the blog - however, it's so worth every.single.calorie!

Coffee Heath Crunch Cake

It's that time! Time to post February's Cake Slice Bakers cake. This one is by far my favorite. The cake has a great dense texture and the streusel is scrumptious. The recipe called for instant espresso powder but I substituted cocoa powder. Ive seen other Cake Slice Baker's post and they are equally happy with the espresso.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1½ cups all purpose flour
1 Tbsp instant espresso powder (I used cocoa powder)
1½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1½ tsp vanilla extract
1 cup milk
For the Streusel:

4 Heath bars (1.4 oz. each) chopped, or 1 cup prechopped Heath bits
2 tbsp light brown sugar
2 Tbsp all purpose flour
1 Tbsp butter, softened
Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 9-inch round springform pan.

For the Streusel: Combine the Heath toffee bits, brown sugar, flour and butter in a medium mixing bowl. Work the mixture with your fingers until it resembles large crumbs. Refrigerate until ready to use.

For the Cake: Combine the flour, espresso powder, baking powder and salt in a medium mixing bowl.

Combine the butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

With the mixer on low speed, add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla.With the mixer on low speed, add a third of the flour mixture and then half the milk, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Repeat, alternating the flour and milk, ending with the flour.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth into an even layer with a spatula. Scatter the streusel onto the batter, distributing it evenly over the cake.

Bake the cake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Release the sides of the pan and use a large spatula to slide the cake from the pan bottom to onto a wire rack.

Cool completely, cut into wedges and serve. Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper or wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

When Dreams are Realized (Saucy Diva)

I've been sitting in front of my computer for about 10 minutes now trying to think of an eloquent way to describe yesterday. I can't, so here goes... WE FREAKING MET REE DRUMMOND!!!!!! Anyone who knows the divas or follows this blog, knows that Ree, otherwise known as the Pioneer Woman is our hero. Seldom does a DTD meeting go by where someone doesn't contribute one of her delicious recipes.

Ree, or P-dub as we lovingly call her, is currently on a book tour for Black Heels to Tractor Wheels , a true story about how she met the love of her life, Marlboro Man. While sadly she was not stopping in Indianapolis, she was scheduled to be in Cincinnati, a mere hour and 1/2 away. So a Diva Ditch Day was declared!

After stops at Jungle Jim's, a foodie paradise, and IKEA (Dear Indianapolis, We need one of these. Thank you.) we arrived at the Joseph-Beth Bookstore and waited not so patiently for our chance to talk to Ree.

She was amazing, just like we knew she would be! So stinking cute too! Just a real person who loves to cook, her kids, her dog Charlie, and a good show tune.

So Ree, if you are reading this, thank you for being an inspiration to female foodie bloggers like us. Keep posting deliciousness on the interwebs and thank you for a great memory.

Diva Dream Day (By Gourmet Diva)

Fellow readers,

Today instead of a recipe I am going to tell you a story. A story of wonder. A story of fabulousness. A story of how 3 of the 6 divas get to fulfill a diva dream. That's right ladies and gentlemen, 3 of our own get to meet P Dub today. P Dub, Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond....Diva Superstar.

Alas, I am not one of the lucky 3 divas. But I am going to live vicariously through them. We wanted this to be a true diva day, but due to pesky things like pregnancy and shaping young minds (aka: teaching) three of us were unable to make the journey.

"Living the dream"
There are a few things the dinnertime divas have always hoped for....
1. Meeting Pioneer Woman
2. Having Ree check out our blog
3. Hanging out with P Dub on her ranch

Today, number one will happen. Maybe number two if we're lucky. I think the closest we will ever to get to number three is re-watching our DVR episode of her Thanksgiving throwdown with Bobby Flay...but if we're going to dream, we may as well dream big!

So throughout the day I have been texting the road trip divas. Getting messages such as:
"Do you think PW will be weirded out if Saucy Diva and I bring a cheese board and charcuterie and ask her to partake in a wine/cheese/meat feast with us?"

And reading Facebook messages such as:
"Waiting on her royal Highness to get this party started"

Sigh. So here I wait, anxious to hear all about the fabulous day, and drowning my jealousy in some Pioneer Woman Apple Dumplings.

Stay tuned. Saucy Diva, Wine Diva, and Spicy Diva will be blogging about their day later this evening.

Lamb Chops with Horseradish-Pecan Sauce (from Dessert Diva)

This was my contribution to our February Supper Club...enjoy!

Ingredients

6 slices bacon
6 boneless lamb loin chops
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. onion powder
Horseradish-Pecan Sauce (see recipe below)

Directions

Cook bacon over low heat until cooked but not crisp. Wrap each chop with 1 piece of bacon. Secure with a wooden toothpick. Place lamb chops on broiler pan. Combine next 5 ingredients. Brush chops with marinade. Broil 4 inches from heat 10 minutes or until desired doneness. Turn chops once and brush with marinade occasionally while cooking. Serve with Horseradish-Pecan Sauce.

Horseradish-Pecan Sauce

Combine 1 tbsp. olive oil and 1 tbsp. flour in a small saucepan. Add 1/8 tsp. white pepper and 1/8 tsp. minced garlic. Heat until bubbly. Gradually add 1 cup half-and-half, stirring constantly. Add 1 tbsp. horseradish sauce and 1/4 cup chopped pecans. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens.

Oh, oh.....I want s'more!

Greetings from Florida! It is time for my monthly Cake Slice Bakers reveal! I made this simple cake before I left for my conference. This month's cake is a graham cracker, chocolate chip snacking cake with a marshmallow frosting. I was very excited to try this cake because I heart s'mores!

While the cake was baking, I made the frosting and SHWEET SHMELLOW its good!!! I'd even go as far as saying that it saves the mediocre cake.

Over all, this is a good (not great) cake. It didn't have as strong of a s'more taste as I would have liked, but it was moist and chocolaty. I highly recommend eating it warm, whether that means eating it when it comes out of the oven or sticking it in the microwave for a few seconds. The frosting is definitely worth making again.

Here is the recipe...

January’s Cake: Graham Cracker Chocolate Chip Snacking Cake
(Recipe from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman)

For the Cake
8 whole graham crackers, finely ground (about 1 cup) *
¼ cup unbleached all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
6 tbsp (¾ stick) butter, softened
¼ cup sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ cup milk
½ cup semisweet chocolate chips

For the Frosting
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
½ cup confectioners sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract
½ cup marshmallow fluff *

Method – Cake
Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease an 8inch square baking pan and dust it with flour, knocking out any extra. Combine the graham cracker crumbs, flour, baking powder and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
Combine the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. With the mixer on low speed, add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then beat until smooth.
With the mixer on low speed, add a third of the flour mixture, then half of the milk, stirring until combined. Repeat with the remaining flour and milk, ending with the flour. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Invert it onto a wire rack, and then turn it right side up to cool completely.

Method – Frosting
Place the butter in a medium mixing bowl and beat until creamy. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the sugar, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Stir in the vanilla and the marshmallow fluff and beat until smooth. Use immediately or cover the bowl with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Cut the cake into squares and serve each one with a dollop of frosting on top. (Bring the frosting back to room temperature first if it has been stored in the fridge). Store any uneaten cake in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Meatball Chili (with a little spice)

Ingredients
1 can (14.5 oz) stewed tomatoes
1 large onion
1 medium green pepper
3 cups Chili Cheese Fritos
1 tbsp vegetable oil
5 garlic cloves, pressed, divided
2 tbsp plus 2 tsp chili powder, divided
1 tbsp cumin, divided
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (16 oz) red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups water
1 egg
2 tbsp milk
1/2 tsp salt
1 lb lean ground beef
Shredded cheese (optional)

Cooking Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees
Chop tomatoes and set aside.
Finely chop onion.
Dice bell pepper.
Place chips in plastic bag and crush using a rolling pin.

Place oil, onion, and bellow pepper in a pot.
Cook over medium heat for 7 - 8 minutes.
Add two of the pressed garlic cloves, 1 tbsp chili powder, and 2 tsp cumin.
Cook and stir for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, beans, water, and half of the crushed chips to the pot.
Bring to a gentle simmer.
Reduce heat to low and cook for 18 - 22 minutes or until chili is thickened. Stir often.

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Combine egg, milk, and salt in bowl. Add remaining chips, garlic, chili powder, and cumin.
Mix well.
Add beef and mix until just incorporated.
Scoop beef mixture and roll into meatball.
Bake 8 - 9 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 150 degrees.

Gently stir meatballs into chili.
Cover and simmer for 10 - 15 minutes or until meatballs are tender.

Serve with cheddar cheese if you'd like.