Petra's Truffles

16 oz chocolate chips

1 cup heavy cream

bring cream to a boil, pull off burner and stir in chocolate, place in freezer.

after completely chilled (over night) roll into balls.

coat with anything and everything.

ideas: crushed mint oreos, regular oreos, candy cane, cocoa, super fine coffee grounds, nuts, coconut. whatever :) store in freezer, enjoy!

Petra's Baja Fried Rice

Barbeque chicken (I used left over)
Brown rice (just out of rice cooker, still hot)
1 can of black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can of diced tomatoes with green chilies (drained)
1 cup of frozen corn
1 medium onion diced
1 red pepper diced
Olive oil
Garlic pepper
Carne Asada seasoning
Montréal steak seasoning

Using a wok or large non stick skillet, cover the bottom of the skillet with olive oil (plenty)

when the oil is hot, Add seasonings, onion and red peppers, stir fry

Then add your corn, black beans, tomatoes with green chilies and your barbeque chicken, stir fry till hot, taste for seasoning.

Slowly add your rice, stirring in gently till the correct amount then stir fry till slightly browned or to your taste.

Caution: Carne Asada seasoning can be salty, so if you under salt your rice it might be better.

My Easy, Peasy Beef Roast

1 defrosted Beef roast
Dried Onions
Beef Boullion
Johnny's Seasoning
Garlic Powder or Minced Garlic

Place roast in roasting pan or dutch oven. Add water till half way up sides of roast. Dump in approx. 2 Tblsp. of dried onion and about 2 tsp. of beef boullion--use your best judgement. Sprinkle Johnny's Seasoning liberally over top of roast and then Garlic powder or minced Garlic over top of that. Cover with foil or lid and bake in 300F oven for at least 4 hours or until roast is falling apart. Can add in potatoes and carrots last hour and a half of cooking and/or use juice for gravy.

Petra's Sesame Chinese cabbage and noodles

Cabbage
Carrot
Soy Sauce
Sesame Oil
Sesame Seeds
Spaghetti Noodles

Put your Noodles onto cook with plenty of salt in the water so noodles are pre-salted, cook till nearly done (not as soft as you would for spaghetti)

Thinly slice your cabbage, julienne your carrots, throw into wok with just enough soy sauce to let steam a little, add sesame oil for your flavor, throw in your spaghetti noodles walaah!

Petra's Chocolate Cake

1 German chocolate cake mix with pudding
1 lg instant vanilla pudding
1 cup sour cream
4 lg eggs
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup water

blend until smooth place in 2 round floured 8-9 inch pans, bake 350 till just done.

Ganache

6-8oz chocolate chips gitarde brand 1/2 semi sweet 1/2 milk chocolate
1 cup heavy cream

bring cream to a boil pull off the burner pour in the chocolate stir till smooth, pour over the top of both cakes and/or center of cakes

Brownie Truffles

Make up a batch of Brownies (Betty Crocker fudge brownies) are the best.  

After they come out of the oven, Crumble in a bowl

add

half of a container of frosting of your choice(i added chocolate)

roll into balls of any size, place toothpick in center

Flash freeze, about 15 min.  

melt chocolate (I do half milk chocolate and half semi-sweet) with a tiny bit of oil. 

dip in chocolate, place on wax paper and put the sprinkles or what ever toppings on!

I refrigerated and then later just placed on counter and they did fine through the night!  So yummy they were devoured in no time.

The Pioneer Woman's Restaurant Style Smashed Potatoes

Ingredients:

-5 Whole large red potatoes

-1 Stick butter, softened and cut into pieces

-5 Slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (I used Hormel real bacon crumbs heated up slightly)

-2 Whole green onions, slices

-3/4 Cups sour cream

-Salt to taste

-Peper to taste

-3/4 French fried onions (Safeway carries them by the canned veggie section)

Nuke or bake potatoes in oven or micro wave until fork-tender. Add to a large bowl and smash with a potato masher, or fork will work. Immediately add softened butter, green onions, bacon and sour cream and stir. Add salt and pepper to taste. Petra & I thought the French Fried Onions were best added on top after serving, that way they are still crunchy. Very delicious with barbeque chicken.

BBQ Pulled Pork

Beware, this is a cheater recipe and you only have to make it once to be hooked for life.:)

1 pkg. MCCormick Slow Cooker Bbq Pulled Pork Seasoning
3 lbs. or so boneless pork shoulder roast, well trimmed
1/2 c. ketchup
1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 c. cider vinegar

1. Place pork in slow cooker. I have used boneless or bone-in, shoulder or butt roast, whatever is on sale and it all works just fine. (Don't worry about the bone and fat till after it's done cooking if you're in a hurry--no prob.)

2. Mix seasoning, ketchup, brown sugar, and vinegar until blended. Pour over pork. Cover. * Hint--This would be a good time to plug your crock pot in and turn it on. Wallah! Now go back to bed. lol

3. Cook 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high. (I sometimes cook it 6 hours on high--I tell you, it is a very forgiving recipe.) Remove pork and liquid from crock pot.

4. Shred pork, using 2 forks, removing bone and fat if you ignored that step earlier. Return meat to crock pot. Pour 1 bottle of cheap bbq sauce over meat and mix in. Don't worry about fancy sauces with this recipe, it really does taste better with Kraft or Masterpiece, trust me on this. Heat thoroughly on high for approx. 30 minutes before serving. Serve over hamburger buns etc. with whatever your little heart desires.