What's For Dinner Posted by Unknown | Saturday, February 4

I have loved watching the news and Rachel Ray with all the yummy "Game Day" food ideas! If you know me at all, I am not a big sports girl.  I enjoy going to a game, because of the food and excitement, and it pretty much stops there.  But I certainly love a party and a reason to make lots of goodies! What did you have for your Superbowl Parties?  In our home we decided it would be too much for everyone involved to attend a party so we decided to have our own Family Party!

Nate is doing a lot of the grocery shopping these days and cooking.  Something I really look forward to, especially on the weekends.  The weather was so nice yesterday, he actually grilled out burgers... and they were amazing. Not too much better than charcoal grilled burgers, right?

The Recipe Club

For dinner I made a really easy recipe passed on from my friend Theresa that has become a big hit around here.  A simple BBQ with just a few ingredients and the secret... Chicken Gumbo Soup!

 

1.5 pound of either ground sirloin, chuck or I used ground turkey this time and loved it!
2 cans of Progresso Chicken Gumbo
*Ketchup and Mustard and brown sugar to taste - I put in about 1/2 cup ketchup, less than 1/4 cup of mustard and about 1/4 cup brown sugar because I like mine on the sweet side.  It tastes like the sweet and sassy sauce from Famous Dave's!

Cook your meat in a skillet, add the soup, ketchup, mustard and brown sugar and stir! DONE! I like to let it simmer for about 10 min to thicken up and then serve on any kind of bun you like... or if your feeling crazy poor over some kettle chips.

And who can forget about dessert!  Now this cake is seriously addictive so if you don't want to gain 5 pounds in one day you may not want to attempt it.  But since it is my birthday week, I thought I would treat myself and the kids to this amazing "Death By Chocolate" sheet cake.  The recipe, from none other than the Pioneer Woman.  What a dream! The entire sheet gone in 24 hours! Between all of us of course!

Ingredients

• FOR THE CAKE:
• 2 cups Flour
• 2 cups Sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa
• 2 sticks Butter
• 1 cup Boiling Water
• 1/2 cup Buttermilk
• 2 whole Beaten Eggs
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• _____
• FOR FROSTING:
• 1/2 cup Finely Chopped Pecans
• 1-3/4 stick Butter
• 4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa
• 6 Tablespoons Milk
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• 1 pound (minus 1/2 Cup) Powdered Sugar

Preparation Instructions

Note: I use an 18x13 sheet cake pan.

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt.

In a saucepan, melt butter. Add cocoa. Stir together.
Add boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.

In a measuring cup, pour the buttermilk and add beaten eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into sheet cake pan and bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes.

While cake is baking, make the icing. Chop pecans finely. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat. Add the milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Stir together. Add the pecans, stir together, and pour over warm cake.

Cut into squares, eat, and totally wig out over the fact that you’ve just made the best chocolate sheet cake. Ever.