Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Cake

2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
"PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING(recipe follows)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.

2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.

3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING. 10 to 12 servings.

VARIATIONS:ONE-

PAN CAKE: Grease and flour 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Heat oven to 350° F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely. Frost.

THREE LAYER CAKE: Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost.

BUNDT CAKE: Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely. Frost.CUPCAKES: Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Heat oven to 350°F. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. About 30 cupcakes.

"PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine

2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa

3 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.

Philisbury Chcolate Crescent Rolls

Philisbury Cresecent Rolls

Chocolate Chips

Seperate dough into the perferated triangles. Sprinkle about 2 Tablespoons (I totally eyeballed this) on the large end of the triangle and roll as usually. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for baking. (Mine were 15 minutes at 350 degrees) After the rolls have baked, set them aside. In a small bowl, melt about 1/4 cup of chocolate chips in the microwave, stirring every 20 seconds. (It should only take about 1 minute to melt them. Be sure to stir or they will burn!) Using a fork, drizzle the melted chocolate onto the warm rolls. Cool for about a minute (if you can wait them long), then serve warm. Would be great paired with vanilla ice cream, or enjoying like us with a nice, cold glass of milk.

Stuffed French Toast

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. walnuts or pecans
1 loaf white bread
4 eggs
1/2 c. whipping cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 (12 oz.) jar apricot preserves or seedless raspberry jam
1/2 c. orange juice

Beat the cream cheese and vanilla together until fluffy. Stir in the nuts. Spread about 1 1/2 tablespoon of the mixture on a slice of bread. Top with a second piece of bread (like a sandwich). Repeat this process 10-12 times until the mixture is all used.

Beat together the eggs, whipping cream, vanilla and nutmeg. Dip the "sandwiches" into the egg mixture. Cook on a lightly greased griddle until golden brown, turn to cook the other side. Keep the cooked "sandwiches" warm by placing them on a baking sheet in a warm oven.
Meanwhile, heat together the preserves and orange juice.

To serve, dust the Stuffed French Toast with powdered sugar and drizzle the warm sauce over the top. Makes 10-12 pieces.

Fettuccini with Shrimp in Creamy Spinach Artichoke Parmesan Sauce

2 c Spinach Artichoke dip

2 c heavy cream

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 c olive oil

1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined

16 oz Fettuccini cooked until al dente and drained

In bowl, combine dip, heavy cream, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Place 5 qt pan over high heat. Add olive oil and shrimp. Cook, stirring constantly, for 3-5 min, or until just cooked through.

Add cooked Fettuccini and dip mixture to pot. Lower heat and cook, stirring frequently until hot. Serve immediately.

Makes 6-8 Servings

Spinach-Artichoke Dip

1 c thawed, chopped frozen spinach

1 1/2 c chopped artichoke hearts

6 oz cream cheese

1/4 c mayonnaise

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/3 c grated parmesan

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp garlic powder

Boil spinach and artichokes in 1 cup of water until tender and drain. Discard liquid. Heat cream cheese in microwave for one minute or until hot and tender. Stir in rest of the ingredients and serve hot.

Crepes (French Pancakes)

Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 20 Minutes
Ready In: 30 Minutes
Servings: 12

1 1/2 cups milk
3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons melted butter


1.
In a large bowl, mix together the milk, egg yolks and vanilla. Stir in the flour, sugar, salt and melted butter until well blended.
2.
Heat a crepe pan over medium heat until hot. Coat with vegetable oil or cooking spray. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter into the pan and tip to spread the batter to the edges. When bubbles form on the top and the edges are dry, flip over and cook until lightly browned on the other side and edges are golden. Repeat with remaining batter.
3.
Fill crepes with your favorite fruit, cream, caramel or even ice cream or cheese to serve.