Triple Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Glaze
I think it is pretty obvious that my teenagers love chocolate cake.
The new Decadent Triple Chocolate cake mix from Duncan Hines is delicious as you see in the pictures above. They of course fought over the last piece. My better half said that he loved that you don’t get the sugar shock effects after you consume it . The new Chocolate glaze product is scrumptious! Super easy to microwave and simply pour over your cake.
I was lucky enough to receive some extra coupons to share with friends and family. So, I gave my mom two, one for the glaze and one for the cake. My brother, in all his anticipation, barely waited a day. He took the coupons and picked up the triple chocolate cake mix and vanilla glaze. They baked their triple chocolate cake and added it with vanilla ice cream. They have yet to use the vanilla glaze but I hope when they do they let us all know how delicious it was . They did however, informed me that the cake is very rich and delightful. They are completely sold on the product and plan to try the new Apple Caramel cake. I, myself, want to try the Apple Caramel cake with vanilla ice cream. Oh! Or maybe even a cake roll with a apple cream cheese center! Any suggestions?
Now, I await to see what Chelsea at Muusat thinks and what creation she comes up with 
Disclosure: *As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received coupons for Duncan Hines Triple Chocolate Cake mix and Glaze. The views and opinions expressed by Jenne on MooshuJenne.com are my own, and based upon my cooking experiences with Duncan Hines. I was given the product free of charge to test and review it; however, I was not monetarily compensated for the review.*
Virtual Thanksgiving – The Communal Table: Green Salad
For Food Networks – FN Dish – Fall Fest we are having a Virtual Thanksgiving at our communal table. I want to share with you one of my most favorite recipes of all time when it comes to Thanksgiving. It is a dish that not only I love but so does my friends and family. Today, I am going to share a revisited post of Green Salad with you at the communal table. If you would like to join us for our Virtual Thanksgiving, come pull up a chair at #PullUpaChair on Twitter.
Ingredients
Instructions
Chop green onions and place in large bowl. Peel your cucumbers and then slice lengthwise and slice lengthwise again for quartered size pieces and place in large bowl. Slice and cube your Roma tomatoes and place in the large bowl. Cut open your avocados and take off the skin. Using a avocado peeler or spoon pull out the insides and then slice on cutting board and add to the large bowl. Open bottle of zesty Italian dressing and pour into the large bowl till bottle is empty. Toss till dressing has coated the salad.
http://mooshujenne.com/virtual-thanksgiving-the-communal-table/
Check out these other great recipes for potatoes at the FN Dish – Food Network.
Cocktails, Appetizers, Soups and Salads:
Sweet Life Bake: Pumpkin Margarita
Easy Peasy Organic: Thanksgiving Ginger Cocktail
Dishin and Dishes: Butternut Squash Bruschetta With Sage Pesto
Mooshu Jenne: Green Salad
Two Peas and Their Pod: Maple-Roasted Butternut Squash Apple Salad
Jones is Hungry: Roasted Vegetable Salad
Purple Cook: Pasta and Bean Stew With Tomatoes and Broccoli Rabe
From My Corner of Saratoga: Curried Pumpkin Soup
Mains:
CIA Dropout: Turkey and Stuffles Roulades With Squash Mash
FN Dish: Alton Brown’s Good Eats Roast Turkey
My Angel’s Allergies: Cranberry-Glazed Cornish Hens
Sides:
Cafe Terra Blog: Cranberry Pumpkin Stuffing
Virtually Homemade: Twice-Baked Cheddar and Chive Potatoes
Easy Eats Magazine: Sausage and Dried Cranberry-Walnut Stuffing
The Sensitive Epicure: Oyster Dressing and Gravy
Daily*Dishin: Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes Supreme
What’s Gaby Cooking: Rustic Herb Skillet Stuffing
Family Fresh Cooking: Coconut Brown-Butter Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Silvana’s Kitchen: Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Mushroom-Rye Stuffing
The Cultural Dish: Cranberry Sauce
Desserts:
I Am Baker: Pumpkin Cake
Heather Christo: Pumpkin Vanilla Ice Cream Pie
And Love It Too: Pumpkin Custard (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
Haute Apple Pie Girls: Double Pumpkin Mini Pies With Candied Pecans
Ladles and Jelly Spoons: Not Your Same Old Pumpkin Pie
Daydreamer Desserts: Cuban Diplomatic Pudding
Thursday Night Dinner: Red Wine Chocolate Cake
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Caramel Apple Pie
You can also vote for my recipe on Facebook for the Macy’s Recipe Share. Just go to the link, click vote for recipes, go to side dishes, and vote for the green salad. Thanks to those that vote! Vote for Me!
Classic Minestrone Soup
We had a short dip in weather last week. It brought on my passion for creating soups. Minestrone soup is one of my favorite soups full of flavor and scrumptious vegetables. I’ll have to admit that my Italian side really shows through when it comes to noodles. It was an epic event to get the noodles for this soup. Ditalini noodles are perfect for minestrone. Many would use orzo’s but I believe orzo’s are great in chicken soup but get to mushy in a minestrone. What I love most about this soup is that I can hide the tender quarters of Italian zucchini in it and my family will eat it!
Ingredients
Instructions
In a large pot add in olive oil and pancetta or bacon. Fry till bacon is almost browned. Add in onions, carrots, celery, and garlic and lightly salt. Stir fry for about 3 to 5 minutes till onions are sweated but not caramelized.
In another pot boil water to cook you Ditalini pasta. Cook pasta 6 to 8 minutes as directed on package.
Add in the tomatoes, rosemary, thyme, broth, zucchini, and beans (if your adding beans) and top with water. Bring to a boil then simmer for 10 minutes. Add in pasta and salt and pepper to taste.
Minestrone is best served with croutons.
http://mooshujenne.com/classic-minestrone-soup/Come join SoupaPalooza at TidyMom and Dine and Dish sponsored by KitchenAid, Red Star Yeast and Le Creuset
Pumpkin Nutella Bread – Fall Fest FN Dish
This is my contribution to the Fall Fest FN Dish on Food Network this week. Don’t forget to check out the other great recipes below my recipe here.
Chelsea, my best friend and cousin, came in on Sunday to visit me. Monday night we went to see one of our old friends and phenomenal guitarist Jonny Radtke from Kill Hannah (Polar Moon). Although, he was not on tour with Kill Hannah he was playing with the band Filter; which was cool to see. One of the arts we at Muusat enjoy is making treats for our friends in a few bands. Monday night we took them some popcorn balls and pumpkin nutella bread. After a few marriage proposals from Phil ( jokingly of course 
) we were glad to see they enjoyed the food just as much as we enjoyed the show. Can not wait till next time! Lots of hugs to Jonny and Filter!
For pictures and more about the show; check out Muusat.com
Ingredients
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray two regular sized glass loaf pans with olive oil cooking spray. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, oil, water,sour cream, pumpkin, eggs, and extracts. Whisk until smooth and combined. Slowly stir in the flour mixture. Mix until ingredients are combined. Pour the batter into the loaf pans, making sure batter is evenly divided. Drop one large spatula full of Nutella onto each loaf pan. Swirl the Nutella into the pumpkin batter with a knife. Place the loaf pans onto a baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes in the pan and then carefully remove the loaves. Cool half way before slicing.
http://mooshujenne.com/pumpkin-nutella-bread/
Other great recipes for Pumpkin on the FN Dish Fall Fest this week:
What’s Gaby Cooking: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars
The Cultural Dish: Pumpkin Waffles
Cooking With Elise: Pumpkin Chip Scones
And Love It Too: Creamy Pumpkin Fruit Dip
CIA Dropout: Pumpkin Panna Cotta With Gingerbread
Haute Apple Pie Girls: Pumpkin Bread Parfait
I Am Mommy: Pumpkin Pancakes
Dishin and Dishes: Maple Pumpkin Creme Brulee
Virtually Homemade: Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins With Pumpkin Seed Streusel
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Pumpkin Pizza
Daydreamer Desserts: Pumpkin Fattigman
From My Corner of Saratoga: Baking Pie In The Pumpkin
FN Dish: The Ultimate Pumpkin Soup
Cooking Channel: Pumpkin Risotto
The Sensitive Epicure: Pumpkin Whoopie Pies With Molasses Marshmallows
Daily*Dishin: Pumpkin Praline Cheesecake
ZaikaZabardast: Pumpkin Jalebi
Big Girls Small Kitchen: Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Loaf
No Flour Reese’s Peanut Butter Cookies
After eating my first no flour peanut butter cookie I have decided I will never go back! Flour really does bland out peanut butter cookies and it makes them crunchy. Ewe! I just cannot handle crunchy cookies. I like the edge to have crispiness to it and the centers to melt away in your mouth.
My son and I, he is 14, had fun making Halloween cookies. I just love to tease him about the time he made chocolate chip cookies and he thought the recipe stated that the salt was 2 cups. Oi! Was it funny when my family went to dig in. Needless to say we double check now. In fact, two nights ago when we made these cookies, we explained that salt should never be more then a teaspoon to a tablespoon in any recipe. I promise you though he will always read the recipe at least twice. Ha Ha!
Ingredients
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, add in sugar, peanut butter, and eggs. Mix well till mixture is well integrated and thick. Stir in mini Reese's pieces. Roll small balls of dough and flatten with your hand to the size of what you would prefer the cookies to be.
Line your baking sheet with parchment paper and set cookies 1/2 inch apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes till the sides are lightly brown. They will be tender when you remove them. It is best to pull them and let cool then move to a tray or cooling rack.
http://mooshujenne.com/no-flour-reeses-peanut-butter-cookies/Shepherd’s Potato Pie – Fall Fest For FN Dish
I love participating in the Fall Fest FN Dish for Food Network. Don’t forget to take a moment and stop by the other links below.
Shepherd’s pie is a traditional dinner in my home in the month of October. Not only are the potatoes in season but the weather is suited for it. Just two days ago our temperatures dropped here. I get excited when the temps drop because I love to cook in colder weather and generally I just think food is more appealing the Fall and Winter months. People usually want to eat less in the hot Summer months. So without further ado, I give you my rendition of Shepherd’s pie.
Ingredients
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large pot, add in water and potatoes. Bring the water to a boil and once potatoes are tender remove from heat. Strain out the water from the potatoes. With a hand mixer, add in butter, while whipping slowly add in milk. Keep blending til you get a creamy texture. Set pot aside.
In a large skillet, add in ground beef, onion, and garlic. Cook till meat is browned and onion is caramelized. Add in a little bit of Wondra flour a little at a time to soak up the juices. Add salt and pepper. You want to cook the flour taste out. Once the juices seem to be gone then pull your meat from the stove. Add meat to a large casserole baking dish. Open the can of corn and spread it over the meat. Add your potatoes over the corn and meat; spreading evenly. Topping with cheese spreading across the whole dish. Put in oven till cheese is melted and remove and serve.
http://mooshujenne.com/shepherds-potato-pie-fall-fest-for-fn-dish/
Check out these other great recipes for potatoes at the FN Dish – Food Network.
Taste With The Eyes: Poached Salmon, Lobster Mash, Lentil Gumbo “Gravy”
And Love It Too: Twice Baked Potato – Paleo Style
What’s Gaby Cooking: Smashed Potatoes
From My Corner of Saratoga: Potato Canapes
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Chorizo and Potato Tacos
Cooking Channel: Cozy Up With In Season Potatoes
FN Dish: Best Potato Casserole Recipes
Cooking With Elise: The Irish Boxty
CIA Dropout: Potato and Leek Soup
The Sensitive Epicure: Potatoes Anna With Fresh Thyme and Truffle Salt
Glory Foods: Chicken Smashed Potatoes
Daily*Dishin: Creamy Loaded Potato Casserole
Virtually Vegan Mama: Baked Cinnamon Spiced Sweet Potato Fries
Basil Pesto Chicken
My daughter made the biggest exclamation in the store when I picked up the basil to make this dish. Daughter: “Mom why are you buying a plant?” Me: “Because we are eating it for dinner.” Daughter: “WHAT?” Me: “It’s an herb. You know the dried leaves in the pantry I use for roasts?” Daughter:”Yes, but that’s different.” Me: “No, actually that is the dried leaf and generally not as healthy and tasty as the natural leaf off of the plant. Smell it.” Daughter: “OMG! That smells so good.” I definitely had her attention with the plant but then I told her about the pine nuts. She doesn’t like peanuts much but she was willing to try the pine nuts and she fell in love with them. We had a fun time with all the different ingredients and she actually enjoyed helping me in the kitchen. I am now on the hunt for some recipes that involve mint. She loves mint!
Ingredients
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 F. In a small baking glass dish add in your chicken and cover with foil. You can add chicken broth if you would like to keep the chicken from sticking. Cook covered in oven for an hour to an hour and a half till chicken is done in the center. Meanwhile, cook your penne or pasta of your choice till done, strain, and set aside. Pull out chicken from oven and shred into small pieces. Set aside.
In a food processor, add the garlic, basil leaves, pine nuts, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Pulse until finely chopped. With the processor still running, slowly pour 1/2 cup of olive oil. Check for a thick, yet smooth consistency, adding more oil if necessary. Add in cheese and pulse for about 15 seconds.
In a large bowl, add in chicken, pasta, and pesto. Toss till pasta is covered. Serve.
http://mooshujenne.com/basil-pesto-chicken/Brown Bag Challenge – Grape Tomato Parmesan Salad
We’re teaming up with fellow food bloggers to host a Brown-Bag Challenge, a month-long initiative to eat consciously and save money by packing a lunch each weekday instead of eating out. Join us here and share what you’re eating on Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag #brownbag.
This is a simple lunch recipe that you can use any reusable container. I generally make this and chill the night before allowing the dressing to set in. As a part of the Brown Bag Challenge I am trying to make something healthy and that is also inexpensive. I want people to know that it doesn’t cost or take as much time to bring lunch as it is to buy it premade. This recipe below will cost you less then $8. I can spend that on a sub sandwich at any local sub shop. The $8 for the recipe below will feed you over three days. When I made this at home I used it as a side for dinner then refrigerated the rest and took it for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
Instructions
In a medium bowl, slice your cucumbers lengthwise in half and take those pieces and slice lengthwise in half again. Now group together cucumbers and slice into quarters. Put cucumbers in bowl. Add in your halved grape tomatoes. Add in your chopped spring onions. Add in the rounds of red onion. Toss with cheese and dressing. Chill for about an hour.
http://mooshujenne.com/grape-tomato-parmesan-salad/Check out the other posts!
Organic Gardening’s This Imperfect Plot: Day 1 of the Challenge
Between City Limits: Brown Baggin’ It
Virtually Homemade: Mixed Greens and Nectarine Salad
Essentials of Nutrition: What I Bring Everyday
City Life Eats: Brown-Bag Challenge
The Brown Bag Chronicles: Lunch On-the-Go
Cooking Channel: Daily Lunch Box
Diary of a Fat Kid: Refrigerator Salad
Not Your Church Cookbook: Enough With the Urban Chickens (and a recipe for 2-Grain Apple Salad)
I Brown Bag: Brown-Bag Challenge, Days 1 and 2
Eat, Sweat, Smile: Leftovers No More
Healthy Kitschy Vegan: Cheater’s Curry
Healthy Plates: Pesto Penne Primavera
Boys n’ Berry: A Mad Dash for Leftovers
Adventures in my Kitchen: Brown-Bag Challenge, Day 1 (and a really cute Smurfs lunch box)
Nutritious Daily: Brown Bag: A Basic Ensemble
Chick Bike: Brown-Bag Challenge, Days 1 and 2
Brown Girl, Brown Bag: Fishing for Compliments
The Adirondack Chick: Brown-Bag Challenge, Week 1
Adventures in Every Day: Brown-Bagging It
The Undercover Cook: Take It Tuesday, Crispy Halloumi Cheese Salad on Flatbread
Sun Burst Tomato Pasta
My son, Chance, told me he was tired of the same old food. With the next Summer Fest for the FN Dish coming up; I thought why not come up with something different! While looking for inspiration, I came across these little bad boys, Sunburst Tomatoes. I just love the color! Color in a dish means so much! Those colors scream Fall is coming, but Summer is yet still here. Some days your just looking for quick and easy meal, without the overload of ingredients, this dish is it! Creamy Parmesan sauce with bursting tomatoes and spunky aromatic spring onions; it is a super food dish! Oh, did I mention the left over ham? Yes, just keep your left over ham from any occasion and toss right in. You can always substitute the ham for bacon if you would like. Not sure if my son ended up liking the dish but I know my grandmother fell in love with it! (she’s picky).
Ingredients
Instructions
Fill a large pot with water, olive oil, and salt; bring to a boil. While you are waiting for the water to boil; slice the sun burst tomatoes in halves. Chop the spring onions. Use both the chives and whites. Add them to a large bowl.
In a large sauce pot add in two cups of heavy whipping cream and bring to a low boil. Then add in Parmesan (or romano) cheese to the cream. Stir till slightly melted, add in ham till warmed, salt and pepper to taste, and remove from heat.
Remove, strain, and rinse pasta. Add it to the large bowl and top with sauce. Toss lightly in bowl and serve.
http://mooshujenne.com/sun-burst-tomato-pasta/
This post is part of Food Network’s Summer Fest! Check out the other great tomato dishes below.
Summer Fest is a season long, bi-weekly event where Food Network editors team up with blogs to share tips and recipes about what’s available at the market.
Big Girls Small Kitchen: Seared Chicken with Cherry Tomato Pan Sauce
Haute Apple Pie: Heirloom Tomato & Three Cheese Tart
What’s Gaby Cooking: Zebra Tomato and Burrata Crostini
Zaika Zabardast: Balsamic Roasted Tomato-Basil Ice
And Love It Too: Healthy Lunchbox – Garlic Tomato Basil Pesto Bruchetta
Chez Us: Roasted Tomato Sauce
Daily*Dishin: Refreshing and Rustic – Tuscan Bread Salad
Glory Foods: Fresh Tomato Salsa
Dishin and Dishes: Tomato Tart Tatin
The Purple Cook: Eggplant Parmesan Caprese Salad
I Am Mommy: Tomato Crudite
Cooking With My Kid: Gluten-Free White Bean Chive Cakes with Heirloom Tomatoes
FN Dish: Easy Tomato Appetizers
Add a Pinch: Simple Caprese Salad Skewers
Sweet Life Bake: Salsa Cruda
Virtually Homemade: Farfalle with Roasted Tomato Sauce, Bacon and Shaved Romano
Dixie Chik Cooks: Tomato, Basil and Olive Bruschetta
The Sensitive Epicure: Yemista – Greek Stuffed Tomatoes & Peppers with Potatoes
Mooshu Jenne: Sun Burst Tomato Pasta
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Book Club, Tomatoes and a Recipe for Chicken Provençal?
Cooking With Elise: Tomato Parmesan Biscuits
From My Corner of Saratoga: Cooking from the Garden – Bruschetta Pizza
Fritos and Foie Gras: Tomato Terrine
Creative Culinary: Fresh and Savory Tomato Pie
Big Apple Nosh: Caprese Salad/Tomato Carnage
Spices and Aroma: Quick and Easy Paneer Curry
Zaika Zabardast: Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Breakfast Rolls
Review: Cucina Povera: Tuscan Peasant Cooking
Title: Cucina Povera
Subtitle: Tuscan Peasant Cooking
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Pages: 192
Goodreads:
Italian cookbook authority Pamela Sheldon Johns presents more than 60 peasant-inspired dishes from the heart of Tuscany inside Cucina Povera. This book is more than a collection of recipes of “good food for hard times.” La cucina povera is a philosophy of not wasting anything edible and of using technique to make every bite as tasty as possible. Budget-conscious dishes utilizing local and seasonal fruits and vegetables create everything from savory pasta sauces, crusty breads and slow-roasted meats to flavorful vegetable accompaniments and end-of-meal sweets.
The recipes inside Cucina Povera have been collected during the more than 20 years Johns has spent in Tuscany. Dishes such as Ribollita (Bread Soup), Pollo Arrosto al Vin Santo (Chicken with Vin Santo Sauce), and Ciambellone (Tuscan Ring Cake) are adapted from the recipes of Johns’ neighbors, friends, and local Italian food producers. Lavish color and black-and-white photographs mingle with Johns’ recipes and personal reflections to share an authentic interpretation of rustic Italian cooking inside Cucina Povera.
My Review:
Peasants are the most important part of any country. They are the backbone and it is no wonder why some of the best foods come from peasant cooking. These recipes, cooked for generations, are grown with love. I really loved this book! Coming from a long linage of Italians, I specifically know a few good recipes myself. Pamela Sheldon Johns brings the heart of Tuscany to your table. The photography is gorgeous; sets you in the middle of Tuscany’s beautiful countrysides. There is so many great recipes in this book it is hard to pick a favorite! Cucina Povera is a lovely cook book with simple ingredients and fantastically easy recipes. If you pick up this book, try the Ribollita (Bread Soup), it would be the closest to my favorite!
