sunday dinner: jell-o

the jell-o....ohhh the jell-o. so many different varieties, all enjoyed for sunday dinner. i love it. my mom used to make one with fruit and one without, because us kids never wanted the fruit...just the pure, delicious sugary jell-o. we couldn't be burdened by something healthy in the midst of our sugar. and on special occassions, she would add whipped cream, and it was like a dream come true. you gotta try it sometime (and guess what? this time i added fruit...for the first time in my life. and it was good). so let's get started. you'll need a package of jell-o, any kind, any size. some whipping cream, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar too.

i used raspberry this time. raspberry and black cherry are my favorite.

i put a bowl and beaters into the freezer to get cold (a tip from martha to help your cream whip faster...i don't know if it works, but i like the thought of it, and the cold bowl always feels nice).then make the jell-o according to package directions. one tip: instead of cold water, add ice cubes to help it set faster (this helps the whipping cream to mix better). for a small box i added 8 ice cubes.

then put the jell-o in the fridge to set up and get your bowl out of the freezer.mix about 4 ounces of whipping cream in the cold bowl,
and when it's almost whipped, pour a small amount (1/2 tsp.) vanilla in,
and then a few heaping tablespoons of powdered sugar. mix until whipped.

now get your jell-o out of the fridge, it should be pretty gloopy by now. umm....no, i don't know what gloopy means. but it should be starting to set a bit, not runny.add the jell-o in to your whipped cream,

and mix together until well blended.
like this. oooh, pretty. and runny.
now get your cute jell-o mold out (mine happens to be mickey mouse, thanks alice). and if you don't have one, any old bowl will do.
rinse a few fresh raspberries (i know, i can't believe i'm about to do this)
and put them in your mold. but wait. don't do it first like this. i told you this was my first time with fruit...add a little bit of jell-o first. then add the raspberries.
and the rest of the jell-o,
mmmmmboy. does that look good or what?
now put it in the fridge until dinnertime...at least 3 hours.
right before dinner, fill up your sink with hot water. set your mold in the hot water for 15 seconds,
then remove to a plate. peel off the top,
and voila!
an ugly, hideous, jell-o mold. see, i told you to not do the raspberries first.
i don't care what it looks like. it tasted divine.
by the way, this isn't dessert. this is served as part of the meal. so set out bowls and spoons!

chicken spaghetti

mom's chicken spaghetti is delicious. and she made up the recipe all by herself. i am not a recipe-making-up-kinda girl. i wish i was. ah well. that's why i have this blog, so i can post recipes OTHER people give me. so let's get started.

you need a package of chicken strips, spaghetti (or angel hair...that's all we eat at my house, mostly because it cooks faster but also because i love it), 1/2 pint of sour cream, onion, 1 can of cream of chicken soup, and grated cheddar cheese (make sure it's the fancy shredded cheese....that's very important to this recipe). optional: chopped broccoli.

start by boiling the chicken for 30 minutes or until it's no longer pink. while that cools,
cook your spaghetti noodles according to package directions.chop up a little onion,and mix 8 oz. sour cream with 1 can cream of chicken soup. it's a little thick so sometimes i thin it with a small amount of milk.
spread a little bit of the mixture on the bottom of a 9x13 pan. then layer with the cooked spaghetti noodles.
like so:
add your diced onion,
then shred the chicken on top. if you're adding broccoli, do it at this stage as well.pour your soup mixture on top of that.


and spread evenly over the chicken.
i forgot and added the broccoli afterwards. it was okay, but it would've been better under the soup.
i love broccoli. so does noah. that kid gobbles it up like candy. except that he eats this better than candy, so i guess i should say he gobbles it up the way i gobble candy.
then add a layer of grated cheddar cheese.i started dinner late so i popped this in the microwave for 3 minutes to get it warm faster.
then i stuck it in the oven at 350* for 20 minutes.
yum. try it sometime. i think you'll like it.
mom's chicken spaghetti

1 package of chicken
1/2 package of spaghetti noodles (or angel hair)
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 oz. sour cream
onion
little bit of milk
shredded cheddar cheese
broccoli (optional)

boil chicken for 30 minutes or until no longer pink. shred into pieces. cook spaghetti according to package directions and line bottom of 9x13 pan. add shredded chicken on top of spaghetti, then a little bit of chopped onion. add broccoli if desired. mix cream of chicken and sour cream together. if it's too thick, thin it down with a small amount of milk (less than 1/4 cup). pour it on top of the chicken and onions. then layer on the shredded cheddar cheese. cook at 350* for 30 minutes or until cheese melts and sauce is bubbly. if you're in a hurry, you can speed the process up by warming the whole thing in the microwave for 3 minutes first.

amy's or shalees's poppyseed bundt cake

when i lived with my parents, our neighbor came over to borrow things for cooking on a regular basis. usually they would bring back a sample for us to try. the best time was when they brought this bundt cake. ohhhh is it ever delish. i asked shalees for the recipe and i've been making it ever since. i found out on the 4th of july that shalees got the recipe from amy, her best friend and my sister's sister-in-law. small world. anyway, the fun thing about this cake is its versatility. you can combine almost any cake mix with almost any box of pudding and you're set. so let's get started.

for this recipe, you'll need a yellow cake mix, a small box of instant vanilla pudding, 4 eggs, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 1 cup of water, and 2 tsp. of poppyseeds. simple enough, right?grease your bundt pan with crisco. i only had the butter-flavor kind on me, so that's why it's yellow instead of white. spread it all over really well.
then pour some sugar into the pan.
roll the sugar around until it coats the side of the pan, sticking to the crisco. then pour the excess back into your sugar bowl, you don't need more than what is coating the sides.
now get mixing. add your cake mix,
your pudding,
your eggs,
you water,
your oil,
and your poppyseeds.
now mix on low until it's all wet and blended a little.
now turn it up to medium/high and mix for 2 minutes.
it should be nice and fluffy. pour it carefully and evenly into your cake pan,
and put it into a pre-heated 350* oven
for 45 minutes.
when it's finished baking, it should be golden brown on top.
the sides should be pulled away so you can see the sugar coating the outside of it, like this.
let it cool for a few minutes, then dump it out on a plate (carefully).
once it's totally cool (or not, this is yummy when it's warm), sprinkle powdered sugar on top. i like to put it through my strainer because it comes out more fine instead of in clumps (and i don't have a sifter or i would've used that instead).
beautiful.
it is so good. enjoy!

shalees's (or amy's) poppyseed bundt cake

1 cake mix -- can use yellow, white, lemon, or chocolate
1 corresponding box of instant pudding (small) -- vanilla, french vanilla, lemon, or chocolate
4 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1 cup water
2 tsp. poppyseeds

grease and sugar a bundt pan. mix all ingredients together for 2 minutes. pour into the pan and bake at 350* for 45 minutes. sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.