Oh So Good Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:
1 18.25 oz Devil's food cake mix
1 3.9 oz instant chocolate pudding
2 cups sour cream
1 cup butter, melted
5 eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups miniature chocolate chips

Directions:
Mix the cake mix, and instant pudding mix. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and add sour cream, butter, eggs, and extract. Blend well, and beat on medium speed on your hand mixer for 4 minutes. Add the chocolate chips, mix well. Pour the batter into a greased and floured bundt pan. Bake at 350*F for 1 hour or a but longer depending on your oven. Check doneness by the toothpick method, cool a bit, and turn out of the pan. Serve with freshly whipped cream, and raspberries or strawberries.

Comments:
I got this recipe from Cindy Groman- She was the chef at Wegman's in Princeton, NJ. She taught a class at Williams and Sonoma and I went with a friend. It was around Valentines Day. This cake makes a perfect Valentine Dessert --Chocolate and Strawberries.Yum!

This recipe is from Fanone Parkinson - Thanks!

Meatballs

5 lbs. ground beef

1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs

1/4 cup worcestershire sauce or steak sauce

1 tsp basil

2 tsp salt

1-2 tsp pepper

1 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp onion powder

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl using your hands. (Yes, its easiest to just get messy and mix away! or you can use your mixer!!) If your mixture is a little too dry add a little more steak sauce or worcestershire sauce.  If your mixture is a little moist then add some bread crumbs.  Shape into one inch balls.  Place on foil lined baking sheets and bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes turning occasionally with tongs.  Allow to cool.  Divide into five portions: one for tonight and the other four in labeled, freezer safe containers.

Sauce

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

1 1/3 cups milk-may use powdered milk

2 tsp lemon juice

Mix all together and heat and serve with a portion of meatballs. Sauce may be frozen with each portion of meatballs.

Serve over rice, noodles, or potatoes.

These meatballs can also be made into meatball subs, sweet and sour meatballs, spaghetti and meatballs, etc.

Shepard's Pie

1 lb ground beef/turkey
1/2 C chopped onion
1 14.5 oz can tomatoes (diced, diced with seasoning, crushed, whole, whatever)
1 14.5 oz can green beans (french, cut, whatever you like)
1 14.5 oz can tomato sauce
4-5 potatoes mashed
1/2-1 C shredded cheddar

Brown meat with onion. Drain then add tomatoes and green beans and season to taste with S&P and heat through(I just heat them up so it cooks for less time in the oven, but you could layer everything cold and cook longer in the oven). In greased 8x8 baking dish layer meat and veggies, tomato sauce and mashed potatoes. Cover and cook at 350 for 25 minutes. Then add cheese an cook about 5 minutes til melted.

Freezer meal: Let thaw and cook cook at 350 for 30 min or straight from freezer cook at 350 for 45-60 minutes.