Basic Chocolate Cake

2 1/4 cups flour
1 2/3 cups sugar
3/4 cups butter, softened
2/3 cups baking cocoa
1 1/4 cups water
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. baking powder
2 large eggs

Heat oven to 350. Grease and flour one 13X9, two 9 in. rounds or 3 8 inch round pans.

In large bowl, beat all ingredients on low 30 seconds then high for about 3 minutes, scraping the bowl occasionally.  Pour into pans.

Bake 9X13 40 to 45 minutes, round pans 30 to 35 minutes or till toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan or on wire racks (depending on what you're doing with them afterwards).

This is my standard chocolate cake that gets used for lots of things like this Black Forest Cherry Cake so beautifully displayed below. It has also been used for snowman cakes, dinosaur cakes, heart cakes and shamrock cakes.

Pinwheel Cookies

1 1/4 cups butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
4 cups flour
2 squares unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add baking powder, salt and baking soda and continue beating. Add flour gradually to creamed mixture and mix well. Divide dough in half. Mix melted chocolate into one half of dough until thoroughly mixed.  Wrap plain and chocolate doughs separately in plastic wrap and chill for one hour.

Divide each type of dough in fourths.  Roll each portion out between waxed paper into about a 9X6 rectangle.  Chill for 30 minutes.  Remove waxed paper. Place one plain over one chocolate rectangle and roll up tightly jelly roll style starting with the long side. Repeat with rest of dough.  Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours.

Heat oven to 375. Unwrap roll of dough and slice into 1/4 inch slices. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 9-11 minutes or till set.  Cool on racks. Makes about 10 dozen cookies (unless you eat a whole lot of the very tasty dough while making them).

Note: chilling times are minimums, I've done these over several days, working on them when I had time, ignoring the dough when I didn't.  You can also freeze the rolls of dough for cooking later.

Creamy Bean Soup

6 cups water

2 cups dry pinto beans

2 Tbsp. dry onion (you can use fresh as well, I like dried better in this)

4 chicken bouillon cubes

1 tsp. salt

1 cup light cream or milk 

1 Tbsp. flour

Bacon, shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream for garnish

Soak beans in water overnight (I do this in the crock pot so its all ready to go the next morning). Put in crock pot first thing in the morning with onion, bouillon, and salt. If you have 10 to 12 hours, cook on low till beans are soft. If you got up later and only have 6 to 8 hours, cook on high. It doesn't matter if the soup cooks for a while after the beans are soft so you don't need to be too picky.  Turn crock pot to high. Mix milk/cream and flour, add to soup.  Serve with bacon, cheese and sour cream.