Yummy Fresh Salsa Dip

4 Roma tomatoes
4 green onions (but some people call them scallions...)
1 can corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained
2 avacados, chopped
small bunch of cilantro, chopped
1 package Good Seasons italian dressing (prepared as directed)

Mix first four ingredients, then gently fold in avacados and cilantro. Stir in just enough dressing to coat (save the rest for another yumminess). Serve with tortilla chips. Mmmmm...

Dangerous Chocolate Cake - Individual Size

This is dangerous because (as stated by Deborah Andreasen) we are all now only 4 minutes away from delicious real chocolate cake! Makes one generous serving, or two, if YOU are generous.

Mix in a large mug:
4 Tb. flour
4 Tb. sugar
2 Tb. cocoa

Add & mix well:
1 egg

Add & mix in:
3 Tb. milk
3 Tb. oil

Add & stir:
3 Tb. chocolate chips (opt)
a small splash of vanilla

Microwave 3 minutes on high (1000 watts). It will rise a lot, but shouldn't spill over. Remove and allow to cool enough so you don't scorch your mouth. Eat it secretly with vanilla ice cream--then no one will know--and clean up is almost non-existent.

Turtle Cookies

Courtesy of Deborah Andreasen.

These are super easy, and on a hot summer day, they won't make you heat up the oven! They cook in a regular waffle iron, and you can bake the whole batch in no time--almost as quickly as they get eaten...

2 eggs
1 c. flour
3 Tb. cocoa
1/2 c. butter, melted
3/4 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla

Mix all the ingredients in order. It will be thick. Drop by spoonfuls onto waffle iron (it's best to make little "cookies" by dropping the dough in the middle of each section, but if you just want one big chocolate waffle, go for it). Take them off when a regular waffle would be done, and there you have it! Sprinkle with powdered sugar and drizzle with chocolate sauce, if desired.

Cashew Chicken

Ingredients:
1 lb. chicken, cooked, cubed

2-3 carrots, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced
Saute until tender.

Sauce:
1 Tb. cornstarch
2 Tb. soy sauce
1 c. hot water
2 t. chicken bouillon
1/2 t. ground ginger
2 t. brown sugar

Chopped, toasted cashews

Directions:
Combine cornstarch and soy sauce. Mix bouillon into hot water; add to soy sauce mixture with ginger and brown sugar. Whisk until smooth. Stir into saucepan with chicken and vegetables. Stir until thickened, about 2 minutes. Enjoy over hot rice with a sprinkling of cashews.

New Favorite Chocolate Frosting

It's super easy, too!

Ingredients:
2 Tb. butter
1/4 c. milk
Stir in heavy saucepan until butter melts. Remove from heat. Add:
1/2 c. chocolate chips (I prefer semi-sweet)
Stir until smooth. Cool.
Stir in:
1 1/2 - 2 c. powdered sugar
Mix until spreadable consistency. That's it! Yummy!

Notes:
I used it to frost luscious milk chocolate cupcakes and then sprinkled with mini chocolate chips. It was great on graham crackers too. I'm not much of a frosting person overall, but this one had me licking my fingers, the bowl, the spoon, the plate...

Yield 1 cup

Crispy-topped Fruit Cobbler

12-16 oz fresh or frozen fruit (blackberries, peaches, etc.)
1 cup + 1 T. flour
1 cup + 2 T. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup oil

Gently stir 1 T. flour and 2 T. sugar into desired fruit. Place in an even layer in a 9x9 or 7x11-inch pan. In a medium bowl, sift together dry ingredients, then mix in egg with fork until crumbly. Spread over fruit in pan. Drizzle with oil. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 25-35 minutes (longer if fruit is frozen) or until top is golden brown and cooked through. Remove from oven. Allow to set for 10-15 minutes, then serve with vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Note: I recently forgot to drizzle any oil over the top, and it turned out just fine. In fact, I forgot that I'd forgotten until I was writing this recipe. So if you're in the mood for a fat-free dessert, this one can work--the top is just slightly more crumbly. Enjoy!