Creating Me

This is comfort food at its best – and it’s so simple to make! You just put everything in your slow cooker, turn it on low, and go on with your day.

There are lots of different ways to make this yummy and filling soup – here’s what I did.

White Bean and Ham Soup

• Ham bone left from our Thanksgiving Honey-Baked ham – I kept in the freezer (or about 1 lb ham cut into chunks)
• 1 lb dried Great Northern beans, rinsed and sorted
• Carrots peeled and chopped into chunks – whatever amount you want – I chopped about 5 carrots
• 1/2 to 1 medium onion, chopped
• 6 cups chicken broth
• Salt, pepper, parsley flakes, and dried oregano to taste

Put everything in your slow cooker and cook for 8 hours on low.

I didn’t even soak the Great Northern beans overnight. I rinsed and sorted them just before I put everything in the slow cooker! I also used a slow cooker liner to make cleanup easier. This is such a forgiving recipe when it comes to the amount of each ingredient – just fill your slow cooker about 3/4 of the way full and your soup will be wonderful!

Add some fresh, hot cornbread and you have a hearty meal that will warm you up on these cold winter days. 🙂

Thanks for stopping by,

Anita

What could be better than Chocolate Layer Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting? Well I’m sure there’s something, but I can’t think of it right now! 😉

This is the Hershey’s Cocoa recipe for chocolate cake and I think it is one of the best. You can find the recipe here. There is also a recipe for chocolate frosting, but I didn’t use that. Instead I made my own simple chocolate buttercream frosting that I have been making for years. I’m not sure if I got the recipe from somewhere or if it’s something I learned from my Mom. I don’t have it written down anywhere – it’s just in my head. 😊 You’ll find the recipe for the frosting below.

Here’s the batter all mixed up and ready for the oven.

Fresh and hot from the oven…smells so good!!

To make the Yummy Chocolate Frosting, you’ll need

• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2/3 cup baking cocoa
• 4 cups powdered sugar – you may need a little less or a little more to get the right texture
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup milk

Cream together the butter and vanilla in a large bowl. Add cocoa and mix well, adding a little milk as needed. Gradually add the powdered sugar, mixing well and adding milk as needed so the frosting reaches a creamy, spreadable texture. Beat the frosting on high for about 15 seconds until it is nice and creamy. It will look like this…

After your cake has cooled, it is ready for the yummy frosting.

I promise you won’t be disappointed with this “Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Layer Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting!

Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by,

Anita