Cheatin' Whores Red Velvet Cupcakes

I love to bake but sometimes I get a little lazy. So I found a way to "enhance" box mixes. LOL!  Don't get me wrong, I can't stand box mixes, but there is a way that you can improvise to make them more palatable. Here's my recipe for my Cheatin Whore Red Velvet Cupcakes its called this because I cheat with the recipe to make it taste homemade. It's so freaking MOIST!!

CHEATIN WHORE RED VELVET CUPCAKES:

*1 box of red velvet cake mix
* 3 large eggs and one yolk
* replace the water on the mix with whole milk
* replace the half cup of vegetable oil with 1 stick of melted unsalted butter
* Add 2 tablespoons of sour cream
* Add 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa

Prepare the recipe as it states on the box and VOILA!

"ENHANCED" CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
Buy one tub of cream cheese frosting (any brand will do). Blend in with an electric mixer an 8 oz package of softened cream cheese until well blended. If it becomes too soft, gradually add powdered sugar until it reaches the consistency you like. Too easy!!

This sounds like a lot of extra work, but believe me when it comes to red velvet you don't want to mess around. ENJOY!

Family Thanksgiving Recipes

So Thanksgiving is tomorrow and I am frantically trying to cook all of my dishes before I have to go in and cover for another soldier's CQ  at 11 o'clock tonight. Every year I have to scramble around and try to find the recipes that my mother sent me back in 2012. So to make sure that I keep them all in one place and to share them with you (because my mom is a badass cook) I'm going to now give you my Thanksgiving meal recipes:

CORNBREAD DRESSING:
3 stalks of chopped celery
1 large yellow chopped onion
1 medium green bell pepper chopped (you will saute all of your chopped vegetables in 1/2 of the stick of butter)
1 stick of salted butter
1 32oz carton of chicken cooking stock
1 can of cream of chicken soup
3 large eggs lightly beaten
3 package of cornbread mix your choice (enough to fit in 9×11 pan)
1/2 bag of pre made cornbread stuffing
2 tablespoons of sage

*Preheat your oven to 400°. Make your cornbread according to the directions on the package, my mother doesn't like Jiffy, but I do. It's up to you. 
*Crumble your cornbread with a spatula while it's hot.
*Add half a stick of butter, the cornbread stuffing, sauteed vegetables and the sage. Mix well.
* Add broth, beaten eggs and cream of chicken soup. You can taste it at this point to make sure it tastes the way you want it.
* Pour in 13×11 pan. Bake for about an hour.

COLLARD GREENS WITH HAM HOCK:
You can use any combination of smoked meats: smoked turkey, smoked ham, ham hock or even bacon. But for this recipe, I use ham hock and about an inch of salted pork.

2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 large yellow onion chopped into 4 large pieces
4 close of garlic or 4 teaspoons of minced garlic
1 smoked ham hock
1 inch slice of salt pork
5 cups of water
3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
2 bunches of collard greens (about  2lbs or 2 one lb bags of chopped collard greens) just make sure there's no stems.
Salt and pepper to taste
Secret ingredient:1 teaspoon of baking soda (might use later)

*After you thoroughly clean each collard leaf and remove the stem from them, tear each leaf in half and then to small bite size pieces to keep your guests from having to cut them later.
*In a large pot boil the water, olive oil, the onion and the garlic until fragrant; roughly 15 minutes.
*Add the ham hocks and salt pork pour in the apple cider vinegar and bring to a simmer for about 5 minutes.
*Add the collard greens, pushing them down into the water until they are completely covered. Cover and simmer for 1 hour and a half.

**** Here's where the secret ingredient comes into play: if after an hour and a half your collard greens are not tender and still have a very subtle crunch to them, add in a teaspoon of baking soda. This reacts with the vinegar already in the pot and breaks down the collard greens for more tender bite.
* Season with 2 teaspoons of kosher salt or a teaspoon of table salt and black pepper to taste.

BAKED MACARONI AND CHEESE:
1 box of elbow macaroni
3 tablespoons of salted butter
3 tablespoons of flour
1 tablespoon of powdered mustard
3 cups of milk
1/2 cup of finely diced yellow onion or 1 tablespoon of onion powder
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 large egg
12 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 slice of Munster cheese
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
*In a large pot, boil 5 cups of water. Add a teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of vegetable oil or butter. Once the water is boiling add the elbow macaroni noodles and boil for 8 to 10 minutes.
*While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. *Whisk the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about 5 minutes. Make sure it's free of lumps.
*Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf and paprika. Simmer for 10 minutes and remove the bay leaf.
* Temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese and the Munster. *Season with salt pepper fold into the macaroni. Then mix. Pour into a 2-quart casserole dish.
*Top with remaining cheese. Bake for 30 minutes.
*Let sit for 5 minutes before serving

SWEET POTATO BAKE :

I think every year and make this sweet potato bake differently but here the basic ingredients. Preheat oven to 325°. There's no particular order that these ingredients have to be added. Just make sure that they are blended well with a hand mixer. 

3 cups mashed potatoes

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

 2 large eggs

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg 

1/2 stick of softened butter 

1/2 cup of milk

1 bag of miniature marshmallows  (optional)

TOPPING:

1 tablespoon brown sugar 

1/2 stick of melted butter 

1/2 cup flour 

4 oz chopped pecans 

Blend well and sprinkle on top of sweet potato bake. Bake for 30 minutes. 

My Plan For World Domination

For the past few months I have been working on a master plan. A few months ago I came across a commissioning program specifically for enlisted soldiers. It's called the Army Masters of Social Work program sponsored by Fayetteville State University, which is a HBCU. With this program, I will essentially be attending Fayetteville State University's satellite location in San Antonio Texas. If accepted I would attend a 14month Masters in Social Work program where I would be commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant. Upon completion of the 14month program I would then be promoted to a 1st Lieutenant. After schooling I would then entered the phase called SWIP which stands for social work internship program. This is the 24 month program that allows us to practice what we've learned under the supervision of a licensed social worker in a hospital. After we've completed the 24 months which program we would then be commissioned to captains and then be assigned to work as army social workers helping the Soldiers and Families across the country. I have a very strong desire to be in this program. I have worked with numerous officers, who have given me advice, critiques and letters of recommendation to ensure that this happens for me. So far the process has been tedious and somewhat expensive because I had to pay for the GRE. But I have prayed and prayed and prayed that this happens for me, but not just for me; for my family. I have recognized that one of my weaknesses has been my fear of success and so I have been known to sabotage myself if I believe that I may be successful. My guess is that with success comes lots of responsibility and lots of expectations from others that I'm not confident that I can up hold. But as a 39 year old E5 with less than three years in service, I feel that in order for me to have a longevity that would like to have in the army that this is the best route for me.

DIY Holiday Gifts

Because we have 4 boys we definitely have to stick to a budget. I have to admit that this hasn't always been the case. Now that we are in our last year of our bankruptcy I would really like to stick to a strict budget. Therefore this year I will be making homemade Christmas presents. I decided to make something useful that my friends and family would enjoy. Few years back I made my family and friends homemade bath salts, but this year I decided I would make a homemade body scrub. Those expensive sugar scrubs you see in department stores and spas… they cost pennies to make! Sugar scrubs are a simple beauty recipe with countless variations, and they can be incredibly moisturizing and exfoliating to the skin.These last on the counter for up to 2 months (or more)   Here's how I did it:

 

BROWN SUGAR BODY SCRUB

2 parts dark brown sugar

1 part white sugar
1 part olive, coconut or almond oil

1 tsp. vitamin E
1 tsp. of pure vanilla extract
Essential oils (optional)

I found these Chalkboard Labels at Hobby Lobby.

Using a Bistro Chalk Marker I wrote out my labels.

These very chic glass jars were 50% off at Hobby Lobby. Choose a jar with a nice tight lid.

I used dark brown sugar, but you can use light or dark. Olive oil and pure vanilla extract.

Once you have mixed all of your ingredients, just add it to your individual jars. I purchased some small wooden spoons from Hobby Lobby to tie around the lid with a rubber band as well.

Everything and Nothing

Hello and welcome to my blog! I have been contemplating writing a blog for several years. I'm going to be honest, I'm not sure this will hold my attention span, but I will give it a try! My name is Chole' (not Chloe). It's pronounced like Coal-lee. As you can see I'm used to correcting people. This blog will essentially be about everything and nothing. It will simply chronicle my life as a wife to the man of my dreams; mother to 4 genius boys, life long runner, photographer and Soldier in the greatest Army in the World! Here are some of the characters in my real life cartoon I call my life:

Me and my amazing husband Thomas.

My son, Carter 9yr

My son, Elliott 15yr

My son, Caden 6yr

My son, Donovan 17yr