Lava Cakes

Seriously, who wouldn't love these chocolaty, warm, gooey, mouthwatering cakes? Especially with a dollop of whip cream on top!! And you don't even need to get out your mixer for these, just a bowl you can pop in the microwave and a whisk, and you're good to go. Enjoy! (see my notes at the end of the recipe for variation...)

Lava Cakes

4 squares Baker's semi-sweet baking chocolate
1/2 cup butter
1 cup powdered sugar
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
6 Tbsp flour
thawed cool whip topping

Preheat oven to 425F. Butter four [3/4 cup] custard cups or souffle dishes. Place on baking sheet.

Microwave chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl on High 1 minute or until butter is melted. Stir with wire whisk until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in sugar until well blended. Blend in eggs and egg yolks with wire whisk. Stir in flour. Divide batter between prepared custard cups.

Bake 13 to 14 minutes or until sides are firm but centers are soft. Let stand 1 minute. Carefully run small knife around cakes to loosen. Invert cakes onto dessert dishes. Serve immediately, topped with whipped topping.

Makes 8 servings, 1 half molten cake each.

Make-ahead: You can prepare the batter for this dessert a day ahead of time. Pour into prepared custard cups, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Bake as directed when ready to serve.

My notes: I don't have custard cups so I just use a muffin pan. It makes about 8 muffin sized cakes (1 serving each) instead of 4 custard/souffle sized cakes. I only bake for 7 minutes in the muffin pan.

Fun sides/appetizers

I love trying out new side dishes and things that make good appetizers! The other night I tried both of these recipes for the first time, found in the Family Fun magazine.

Mexican "Sushi" Bites
Made to look like sushi, these make a great appetizer! Especially here in Idaho where you can't find real sushi, they were a fun way to present tortilla wraps.

Ingredients
16 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup salsa, plus more for dipping
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 avocado, thinly sliced
1 Table spoon lime juice
8 (8-inch flour tortillas)
2 cups fresh baby spinach
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips

1) In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, salsa, chili powder, and salt. In a separate small bowl, lightly sprinkle the avocado with the lime juice to prevent browning.

2) Trim each tortilla to make a roughly 61/2 inch square. Spread 3 tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture on a tortilla. Arrange the spinach over the cream cheese (I also added a layer of sliced turkey lunch meat, too!), then top them with a row each of red pepper, yellow pepper, and avocado. Roll the tortilla up tightly and wrap in plastic wrap. Repeat for the remaining tortillas. Refrigerate the rolls for at least 1 hour and up to 6 hours.

3) Right before serving, slice the rolls crosswise into 1/2 inch pieces and spoon extra salsa into a bowl for dipping.

Serves 10 to 12 (or more!!)

Mango, Jicama, & Cucumber Salad
This makes a delicious side dish to any Mexican style meal.

Ingredients
2 ripe mangos
1 medium jicama
1 medium English cucumber
1/4 cup lime juice
Zest from 1 lime
2 tablespoons honey
1 cup canola oil
Salt to taste

1) Peel the mango, jicama, and cucumber. Cut them into bite-size pieces and place them in a large bowl.

2) Combine the lime juice, zest, and honey in a blender. Run the blender at low speed and slowly drizzle in the canola oil until the dressing is slightly thickened, then add salt to taste

3) Pour the vinaigrette over the mango mixture and toss to coat.

Serves 8