Holiday Peppermint Ice cream cake

My mom used to make a similar recipe when I was a kid in the summer.  I altered it to make it for our family Christmas.  But, as my mom did, you can make it with a plain angel food cake, a sorbet or sherbert and frost it with cool whip or whipped cream.  It makes an awesome summer dessert.

Holiday Peppermint Ice Cream Cake
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1 angel food cake box mix (or make it from scratch if you are feeling ambitious :)
1/4 cup baking cocoa
peppermint ice cream
6 candy canes (crushed)

Frosting:
12 oz package of semi sweet chocolate chips
1 stick butter
8 oz sour cream
a splash of vanilla
about 4 cups powdered sugar

Prepare angel food as directed by box but when whipping it slowly add the cocoa to make it chocolate.  Cool as directed.  Release cake from pan and put the top of the cake on the counter (so make it the top).  Cut the top 1/4-1/3 of the cake off horizontally and remove carefully.  Use a serrated knife or your fingers to "pinch" out a "ditch" in the bottom  of the cake leaving cake on all sides including the bottom.  Fill the ditch with ice cream.  Replace the top of the cake and put it on a serving platter.

To make frosting:
Melt chocolate and butter over medium heat stirring constantly until smooth.  Let cool 5 minutes.  Add the sour cream.  Move the mixture to a bowl for mixing.  Whip with mixer, add vanilla and sugar until desired consistency. 

Frost cake and sprinkle with crushed candy canes.  Cover and place in freezer until ready to eat.

Veggie Chicken Quinoa

This is easy, yummy and good for you!! So many options too.

Veggie Chicken Quinoa
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Chicken breast
Quinoa
Veggies, Chopped (any you have, clean out the fridge/freezer: tomato, cabbage, corn, peppers, carrots, kale, peas ect)
Garlic
Sauce (any bottled sauce you like: teriyaki, peanut, lemon pepper ect)

Prepare quinoa as directed.  I use our rice maker to cook it, it works great.  Put any veggies you are worried about being too crunch in with it while it cook (ie: carrots).  Meanwhile chop up the chicken and put it in a saute pan with a little oil and the garlic.  Cook until no longer pink.  Throw the veggies in the pan and simmer a few minutes until crisp tender.  Cover the chicken/veggie's with sauce and cook a couple minutes longer.  When quinoa is done fluff with a fork and put in the saute pan.  Mix and eat!

*top with chopped peanuts or crunchy Chinese noodles as desired for a little crunch!