Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

Let's face it, cream cheese is a blessing and a curse. It creates cheesecake and also I imagine it blocks arteries just as sufficiently. But let's not think about that just right now. Focus on the positive. Stare at this beauty... and yes, I used the real, regular cream cheese and this came out PERFECT. Light cream cheese can suck it.

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake  

from Mrs. Fields' Best Ever Cookie Book

Ingredients:
-Crust
5 ounces chocolate cookie crumbs (about 1 cup)
2 tbsp salted butter, melted

-Filling
16 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
16 ounces sour cream (about 2 cups)
3 large eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
9 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, divided

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Prepare the crust: Grind cookies into fine crumbs using a blender or a food processor fitted with a metal blade, Add butter and blend until smooth. Press crust into bottom of 9-inch springform pan, and refrigerate while preparing the filling.

3. Prepare the filling: Beat cream cheese until smooth in a large bowl using an electric mixer. Blend in sugar and sour cream. Add the eggs and vanilla, and mix until smooth.

4. Using a wooden spoon, stir in 1 cup of the chocolate chips. Pour filling into the crust-lined pan, and smooth top with a spatula. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips evenly over the top.

5. Bake 30 to 40 minutes. Turn oven off and leave cheesecake in oven for 1 hour to set. Remove from oven and chill in refrigerator until firm, about 3 to 4 hours.

Yield: 12 to 16 servings

Tine's Notes: No seriously, I understand some people are very health conscious but cheesecakes aren't meant to be low-fat. Use the real stuff, your mouth will thank me while your waist...that's another story.

Choconut Macaroons

A twist on a classic.

Choconut Macaroons
from Mrs. Fields' Best Ever Cookie Book

Ingredients:

1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp almond paste
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
2 ounces mini semisweet chocolate chips (about 1/3 cup)
3 large egg whites
1/2 tsp cream of tartar

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Combine almond paste and sugar in a medium bowl. Using your fingers, work paste into sugar completely. Add coconut and chocolate chips and stir to combine.

2. In another medium bowl, beat eggs whites until fluffy using absolutely clean beaters. Add cream of tartar and beat on high until stiff peaks form. Add half of beaten egg whites to coconut mixture and combine to lighten. Fold in remaining whites gently, being careful not to deflate.

3. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto lightly greased cookie sheets. Bake for 20 minutes, or until tops are lightly browned. Cool 1 minute on the cookie sheets before transferring to a cool surface.

Tine's Notes: I used regular chocolate chips so these spread a little more than I would have liked but they came out fine. Crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside!

Sausage, Apple and Cranberry Stuffing

Yeah yeah, Thanksgiving was a while ago-- I'm doing some catch up blogging. Bear with me.

I've used this recipe for 2 years now and I think it's a keeper. After testing stuffing after stuffing recipe, I'm relieved. Simple, yet exactly what I was looking for. And yes, I say stuffing even though it does not actually go into the bird. The original recipe directs you to, but we don't put anything in our turkey.


Awesome Sausage, Apple and Cranberry Stuffing
from Allrecipes

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups cubed whole wheat bread
3 3/4 cups cubed white bread
1 pound ground turkey sausage
1 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped celery
2 1/2 teaspoons dried sage
1 1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 Golden Delicious apple, cored and chopped
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley
1 cooked turkey liver, finely chopped
3/4 cup turkey stock
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degree F (175 degree C). Spread the white and whole wheat bread cubes in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes in the preheated oven, or until evenly toasted. Transfer toasted bread cubes to a large bowl.

2. In a large skillet, cook the sausage and onions over medium heat, stirring and breaking up the lumps until evenly browned. Add the celery, sage, rosemary, and thyme; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes to blend flavors.

3. Pour sausage mixture over bread in bowl. Mix in chopped apples, dried cranberries, parsley, and liver. Drizzle with turkey stock and melted butter, and mix lightly. Spoon into turkey to loosely fill.


Tine's Notes: This year I only used white bread, but last year I used both. I actually prefer both. I used an additional half of apple and another 1/2 cup of dried cranberries. Seasoning-wise, I did not have dried rosemary separately so I used liberal amounts of Italian seasoning which also has marjoram-- a great stuffing flavor. Since I did not put this into the turkey, I baked it in a casserole dish at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes.

Mocha Mousse Cheesecake

Definitely one of those recipes that once you read the title and see the picture, you will dream about this until you make it. Is that just me? I bought a springform pan just for this baby. Well, I'm sure there was one long ago in this house... but it's hard to say where it went. I would tell you how long this cheesecake lasted in a household of 2, but it's shameful. I tried... but LOOK at it!


Mocha Mousse Cheesecake
from Mrs. Fields Best Ever Cookie Book

Ingredients:
-Crust
4 ounces chocolate chip cookie crumbs (about 1 cup)
2 tbsps salted butter, melted

-Filling
24 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
8 oz. sour cream (about 1 cup)
3 large eggs
7 oz. semisweet chocolate chips, melted (about 1 1/4 cups)
1/2 cup coffee, freshly brewed
1 tbsp vanilla extract

-Glaze
5 oz. semisweet chocolate (about 3/4 cup)
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) salted butter, softened

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2, Make the crust: Use a blender or food processor with a metal blade to grind cookies into fine crumbs. Add butter and blend until smooth. Press crust into bottom of s 9-inch springform pan. Refrigerate while preparing mousse.

3. Make the filling: In a large bowl with and elective mixer, beat the cream cheese until very smooth. Add sugars and sour cream, and blend thoroughly. Add eggs and beat until mixture is smooth.

4. Add melted chocolate, coffee, and vanilla, again blending ingredients until smooth. Pour filling into prepared pan, and bake in middle of oven for 50 to 60 minutes.

5. Turn off oven, crack door 1 inch, and leave cheesecake in oven 1 hour to set. Then remove from oven and cool to room temperature.

6. Make the glaze: In a small saucepan melt chocolate and butter over low heat; stire until smooth. Pour glaze over top of cheesecake and smooth with a  metal spatula. [When baked cheesecake has cooled, pour chocolate-butter glaze over the top and smooth with a metal spatula to form a thin chocolate frosting.] Refrigerate 3 to 4 hours or until firm. Cut and serve.



Tine's Notes: So in a [futile] effort to be healthier, I opted to use low-fat cream cheese and fat free sour cream. Let's just say, you can tell the difference-- see picture. They are really serious about fat content in cheesecake. After a couple of days, I hate to admit the consistency was less creamy and more crumbly. Also for measurements, I've started using a scale for exact measurements-- had it already, might as well use it. I used Chips Ahoy! cookies for the crust.

Thing I learned: Also, please remember to wrap the bottom of your springform with foil or you'll deal with a smoky mess the next time you use the oven. *I did.*

Marbled Pesto Bread

You must make this if you have a bread machine [and extra pesto lying around!]. Your house will smell heavenly!

Marbled Pesto Bread
Recipe from 150 Recipes for Your Bread Machine by Jennie Shapter

Ingredients:
5 fl oz milk
5 fl oz water
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 cups unbleached white bread flour
1 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 rapid rise yeast
7 tbsp pesto sauce

Topping:
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp coarse sea salt

Preparation:
1. Put ingredients in bread machine per instructions (dry before wet, wet before dry, etc.) Set to basic dough setting. Lightly oil a 10 x 4 inch loaf tin.

2. When dough cycle is finished, turn out dough to a slightly floured surface. Punch it down gently, then roll it out to a rectangle about 3/4 inch thick and 10 in long. Cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap and leave to relax for a few minutes, if the dough proves difficult to roll out.

3. Spread the pesto sauce over the dough. Leave a clear border of 1/2 inch along one long edge. Roll up the dough lengthways, Swiss (jelly) roll fashion, tuck the ends under and place seam down in the prepared pan.

4. Cover with oiled clear film and set aside in a warm place to rise for 45 minutes or until the dough has more than doubled in size and reaches the top of the loaf tin. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

5. Remove the clear film and brush with olive oil over the top of the loaf. Use a sharp knife to score the top with flour diagonal cuts. Repeat the cuts in the opposite direction to make a criss-cross pattern. Sprinkle with sea salt.

6. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the bread is golden and sounds hollow when tapped on the base. Turn out on to a wire rack to cool.

Tine's Notes: I used more of the prepared pesto sauce (and STILL have some left over-- it's a large jar). I noticed while kneading the dough that because the recipe calls for real milk as opposed to dry milk powder it was tougher to deal with. After letting it rest, it became much more manageable. This would be a perfect accompaniment for an Italian dinner in lieu of dinner rolls!

Hot and Spicy

Two words I've come to love and like Pavlov's dogs, my taste buds start watering. I can't help it.

Hot and Spicy Tofu
from Allrecipes

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons peanut oil
1 pound firm tofu, cubed
1 red onion, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 green chile pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/3 cup hot water
3 tablespoons white vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Preparation:
1. Heat peanut oil in a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Toss the tofu into the oil, and cook until browned on all sides. Once browned, toss in onion, bell pepper, chile pepper, and garlic; cook until just tender, about 5 minutes.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the hot water, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, cornstarch, and red pepper flakes. Pour over tofu and vegetables, toss to coat, and simmer 3 to 5 minutes, or until sauce thickens slightly.

Tine's Notes:  I used plain vegetable oil which was fine. My tofu was medium texture so it crumbled a bit while cooking, but overall held up. I must be colorblind, I used a regular onion and green bell pepper (this is what happens when you go with on-hand ingredients, right?) Instead of using a chile pepper, I used Thai chili paste, a dab will do ya, trust me. My inner saucier would have preferred more so I recommend adding more water.

Alliteration What?

This dish will surely have you seeing green-- in a good way. This dish brought to you by the letter P.

Pasta, Pesto and Peas
From Food Network - Ina Garten

Ingredients:
3/4 pound fusilli pasta
3/4 pound bow tie pasta
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 1/2 cups pesto
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/4 cups good mayonnaise
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 1/2 cups frozen peas, defrosted
1/3 cup pignoli (pine nuts)
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:
1. Cook the fusilli and bow ties separately in a large pot of boiling salted water for 10 to 12 minutes until each pasta is al dente. Drain and toss into a bowl with the olive oil. Cool to room temperature.

2. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, puree the pesto, spinach, and lemon juice. Add the mayonnaise and puree. Add the pesto mixture to the cooled pasta and then add the Parmesan, peas, pignoli, salt, and pepper. Mix well, season to taste, and serve at room temperature.

Tine's Notes: I used elbow macaroni and rotini as my two pastas. Left out spinach and pine nuts (those suckers are expensive!). I had a jar of pesto sauce patiently waiting to be used and now have about 1/4 of it left over. Have you turned green yet?