Cheesecake Take 2

I love to bake but don't often venture out on a limb on a somewhat difficult recipe.  A couple years ago I had decided to attempt a homemade cheesecake for my husband's birthday.  I have a friend who worked in a bakery in high school and she gave me a recipe with excellent directions and my first attempt was a success.  It has kind of been a tradition since then to make a cheesecake for my husband's birthday every year.  This year I decided to try the marble cheesecake recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook.  I used the Cheesecake Supreme recipe for the chocolate swirl

 The above picture is the disasterous result of the first attempt.  I used a different recipe for the crust than the recipe and forgot to put the 1 Tbsp of sugar in the crust.  Then I realized as I was putting it in the crust that there was no way I was going to get it to swirl and I hadn't left enough of the mix without chocolate (you could do it all chocolate and it would still taste amazing).  Then I left the flour out of the cake part.  I didn't realize this until after I had put it in the oven.  I had come to terms with the fact that it was just not going to be a great cake but thought it would still work.  I stuck it in the oven and went outside to work in the yard.  BAD MOVE!  I burnt the cake.  I was super bummed when I pulled it out and it was super dark on top (it is supposed to be lightly browned).  So I headed to the store to buy more ingredients and try again.  On the bright side, I knew exactly what I did wrong so I knew it wouldn't be hard to fix.

The second cheesecake was very nearly perfect.  I did a vanilla wafer and almond crust and made sure not to overcook it.  I was shocked at how good it tasted and despite the dryness of the first one we still ate it all.

Update (9/30/12):  I meant to put the recipe up for this one and am just getting around to it today.
This is the Cheesecake Supreme recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook with a different crust.
Crust- 1 1/2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs
           1 Tbsp granulated sugar
           1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds (350 degrees for 5-10 min to toast)
           3 oz (6 Tbsp) melted butter
Mix ingredients.  Press into bottom of springform pan.  Butter sides of pan "like crazy." Bake 350 degrees for 10 min.

Filling- 3 8 oz boxes cream cheese
             1 cup sugar
             2 Tbsp flour
             1 tsp vanilla
             2 eggs
             1 egg yolk
             1/4 cup milk
             2 ounces semisweet chocolate
Mix cream cheese, sugar, flour and vanilla with an electric mixer. add eggs and yolk all at once, beat until combined.  Stir in milk.  Melt chocolate and combine with half of filling mix.  Spoon  mix into pan. (I put alternated a dollup of chocolate and then vanilla next to it.  That made it easier to swirl.)  Butter sides of pan again. Bake at 375 degrees. 8 inch pan 45-50 minutes. 9 inch pan 35-40 minutes. Top should be slightly brown.

Banana Muffin Recipe

One of my favorite banana recipes is my Mom's banana cake recipe.  I'd made them into muffins before and my kids eat them super fast but they were basically cupcakes so I decided to start playing with the recipe to make it more of a muffin and a little healthier.  This was teh end result.

Mom's Banana Muffins

2 1/2 Cups Flour

2 1/2 tsps Baking Powder

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

Mix, then add:

1/2 Cup Shortening

2 small bananas mashed

1 tsp vanilla

Mix & Add

2 eggs

1/2 Cup Sour Milk (Just add a little vinegar to sour it)

Beat 2 minutes. Put into muffin pans (I use papers but you can also grease the pans.)  Normal size muffins bake about 12-15 minutes and mini muffins take less.  Just bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Update: I made these with applesauce instead of shortening and added an extra banana for a healthier version.  The texture was more spounge like but my kids ate them up even faster than the others.

Cheesy Spinach Stuffed Shells Recipe

16 jumbo pasta shells (I use the whole box)
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese (I use 1 1/2 cups)
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese (I use 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup grated onion (or dried onion flakes)
2 cups Pasta Fasta Sauce (I use canned tomato basil spaghetti sauce)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (I skip this sometimes)

Cook pasta (follow box directions).  Cook spinach (aslo package directions).  Drain spinach and press with spoon in collander (if you don't they will end up runny).  Add cottage cheese, onion and mozzarella to spinach.  Drain pasta and rinse with cold water.

Spoon about 1 Tbsp of cheese/spinach mix into each shell.  Place in 9x13 pan, cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes until warmed through.  I usually add teh parmesan when I serve it. 

This is a great way to get your family to eat spinach although my two-year old loves it slathered in dressing.

Modified from The Essential Mormon Cookbook

Slow Cooker Chicken Cordon Bleu Recipe

Someone pinned this recipe on Pinterest and it turned out amazing.  It is from this blog.  They have some other yummy looking recipes they've shared too.

6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (I only use 3-4)
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup milk
4 ounces sliced ham
4 ounces sliced Swiss cheese
1 (8 ounce) package herbed dry bread stuffing mix
1/4 cup butter, melted

Mix together the cream of chicken soup and milk in a small bowl. Pour enough of the soup into a slow cooker to cover the bottom. Layer chicken breasts over the sauce. Cover with slices of ham and then Swiss cheese. Pour the remaining soup over the layers, stirring a little to distribute between layers. Sprinkle the stuffing on top, and drizzle butter over stuffing. Cover, and cook on Low for 4 to 6 hours, or 2 to 3 hours on High.


I served this with steamed rice as it was a little saucy.

Christmas Caramels Recipe

This is my FAVORITE Christmas treat!  I found the recipe on allrecipes.com  I've modified it a bit so this is the altered recipe.

Caramel Candies
2 Cups Brown Sugar
2 1/2 Cups White Sugar
1 1/2 Cups Butter
1 1/2 Cups Corn Syrup
2 Cups Heavy Cream
1 Cup + 2 Tbsp Milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Combine ingredients in a large saucepan (atleast 5 qts) over medium high heat.  Heat to 240 degrees (soft ball stage).  Pour into a greased 9 X 13 pan.  Let cool for 9-12 hours before cutting.  I like to cut it into bite size pieces and wrap in wax paper like tootsie rolls.

I wanted to post a picture but they are gone so maybe next time.  Trust me, they're good.

Potato Brocolli Cheese Soup Recipe

As the rainy season begins it's time for soup. I'm not really into soups but when it rains it's just the best thing to eat. I got brave yesterday and tried a new recipe, which turned out to be a winner. We're now rating new recipes at our house between one and five stars. One being, let's not eat that again and five being, that was so good let's eat it again next week. This soup scored a 4.5 star rating. It was full of vegetables which was my favorite part. It calls for 2 cups of onions so if you don't like onions (David) you probably won't like this. Click Here for the Recipe. I froze some, wondering if it would keep so I could make double batches and keep some for another day. I'll let you know how it goes.

Update (9/30/12):  This is still my favorite soup.  To make it easier I will post the recipe here along with some tricks to make it go faster.

3 cups broccoli (I have used frozen and fresh, both good)
I steam the broccoli and save the water to use in the soup.
2 cups onions, chopped
2 Tbsp margarine
2 1/2 pounds potatos pealed and cubed (I've used red, yukons and russetts, all good)
5 cups boiling water (from steaming the brocolli)
4 cubes chicken bouillon (I use 2 cubes of the Mexican bouillion/soup base)
salt and pepper to taste
shredded cheddar cheese to garnish each bowl

Steam broccoli.  Saute onions in margarine (10-15 minutes).  Add potatoes, water and bouillon to onions.  Cover and boil until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.  Add brocolli.  Puree half of the soup mix in a blender (or use a submersion blender).  This gives the soup its thickness.  Season with salt and pepper and top with cheese.

The original recipe calls for 3 cups of cheese but this soup doesn't need it.

Black Berry Slump Recipe

I have no idea where my friend got this recipe but I found a very similar one here. The slump is kind of like a cobbler so it has a crisp crust on top with juicy berries underneath. We have blackberries that grow wild in our area and I found a park that has bushes loaded with them. Free food just happens to be one of my favorite things. Thanks, Angela for passing this recipe along. It's simple and delicious and I'm looking forward to trying it with other berries.

BLACKBERRY SLUMP
4c fresh blackberries washed and drained
1c sugar divided
1c flour and 2 tbsp for berries
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4tsp salt
3/4c whole milk
3Tbsp of butter melted divided

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Toss berries with 3/4c sugar, 2tbsp of flour and 1 tbsp melted butter in 5-6c deep ungreased baking dish. In small bowl sift 1c flour and remaining 1/4c sugar salt baking powder together, add milk and remaining butter, whisk until smooth. Pour over berries, bake until golden brown 40-45min. Cool on rack for at least 20 min.

Update (9/3/12): I made this recipe again for blackberry season.  I just love that the berries grow wild in our area.  They sell for about $5 per pint at the store and I get them for free.

Chicken Stuffed Mushroom Recipe

Rub 1 Chicken breast with rosemary
Grill or bake until cooked completely and chop finely
Prepare 1/2 box of stove top stuffing according to
directions on the box

Stuffing:
Chicken breast
stuffing
1/2 green bell pepper, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
4 oz cream cheese
1/2 c mozerella cheese (optional)
1 egg
Mix ingredients (hands work best) and set aside.

Remove stems from 4 portabellos mushrooms
brush both sides lightly with olive oil and place
cap side down on baking sheet.
Fill mushrooms with mix and top with parmesan cheese.
Bake on broiler 5 minutes or 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
Done when cheese melts and starts to brown.

I was a little worried this recipe would be hard but it was
simple and turned out delicious and sorry I didn't get a pic.

Turkey Cake Pops

I've recently learned something about myself, I don't care much for craft projects but if you can eat it suddenly my interest is peeked. This led to a preschool treat...cake pop turkeys. They turned out cuter than I had pictured and once I got the hang of it they went together really quickly. Thanks to Banessa for coming over to help me make them.

These turkeys were entirely edible.  The cake pop is the standard cake/frosting mixture which we dipped in chocolate.  I dipped a small marshmellow in chocolate for the head which had to set to keep from sliding off.  The feathers, feet and beak are candy corn cut up and we used white sprinkles for the eyes.  These do have to be eaten within a couple of days as the candy corn broke the seal on the cake pop and after a few days starts to dissolve.

These are the cake pops we made at Super Saturday, with models eating them. The Cupcake...
The snowman...who wasn't as cute after he got his head bit off...

And my favorite, the penguin.

Every Christmas I try to find new things to dip in chocolate. These cake pops are made of a yellow cake crumbled and mixed with store bought frosting. They were super yummy and it opened the door to all kinds of cute ideas.
Update:  The cake pops are 1 standard size cake crumbled up mixed with 3/4 tub of store bought frosting.  You then stick them in the freezer for a bit to harden before dipping them in chocolate.