Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe
Ingredients:
2-3 pounds boneless, skinless, chicken breasts or chicken tenders
16-ounce package sliced bacon, thick cut or regular
2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 Tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (I went with the larger amount on each of these ranges)
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. If you have it, place an uncoated metal cooling rack inside a foil-lined large rimmed baking sheet and lightly coat with cooking spray. If not, line a baking pan or broiling pan with foil and lightly grease with nonstick cooking spray.
Cut the chicken breasts into large bite-sized pieces. If using chicken tenders, cut them in half (you can fold over the chicken tender pieces when wrapping so they'll be thicker). Place the chicken pieces in a medium bowl and toss with the salt, pepper, oregano, thyme, garlic powder and red pepper. Let it hang out while preparing the rest of the ingredients (you can cover and refrigerate up to a day).
In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and chili powder together. Cut the entire slab of bacon into thirds.
Wrap each chicken piece with small strip of bacon and holding tightly, dredge them in the brown sugar/chili powder mixture. Place the chicken pieces in a single layer on the baking sheet (or rack set inside the baking sheet). If the bacon isn’t staying put, you can secure with a toothpick. (I made mine ahead of time and stored the pan in the fridge for most of the day till it was time to cook. So when it came time to cook them, they took closer to 30-40 minutes to cook since everything was so cold.)
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the bacon is crisp and the chicken is cooked through. Flip it once if the chicken is laying directly on the baking sheet. Serve immediately.
Notes:
I was looking for new appetizer recipes that I could serve for Christmas Eve or New Years Eve or just your average Thursday Eve. And of course, Mel came through for me again. These were delicious! I loved the slight spicy-sweet coating that came from the brown sugar-chili powder dusting over the top of these little delights. My only complaint is that the bacon never really got crispy. I don't know if it's supposed to, but I guess I was expecting it to, so when it stayed pretty soft and chewy, I was a little bit bummed. But, they were delicious. And they actually warmed up great in the microwave for the next few days as we ate them for lunch. We even sliced them in half and used them as the meat in a sandwich, which was really quite delicious.
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Tomato Basil Soup
Source: here, via Pinterest
Ingredients:
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 - 14 oz. cans crushed tomatoes
1 - 14 oz. can whole tomatoes
2 cups stock (chicken or vegetable)
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/4 cup heavy cream (I used 1% milk - loved it)
3 tablespoons of fresh basil, julienned (I didn't have any fresh, so I used 1 1/2 Tablespoons dried basil)
parmesan cheese
Directions:
In a saucepan, saute garlic in olive oil on medium heat for 1 minute - being careful not to burn the garlic. Add the crushed tomatoes. Add the whole tomatoes one at a time, squeezing them into the pan to break them up. Add the juice from the whole tomatoes, as well. Add chicken stock, salt, pepper and sugar. Cook the soup on medium at a simmer for 10 minutes.
To finish, reduce the heat to low and stir in heavy cream and basil. Serve topped with parmesan cheese or a grilled cheese sandwich (which is exactly what we did - both!).
Notes:
Every Thursday in the winter I like to make soup. Of course I have my favorites, but sometimes I like to find a new recipe (I have so many to choose from on Pinterest) to test out. I'm so glad I tried this one! I loved it! It's a thick-ish consistency due to the crushed tomatoes and there's a bit of chew from the whole tomato chunks in there. Very hearty for a tomato soup. And lots of flavor! The perfect complement to a good grilled cheese. I will be making this one again.
Ingredients:
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 - 14 oz. cans crushed tomatoes
1 - 14 oz. can whole tomatoes
2 cups stock (chicken or vegetable)
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/4 cup heavy cream (I used 1% milk - loved it)
3 tablespoons of fresh basil, julienned (I didn't have any fresh, so I used 1 1/2 Tablespoons dried basil)
parmesan cheese
Directions:
In a saucepan, saute garlic in olive oil on medium heat for 1 minute - being careful not to burn the garlic. Add the crushed tomatoes. Add the whole tomatoes one at a time, squeezing them into the pan to break them up. Add the juice from the whole tomatoes, as well. Add chicken stock, salt, pepper and sugar. Cook the soup on medium at a simmer for 10 minutes.
To finish, reduce the heat to low and stir in heavy cream and basil. Serve topped with parmesan cheese or a grilled cheese sandwich (which is exactly what we did - both!).
Notes:
Every Thursday in the winter I like to make soup. Of course I have my favorites, but sometimes I like to find a new recipe (I have so many to choose from on Pinterest) to test out. I'm so glad I tried this one! I loved it! It's a thick-ish consistency due to the crushed tomatoes and there's a bit of chew from the whole tomato chunks in there. Very hearty for a tomato soup. And lots of flavor! The perfect complement to a good grilled cheese. I will be making this one again.
Raspberry Almond Thumbprint Cookies
Source: Sally's Baking Addiction
Ingredients:
for the cookies:
1 cup (230g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature (I only ever have salted - it was fine)
2/3 cup (134g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups + 2 Tablespoons (264g) all-purpose flour (measured correctly)
1/2 cup (160g) raspberry jam
for the glaze:
1 cup (120g) confectioners' sugar
1 Tablespoon (15g) cream or milk
1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract (optional) (I left it out)
Directions:
Make the cookies: Using a handheld or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Switch mixer to medium speed and add the the sugar, vanilla, and almond extracts. Scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl as needed. Turn the mixer off and pour the flour into the wet ingredients. Turn the mixer on low and slowly beat until a very soft dough is formed. Press the dough down to compact it and tightly cover with plastic wrap to chill until firm, at least 4 hours. (Mine chilled for closer to 9 hours.)
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats (silicone mats preferred to reduce spreading) (I don't have either so I just skipped it - maybe I lightly sprayed with cooking spray? I really can't remember now.). Shape the cookie dough into balls about 1 Tablespoon of dough each. Make sure they're nice and smooth. If you find that the balls of dough are sticky and/or have gotten a little soft after rolling- place the balls of dough back into the refrigerator to firm up. You absolutely DO NOT want soft dough. Make an indentation with your thumb into each ball. The dough may crack slightly when you press your thumb into it. Simply smooth it out with your fingers if you can. Otherwise, it's perfectly fine to have a few cracks. Fill each with a scant 1/2 teaspoon of jam. (Or however much it can hold.)
Bake the shortbread thumbprint cookies for 13-15 minutes, or until very lightly browned on the edges. The cookies will puff up and spread slightly. Do not overbake. (I stayed toward the lower limits to keep them soft.) Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before glazing.
Make the glaze: stir together glaze ingredients until smooth. Add more liquid to thin out or add more confectioners' sugar to thicken to your desired consistency. Drizzle over cooled cookies. Glaze will set within a couple hours.
Store cookies covered at room temperature for 3 days or in the refrigerator for 6 days. Shortbread cookie dough may be frozen up to 2 months; baked cookies (without glaze - or with - ours were fine with glaze in the freezer) may be frozen up to 2-3 months. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.
Notes:
I had this one saved on my Pinterest desserts board for a long, long time. Finally I decided it would be one of my Christmas cookies this December (mostly to eat by ourselves at home, but we did share a few with our neighbor, Betty). I was pleased with how easily the dough came together.
There is a note in the recipe about making sure the dough didn't get too soft. I found I had the opposite problem - because my dough had chilled for so long the dough was rock hard and I had to chisel it into chunks, which I then had to hold in my hands to warm up a bit before I could even roll them. What I should have done is put them back in the fridge after I rolled them, but I didn't, and when they cooked they spread a bit more than I was wanting at the edges. So, it is true that you don't want your dough to get too warm. But you do need it to be pliable enough to roll into ball, so next time I'll pull the dough out and let it soften for about 15 minutes, roll it into balls, and then pop it back in the fridge for a bit so it they're nice and cold and will hopefully not spread when baked.
BUT - despite the fact that my cookies did not look like the photos on the blog, they really did taste amazing. I anticipate that these little gems of cookies will be making repeat appearances in my kitchen for many Christmases (or any other cookie-making times) to come. I'd love to give them a try with other jam flavors, too - blueberry, apricot, strawberry - so many options!
Ingredients:
for the cookies:
1 cup (230g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature (I only ever have salted - it was fine)
2/3 cup (134g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups + 2 Tablespoons (264g) all-purpose flour (measured correctly)
1/2 cup (160g) raspberry jam
for the glaze:
1 cup (120g) confectioners' sugar
1 Tablespoon (15g) cream or milk
1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract (optional) (I left it out)
Directions:
Make the cookies: Using a handheld or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Switch mixer to medium speed and add the the sugar, vanilla, and almond extracts. Scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl as needed. Turn the mixer off and pour the flour into the wet ingredients. Turn the mixer on low and slowly beat until a very soft dough is formed. Press the dough down to compact it and tightly cover with plastic wrap to chill until firm, at least 4 hours. (Mine chilled for closer to 9 hours.)
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats (silicone mats preferred to reduce spreading) (I don't have either so I just skipped it - maybe I lightly sprayed with cooking spray? I really can't remember now.). Shape the cookie dough into balls about 1 Tablespoon of dough each. Make sure they're nice and smooth. If you find that the balls of dough are sticky and/or have gotten a little soft after rolling- place the balls of dough back into the refrigerator to firm up. You absolutely DO NOT want soft dough. Make an indentation with your thumb into each ball. The dough may crack slightly when you press your thumb into it. Simply smooth it out with your fingers if you can. Otherwise, it's perfectly fine to have a few cracks. Fill each with a scant 1/2 teaspoon of jam. (Or however much it can hold.)
Bake the shortbread thumbprint cookies for 13-15 minutes, or until very lightly browned on the edges. The cookies will puff up and spread slightly. Do not overbake. (I stayed toward the lower limits to keep them soft.) Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before glazing.
Make the glaze: stir together glaze ingredients until smooth. Add more liquid to thin out or add more confectioners' sugar to thicken to your desired consistency. Drizzle over cooled cookies. Glaze will set within a couple hours.
Store cookies covered at room temperature for 3 days or in the refrigerator for 6 days. Shortbread cookie dough may be frozen up to 2 months; baked cookies (without glaze - or with - ours were fine with glaze in the freezer) may be frozen up to 2-3 months. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.
Notes:
I had this one saved on my Pinterest desserts board for a long, long time. Finally I decided it would be one of my Christmas cookies this December (mostly to eat by ourselves at home, but we did share a few with our neighbor, Betty). I was pleased with how easily the dough came together.
There is a note in the recipe about making sure the dough didn't get too soft. I found I had the opposite problem - because my dough had chilled for so long the dough was rock hard and I had to chisel it into chunks, which I then had to hold in my hands to warm up a bit before I could even roll them. What I should have done is put them back in the fridge after I rolled them, but I didn't, and when they cooked they spread a bit more than I was wanting at the edges. So, it is true that you don't want your dough to get too warm. But you do need it to be pliable enough to roll into ball, so next time I'll pull the dough out and let it soften for about 15 minutes, roll it into balls, and then pop it back in the fridge for a bit so it they're nice and cold and will hopefully not spread when baked.
BUT - despite the fact that my cookies did not look like the photos on the blog, they really did taste amazing. I anticipate that these little gems of cookies will be making repeat appearances in my kitchen for many Christmases (or any other cookie-making times) to come. I'd love to give them a try with other jam flavors, too - blueberry, apricot, strawberry - so many options!
Salisbury Steak in the Slow Cooker
Source: allrecipes.com, via Pinterest
Ingredients:
2 pounds lean ground beef
1 (1 ounce) envelope dry onion soup mix
1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup (I used cream of mushroom soup instead, as per some suggestions)
1 (1 ounce) packet dry au jus mix
3/4 cup water
a handful of mushrooms, chopped
Directions:
In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, onion soup mix, bread crumbs, and milk using your hands. Shape into 8 patties.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Dredge the patties in flour just to coat, and quickly brown on both sides in the hot skillet. Place browned patties into the slow cooker stacking alternately like a pyramid. Add chopped mushrooms. In a medium bowl, mix together the cream of chicken (or mushroom) soup, au jus mix, and water. Pour over the meat. Cook on the Low setting for 4 or 5 hours, until ground beef is well done.
Notes:
This was really great. My only complaint is that it is quite salty. Not sure how to overcome that with all the packaged salt (basically) that you add, but just be aware. Other than that, this made a yummy, warm, easy Sunday dinner served over mashed potatoes with some mixed steamed veggies.
Ingredients:
2 pounds lean ground beef
1 (1 ounce) envelope dry onion soup mix
1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup (I used cream of mushroom soup instead, as per some suggestions)
1 (1 ounce) packet dry au jus mix
3/4 cup water
a handful of mushrooms, chopped
Directions:
In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, onion soup mix, bread crumbs, and milk using your hands. Shape into 8 patties.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Dredge the patties in flour just to coat, and quickly brown on both sides in the hot skillet. Place browned patties into the slow cooker stacking alternately like a pyramid. Add chopped mushrooms. In a medium bowl, mix together the cream of chicken (or mushroom) soup, au jus mix, and water. Pour over the meat. Cook on the Low setting for 4 or 5 hours, until ground beef is well done.
Notes:
This was really great. My only complaint is that it is quite salty. Not sure how to overcome that with all the packaged salt (basically) that you add, but just be aware. Other than that, this made a yummy, warm, easy Sunday dinner served over mashed potatoes with some mixed steamed veggies.
Monday, January 5, 2015
Raspberry Chocolate Chip Muffins
Source: Sally's Baking Addiction
Ingredients:
3 cups (375 grams) all-purpose flour (very careful not to overmeasure)
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 large eggs, at room temperature
¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
¼ cup (50 grams) light brown sugar
1 cup (240 ml) milk, at room temperature (she prefers buttermilk, so I used my handy-dandy buttermilk substitution with 1 Tablespoon lemon jucie + milk to 1 cup and let it sit for 5 minutes)
½ cup (120 ml) canola/vegetable oil (or melted coconut oil)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup (120 grams) dark chocolate chips, (or semi-sweet)
1 and ¼ cup (215 grams) fresh raspberries (I used frozen with great results)
coarse sugar (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425F degrees. Spray muffin pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.
In a large bowl, gently toss together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Mix until all dry ingredients are combined - a 20 second toss to disburse everything together. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until combined. Mix in milk, oil, and vanilla extract. Mixture will be pale and yellow. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix everything together by hand. Avoid over-mixing, which will produce tough, dry muffins. Gently mix until all the flour is off the bottom of the bowl and no big pockets of flour remain. The batter will be extremely thick and somewhat lumpy. Fold in the chocolate chips, then very gently to avoid them from leaking their color, fold in the raspberries.
Spoon batter into prepared muffin tins, filling all the way to the top. Sprinkle with coarse sugar if desired (I didn't have any so I left it off, and the muffins were great). Bake at 425F degrees for 5 minutes. Keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce oven temperature to 375F and continue to bake for 13-14 minutes until tops are lightly golden. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Muffins taste best fresh the same day. Store muffins at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Notes:
I had a goal last year to make a new muffin recipe each month. I'm proud to say I was successful in that goal! What a delicious resolution, let me tell you! Well, for December I decided to make these little beauties since I had some frozen raspberries in my freezer. Oh my! So delicious!
Ingredients:
3 cups (375 grams) all-purpose flour (very careful not to overmeasure)
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 large eggs, at room temperature
¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
¼ cup (50 grams) light brown sugar
1 cup (240 ml) milk, at room temperature (she prefers buttermilk, so I used my handy-dandy buttermilk substitution with 1 Tablespoon lemon jucie + milk to 1 cup and let it sit for 5 minutes)
½ cup (120 ml) canola/vegetable oil (or melted coconut oil)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup (120 grams) dark chocolate chips, (or semi-sweet)
1 and ¼ cup (215 grams) fresh raspberries (I used frozen with great results)
coarse sugar (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425F degrees. Spray muffin pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.
In a large bowl, gently toss together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Mix until all dry ingredients are combined - a 20 second toss to disburse everything together. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until combined. Mix in milk, oil, and vanilla extract. Mixture will be pale and yellow. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix everything together by hand. Avoid over-mixing, which will produce tough, dry muffins. Gently mix until all the flour is off the bottom of the bowl and no big pockets of flour remain. The batter will be extremely thick and somewhat lumpy. Fold in the chocolate chips, then very gently to avoid them from leaking their color, fold in the raspberries.
Spoon batter into prepared muffin tins, filling all the way to the top. Sprinkle with coarse sugar if desired (I didn't have any so I left it off, and the muffins were great). Bake at 425F degrees for 5 minutes. Keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce oven temperature to 375F and continue to bake for 13-14 minutes until tops are lightly golden. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Muffins taste best fresh the same day. Store muffins at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Notes:
I had a goal last year to make a new muffin recipe each month. I'm proud to say I was successful in that goal! What a delicious resolution, let me tell you! Well, for December I decided to make these little beauties since I had some frozen raspberries in my freezer. Oh my! So delicious!
Pumpkin Cheesecake with White Chocolate Mousse
Source: my good friend Mel (ha - in my dreams we're friends, anyway)
Ingredients:
for the crust:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 14 rectangle crackers)
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
8 Tablespoons butter, melted
for the cheesecake:
3 (8 ounces each) packages cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups sour cream
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch of cloves
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree (or about 2 cups if using homemade)
for the white chocolate mousse topping:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch ground nutmeg
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 ounces white chocolate, melted
Directions:
For the crust, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir in the melted butter and mix until combined and it looks like wet sand.
Press the crumbs into the bottom and just a bit up the sides of a 10-inch springform pan (I used a 9-incher since that's what I have, but it worked fine; it was just really full and in the end took quite a bit longer to cook the cheesecake - see later for details). Place the springform pan on a foil-lined larger baking pan and bake for about 8 minutes until the crust is just lightly golden and smells fragrant. Remove from the oven and let cool. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F.
For the cheesecake batter, in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or in a bowl with a handheld electric mixer), whip together the cream cheese and sour cream until just combined. Add the cornstarch, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves and mix until incorporated. Mix in the vanilla and pumpkin until just combined.
Spread the batter evenly over the crust and bake (keeping the pan still on the foil-lined baking sheet; helps prevent any leaking butter/batter from dirtying your oven) for 45-60 minutes (because mine was in a 9-inch pan, it took almost an hour and ten minutes and even then it still seemed too jiggly too me so I just turned off the oven and let it sit inside for a while as the oven cooled) until the edges are set and the center slightly jiggles. Let the cheesecake cool completely.
For the white chocolate topping, in a medium bowl, beat the cream and vanilla with an electric mixer (handheld or stand mixer) until soft peaks form. Add the powdered sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and mix until combined and the peaks are slightly stiffer. In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Add the white chocolate and mix until smooth and creamy. Fold in the whipped cream, taking care not to deflate the whipped cream, and mix gently with a rubber spatula, lifting and turning the cream, until the mousse is combined and creamy. (Mine never mixed smoothly - when I was done it looked more like whipped cream with a tiny clumps of cream cheese speckled throughout. So it looked weird, but it tasted great.)
Spread the white chocolate topping on top of the cooled cheesecake. (It was really nice to have the mousse to cover my sunken top on my cheesecake - I tend to mix my cheesecakes too much, so they get too much air and then sink when they come out of the oven. If you do the same thing, then you don't have to fret because you can just fill in the hole with the mousse!) Refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours or up to a day. (I made mine the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. When it cooled, I covered it in a layer of plastic wrap and then a layer of aluminum foil and then popped it in the freezer. It traveled to Utah a few days later in the cooler and then lived in the fridge until it was time to eat dessert on Sunday afternoon.) Garnish with a light dusting of freshly grated nutmeg, if desired.
Notes:
If you want a showstopping dessert, especially in the fall when it's pumpkin season, look no further than this awesome cheesecake. Luckily, it looks way impressive and tastes way impressive, but it does not require major feats of culinary excellence to create it. Sign me up! Sure, it takes a little time and a lot of cream cheese, but really it's worth every minute! One of the greatest things about cheesecake is that it can/should be made a day or two (or more if you want to freeze it) ahead of time, leaving you free to make the rest of your meal on the big day. Bonus.
 |
| Our Blanchard Family Thanksgiving Dessert Spread The Cheesecake is the one in the middle. |
for the crust:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 14 rectangle crackers)
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
8 Tablespoons butter, melted
for the cheesecake:
3 (8 ounces each) packages cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups sour cream
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch of cloves
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree (or about 2 cups if using homemade)
for the white chocolate mousse topping:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch ground nutmeg
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 ounces white chocolate, melted
Directions:
For the crust, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir in the melted butter and mix until combined and it looks like wet sand.
Press the crumbs into the bottom and just a bit up the sides of a 10-inch springform pan (I used a 9-incher since that's what I have, but it worked fine; it was just really full and in the end took quite a bit longer to cook the cheesecake - see later for details). Place the springform pan on a foil-lined larger baking pan and bake for about 8 minutes until the crust is just lightly golden and smells fragrant. Remove from the oven and let cool. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F.
For the cheesecake batter, in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or in a bowl with a handheld electric mixer), whip together the cream cheese and sour cream until just combined. Add the cornstarch, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves and mix until incorporated. Mix in the vanilla and pumpkin until just combined.
Spread the batter evenly over the crust and bake (keeping the pan still on the foil-lined baking sheet; helps prevent any leaking butter/batter from dirtying your oven) for 45-60 minutes (because mine was in a 9-inch pan, it took almost an hour and ten minutes and even then it still seemed too jiggly too me so I just turned off the oven and let it sit inside for a while as the oven cooled) until the edges are set and the center slightly jiggles. Let the cheesecake cool completely.
For the white chocolate topping, in a medium bowl, beat the cream and vanilla with an electric mixer (handheld or stand mixer) until soft peaks form. Add the powdered sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and mix until combined and the peaks are slightly stiffer. In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Add the white chocolate and mix until smooth and creamy. Fold in the whipped cream, taking care not to deflate the whipped cream, and mix gently with a rubber spatula, lifting and turning the cream, until the mousse is combined and creamy. (Mine never mixed smoothly - when I was done it looked more like whipped cream with a tiny clumps of cream cheese speckled throughout. So it looked weird, but it tasted great.)
Spread the white chocolate topping on top of the cooled cheesecake. (It was really nice to have the mousse to cover my sunken top on my cheesecake - I tend to mix my cheesecakes too much, so they get too much air and then sink when they come out of the oven. If you do the same thing, then you don't have to fret because you can just fill in the hole with the mousse!) Refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours or up to a day. (I made mine the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. When it cooled, I covered it in a layer of plastic wrap and then a layer of aluminum foil and then popped it in the freezer. It traveled to Utah a few days later in the cooler and then lived in the fridge until it was time to eat dessert on Sunday afternoon.) Garnish with a light dusting of freshly grated nutmeg, if desired.
Notes:
If you want a showstopping dessert, especially in the fall when it's pumpkin season, look no further than this awesome cheesecake. Luckily, it looks way impressive and tastes way impressive, but it does not require major feats of culinary excellence to create it. Sign me up! Sure, it takes a little time and a lot of cream cheese, but really it's worth every minute! One of the greatest things about cheesecake is that it can/should be made a day or two (or more if you want to freeze it) ahead of time, leaving you free to make the rest of your meal on the big day. Bonus.
Creamy Black Bean Chicken Soup
Source: here, via Pinterest
Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts (I used 1 small one and it was totally chickeny enough)
1 cup chicken broth (I think I probably used one can, which is closer to 2 cups)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained (I used about a cup of frozen corn kernels)
1 cup salsa
1 package taco seasoning (I used a few tablespoons of a homemade seasoning mix)
1/2 cup sour cream (optional)
1/2 cup cheddar cheese (optional)
Tortilla chips
Directions:
Place chicken in crock pot. Pour broth, beans, corn, salsa, and taco seasoning over chicken.
Cook on low for 6 hours (or high for 3 hours).
Remove chicken and shred. Re-add chicken.
If desired, add sour cream and cheese to crock pot. Stir until smooth. (Or add desired amount to individual servings)
Serve with tortilla chips.
Notes:
I stumbled across this little recipe on pinterest one day and immediately changed my plans for that day's dinner and made this instead. It was super easy, super delicious and super small. Which actually was perfect for us on the Thursday before Thanksgiving since I didn't need lots of leftovers to deal with before we left town for a week. So yeah, it doesn't make a ton, but it easily could be doubled in a bigger crock pot. Yum!
Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts (I used 1 small one and it was totally chickeny enough)
1 cup chicken broth (I think I probably used one can, which is closer to 2 cups)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained (I used about a cup of frozen corn kernels)
1 cup salsa
1 package taco seasoning (I used a few tablespoons of a homemade seasoning mix)
1/2 cup sour cream (optional)
1/2 cup cheddar cheese (optional)
Tortilla chips
Directions:
Place chicken in crock pot. Pour broth, beans, corn, salsa, and taco seasoning over chicken.
Cook on low for 6 hours (or high for 3 hours).
Remove chicken and shred. Re-add chicken.
If desired, add sour cream and cheese to crock pot. Stir until smooth. (Or add desired amount to individual servings)
Serve with tortilla chips.
Notes:
I stumbled across this little recipe on pinterest one day and immediately changed my plans for that day's dinner and made this instead. It was super easy, super delicious and super small. Which actually was perfect for us on the Thursday before Thanksgiving since I didn't need lots of leftovers to deal with before we left town for a week. So yeah, it doesn't make a ton, but it easily could be doubled in a bigger crock pot. Yum!
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