Confessions of a Foodie

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Showing posts with label New York-Style Cheesecake. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New York-Style Cheesecake. Show all posts

Monday, February 1, 2016

Meatless Monday - Something Snacky

“I want something snacky!”

How many times have we heard – or said – that? If you're like me, quite a few times over the years. Well, here's to those snacky days, with some yummy desserts. Enjoy!

LITHUANIAN APPLE CAKE

This comes from Brett Moore, About.com's Gourmet Food's guide. He writes, “The apple cake recipe is simple to throw together at a moments notice but wonderfully delicious. A spongy light cake stuffed with tons of spiced apples! Decorate with dried apples and serve with vanilla ice cream for a fancy end to your dinner or leave plain and enjoy for breakfast with a cup of coffee.”

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

Apples

5 medium apples, peeled and sliced

2 tablespoons of ground cinnamon

4 tablespoons of sugar

Batter

4 large eggs

1 cup of vegetable oil/melted margarine

1/4 cup of orange juice

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

3 cups of sifted flour

2 cups of sugar

1 teaspoon of salt

3 tablespoons of baking powder

Powdered sugar

Dried apple slices (optional)

Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 60 minutes; Total Time: 70 minutes; Yield: Makes 1 9-inch cake

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Mix apples with cinnamon and sugar and let stand in bowl.

In another large bowl, mix together all batter ingredients except the powdered sugar and beat until smooth.

Butter and flour the cake pan (use a springform pan, deep 8-inch pan or a regular 9- by 13-inch pan). Pour half of the batter in the pan and arrange half of the apple slices on top of the batter. Pour the rest of the batter and arrange the remaining apple slices on top.

Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

If you like, decorate the top of the cake with dried apple slices. Dust with powdered sugar and serve warm. Vanilla ice cream is a wonderful partner.

NEW YORK-STYLE CHEESECAKE

This yummy recipe comes from Carroll Pellegrinelli, About.com's Desserts and Baking guide. She writes, “Here is a recipe for New York - Style Cheesecake, which has a sour cream topping.”

Prep Time: 35 minutes; Cook Time: 65 minutes; Total Time: 100 minutes

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

9 whole graham crackers, about 1-1/2 cups crumbs

1-1/4 cups sugar, divided

1/4 cup butter, melted

2 pounds (4 - 8 ounce packages) cream cheese, softened

4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla, divided

16 ounces sour cream, divided

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325 F.

In food processor, process graham crackers and 2 tablespoons sugar. While processing, drizzle in butter. Press mixture into 9-inch springform pan. Bake for 10 minutes.

Beat cream cheese and 1 cup sugar. Add eggs one-at-a-time. Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 cup sour cream. Combine until well-blended. Pour over crust. Bake for 45 minutes. While baking, stir together remaining sour cream, sugar and vanilla. Remove cheesecake from oven and carefully spread sour cream mixture on top. Bake for additional 10 minutes. Remove from oven and take a knife around the edges. Cool completely before removing rim of pan. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Store leftover cheesecake in the refrigerator.

LEMON SWIRL CHEESECAKE

This also comes from Carroll Pellegrinelli. For her comments on this recipe, read her notes at the end of the recipe.

To view this online, click here.

Crust:

6 whole graham crackers (about 3 ounces)

1 cup slivered almonds*, toasted

3 tablespoons butter, melted

2 teaspoons lemon zest

Filling:

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup frozen lemonade** concentrate, thawed

2 teaspoons lemon zest

3/4 cup sour cream

2 large eggs

Topping:

1 cup sour cream, room temperature

1 11-1/4-ounce jar purchased lemon** curd

For Crust: 
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. In food processor, finely grind graham crackers. Add nuts; process until coarsely chopped. Drizzle in butter. Add lemon peel. Blend until combined. Press crumbs firmly onto bottom of 9-inch-diameter springform pan. Bake until crust is set, about 10 minutes. Cool.

For Filling:
 Beat cream cheese, sugar, concentrate and zest until smooth. Beat in 3/4 cup sour cream. Add eggs 1 at a time, beat just until combined. Pour into crust. Bake until center (about the size of a quarter) moves only slightly when pan is shaken, about 50 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool 5 minutes.

For Topping: 
Whisk 1 cup sour cream in small bowl until very smooth. Whisk lemon curd in another small bowl until very smooth. Run small sharp knife around sides of cake. Starting at outside of edge of cake, spoon small alternating dollops of sour cream and lemon curd side by side in concentric circles atop warm cake, covering cake completely. Gently shake pan to smooth out toppings. Using tip of knife, gently swirl toppings, forming marble design. Chill cake uncovered overnight.

* Carroll writes, “The orignal recipe calls for walnuts. I have have also made the crust with toasted pecans. Of the three, I prefer the almonds.”

** Carroll writes, “I am fortunate to live in an area with a grocery store that besides lemon, they also have orange and lime curd. When I use the other flavors, I also change the concentrate to orange and/or lime depending on the curd flavor. All three citrus flavors make this a wonderful cheesecake.”

MINI PUMPKIN LAYER CAKES

This recipe is from Keep It Sweet Desserts. They have a newsletter that you can sign up for; definitely worth checking out!

This recipe can be viewed online here. Serves 6.

Ingredients

For the Cake:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

3/8 cup light brown sugar

2 large eggs

3/8 cup vegetable oil

One cup pumpkin puree

1/4 cup whole milk

Frosting:

1 8oz pacakge of cream cheese, softened

4 tablespoons of butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract, (or vanilla bean paste if you have)

2-3 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

For the cake:

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease or spray a half sheet pan and line the bottom with parchment, set aside.

In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Whisk together and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the eggs and brown sugar for 2-3 minutes or until fluffy. Add the oil and pumpkin, beating until smooth.

Gradually mix in the dry ingredients in 3 batches alternating with milk, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Don't over-mix!

Pour the batter into the sheet pan and use an off-set spatula to evenly spread it throughout the pan. (This batter pretty much stays where you put it, so if it is spread unevenly it will likely bake that way.)

Bake for about 15 minutes, or until baked through and just slightly golden. (This bakes up pretty quickly since it's so thin, I would check it every minute or two after 10 minutes so it doesn't over-bake.)

Allow cake to cool and then place a sheet of parchment on your work-space and carefully flip the cake onto it. Peel off the parchment.

When cool- use a 3-inch biscuit cutter to stamp rounds out of the cake. Freeze the rounds until ready to frost.

For Frosting:

Whip the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and the powdered sugar, a little at a time until the desired sweetness and consistency is reached.

To Assemble:

Place one cake round on a piece of parchment and spread 2 tablespoons of frosting on top. Repeat with 2 or 3 more layers, and either leave the sides of the cake exposed or give it a crumb coat and frost the whole thing.

Top with cake crumbs and (in my case,) toffee bits!

CREAMY RICE PUDDING

This recipe was in several issues (maybe 10 years ago) of Vegetarian Times in ads for Mahatma Rice. I'd lost track of the recipe, which I'd made several times for a certain someone who loved homemade rice pudding. I had to admit, it was definitely worth the time it took to fix it.

1 1/2 quarts 2% milk

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup Mahatma rice (see note)

1/2 cup raisins

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Note: The recipe called for Mahatma, Water Maid, Carolina, or River rice.

Combine milk, sugar and rice in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to simmer and cook uncovered for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. (The milk should just barely simmer, with bubble breaking only at the outside edge of the surface. After an hour, the rice should be soft.)

Add raisins, increase heat to medium heat, and cook, stirring frequently, until rice has absorbed most of the rest of the milkl, but not all, and the pudding is creamy (about 30 minutes longer).

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. When cool, pudding will thicken, but will still be very creamy. Serve warm or well chilled. Serves 8.

CHAI RICE PUDDING

This comes from the February 2006 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 86. It starts off, “If you like chai tea, you'll love this creamy, comforting dessert studded with apples and raisins. For the best flavor, choose a strong, spicy chai tea; we used, Tazo's chai tea bags.”

3 1/2 cups unsweetened soymilk or low-fat milk

4 black chai tea bags

1 cup short- or medium-grain white rice

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/8 tsp salt

1 medium-sized apple, peeled, cored and diced

1/4 cup dark raisins

whipped cream for garnish, optional

cinnamon for garnish, optional

Bring 2 cups water and 1 cup soymilk to a boil in large saucepan. Remove from heat, and add teabags. Cover, and steep 5 minutes. Remove tea bags, squeezing out any liquid.

Stir rice, sugar and salt into tea mixture. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes. Add remaining 2 1/2 cups soymilk, and simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes, or until rice is soft. Stir in apple and raisins; remove from heat. Cover pot, and let sit 10 minutes.

Spoon pudding into 2-quart heatproof dish. Serve warm or cold, with whipped cream and cinnamon, if desired.

Per serving: 208 cal; 5 g prot; 2 g total fat (0 g sat. fat); 43 g carb; 0 mg cholesterol; 75 mg sodium; 1 g fiber; 20 g sugars

Friday, October 24, 2014

Fall Friday Food

Friday never seems to get here fast enough, as far as I'm concerned. I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels that way. Of course, by Sunday evening, it suddenly hits me that the weekend has flown by without my having done much of what I'd planned to do. (Let me guess: you're nodding your head, thinking, “Me, too!”) But no matter: it's Friday now. Here's some good food to try over the weekend. Enjoy!

NEW YORK-STYLE CHEESECAKE

This yummy recipe comes from Carroll Pellegrinelli, About.com's Desserts and Baking guide. She writes, “Here is a recipe for New York - Style Cheesecake, which has a sour cream topping.”

Prep Time: 35 minutes; Cook Time: 65 minutes; Total Time: 100 minutes

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

9 whole graham crackers, about 1-1/2 cups crumbs

1-1/4 cups sugar, divided

1/4 cup butter, melted

2 pounds (4 - 8 ounce packages) cream cheese, softened

4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla, divided

16 ounces sour cream, divided

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325 F.

In food processor, process graham crackers and 2 tablespoons sugar. While processing, drizzle in butter. Press mixture into 9-inch springform pan. Bake for 10 minutes.

Beat cream cheese and 1 cup sugar. Add eggs one-at-a-time. Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 cup sour cream. Combine until well-blended. Pour over crust. Bake for 45 minutes. While baking, stir together remaining sour cream, sugar and vanilla. Remove cheesecake from oven and carefully spread sour cream mixture on top. Bake for additional 10 minutes. Remove from oven and take a knife around the edges. Cool completely before removing rim of pan. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Store leftover cheesecake in the refrigerator.

ZUCCHINI-ONION FRITTATA

You can view this online at http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/772.shtml. Serves 4.

Ingredients

2 cups fat-free egg substitute

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 medium zucchini squashes, thinly sliced

1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon crushed garlic

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and Parmesan cheese and set aside.

Coat the bottom and sides of a large, nonstick, oven-proof skillet with cooking spray and add the olive oil. Add the zucchini, onions, garlic, salt, and pepper and saute over medium-high heat for several minutes, until tender. Spread the mixture evenly over the bottom of the skillet.

Pour the egg mixture over the vegetables. Cook without stirring for 3 minutes, until the bottom of the frittata is just set.

Place the frittata in the oven and bake uncovered for 12 to 15 minutes or until the eggs are set but not dry. Loosen the edges of the frittata and invert it onto a plate. Cut the frittata into 4 wedges and serve hot.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 139; Protein: 7 g; Fat: 5.4 g; Sodium: 514 mg; Cholesterol: 5 mg; Saturated Fat: 1.7 g; Dietary Fiber: 1.4 g; Carbohydrates: 7 g; Exchanges: 2 Very Lean Meat, 1 Vegetable, 1 Fat

BAKED ZITI

This was originally posted on April 2, 2010. Great for a yummy, easy meal.

What to fix when you've just gotten home from work and you want something good, hot and with a minimum amount of effort? Baked Ziti fits the bill on all three counts. And if you're like me, chances are you have all the makings in your cupboard and fridge.

Here's what it takes:

16 ounce box of ziti
26 ounce jar of spaghetti sauce
1 jar-full of water
2 C shredded cheese

Okay, I can hear you asking, "What brand of spaghetti sauce? What type of sauce? And the cheese...Cheddar? Mozzarella? Can it be the stuff already shredded and in a bag or does it have to be a block of cheese that I grate and measure?" Here's the good part: Use what you have.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Take a 9 X 13 inch baking pan. Dump the dried ziti into the pan. (No, no, do NOT cook the ziti first. Dump the ziti uncooked straight from the box.) Pour the spaghetti sauce into the pan and add one jar-full of water into the pan. Stir to mix. Add most of the shredded cheese, reserving 1/4-1/2 cup of cheese. Stir to mix. Bake in pre-heated oven for 35 minutes. Top with remaining cheese and bake for another 5 minutes for a total time of 40 minutes.

Serve with a salad and possibly garlic bread.

See? Simple, hot, good and with at minimum amount of energy. What could be better for an after-work dinner?

FARMERS' MARKET POT PIE

This comes from About.com's American Food guide, Kathy Kingsley. She writes, “This recipe is easily adaptable as it can be prepared with almost any fresh vegetables of your liking. So look to see what's in season and available at your local farmer's market or farmstand. The biscuit crust makes a wonderful flaky pot pie topping. This recipe can also be made into individual pot pies, in which case reduce the baking time to 15 to 18 minutes.” Prep Time: 20 minutes; Cook Time: 30 minutes; Total Time: 50 minutes; Yield: Serves 6. The recipe can be viewed online here.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 cup finely chopped onion

1 cup thinly sliced celery

1 cup diced red bell pepper

1 cup fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 inch lengths

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup milk, whole or low-fat

2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 teaspoon tamari or low-sodium soy sauce

1/2 teaspoons dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried sage

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Biscuit Topping

1 3/4 cups whole-wheat pastry four

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 tablespoons butter, cold and cut into small pieces

3/4 cup buttermilk

2 teaspoons honey

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter with the oil. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until soft and tender, about 5 minutes. Add the celery, broccoli, bell pepper and green beans, and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to low. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetable mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.

In glass measuring cup, combine the milk and the broth. Slowly add to vegetable mixture while whisking constantly. The sauce will start to thicken. Add the parsley, tamari, thyme, and sage. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened.  Transfer the mixture to a 2-quart casserole, and set aside ( use individual 8 to 10-ounce ramekins or small baking dishes).

Make the topping: In a large bowl, mix the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Using a pastry blender, two knives, or a fork, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal. In a glass measuring cup, combine the buttermilk and honey. Add to the flour mixture, stirring with a fork to form a stiff dough. Add more buttermilk if the dough is too dry. Knead the dough lightly in the bowl for 3 to 5 minutes, until it is no longer sticky. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out the dough into a shape to cover the casserole dish.

Lay biscuit topping lightly over the filling. Do not seal the edges. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Serve hot.

CREAMY IRISH POTATO SOUP

This recipe comes from Campbell's Kitchen; to view this recipe online, click here. The recipe starts off, "This rich and creamy potato soup is subtly flavored with celery and green onions. It's the kind of soup you'll want to savor slowly...even though it's ready in just 35 minutes."

Prep. time: 15 minutes; Cooking time: 25 minutes; Serves: 5 servings (1 1/4 cups each)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter

4 medium green onion, sliced (about 1/2 cup)

1 stalk celery, sliced (about 1/2 cup)

1 3/4 cups Swanson® Chicken Broth, (Regular, Natural Goodness® or Certified Organic)

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

3 medium potato, sliced 1/4-inch thick (about 3 cups)

1 1/2 cups milk

Directions

Heat the butter in a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and celery and cook until they're tender.

Stir the broth, black pepper and potatoes in the saucepan and heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

Place half of the broth mixture and half of the milk in a blender or food processor. Cover and blend until smooth. Repeat with the remaining broth mixture and remaining milk. Return to the saucepan and heat through.

APPLE-CRANBERRY CRISP

I'm not sure where I originally found this; probably on an old emailing list.

2 pounds Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and thinly sliced

3/4 cup cranberries

1/4 cup white sugar

3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/3 cup quick-cooking oats

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C.) Butter an 8 inch square baking dish.

In a large bowl, mix together apples, cranberries, white sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Place evenly into baking dish.

In the same bowl, combine oats, flour and brown sugar. With a fork, mix in butter until crumbly. Stir in pecans. Sprinkle over apples.

Bake in preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until topping is golden brown, and apples are tender.

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Just Desserts

“I want something snacky!”

How many times have we heard – or said – that? If you're like me, quite a few times over the years. Well, here's to those snacky days, with some yummy desserts. Enjoy!

LITUANIAN APPLE CAKE

This comes from Brett Moore, About.com's Gourmet Food's guide. He writes, “The apple cake recipe is simple to throw together at a moments notice but wonderfully delicious. A spongy light cake stuffed with tons of spiced apples! Decorate with dried apples and serve with vanilla ice cream for a fancy end to your dinner or leave plain and enjoy for breakfast with a cup of coffee.”

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

Apples

5 medium apples, peeled and sliced

2 tablespoons of ground cinnamon

4 tablespoons of sugar

Batter

4 large eggs

1 cup of vegetable oil/melted margarine

1/4 cup of orange juice

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

3 cups of sifted flour

2 cups of sugar

1 teaspoon of salt

3 tablespoons of baking powder

Powdered sugar

Dried apple slices (optional)

Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 60 minutes; Total Time: 70 minutes; Yield: Makes 1 9-inch cake

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Mix apples with cinnamon and sugar and let stand in bowl.

In another large bowl, mix together all batter ingredients except the powdered sugar and beat until smooth.

Butter and flour the cake pan (use a springform pan, deep 8-inch pan or a regular 9- by 13-inch pan). Pour half of the batter in the pan and arrange half of the apple slices on top of the batter. Pour the rest of the batter and arrange the remaining apple slices on top.

Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

If you like, decorate the top of the cake with dried apple slices. Dust with powdered sugar and serve warm. Vanilla ice cream is a wonderful partner.

NEW YORK-STYLE CHEESECAKE

This yummy recipe comes from Carroll Pellegrinelli, About.com's Desserts and Baking guide. She writes, “Here is a recipe for New York - Style Cheesecake, which has a sour cream topping.”

Prep Time: 35 minutes; Cook Time: 65 minutes; Total Time: 100 minutes

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

9 whole graham crackers, about 1-1/2 cups crumbs

1-1/4 cups sugar, divided

1/4 cup butter, melted

2 pounds (4 - 8 ounce packages) cream cheese, softened

4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla, divided

16 ounces sour cream, divided

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325 F.

In food processor, process graham crackers and 2 tablespoons sugar. While processing, drizzle in butter. Press mixture into 9-inch springform pan. Bake for 10 minutes.

Beat cream cheese and 1 cup sugar. Add eggs one-at-a-time. Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 cup sour cream. Combine until well-blended. Pour over crust. Bake for 45 minutes. While baking, stir together remaining sour cream, sugar and vanilla. Remove cheesecake from oven and carefully spread sour cream mixture on top. Bake for additional 10 minutes. Remove from oven and take a knife around the edges. Cool completely before removing rim of pan. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Store leftover cheesecake in the refrigerator.

LEMON SWIRL CHEESECAKE

This also comes from Carroll Pellegrinelli. For her comments on this recipe, read her notes at the end of the recipe.

To view this online, click here.

Crust:

6 whole graham crackers (about 3 ounces)

1 cup slivered almonds*, toasted

3 tablespoons butter, melted

2 teaspoons lemon zest

Filling:

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup frozen lemonade** concentrate, thawed

2 teaspoons lemon zest

3/4 cup sour cream

2 large eggs

Topping:

1 cup sour cream, room temperature

1 11-1/4-ounce jar purchased lemon** curd

For Crust: 
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. In food processor, finely grind graham crackers. Add nuts; process until coarsely chopped. Drizzle in butter. Add lemon peel. Blend until combined. Press crumbs firmly onto bottom of 9-inch-diameter springform pan. Bake until crust is set, about 10 minutes. Cool.

For Filling:
 Beat cream cheese, sugar, concentrate and zest until smooth. Beat in 3/4 cup sour cream. Add eggs 1 at a time, beat just until combined. Pour into crust. Bake until center (about the size of a quarter) moves only slightly when pan is shaken, about 50 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool 5 minutes.

For Topping: 
Whisk 1 cup sour cream in small bowl until very smooth. Whisk lemon curd in another small bowl until very smooth. Run small sharp knife around sides of cake. Starting at outside of edge of cake, spoon small alternating dollops of sour cream and lemon curd side by side in concentric circles atop warm cake, covering cake completely. Gently shake pan to smooth out toppings. Using tip of knife, gently swirl toppings, forming marble design. Chill cake uncovered overnight.

* Carroll writes, “The orignal recipe calls for walnuts. I have have also made the crust with toasted pecans. Of the three, I prefer the almonds.”

** Carroll writes, “I am fortunate to live in an area with a grocery store that besides lemon, they also have orange and lime curd. When I use the other flavors, I also change the concentrate to orange and/or lime depending on the curd flavor. All three citrus flavors make this a wonderful cheesecake.”

MINI PUMPKIN LAYER CAKES

This recipe is from Keep It Sweet Desserts. They have a newsletter that you can sign up for; definitely worth checking out!

This recipe can be viewed online here. Serves 6.

Ingredients

For the Cake:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

3/8 cup light brown sugar

2 large eggs

3/8 cup vegetable oil

One cup pumpkin puree

1/4 cup whole milk

Frosting:

1 8oz pacakge of cream cheese, softened

4 tablespoons of butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract, (or vanilla bean paste if you have)

2-3 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

For the cake:

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease or spray a half sheet pan and line the bottom with parchment, set aside.

In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Whisk together and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the eggs and brown sugar for 2-3 minutes or until fluffy. Add the oil and pumpkin, beating until smooth.

Gradually mix in the dry ingredients in 3 batches alternating with milk, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Don't over-mix!

Pour the batter into the sheet pan and use an off-set spatula to evenly spread it throughout the pan. (This batter pretty much stays where you put it, so if it is spread unevenly it will likely bake that way.)

Bake for about 15 minutes, or until baked through and just slightly golden. (This bakes up pretty quickly since it's so thin, I would check it every minute or two after 10 minutes so it doesn't over-bake.)

Allow cake to cool and then place a sheet of parchment on your work-space and carefully flip the cake onto it. Peel off the parchment.

When cool- use a 3-inch biscuit cutter to stamp rounds out of the cake. Freeze the rounds until ready to frost.

For Frosting:

Whip the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and the powdered sugar, a little at a time until the desired sweetness and consistency is reached.

To Assemble:

Place one cake round on a piece of parchment and spread 2 tablespoons of frosting on top. Repeat with 2 or 3 more layers, and either leave the sides of the cake exposed or give it a crumb coat and frost the whole thing.

Top with cake crumbs and (in my case,) toffee bits!

CREAMY RICE PUDDING

This recipe was in several issues (maybe 10 years ago) of Vegetarian Times in ads for Mahatma Rice. I'd lost track of the recipe, which I'd made several times for a certain someone who loved homemade rice pudding. I had to admit, it was definitely worth the time it took to fix it.

1 1/2 quarts 2% milk

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup Mahatma rice (see note)

1/2 cup raisins

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Note: The recipe called for Mahatma, Water Maid, Carolina, or River rice.

Combine milk, sugar and rice in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to simmer and cook uncovered for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. (The milk should just barely simmer, with bubble breaking only at the outside edge of the surface. After an hour, the rice should be soft.)

Add raisins, increase heat to medium heat, and cook, stirring frequently, until rice has absorbed most of the rest of the milkl, but not all, and the pudding is creamy (about 30 minutes longer).

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. When cool, pudding will thicken, but will still be very creamy. Serve warm or well chilled. Serves 8.

CHAI RICE PUDDING

This comes from the February 2006 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 86. It starts off, “If you like chai tea, you'll love this creamy, comforting dessert studded with apples and raisins. For the best flavor, choose a strong, spicy chai tea; we used, Tazo's chai tea bags.”

3 1/2 cups unsweetened soymilk or low-fat milk

4 black chai tea bags

1 cup short- or medium-grain white rice

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/8 tsp salt

1 medium-sized apple, peeled, cored and diced

1/4 cup dark raisins

whipped cream for garnish, optional

cinnamon for garnish, optional

Bring 2 cups water and 1 cup soymilk to a boil in large saucepan. Remove from heat, and add teabags. Cover, and steep 5 minutes. Remove tea bags, squeezing out any liquid.

Stir rice, sugar and salt into tea mixture. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes. Add remaining 2 1/2 cups soymilk, and simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes, or until rice is soft. Stir in apple and raisins; remove from heat. Cover pot, and let sit 10 minutes.

Spoon pudding into 2-quart heatproof dish. Serve warm or cold, with whipped cream and cinnamon, if desired.

Per serving: 208 cal; 5 g prot; 2 g total fat (0 g sat. fat); 43 g carb; 0 mg cholesterol; 75 mg sodium; 1 g fiber; 20 g sugars

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Weekday Recipes, a little late

Sometimes, we all run a little late...we miss our ride to work, school or wherever else life takes us, or there's a change in plans. Which, of course, is why today's Confessions blog is a little late coming out. And while the recipe for the New York-Style Cheesecake is not exactly something you can make when you're running late, others of today's offerings can be. (And, as an aside, tomorrow's post will most likely have photos!) With all that said, here's today's post. Enjoy!

NEW YORK-STYLE CHEESECAKE

I'm not sure what emailing list this is from...possibly one of the About.com's blogs. The recipe starts off, “Here is a recipe for New York - Style Cheesecake, which has a sour cream topping.” Prep Time: 35 minutes; Cook Time: 1 hour, 05 minutes

Ingredients:

9 whole graham crackers, about 1-1/2 cups crumbs

1-1/4 cups sugar, divided

1/4 cup butter, melted

2 pounds (4 - 8 ounce packages) cream cheese, softened

4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla, divided

16 ounces sour cream, divided

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 325 F. In food processor, process graham crackers and 2 tablespoons sugar. While processing, drizzle in butter. Press mixture into 9-inch springform pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Beat cream cheese and 1 cup sugar. Add eggs one-at-a-time. Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 cup sour cream. Combine until well-blended. Pour over crust. Bake for 45 minutes. While baking, stir together remaining sour cream, sugar and vanilla. Remove cheesecake from oven and carefully spread sour cream mixture on top. Bake for additional 10 minutes. Remove from oven and take a knife around the edges. Cool completely before removing rim of pan. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Store leftover cheesecake in the refrigerator.

HERBED CARROT SOUP

From the December 2005 issue of Runner's World; reprinted from HerbWise: Growing, Cooking, WellBeing, by Bruce Burnett

2 pounds of carrots, chopped

1 large onion, diced

6 sprigs of fresh parsley, 3 sprigs of fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon of dried thyme, and 6 six black peppercorns, bundled together so that they can be easily removed after cooking

2 cloves garlic, crushed

4 Tbs of butter

6 C of vegetable stock

Freshly grated mace or nutmeg

Salt & pepper to taste

Lightly sauté the onion & garlic in the butter. Add the stock & carrots & simmer for about 15 minutes. Add the bundle of herbs & continue to simmer for another 20 minutes. Remove the herbs, allow the soup to cool, & put it through the blender in batches. Reheat the soup over low heat while adding the mace or nutmeg & salt & pepper to taste. Serve with some fresh, homemade bread & garnish with some fresh parsley & a little chopped fresh thyme.

Note: The original recipe called for vegetable or chicken stock.

SWEET POTATO MASALA AND EGG MILE-HIGHS

From the September 2013 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 68. The recipe serves 4 in 30 minutes or less, and starts out, “'My older daughter loves to grate things, so we decided to make potato pancakes for brunch,' explains Josie A.G. Shapiro. 'We only had sweet potatoes in the house, so I thought spicing them up with an impromptu masala accent might be fun—I’m always trying to sneak new flavors to my children. The eggs were for more protein and the arugula for beauty and bite.' Serve the stacks individually, or arrange them on a large platter, family-style.”

1 sweet potato, peeled and shredded

5 large eggs, divided

1/4 tsp. Eden Organic Ground Coriander, divided

1/4 tsp. Eden Organic Cumin Powder, divided

5 Tbs. vegetable oil, divided

1 cup Eden Organic Crushed Tomatoes with Roasted Onion & Garlic

2 Tbs. lime juice

1 cup arugula

Combine sweet potato, 1 egg, 1/8 tsp. coriander, and 1/8 tsp. cumin in bowl. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Heat 3 Tbs. oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Scoop 1/3 cup sweet potato mixture into pan for each of 4 pancakes. Flatten gently with spatula; cook 5 minutes per side. Set aside; keep warm.

Wipe out pan, and add 1 Tbs. oil and remaining 1/8 tsp. coriander and 1/8 tsp. cumin. Stir 10 seconds over medium-high heat, add crushed tomatoes, and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 5 minutes. Transfer to small bowl, and stir in lime juice.

Wipe out pan, add remaining 1 Tbs. oil, and fry remaining 4 eggs sunny side up or over easy. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

To serve: place 1 sweet potato pancake on each of 4 plates, top with 1 egg, 1/4 cup sauce, and 1/4 cup arugula.

nutritional information Per Serving: Calories: 297; Protein: 10 g; Total Fat: 24 g; Saturated Fat: 3 g; Carbohydrates: 11 g; Cholesterol: 233 mg; Sodium: 111 mg; Fiber: 2 g; Sugar: 5 g; Gluten-Free

TIRAMISU CAKE

This comes from About.com's Gourmet Food guide, Brett Moore. He writes, “Tiramisu is a delicious Italian cake dessert that people love to order at restaurants and are always impressed when you bring it out at a dinner party. Although thought of as a 'fancy' dessert, making it actually quite simple and there's very little cooking at all. The traditional recipe consists of just a few ingredients: lady fingers, sugar, mascarpone, coffee and cocoa powder. I've added cream to lighten the mascarpone and amaretto liqueur here but that is optional. Store-bought Lady Fingers are perfectly acceptable to use but you can make your own if you desire. You can also substitute the the Lady Fingers with a sweet yeast bread such as a Panettone.”

To view this online, click here. Prep Time: 240 minutes; Cook Time: 15 minutes; Total Time: 255 minutes; Yield: Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

6 egg yolks

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese

1 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

3 to 4 dozen Italian Lady fingers (store bought or homemade)

1 cup cold espresso

1/2 cup amaretto or coffee liqueur (optional)

1 Tbsp cocoa for dusting

Preparation

Combine egg yolks and sugar in a heat-proof bowl over a pan with 2 inches of water or in the top of a double boiler. Bring water to a boil then reduce heat to low, and cook for about 10 minutes, whisking constantly until thick and pale yellow. Remove pan from the heat and whip the mixture for another 3 or 4 minutes to help cool it down.

Beat the mascarpone into the whipped yolks until combined. In another bowl, whip the cream to stiff peaks. Carefully fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture and set aside.

Mix the cold espresso with the liqueur. Dip the lady fingers quickly into the mixture just long enough to get them wet. Place a single layer of lady fingers in the bottom of a 9- x 13-inch baking dish (you can also use a large springform pan or large trifle bowl.

Spread half the mascarpone cream filling in an even layer over the lady fingers. Add another layer of lady fingers and top with the remainder of mascarpone cream.

Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.

Just before serving, dust with the cocoa powder.

ICED MOCHA SHERBET

Yield: 4 servings

Source: Light and Easy Diabetes Cuisine

Book Info: http://diabeticgourmet.com/book_archive/details/24.shtml

View online: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/576.shtml

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups evaporated non-fat milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 tablespoons carob powder

1 tablespoon crystalline fructose

2 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate

1 tablespoon instant coffee granules

1 tablespoon part-skim ricotta cheese

Directions

Mix all ingredients together in blender and turn into metal trays.

Place in freezer and stir with fork from time to time to break up ice crystals.

When ready to serve, process again so the sherbet is soft.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 121; Protein: 8g; Sodium: 117mg; Cholesterol: 5mg; Fat: 0.5g; Carbohydrates: 22g

PINEAPPLE LIME SORBET

To view this online, click here. Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups pineapple puree

2 teaspoons grated lime or lemon zest

3/4 cup freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice

1/4 cup water

Thin slices lime or lemon

Directions

In a bowl, stir together pineapple puree, lime zest and juice, water and, if desired, sugar. In an ice cream maker, freeze according to manufacturer's directions. Divide among 4 individual dessert dishes.

Serve garnished with thin slices of lime.

Nutritional Information Per Serving : Calories: 38; Protein: 1 g; Sodium: 1 mg; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Dietary Fiber: 1 g; Carbohydrates: 11 g; Exchanges: 2/3 Fruit