Pumpkin Cheesecake with Sour Cream Topping

Ingredients

2 c graham crumbs
1/3 c granulated sugar
6 T butter, softened

5 (8 oz.) pkgs. cream cheese, room temperature
5 T all-purpose flour
2 c granulated sugar
6 large eggs
1/3 c heavy cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 c pureed pumpkin
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground cloves

2 c sour cream
1/2 c granulated sugar
Ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 500*.  Wrap a 10" springform pan with a double layer of HD foil.  Place into a large roasting pan.  Set a tea kettle of water to boil.

In a large bowl combine the graham crumbs, sugar and butter.  Work with your fingers until the butter is evenly dispersed.  Dump into springform pan and press onto bottom and sides.  Set aside.

In large bowl of a stand mixer, beat cream cheese and flour until smooth and creamy.  Alternate sugar with eggs, beating well after each addition.  Add heavy cream, vanilla, pumpkin and spices. Beat on medium speed until smooth and incorporated.  Pour into prepared pan.  Place roasting pan on rack in oven and pour boiling water into it until its halfway up the sides of the cheesecake pan.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Reduce temperature to 300* and continue baking 1 hr. and 30 minutes.  Cheesecake should be set except for 2-3" in the center.  Turn oven off and let sit with door closed for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, whisk the sour cream and sugar together until the sugar dissolves.

Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and spread the sour cream over the top.  Return to the oven and let sit until it cools to room temperature.  Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.  Remove the sides of the pan and set on a serving dish.  Add cinnamon to a small sieve and dust over the sour cream.

Enjoy!

Holiday Ribbon Wreath

This wreath is a bit time-consuming but very easy and sort of mindless. However, it yields beautiful results.  I prefer wired ribbon as I can pinch and poke and tweak it to my liking.  This wreath can be made at any season or any time during the year, using appropriately colored ribbon.

Supplies:

1 12" wire wreath
50-60 yds. ribbon depending on how tightly packed you want it, cut into 6" lengths. I used 2 (3 yd) rolls each of 5 differently patterned wire ribbon.  You can use any combo you like.
Scissors

It's best if you cut all your ribbon first and stack it in front of you.  All you do then is tie the ribbon onto the wreath and fill it up. Whether you want to plan a pattern or attach randomly is your preference.

Have fun!

Crabmeat Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients

12 ounces baby portabella mushrooms, cleaned and stems removed
1 pound lump crabmeat, picked over for shells and cartilage
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
6 oz. grated Gruyere cheese
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated

2 T fresh parsley, chopped
Lemon wedges (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place mushroom caps on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. In a large bowl, mix together crabmeat, garlic, cheese, Worcestershire sauce, salt, mayonnaise and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Place a heaping tablespoon of the crab mixture into the cap of each mushroom. Bake the mushroom caps for 30 minutes.  Garnish w/chopped parsley; serve with lemon wedges.

Enjoy!

Yam Casserole with Sweet Pecan Crumble

Simple and very tasty.  Almost like having dessert with your meal.  That said, a little goes a long way.

Ingredients

3 cups mashed sweet potatoes

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup melted butter

Topping:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup flour

1/3 cup melted butter

1 cup chopped pecans

Combine first 6 ingredients. Blend thoroughly and pour into a buttered 1 1/2 to 2-quart casserole dish.

Mix remaining ingredients together and sprinkle over top.

Bake at 350° for 30 to 40 minutes, until hot and browned.

Serves 6 to 8

Salted Caramel & Brown Butter Snickerdoodles

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose Gold Medal flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup unsalted butter, sliced
1 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon plain Greek yogurt
1 cup caramel squares, cut into 1/4's

For Rolling the Cookies:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Sea salt, for sprinkling on top of cookies

In a medium bowl, Whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

To brown the butter, heat a thick-bottomed skillet on medium heat. Add the sliced butter, whisking frequently. Continue to cook the butter until melted. The butter will start to foam and browned specks will begin to form at the bottom of the pan. The butter should have a nutty aroma. Watch the butter carefully because it can go from brown to burnt quickly. Remove butter from the heat and let cool to room temperature.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the brown butter and sugars. Mix until blended and smooth. Beat in the egg, yolk, vanilla, and yogurt and mix until combined. Slowly add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

 Form the dough in a ball and cover with plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. You can chill the dough overnight.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Measure about 2 tablespoons of dough and roll into balls. Flatten the ball with the palm of your hand and place a piece of caramel in the center of the dough. Wrap the cookie dough around the caramel, making sure the caramel is completely covered with dough.

 In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon and sugar. Roll the balls in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place dough balls on a large baking sheet that has been lined with a baking mat or parchment paper. Make sure the cookies are about 2 inches apart. Sprinkle the cookie tops with sea salt.

Bake the cookies 8-10 minutes or until the edges of the cookies begin to turn golden brown. The centers will still be soft. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes, or until set. Transfer cookies to a wire cooling rack and cool completely.

(Recipe taken from Two Peas and Their Pod)

Delicious!

S'Mores Cookies

Ingredients

6 full Graham Cracker Sheets

1/2 pound Butter (room temperature)

1/2 cup Granulated Sugar

1/2 cup Light Brown Sugar (firmly packed)

1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

2 large Eggs

2 1/4 cups All-Purpose Flour

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt

2 cups Milk Chocolate Chips

3/4 cup Mini Marshmallows 

3  (1.55 ounce) Milk Chocolate Bars (separated into 36 squares)

Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F.  Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat (preferred) or parchment paper.

Place the Graham Crackers in a plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin or wooden spoon into coarse crumbs.  Set aside.

Using a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer, beat together the Butter, Granulated Sugar, Brown Sugar, and Vanilla until creamy (about 1 minute).  Add the Eggs and beat well (about 1 minute more).

In another mixing bowl, stir together the Flour, Baking Soda, and Salt.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet and beat until well blended (about 1 minute).

Stir in the Chocolate Chips with a wooden spoon.  Add the Graham Cracker crumbs and combine.

Using a 1/4-cup dry measuring cup, drop mounds of the dough onto the lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart (using half the dough).  Bake, rotating the sheet halfway through, until golden brown and firm on the surface but with slightly soft centers (about 12 minutes.

Remove from the oven and immediately push 3 Marshmallows into the middle of each cookie in a large open triangle.  Insert 2 or 3 Chocolate pieces in the center of each triangle.

Transfer the cookies to a wire cooking rack.  Let the cookie sheet cool slightly then repeat with the remaining Dough, Marshmallows, and Chocolate pieces.  Store in an airtight container.  

(Recipe adapted from Tracy Pollan on The Chew)

Enjoy!

Italian Wedding Soup

Ingredients

For the meatballs: 

¾ pound ground chicken
½ pound chicken sausage, casings removed
2/3 cup fresh white bread crumbs
2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
¼ cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
3 tablespoons milk
1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the soup:
2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 cup minced yellow onion
1 cup ¼-inch diced carrots (3 carrots)
¾ cup (¼-inch diced celery (2 stalks)
10 cups homemade chicken stock
½ cup dry white wine
1 cup small pasta such as tubetini or stars
¼ cup minced fresh dill
12 ounces baby spinach, washed and trimmed 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

For the meatballs, place the ground chicken, sausage, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, Pecorino, Parmesan, milk, egg, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper in a bowl and combine gently with a fork. With a teaspoon, drop 1- to 1¼-inch meatballs onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. (You should have about 40 meatballs. They don’t have to be perfectly round.) Bake for 30 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned. Set aside.

In the meantime, for the soup, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and sauté until softened, 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken stock and wine and bring to a boil. Add the pasta to the simmering broth and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the pasta is tender. Add the fresh dill and then the meatballs to the soup and simmer for 1 minute. Taste for salt and pepper. Stir in the fresh spinach and cook for 1 minute, until the spinach is just wilted. Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle each serving with extra grated Parmesan cheese. 

(Recipe taken from Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa.)

Enjoy!

Oatmeal Chocolate Cherry Chip Crisps

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 cups old-fashioned oats

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup dried tart cherries 

1 pkg. Nestle Toll House Cherry Filled Delightfulls

1/3 cup white chocolate chips

Position 1 rack in bottom third and 1 rack in top third of oven; preheat to 375°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Blend first 4 ingredients in bowl of a stand mixer. Add eggs and beat until blended (about a minute).  Add next 4 ingredients.  Continue beating until mixture is blended. Transfer to large bowl. Mix in cherries, Delightfuls and white chocolate chips.

Spoon batter by rounded tablespoonfuls or using a tablespoon size scoop onto prepared baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart (cookies will spread). Bake until tops of cookies are golden brown, rotating baking sheets after 7 minutes, about 14 minutes total. Transfer cookies to rack; let cool. Repeat with remaining batter.

(Recipe adapted from Epicurious)

Swiss Chard Lasagna

I made this dish in my 12" cast iron pan and it came out perfectly.  The flavors come together nicely and I topped it with some freshly grated Parmigiana-Reggiano on the plate.

Ingredients:

3 T extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 pound Swiss chard, stems removed and both thinly sliced
Coarse salt
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 can (28-ounces) fire roasted whole tomatoes with the juice
4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
1 pkg. No-boil lasagna noodles
1 lb. whole-milk mozzarella, shredded
Parmigiana-Reggiano cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 375*. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 T oil, onion, and chard stems. Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 4 minutes. Stir in chard leaves, season with salt, and cook until tender, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate and add feta cheese. Wipe skillet; return to medium-high heat. dd remaining 1 T oil, garlic, and pepper flakes. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes with juices and simmer, breaking into pieces, until thickened, about 3 minutes. Season with salt.

Spread 1/2 cup tomato sauce in the bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish.  Top with 2 lasagna noodles, 3/4 cup sauce one-third of chard mixture and 1 cup cheese. Repeat layering twice. Top with remaining noodles, sauce and cheese.  Loosely cover with parchment-line foil.  Bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until bubbly, about 5 minutes. Let cool 20 minutes, then slice and serve. Grate Parmigiana-Reggiano over the top if desired.

(Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart.com)

Mangia!

The Best Apple Crisp Ever

Apple Crisp was probably one of my very first desserts I made as a child. I had a children's version of  a Betty Crocker cookbook, and I would make this recipe again and again.  Over the years I tweaked it to appeal to my own taste and it's my "go to" dessert in the Fall.  It's so easy and versatile, and you can make it in a large dish, round dish or individual ramekins.  I use sweet apples so that I do not need to add any sugar to them.  The only sugar is in the wonderful, rich and oatmeal laced topping.

This recipe will make an 8" x 8" dish or 4 individual 1 cup ramekins/dishes.

Ingredients:

6 large sweet, soft apples (like Cortland or Macintosh), peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
3/4 c firmly packed brown sugar (I prefer dark, but light works as well)
1/4 c all-purpose flour
1/3 c old fashioned oats
1/2 tsp. salt
5 T cold butter, cut into 1/2 pieces

Preheat oven to 375*.  In a large bowl, toss apples with cinnamon and place in 8"x8" dish or 4 ramekins.
In same bowl add remaining 5 ingredients.  Using a pastry blender or your hands, work butter and dry ingredients together until course crumbs appear.  Sprinkle topping over apples.  Place dish(es) on a baking sheet and bake 20-25 minutes until filling is bubbly and topping is browned.
Best served warm.  Serve with ice cream or whipped cream if desired.

Yumly!

Lentil, Sausage & Tomato Soup

Ingredients
1/2 lb. hot or sweet Italian sausage, your preference
1 large onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 T chopped garlic or more to taste
1 (16 oz) pkg. dried lentils
1 c shredded or sliced carrots
2 (32 oz) cartons vegetable stock or broth
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz) can tomato puree
1 small carton fresh baby spinach
1 small container sliced cremini mushrooms
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1 T salt or to taste
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Place sausage in a Dutch oven.  Cook over medium high heat until browned.  Add onion, celery and garlic and saute until tender and translucent. Stir in lentils, carrot, broth, tomatoes & mushrooms. Season with bay leaves oregano, thyme, basil, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 2-1/2 to 3 hours or until lentils are tender.  Add spinach the last 10 minutes. Serve with grated Parmesan Regianno cheese.

Mangia!