Red Velvet Cheesecake

 

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas... everywhere you go...  I LOVE Christmas and I can't live for finding more ways to surprise my family and friends in this magical time of year!

I'd never even heard of Red Velvet Cake until I met my hubs 20 years ago.  This unique combination of sweet and tart waltzed into our lives and we've fallen in love with it ever since.  To make this year of family, faith and love complete, I've combined my Mother In Law's famous Red Velvet Cake with my favorite Cheesecake and OH MY GOODNESS!  This is SO YUMMY!

You'll need:

16 oz cream cheese (room temperature)

1/2 cup white sugar

1 TBL flour

Pinch of salt

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs (room temperature)

Mix all ingredients until smooth.  Pour into a well sprayed springform pan.  Place the pan on a cookie sheet along side a bowl of water and bake at 350* for40 minutes.

After you put your cheesecake into the oven and set your timer, start you red velvet cake.

You'll need:

1 box of White Cake Mix (brand of your choice)

3 eggs

1/4 cup oil

1 1/4 cup water

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 oz almond extract

2 oz red food coloring

2 cans of cream cheesecake frosting (brand of your choice)

Mix all cake ingredients (minus red food coloring) together until smooth and creamy,

Prepare your cake pans with a four based spray.  Don't be stingy, go for it with all your spray!

Add your food coloring last and be gentle with your mix.  This is a serious red color and is very unforgiving. Add to prepared baking pans and slide into the oven with your cheesecake at 350* for 30 minutes.  

Let all layers cool completely.  Assembly is one layer red velvet, one layer cheese cake and top with a layer of red velvet.  Separate each layer with a thin layer of cream cheese frosting during assembly.  Refrigerate to let all layers chill and bond together.  This step is key in a perfect slice and serve situation.

Garnish as you wish.  I prefer slivered almonds, but I could see a chocolate chip chop or even crushed peppermints.... use what makes you happy!  Serve cold with a glass of milk or a big cup of coffee!  This is the most rich and decadent dessert I've done in years!  I'm so happy with it and I hope you will be too!

Red Pepper Walnut Knots

 

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and I can't tell you how thankful I am to have my family healthy and together!  I was searching for something that was light and different for a side or an appetizer for our dinner and this was so unusual that I couldn't pass it up!

You'll need:

1/2 cup drained roasted red bell peppers (or you can roast a fresh one - either works)

1/3 cup walnuts

2 tsp olive oil

1 1/2 tsp lemon juice (the juice of one lemon)

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1 small clove of garlic smashed

1 package of puff pastry (17.3 ounce)

1 large egg beaten

sesame seeds, dried oregano, dried pareley and flaky sea salt for garnish

This is really simple to do and it takes just a few steps to get this into the oven.  Process the peppers, walnuts, oil, lemon juice, cumin, kosher salt and garlic in your food processor until smooth (about 30 seconds).

Unfold the puff pastry (thawed) on a clean work surface.  Spread the red pepper blend onto the pastry leaving 1/4 inch perimeter boarder without filling.  Fold the pastry long side toward you into a rectangle and refrigerate for 15 - 20 minutes.  Preheat oven to 400*  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

On a cutting board, use your pizza cutter to cut pastry into 1/2 inch wide strips.  Pinch the end of each strip and twist it then form a knot and tuck the ends under the knot. I wasn't good at tying the knot so I just twisted it and tucked it under - it came out fine!

Bake at 400* for 15 minutes then rotate your baking sheets in your oven and bake for another 10 minutes.  Let cool and serve!  These are good at room temperature and with a little melted butter.... even better!

This is a yummy unexpected side and I hope your family likes it as much as we did! 

Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake

 

Ya'll know I love a challenge!  Today is National Cinnamon Roll Day so I accepted Chad's challenge!  What I found was a Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake.  I looked at a lot of options and decided on this one for it's simplicity and reasonable ingredients. 

You are more than welcome to make homemade cinnamon rolls for this but I don't have my son's talent for that nor do I have the time for that.  I go with what's easy and still delicious! 

You'll need: 

Crust

• ▢2 (12.4-ounce) Refrigerated Cinnamon rolls, I use Pillsbury

Filling

• ▢3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
• ▢1 cup sugar
• ▢4 eggs
• ▢1/2 cup sour cream
• ▢3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ▢1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Brown Sugar Mixture

• ▢3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• ▢2 teaspoons cinnamon
• ▢1/4 cup flour
• ▢4 tablespoons butter room temperature

Cream Cheese Topping

• ▢3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature


• ▢3 tablespoons butter, softened
• ▢1 cup confectioners' sugar
• ▢1-2 tablespoons milk

Instructions

• Place an oven rack in the center of the oven and one in the lower third.  Fill a large roasting pan halfway with water and place on lower rack.  Preheat oven tp 325*.  Coat a 9 inch springform pan with cooking spray.
• Cut each cinnamon roll in half and place them so the cut side (middle of the cinnamon roll) is facing down. They will rise quite a bit so press down on them some and don't put them too close together. Once they are all placed press down on them more to close most of the gaps. It's ok if there are some gaps left. You may not need to use all the cinnamon rolls. Spread icing that comes with cinnamon rolls on top of them.
• Make Filling. Beat cream cheese and sugar on medium-high until smooth and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
• Beat in eggs one at a time, scraping down sides of bowl a few times.
• Add sour cream, flour, and vanilla and beat until combined.
• Make Brown Sugar Mixture. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, butter, and cinnamon. Mix with a fork to combine well.
• Pour half of cheesecake filling over cinnamon rolls. Scatter brown sugar mixture on top of filling and then pour remaining filling on top. Keep in mind that cinnamon rolls will rise some. You don't want the filling to come all the way to the top, so you may not need to use all of it depending on your pan, the size of your cinnamon rolls, and how many cinnamon rolls you used.
• Place on a baking sheet and place in oven on center rack. Bake for 1 hour. Turn oven off. Leave cheesecake in oven with door cracked slightly for 1 hour. Remove cheesecake from oven and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate over night.
• Make Cream Cheese Topping. Beat cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar and milk. Spread on top of chilled cheesecake.

So ya'll also know I cheat - like a bandit!  I made my cheesecake on Sunday night and making cream cheese frosting at 6:00 am Monday was not in my plan.  So I cheated.  I snagged a package of cream cheese cake frosting at the grocery and popped it in the microwave for 15 seconds, then poured some of it over my cheesecake.  There - I cheated - no regrets - no apologies!  You make it the hard way if you want but I'd rather sleep a few more minutes.  You decide what's best for you.

The water pan in your oven is very important.  That creates a humidity zone and helps your cheesecake bake well but not crack.  Cheesecakes are famous for cracking.  Don't open you oven at all until the one hour mark.  If you let that steam out early - you've lost what you were working for.

For those of you that a regular followers of my baking, you know that I always add an extra egg to any recipe (my Mama said that was for good luck).  Don't do that with cheesecake.  This is a very delicate balance and if you add that extra egg, it will be too wet and won't set well.

If you are out to impress someone or spoil your loved ones - do this!  You'll hear nothing but cheers and you could dress this up with sliced strawberries, baked apples or any range of goodies.  

Chicken, Kale and Sweet Potato Soup

It's Fall Ya'll!  My crockpot if my Fall and Winter BFF and we've been separated for far too long!  These crisp cool mornings have made me soooo hungry for a pot of homemade soup!  I found this idea on the weather forecast and I couldn't believe how easy and simple it was!  I'm a working lady and things with few ingredients that required extremely little effort beckon to me!  This soup is light and delicious - it won't weight you down or make you feel like you ate too much.  This was 100%  a winner for me and I hope you love it too!

 You'll need:

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts - I did six thin cut

8 oz kale

8 small sweet potatoes

2 packets Dry Knorr Vegetable Mix 

Mix the veggie mix packets with 8 cups water and microwave or simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove and let cool while you get your veggies ready.

My kale was already chopped so all I had to do was watch the pieces for the heavy center stem and remove those.  That stem will make your soup too bitter.

Peel and dice sweet potatoes into small bite size pieces.

That's all the prep there is!

Add your chicken breasts to the bottom of your crockpot, then add the sweet potatoes and the kale.  Add your soup mix plus enough water to fill your crockpot.  I think it's about 5 cups or so additional water.

Set the crockpot for high for 4 hours and walk away!  Come back when your time is done and remove your chicken breasts (use tongs and they may fall apart on you). Shred your chicken with two forks and return it to the pot and let things sit for an hour on warm.  

That's IT!  Serve this light and delicious soup with a slice of buttery garlic bread and your fall dinner will be fabulous!  Ya'll enjoy!

Kentucky Garden Salsa

 

We are at the height of our summer garden and the harvest is bountiful every day.  We had a couple of days sneak up on us last week and my only solution was Kentucky Garden Salsa!

You'll need

6-8 pounds red tomatoes 

4 bell peppers

4 cucumbers

1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar

1 packet Mrs. Wages salsa seasoning

1 can Rotel Tomatoes

This one is super easy and NO COOKING (regardless of the instructions on the seasoning packet).  Quarter whole tomatoes (skin on) and pop them in the food processor.  Pulse just 2 or 3 times to get a rough chop (you don't want juice).  I used a combination of regular tomatoes and cherry tomatoes.  The cherry tomatoes can go in the food processor whole and pulse until chopped.

Seed and quarter the bell pepper, pulse in the food processor until rough chopped.  Slice your cucumber about 1/4 inch slices, add them to food processor and rough chop.  

Add all your vegetables to a large plastic bin. Add the vinegar and seasoning along with one can of Rotel (including the liquid).  Mix well and let sit in the refrigerator over night.  You can freeze this if needed.  Use within one week of thawing.

This is the easiest way I know to make salsa without gathering a dozen different seasonings.  Mrs. Wages is a packaged seasoning that is readily available at grocery and farm stores.  Every mix I've tried in this brand has been a winner.  I doubled this recipe and used one packet of mild and one medium salsa. I got a little over 8 pints of salsa - enough to serve and enough to share!

 

There is a man at my house that LOVES good meat from the grill!  I adore him and try to make his every bite delicious!  If you're looking for a way to amp up your next cookout or even a Monday night dinner, Cowboy Butter is just the ticket! This is the fastest thing I've made in a long time and is a buttery, lemony dip with just a kick of heat!  The whole process takes about 5 minutes but the goodness of this dip holds to the last bite!

You'll need:

• 6 tablespoons melted butter 
• Juice and zest of half a lemon
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 2 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
• 1 tablespoon freshly chopped chives
• 2 teaspoons minced thyme
• 1/4  teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

To make the cowboy butter sauce recipe: In a small bowl, combine melted butter, lemon juice, garlic, mustard, cayenne, and paprika. Whisk the sauce to combine.

Stir in parsley, chives, crushed red pepper flakes, and thyme and season with salt and pepper.

Serve the cowboy butter sauce with grilled meats, like steak or chicken bites, for dipping. 

Feel free to double quantities if you want more sauce. For a thicker butter sauce, add more mustard.

Grill up your favorite meats and enjoy!

Summer Vegetable Marinade

   

The garden is planted and I want to be ready the minute my veggies are ready to pick!  This marinade is just perfect for adding that little something special to your summer veggies and it won't heat up your kitchen!  

You'll need:

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

For the Grilled Vegetables:

• 1 pound carrots halved or quartered lengthwise
• 1 pound asparagus trimmed
• 2 zucchini quartered lengthwise
• 2 yellow squash quartered lengthwise
• 1 large red bell pepper cut into ½ inch strips

To Make the Marinade:

Set out a 1-2 cup measuring pitcher. Measure all ingredients into the pitcher. Whisk until smooth. (Use immediately or cover and refrigerate for later use.)

For the Best Grilled Vegetables:

• Trim and slice all the vegetables into long strips.    This makes them less likely to fall through the grill grates.
• Place the vegetables on a large rimmed baking sheet. Pour the marinade over the vegetables. Then gently toss the veggies to coat in the marinade.
• Allow the vegetables to marinate for 30+ minutes. (Or up to several hours.)
• Meanwhile, preheat the grill to medium heat, about 350 degrees F.
• Once the grill is hot, place the carrots on first, laying them across the grates so they don’t fall through. Let the carrots grill for 3-4 minutes, then flip them over. Then lay the rest of the vegetables on the grill. Grill another 8-10 minutes, flipping once. Remove with tongs.

You can use any vegetables you like with this marinade. Just be sure to place the hardest, most dense, vegetables on the grill first to give them a head start. Root vegetables will need more time to grill than other vegetables.  A grill wok can be used to make this super easy and eliminates the risk of veggies falling through your grill.  Resist the southern urge to cook everything to the end of it's life... these veggies are best served al dente'.

Vanilla Custard with Caramel Bourbon Sauce

 If you want to feel the decadence of something you created yourself... THIS is for you!  This is a whisk intense dish so be ready to spend about 30 minutes with it.  This one can't go untouched.  It needs you with it and it will reward you in kind.

You'll need:

Custard:
2 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 vanilla bean
1/4 cup bourbon
1 cup white sugar
3Tbsp cornstarch
5 large egg yolks
Caramel Sauce
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2 Tbsp bourbon
2 Tbsp apple juice
3 Tbsp water
Optional - sweetened whipped cream

Prepare the custard by placing the milk and cream in a large saucepan.  Split vanilla bean lengthwise and remove the seeds.  Add pod to the milk mix.  Cook the mix over medium heat stirring occasionally for 3-5 minutes.  Remove from heat and discard the vanilla pod.  Add bourbon to mix and whisk to combine.

Whisk together sugar and cornstarch, then whisk the mixture into the hot milk.  Cook over medium whisking constantly until the mixture thickens and just comes to a boil. Remove from heat.

Whisk egg yolks in a medium bowl until smooth.  Slowly drizzle 1/4 of the milk mix into the yolks with a constant whisk.  Gradually pour the yolk/milk mix into the remaining milk mix over medium heat whisking constantly until mixture bubbles  3-5 minutes.  Pour mixture evenly into six 1 cup glasses and chill in the fridge until firm (4-6 hours).

For the sauce, heat sugar and 3 Tablespoons of water over medium high whisking occasionally until sugar dissolves.  Bring sugar to a boil undisturbed for 7 minutes until it reaches a dark caramel color.  Add butter and whisk until melted.  Add cream and whisk until smooth.  Add bourbon and apple juice.  Cook over medium high whisking constantly until thickened (3 minutes).  Cool in a bowl for 10 minutes then chill in the fridge until serving.

Top custard with 2 Tablespoons topping and a dollop of whipped cream if desired.  Serve immediately.

Key Lime Tartlets

 Spring is in the air and it's time to serve something light and full of flavor.  These little babies are just the ticket!  The base recipe is so versatile that you can easily adapt it to lemon or even strawberry flavor.

You'll need:

15 mini phyllo shells
4 ounces light cream cheese (room temperature)

3 Tbl plain low fat Greek yogurt
3 Tbl white sugar
1 1/2 Tbl lime juice
3/4 Tbl vanilla extract
Zest of 2 limes and toasted sliced almonds

Preheat your oven to 350* .  Place phyllo shells on a small baking sheet and bake until crisp           (about 5 minutes).  Transfer shells to a wire rack and let cool completely 

.Combine cream cheese and yogurt in a medium mixing bowl.  Beat until smooth, add sugar, lime juice and the zest of  1/2 a lime.  Spoon or pipe filling into shells and garnish with zest and almond.        ,  Makes 15 tartlets - serve immediately

I like to prep ahead as much as possible so I made my filling a day in advance.  I think that letting the filling chill in the fridge overnight lets those flavors marry even better.  Don't add the filling to the shells early or your shells will get soggy.