Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake

Ingredients
• 1 cup(s) chocolate wafer crumbs (about 20 wafers)
• 1 tablespoon(s) brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon(s) canola oil
• 24 ounce(s) 1% cottage cheese (3 cups)
• 12 ounce(s) reduced-fat cream cheese (1 1/2 cups), cut into pieces
• 1 cup(s) packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup(s) granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup(s) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup(s) cornstarch
• 1 large egg
• 2 large egg whites
• 2 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) salt
• 2 ounce(s) bittersweet (not unsweetened) chocolate, melted
• 1 1/2 teaspoon(s) sugar mixed with 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, for garnish

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Put a kettle of water on to heat for the water bath. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Wrap the outside bottom of the pan with a double thickness of foil.
2. To prepare crust: Blend crumbs, sugarand oil in a small bowl with a fork or your fingertips. Press into the bottom of the pan.
3. To prepare filling: Puree cottage cheese in a food processor until very smooth, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides. Add cream cheese, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cocoa and cornstarch. Process until smooth. Add egg, egg whites, vanilla, salt and chocolate and blend well. Pour into the crust-lined pan.
4. Place the cheesecake in a roasting pan and pour in enough boiling water to come 1/2 inch up the side of the springform pan.
5. Bake the cheesecake until the edges are set but the center still jiggles, about 50 minutes. Turn off the oven. Spray a knife with cooking spray and run it around the edge of the pan. Let stand in the oven, with the door ajar, for 1 hour. Transfer from the water bath to a wire rack; remove foil. Let cool to room temperature, about 2 hours. Refrigerate, uncovered, until chilled.
Garnish with Dark Chocolate Drops.

Jell-o Divinity

(picture added by Cari - 12/2011)

It was originally call " Party Pink Divinity but I like green Jello and sometimes other flavors. The original called for cherry flavored gelatin.
3 cups Granulated Sugar
¾ cups light corn syrup
¾ cups water
¼ teaspoon salt
2 egg whites
½ 3oz. package Favorite flavored gelatin
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
¾ cup flaked coconut, tinted it the color of the Jell-o (optional)*

Combine sugar, corn syrup, water, and salt in a buttered heavy 2-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, till mixture boils. Then cook without stirring to hard-ball stage (250°). Remove from heat.
Beat egg whites in large bowl of mixer till soft peaks form. Gradually add gelatin, beating till stiff peaks form. Slowly pour in syrup, beating constantly at high speed. Continue beating till mixture begins to lose its gloss. Stir in chopped nuts. Drop from teaspoon onto waxed paper or into small paper muffin liners. Sprinkle with tinted coconut. It makes about 2 pounds or 4 dozen medium-sized pieces of candy.

*Place coconut in a glass jar with lid or a zip lock baggy, add a few drops of food coloring: shake till colored

Homemade Noodles

3 cups flour
2 eggs or 4 egg yolks
1 teaspoon salt
7 to 8 tablespoons cold water


Mix flour and salt in medium bowl.
Make a well in the center. Add egg and 4 tablespoons water
Beat until well combined.
Gradually add 3 more tablespoons water, mixing well with hands.
Dough will be stiff; but if it seems too stiff to knead, gradually add more water.
On lightly floured surface, knead dough until smooth and elastic – about 5 minutes. Cover with bowl and let rest 30 minutes.
Divide dough into 4 parts. Keep covered with bowl until ready to roll out.
Roll each part into a 16-by-14 inch rectangle. Dough will be about 1/6 inch thick. Rectangle need not be perfect in shape. Work quickly, as dough will dry out.
Starting with long side, roll loosely, as for jelly roll. With thin, sharp knife, cut roll into 1/8th inch wide strips for broad noodles. Arrange on ungreased cookie sheets. Let dry overnight before cooking.

Parmesan-Pepper Bread

1 Cup Water
1 Tbs. Olive oil
3 1/4 cup Flour
1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1 Tbs. sugar
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp freshly ground black or green peppercorns
1 3/4 teaspoon yeast

Add yeast to luke warm water, sugar and salt. let stand until yeast has softened.
Add oil and set aside.
combine four, cheese and pepper in large bowl.
add yeast water to flour mixture and knead until all flour is absorbed and dough forms a soft ball.
Let rise until double in bulk.
Knead down and form into loaf. Let rise until double.
Cook at 350 for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Banana Blueberry Pancakes

Best pancakes HANDS DOWN! I made these this morning with our over ripe bananas and some blueberries that I froze and then defrosted...(bad idea, they turned crazy mushy!) I made Boston a Mickey Mouse pancake and made a face with chocolate chips on it...It was delicious with the chocolate...I might just add them in the batter next time I make them. I didn't have any whole wheat flour so I just used all white flour. I bet it would taste SO good with the wheat though!

Banana Blueberry Pancakes


1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1-1/4 cups fat-free milk
3 medium ripe bananas, mashed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
Maple syrup, optional

In a large bowl, combine the flours, sugar, baking powder and salt. Combine the egg, milk, bananas and vanilla; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.
Pour batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto a hot griddle coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with blueberries. Turn when bubbles form on top; cook until second side is golden brown. Serve with syrup if desired.

Yield: 14 pancakes.

Bacon-Wrapped Teriyaki Chicken Skewers

I pulled this recipe from a recipe blog...I can't remember what one now. But it looked so good! I made it for our Anniversary dinner and it didn't disappoint! SO GOOD!

Bacon-Wrapped Teriyaki Chicken Skewers

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs

About 8 oz. lean bacon, NOT thick-sliced (thick bacon is too hard to work with in this recipe)

1 large can pineapple chunks (you won’t use all of them)

Kikkoman Teriyaki Baste and Glaze

Kebab skewers or toothpicks

Now…the easiest way to handle the bacon situation is to remove it from the package and while it’s still all stuck together, stretch it out a little (lengthwise).

Using kitchen shears, cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. You can gauge about how many pieces you’ll need by how many pieces of bacon you have; you probably won’t use all the bacon, but you’ll need about 8 oz. or 2/3 of a standard-sized package of bacon. So count the bacon pieces and keep that in mind when cutting up your chicken.

Drain the pineapple and set up a little work station with skewers, bacon, chicken, and a 9×13 baking dish (for big skewers) or a sturdy Ziploc bag (for toothpick skewers). Wrap a piece of bacon around a chicken piece, secure with toothpick/skewer, and top with a chunk of pineapple. Repeat twice if using large skewers. When all chicken pieces have been sufficiently staked, pour Teriyaki sauce over everything, reserving about 1/4 c., and marinate in refrigerator for at least 4 hours, no longer than about 8.

Preheat grill**; when about 350-400 degrees, place skewers on grill and baste with reserved Teriyaki sauce. Cook about 7 minutes and flip skewers. Baste again and cook another 7 minutes.

*If serving at a party, you can keep the appetizer-sized skewers warm in a crockpot set to low or an electric roaster set to 170 degrees.

**If cooking in oven, preheat oven to 400 and bake about 20 minutes, turning once, following the same basting instructions.

Honey-Lime Grilled Salmon

2 minced green onions
¼ cup Honey
2 Limes (juice only)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
4 Salmon Fillets (6 oz. each)
In a bowl, combine the green onions, honey lime juice, garlic, soy sauce, and pepper.
Place the fish in a shallow glass baking dish.
Pour the marinade over the fish fillets.
Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Preheat the grill to medium high.
Grill over medium heat, allowing 10 minutes per inch of thickness, or until the fish starts to flake and appears opaque. Put not translucent.
Enjoy!

Bacon, Egg, and Toast Cups

Bacon, Egg, and Toast Cups

• Cooking spray
• 1 egg
• 1 piece of whole wheat bread
• 1 piece of lean bacon
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Coat the Pyrex custard cup with cooking spray.

Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat for a minute on each side to get rid of some of the grease.

Take a rolling pin and roll out the piece of bread until thin. Turn the Pyrex custard cup over and use it to cut the crust away from the bread. Slice the bread round in half then press the halves into the cup overlapping the pieces. Use extra bread to patch any holes.

Place the bacon slice in the cup then crack an egg over the bacon. Season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste.

Place on a baking tray and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the whites are cooked but the yolk is still soft. Remove from the oven, run a knife around the edges of the toast and serve immediately. Enjoy.

**I forgot to spray the custard cups and had a really hard time getting them out..I also over cooked the eggs so they weren't dippy. If it is executed properly :) It would be delicious! I would also cook the bacon until it is pretty much done but not crisp before putting it in the bread bowl. This is a really fun meal to make that makes you look pretty snazzy! :)

Lime Slush

3 cups sugar
3 cups water
2 12oz cans of Lime aid
4 cans water
5 cups water
4 qt. Sprite

Bring the 3 cups of sugar and 3 cups of water to a boil.
Add the cans of lime aid and the rest of the water. stir to mix and freeze.
Remove from freezer 45 minutes before serving.
With knife or forks chop up the frozen mixture. Put half of the slush in punch bowl and add 2 qt. of sprite.

Baked French Toast

Here is another incredible recipe I found at food.com (formerly recipezaar.com). Original recipe found here. I've been wanting to try a baked french toast for so long! Jason bought these little baguette slices and we had a ton left over, so I decided to use them. It was delicious. Everyone loved it.

Ingredients:

• 6 slices bread (any kind you like)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Spray 13x9" baking pan (or line with parchment paper).
2. Arrange bread slices to fit in a single layer and sprinkle with cinnamon.
3. Beat eggs with milk, syrup, melted butter and vanilla until just blended.
4. Pour evenly over bread.
5. Bake immediately or cover and refrigerate up to overnight.
6. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until firm to the touch.
7. Serve with fruit and additional syrup if desired.

Hasselback Potatoes

I first saw this method of cooking potatoes on the Rachael Ray show. Then I saw them on this blog that I follow and decided to give them a try. They look so fun, don't they? They were really tasty too! You should try it! Really!

Ingredients:

• 4 russet potatoes
• 4 garlic cloves
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• coarse sea salt
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Thinly slice garlic cloves. Set aside.

Rinse and scrub potatoes well. We’re keeping the skin on so it’s gotta be clean.

Slice a thin layer off of the bottom of the potatoes. This will give them a solid base to rest on to get sliced. Slice into the potatoes but not completely through them. Slice potatoes, creating very thin rounds connected at a base. Slide garlic slices in between potato slices. You might actually need to shove them in… the potato might be pretty tight. Just be careful not to tear the bottom.

Place potatoes on a baking sheet. Generously sprinkle potatoes with salt. Top each potato with one tablespoon of butter. Drizzle with oil. Bake for 1 hour or until tender on the inside and crisp on the outside. Remove the pan about every 15 minutes to baste potatoes in the oil and butter on the pan. This will make the skin crispy and delicious and the potato extra buttery.

When cooked through and crispy, remove from the oven, cool for 10 minutes.

Pork Chops with Lime, Cilantro and Garlic

So I bought a bunch of cilantro specifically for Gina's Cilantro Lime Rice (see below), but I still had/have a ton left over so I decided to look up some other recipes that call for cilantro and try to use as much as possible before it goes bad on me.

I made these pork chops tonight and they were incredible!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup mayonaise
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried chipotle powder (I didn't have this, so I used chili powder)
• 8 pork chops

Directions:

Prep Time: 5 mins

Total Time: 20 mins

Blend the first 5 ingredients, cover and place in the fridge for an hour or longer.

Reserve 1/2 cup of mayo blend. Grill or BBQ (I pan-fried mine with a little olive oil) brushing the chops with the mayo blend, continue brushing and cooking until the chops are done, turning them halfway through (apprx 15 minutes total).

Serve with the reseved mayo mixture on the side.

Cilantro Lime Rice

Holy Moly. I found this recipe on a blog a while back and knew I would have to try it. It sounded so yummy. I made it on Monday and it was, indeed, delicious. So light and fresh tasting. And healthy too. I got it from Gina's Skinny Recipes. I didn't take a picture because we had the missionaries over for dinner. I thought they might think I was crazy. Maybe I'll get a picture next time I make it. Oh yes, there will be a next time! Maybe even tomorrow night!

Thank you Gina! (whoever/wherever you are!)

Chipotle's "Skinny" Cilantro Lime Rice
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes

• 1 cup extra long grain rice or basmati rice
• 1/2 lime, juice of
• 2 cups water
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro
• 4 tsp vegetable oil

In a small heavy pot, add rice, water, 1 tsp oil and salt. Boil on high until most of the water evaporates. When the water just skims the top of the rice, reduce to low and cover about 15 minutes. Shut off flame and keep covered an additional 5 minute.

In a medium bowl, combine chopped cilantro, lime juice, rice and remaining oil and toss until completely mixed.

Home Style Dressing mix

Most people love Ranch style salad dressing. If you are one of these people you will love this.

2 teaspoons instant minced onion 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder 1 tablespoon parsley flakes.

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl until evenly distributed. Put mixture in an air tight container until ready to make the dressing.

Home Style Dressing

If you are on a diet and want to substitute use the light or no fat mayonnaise and skim milk with a teaspoon of lemon in it for the buttermilk.

1 recipe Home Style Salad Dressing Mix
1 cup Mayonnaise
1 Cup Buttermilk
Combine ingredients in a glass jar. Shake until well blended. Chill before serving.
Makes about 2 cups.
Variation
Substitute 1 cup sour cream for buttermilk and use as a dip for fresh vegetables

Monkey (ginger) Bread

(Not the greatest picture, but believe me! It was so delicious! Perfect Christmas breakfast!)

Monkey (Ginger) Bread

From Food52.com

Serves 8

* 1 packet active dry yeast

* pinch sugar

* 1/3 cup warm water (110 degrees)

* 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

* 1 cup whole milk

* 1/4 cup molasses

* 3 1/4 cups all purpose flour

* 2 teaspoons kosher salt

* 2 teaspoons ground ginger

* 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

* 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

* 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

* 1/4 cup all purpose flour (if needed)

* 2 tablespoons butter, softened

* 1 stick butter, melted

* 1 cup packed dark brown sugar

1. In a small bowl, combine yeast and a pinch of sugar with the warm water. Set aside to sit for 10 minutes, until foamy.

2. In a small saucepan, combine 2 tablespoons butter, milk, and molasses and heat until the butter is melted. Set aside to cool briefly.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine flour, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg with a whisk or spoon.

4. Attach the dough hook and turn the mixer to low speed. Slowly add the molasses mixture and then the yeast mixture. After the dough comes together mix for 7 minutes, or until smooth. The dough will be sticky (it should stick to the bottom of the bowl), but if it seems too wet add up to 1/4 cup additional flour, one tablespoon at a time.

5. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and knead by hand for an additional minute to form a smooth ball. Lightly oil a large bowl. Place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat in oil. Cover with plastic wrap and put it in a warm spot to rise until doubled in size, about 1 to 1.5 hours.

6. Butter the bundt pan with 2 tablespoons softened butter. Put the melted stick of butter in one small bowl, and the brown sugar in another.

7. When the dough has risen, transfer to a lightly floured surface and gently pat into an 8-inch square. Cut dough into 64 pieces and roll the pieces into balls. One at a time, dip the balls in butter, then roll in brown sugar, and place in the bundt pan, making all attempts to distribute the balls evenly.

8. Cover the bundt pan with plastic wrap, place in a warm spot, and allow to rise for 1 more hour. (Or you could be a gambler and refrigerate the dough overnight, and then let it come to room temperature in the morning just before baking for breakfast). The balls should be puffy and about an inch below the top of the pan.

9. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the monkey bread for 30-35 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool in pan for 5 minutes (but no longer!). Invert onto a cake stand and cool for another 5-10 minutes. Devour!

Variation:

You can get this ready in the evening and bake it in the morning, either by leaving it out in a cool room overnight for the second rise, or completing steps 1-7 as written the night before, covering the bundt pan with with plastic wrap, and putting it in the fridge overnight. Take it out of the fridge in the morning and let it sit for an hour (it should rise just a bit more) and then baked, following the directions in step 9.

ReNee's Salsa

It is named this because I couldn't come up with anything more creative.
OK, you have to be somewhat of a cook to do this. I once had a chef say to me "A real cook doesn't use measurements. You know a dash of this a pinch of that and taste it and if it needs a little of this or that then add it."
So here goes.

Take some tomatoes I use about 6, Roma's are the best but others will do.
Add about 3 green onions, if you don't have green onions then use what you have (red onions are good).
Put in some Cilantro, I clip some of the bunch that I get at the produce and add more if I need to.
Add Lime juice to taste,
Add salt (be careful you don't want to add too much)
A little garlic powder or garlic salt (I have even used fresh on occasion)
Put all of this through a Chopper of some kind. I got one from my daughter, Cheryl, and it works really good, before that I use a blender but you have to be careful that you don't turn it into a drink). The chopper is better.
I add a little Tabasco to spice it up sometimes, and Habanero sauce, I understand is good, but it is too Hot for me. So there you go. Grab some chips or make some (if you don't know how let me know and I will add that recipe.) Take care and have fun!

Sausage Cheese Balls

These are so good. I made 10 batches of these for a two day music performance. Everyone raved about them. Then I made a batch to take on the road when we went on a family vacation. They have been a favorite at parties for years. So try them and let me know what you think.

1-1/2 cup Quick Mix (Bisquick) 1 lb. lean ground pork Sausage
1 lb. grated Cheddar Cheese

Preheat oven to 350 F . combine ingredients until dough sticks together. roll into 1-1/21 inch balls. Bake for about 25 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Serve warm on toothpicks. Makes about 75 appetizers.

Note: You can half the recipe for a small gathering

Quick Mix

Sometimes we have the ingredients to something we use a lot but we don't have the easy boxed thing. I know it doesn't make much sense but...... Remember when you would get up and make pancakes out of Bisquick for Sunday breakfast or Baking Powder Biscuits to go with eggs hash browns and sausage. Well, here is the stuff Bisquick is made out of. You can make your own you know.

8-1/2 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking soda
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder 1-1/2 cups instant nonfat dry milk
1Tablespoon salt 2-1/4 cups vegetable shortening
2 Tablespoons cream of tarter

In large bowl, sift together all dry ingredients. Blend well. With pastry blender, Cut in shortening until evenly distributed. Mixture will resemble cornmeal in texture. Put in a large airtight container, Label. Store in a cool, dry place. Use within 10 to 12 weeks Makes about 13 cups of Quick Mix.

Beef Stroganoff (Crock Pot Style)

We all know how much I love my crock pot, right? It's coming in especially handy late in this pregnancy. Easy peasy meals coming from my kitchen!

Another one of my favorite things is Beef Stroganoff. And this recipe couldn't be easier!

Beef Stroganoff

1 lb beef stew meat
2 cans Cream of Mushroom Soup (I used reduced fat and couldn't even tell the difference!)
2 cubes of beef bullion
1/2 cup sour cream

Directions:
Dump it all in the crock pot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours (the longer it cooks, the more tender the meat will be). Serve over egg noodles.