Marbled Pumpkin Cheesecake

Recipe Status: Amazed that my first attempt at a cheesecake was successful!
Song: Autumn - Stoa

Crust:
2 cups crushed gingersnap cookies (or mix of gingersnaps and graham crackers)
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans (opt)
1/2 cup butter, melted

Filling:
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves

Preheat oven to 350.
Mix together the crushed gingersnap cookies, pecans, and butter. Press into the bottom, and about 1 inch up the sides of a 9 inch springform pan. Bake crust for 10 minutes. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar, and vanilla just until smooth. Mix in eggs one at a time, blending well after each. Set aside 3/4 cup of the mixture. Blend 1/4 cup sugar, pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg into the remaining mixture. Spread the pumpkin flavored batter into the crust, then drop the plain batter by spoonfuls onto the top. Swirl with a knife to create a marbled effect.

Bake 55 minutes in the preheated oven, or until filling is set. Run a knife around the edge of the pan. Allow to cool before removing pan rim. Chill for at least 4 hours before serving.

*I checked the cheesecake at 45 minutes, and it was already set.
*If you don't like a lot of spice, just put half the amount of cinnamon & nutmeg in, and omit the cloves.
*I didn't quite like the pecans in the crust. However, I did LOVE the gingersnaps. I ended up mixing gingersnaps & graham crackers, because I wasn't sure how strong the cookies would be.

Honey whole wheat bread

Recipe Status: WOW! Okay, this is an absolute favorite! Not only is it amazingly tasty when warm, it still is soft and flavorful the next day. I LOVE this recipe!
Song: Flowers become screens - Delerium

*This is a recipe specifically for the Bosch mixer, but that doesn't mean you can't do it by hand.
**Also, the original recipe will make 4 huge loaves of bread, so I'd suggest cutting the recipe in half, unless you want an abundance of bread.

Place in Bosch bowl:
6 1/2 cups hot steaming water
11 cups fresh ground wheat flour

Turn on Bosch and add:
3/4 cup oil
3/4 cup honey
1/4 cup molasses
3 tbsp salt
3 heaping tbsp yeast
2 eggs

Continue adding flour (I added white flour for this step) until the dough pulls away from the bowl, and it is not sticky. Knead in Bosch for about 5 minutes (20 minutes by hand?) Form into loaves. Place dough in warm greased pans, cover, and allow dough to rise until doubled.
Bake @ 400 for 2 minutes. Turn down temp to 350, and continue baking for 35 minutes.

This recipe yields 4 massive mushroom shaped loaves of bread.



Above: Honey wheat bread.
Below: Honey wheat bread in comparison to the Buttermilk bread.

Buttermilk bread

Recipe status: Excellent flavor when warm, but left a lot to be desired when cooled.
This recipe might be better if used for rolls which will be eaten quickly.
Song: Ordinary World - Duran Duran

This recipe calls for hand kneading, but there's no reason why you couldn't use your Bosch or KitchenAid.

2 tsp yeast
1/2 cup warm water
3/4 cup very hot water
1/4 cup honey
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
5 to 6 cups wheat flour (Or some wheat & white mixed, based on personal preference.)
2 tsp salt
2 to 4 tbsp butter

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Mix the honey in the hot water, add buttermilk. Stir the salt & flour together making a well in the center. Pour the yeast & buttermilk mixture in from the center outwards, incorporating all the flour. Knead the dough about 20 minutes, adding the butter in little bits at a time. Add flour as needed until dough is no longer sticky, but still soft. Place dough in a bowl, and cover. Let rise in a warm draft free place. after about an hour and a half, punch down dough and allow to rise once again. Punch down dough again and divide into two. Place in greased bread pans and allow to rise until double their size. Bake @ 325 for about an hour.

Better than Sex cake

Recipe status: NOTHING is better than sex! 

(Although the cake is good.)

Song: Conflict - The Azoic

One chocolate cake mix (the chocolatier the better)

1 20 oz bottle Smuckers caramel topping

1 small container whipped cream

About 2 dozen mini Heath bars, chopped

Bake cake as directed on package. (The best is chocolate fudge, or triple chocolate. Just plain milk chocolate won't taste as good.) Once cake is cooled, poke holes about an inch apart all over the cake, and pour the caramel over the cake. Use a spatula to guide the caramel down into the holes, not letting it pour over the side of the cake. Once holes are filled, spread whipped cream over cake, then sprinkle with the chopped Heath bars. Store in the fridge.

*Note* A lot of recipes also call for a can of sweetened condensed milk. Don't go there. It's too rich, too heavy, too sugary, too fattening, and you'll feel sick to your stomach, and in absolutely no mood for sex... ;) 

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

Recipe status: Okay, nothing to die for. Kids liked it though.

Song: Vanishing Star - Frozen Plasma

Okay, this is SERIOUSLY how the recipe appears IN THE BOOK!

4 to 6 pieces chicken breasts

4 to 6 pieces swiss cheese

4 to 6 pieces thin ham slices

1 can cream of chicken soup (finally a definite portion!)

2/3 cup milk

1/2 package stuffing

1/2 stick butter

Mix soup and milk in bowl with whisk, set aside. Put ham pieces in 9x13 pan. Top with chicken pieces. Top with swiss cheese slices. (Oh so now it's slices?) Pour soup mixture over all. Combine stuffing with butter. Sprinkle over top. Bake @ 300 for 90 minutes.

Okay, 4 to 6 pieces? Are we talking 4 to 6 WHOLE "pieces" of chicken breasts, or 4 to 6 bite sized pieces? Cheese? 4 to 6 pieces of shredded cheese? 4 to 6 1 inch cube pieces? Apparently it is 4 to 6 slice pieces. Come on. This is ridiculous. So I assumed portions considering these 4 to 6 pieces were to fill a 9x13 pan.

Here's what I put in: 

- 3 whole chicken breasts cut into 1 inch cubes. It was enough to cover the bottom of the pan, although I think it could have used one more chicken breast.

- 1/2 pound of sliced ham, cut into little squares. I arranged those over the chicken. I was afraid that I used too much ham because it far surpassed the 4 to 6 pieces, but I was wrong. It definitely needed more ham.

- 1/2 pound grated swiss cheese. This amount was perfect.

The rest of the ingredients worked just fine, but I will advise you to MELT the butter first, or else you'll have a heck of a time trying to combine cold butter with brittle bread crumbs. Also, I don't see any reason why you can't up the temp to 350 and shorten the baking time.

(Shaking head) I don't know HOW that recipe even got approved for publishing.

Sweet & Sour Chicken

Recipe status: Flavor is delicious! The way it was made was a little odd, but it is a keeper.
Song: Decode - Paramore

Chicken:
4-5 chicken breasts, but into bite sized pieces
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
Vegetable oil

Mix cornstarch & flour together. Dip chicken in the beaten eggs, then in the flour mixture. Fry in hot oil until crispy. Drain on paper towels, then place chicken in a 9x13 baking dish. Once all the chicken is fried, make the sauce.

Sauce:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup vinegar
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 green pepper, diced
1 can pineapple chunks, drained

Blend all of the sauce ingredients together in a sauce pan, and cook until it's all blended. Pour the sauce over the chicken and bake for about 40 min @ 350. Serve over cooked rice.

Okay. The flavor was delicious, and even Nolan, who does not normally like sweet & sour, ate it without complaints. (He just picked the pineapple chunks out.) What I found odd was that I baked it in the sauce. I'm used to cooking the sauce until it's thick and bubbly (with some cornstarch in the sauce itself), then adding the fried chicken. But this way, the sauce did thicken a bit, but was still quite runny. Which was actually beneficial, as it was able to really mix in with the rice, and give the rice a good flavor. I also liked that the sauce wasn't gelatinous, like any sauce you'd buy from a jar.

Changes:
I didn't have ketchup, so I used tomato paste instead. I think I'd prefer that.
I only put in a half of a green pepper, and it was perfect.
Also, next time I make it, I think I'll use a can of crushed pineapple, so that the sauce may be a bit thicker, but it will also be harder for my picky eaters to pick it out. ;)

Pepper Crusted Salmon

Pepper Crusted Salmon

My kids normally hate to eat fish, but they loved this recipe! I almost don't want to divulge all the ingredients so when I open up my resteraunt, this will be one of the menu choices! This was easy to make and we had a baked potato and asparagus along with the salmon. ENJOY!
Song: No One - Alicia Keyes


5 salmon fillets
3/4 Cup real amber maple syrup
1/4 Cup soy sauce
Olive Oil
Fresh cracked pepper

1. Comine first three ingredients and marinate for 24 - 48 hours in a ziplock bag.
2. Prepare broiler or grill ( I broiled this on the LO setting ) for cooking salmon.
3. Coat grill rack or broiler rack with olive oil (so salmon will not stick of course!)
4. Remove salmon from marinade.
5. Discard marinade.
6. Drizzle salmon with olive oil.
7. On one side of the salmon, coat with freshly ground cracked pepper so that it looks all black.
8. Grill or broil salmon until it done, or flakes with a fork. ( Again I broiled mine on LO setting for 15 minutes, then I turned the broiler on HI for about 3-4 minutes and it came out perfect! Not dry at all, very tender, juicy and YUMMY.......) HINT: When I broil any meat in the broiler, I always put a pan of water on the lowest rack. Maybe it is silly to do this, but I have always had wonderful success with broiling and having my meats stay moist and tender by doing this.



Asparagus with Citrus Dressing


Perfect side dish for anything! It was tasty and refreshing to eat, not to mention it is healthy, has antioxidant agents, and wonderful for your heart (reduce cholesterol, blood pressure).
Song: I Am A Stranger In This World - Azam Ali


1/2 cup freshly squeezed tangerine or orange juice (I am sure you can use the concentrated frozen kind if want)
2 tsp rice wine vinegar
2 tsp sesame oil
grated orange peel from two tangerines or oranges
2" fresh ginger, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-1.5 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed
olive oil
2 large tangerines or oranges, peeled and sectioned
3 1/2 Tbsp finely chopped dry roasted peanuts with little or no salt
2 green onions


Dressing:

1. Combine orange juice, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, grated orange rind, fresh gingerroot, and garlic in a jar with a lid.
2. Shake well and set dressing aside.

The Rest:

1. Drizzle asparagus with olive oil.
2. Place on grill or broil for 3-4 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender.
3. Place asparagus and tangarines on a serving platter.
4. Drizzle with the citrus orange dressing.
5. Sprinkle with peanuts and green onions.
6. Serve and enjoy!

Minestrone Soup

Recipe status: List of ingredients is a bit overwhelming, BUT my incredibly picky daughter went back for seconds. It's a keeper. :)
Song: 20,000 Miles Over the Sea - Enigma

2 quarts water
1/2 pound navy beans, cooked until soft and drained
1/2 pound cooked, diced roast beef, drained of fat
1 cup diced celery
2 cup fresh or frozen green beans
2 cups chopped spinach
4 medium tomatoes, diced
1 can crushed, stewed tomatoes
1 cup diced carrots
1 large onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon beef soup base
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons salt
2 teaspoons white pepper
4-5 shakes Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons dried oregano
Fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Using 6-quart kettle or saucepan, combine all ingredients but cheese in order given. Simmer 1 hour, uncovered, stirring occasionally. Adjust seasonings to taste, grate cheese on soup and serve.

Okay, first of all, this makes a TON of soup. So, you may want to half the recipe, unless you're okay with enough to feed your family again on another night. (Or, if you need to make a meal for another family, this is perfect to split it.)

Here are the changes I made:
Roast beef: I didn't have any, but I did have a few pieces of pork left, so I cooked them up with the worcestershire sauce.
Beef base: I didn't have any beef base, nor did I see any at the store. I just added a couple tablespoons of beef bullion instead.
Fresh basil: No fresh basil, so I used dried basil, and increased the amount just a bit.
Salt: I used natural sea salt.
Carrots: Didn't dice them, just sliced them really thin. It was more visually pleasing that way.
Navy beans: Okay, I don't cook dried beans, I cheat and use canned beans. I did have canned red kidney beans, so I put one can in (after I drained and rinsed.) It didn't look like enough, so I added another can. This time I didn't rinse the beans, I just dumped the whole can in so that it would thicken the broth just a bit. I really liked the red beans in there.

My addition:
Pasta. Gotta have pasta. And there was still enough broth to be able to dump the pasta right in. I added a whole box of the Trofie pasta (little ones that are twisted. So cute!)

My omission: (Not necessarily by my choice though), I completely forgot to grate the cheese on top. Oops. It was still amazing without the cheese. (Not sure if I would have been able to taste it anyway, the veggies & spices were plenty bold.

Next time I make it, I may add a bay leaf or two and a few rosemary sprigs and see how that tastes.

"Patriotic Cookies"

Recipe status: This started as an average oatmeal cookie dough recipe that I augmented with red, white & blue, (Cranberry-blueberry-white chocolate-macadamia...) to make appropriate for my moms Republican Women's luncheons. And they are much loved there.
Song: Breathe - Blue Stone

3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups butter, softened
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 package white chocolate chips
2 jars (abt. 6 oz.) chopped macadamia nuts
5 cups oats
1 1/2-2 cups dried cranberries*
1 cup dried blueberries*

Preheat oven to 375. Beat butter & sugars until creamy. Add eggs & vanilla. Mix in baking powder, baking soda & salt, then add flour. Mix well. Add oats, fruit & chocolate. Using a medium sized scoop, place dough about 2" apart (they will spread). Bake 14-16 minutes, or until edges are golden brown.

*Dried cherries can be substituted. Also, you can use 3-4 cups of a dried berry mixture.

Not your average run of the mill zucchini bread. Trust me. :)

Recipe Status: Amazing wheat flavor without the oranges, perfect with the oranges.
Song: Solarity - Lori Cunningham

2 cups flour
1 cup wheat flour (sometimes I do half and half.)
2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup oil
3 cups grated zucchini
peel of one orange, washed & minced.

This recipe is delicious even without the orange peel, but is even better with. :)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter two 9-inch loaf pans and dust with flour or sugar. Mix all the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, beat the eggs, then blend in the oil. Use a spatula to mix the egg mixture into the dry ingredients in several additions, then fold in the zucchini and the orange peel. (It will be thick, you may need to use your hands). Divide the batter evenly between the two pans and bake for 50-60 minutes or until the top springs back when pressed lightly with a finger. The bread may cool in the pans for 5 to 15 minutes before being turned out onto a rack or plate. Makes two 9-inch loaves.

*Wanna make this into muffins? Go for it! It'll make 24, bake for 30 minutes.

Pizza Dough

Recipe status: Absolutely perfect, needed no tweaking. Mmmmm. :)

Song: 241 - Reel Big Fish

2 cups flour
1 cup wheat flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 package yeast (about 1 tbsp)
3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
1 cup VERY warm water (120-130 degrees)

In a large bowl, mix 1 cup of the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. Add oil and warm water. Beat with electric mixer on medium speed for 3 minutes, scraping bowl frequently. (I mix by hand)

Stir in enough remaining flour until dough is soft and leaves sides of bowl. Knead 5-8 minutes or until dough is smooth and springy.

Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes. Heat oven at 425 degrees.


Grease two pizza stones (or cookie sheets or 12 inch pans) with oil. Pat 1/2 of dough on each pan, and allow dough to rise again. (Here is the key) Partially bake 7-8 minutes or until crust begins to brown.


Add toppings and bake for another 10 minutes.


Now you'll never order out again. ;)

Cornbread

Recipe status: Not so great, but made it better.
Song: Slender Frame - a-Ha

1 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour
4 tbsp sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1 egg
1/4 cup oil

Bake in greased 6" or 8" pan for 25 minutes @ 425.

The batch was dry and crumbly, not sweet at all, in fact, it had hardly any flavor at all. It also burnt on the bottom and sides before the middle baked. This particular recipe was a flop. However, I tweaked it and came out with an amazing result. Here's what I did:

First of all, I doubled the recipe, so that it would fill a 9x13 pan. Then, I increased the amount of milk and sugar, and soaked the corn meal in the milk for an hour to allow it to soften. I also added honey. I baked at a lower temperature for a longer period of time. With these changes, the bread stands on its own, and has no need for butter, honey, or any other additives.

2 cups corn meal
3 cups milk
2 cups sugar (lower the amount to taste if desired)
1/4 cup honey
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
2 heaping tablespoons baking powder
2 tsp salt

Bake in greased (sprayed) 9x13 pan @ 350 for 45 minutes

Much much much better. :) It was well received at the luncheon.