White Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake

Have I mentioned how much I adore cheesecake?  It is my favorite dessert by far.  I've tried a few different recipes since I bought a springform pan a couple of years ago.  Some have been giant flops, and others have turned out beautifully.  This White Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake is the shining star of my cheesecake triumphs.  It was so delicious the first time I made it that I had to make it again!  

White Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups crushed gingersnap cookies (about 32 cookies)

1/4 cup butter, melted

3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

5 squares (1 ounce each) white baking chocolate, melted and cooled

3/4 cup canned pumpkin

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 cup chopped almonds

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 teaspoon sugar

Directions:

1.  Combine gingersnap crumbs and 1/4 cup melted butter.  Press onto the bottom of a greased 9-inch springform pan.

2.  Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Beat on low speed until combined.    Stir in white chocolate.

3.  Combine pumpkin and spices.  Carefully fold into cream cheese mixture.  Pour mixture over crust.  

4.  Place pan on a baking sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes or until center is just set.  Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, and then run a knife around edge of pan.  Cool 1 hour longer.  Refrigerate overnight.

5.  To make almond topping, combine chopped almonds, 2 tablespoons melted butter, and 1 teaspoon sugar in a baking pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until golden brown.  Stir twice while baking, making sure almonds do not burn.  Cool.  Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate until serving cheesecake.

Source: Taste of Home Best Holiday Recipes 2009

Tomato-Basil Grilled Cheese

I don't eat grilled cheese often, but I found this idea in a Taste of Home's Simple and Delicious magazine and gave it a try.  It was SO yummy.  I think I've eaten at least eight of them in the last two months.  The hint of fresh basil makes all the difference!

Look at those beautiful grill marks from my new George Foreman!

Tomato-Basil Grilled Cheese

Ingredients:

2 slices bread

2 slices mozzarella cheese

1/2 small tomato, sliced

3-4 fresh basil leaves, chopped

Butter

Directions:

1.  Butter each slice of bread on one side.  This side will be the outside of the sandwich.

2.  Layer one slice of mozzarella and tomato on non-buttered side of one slice of bread.  Sprinkle with chopped basil.  Top with second slice of mozzarella followed by second slice of bread.

3.  Grill sandwich in a skillet over medium-low heat, flipping when bread is golden brown and cheese is beginning to melt.  Continue to grill until second side is golden brown and cheese is completely melted.

Source:  idea from Taste of Home's Simple and Delicious

Roasted Apples

Can you believe that I didn't like apples for many, many years?!  Crazy, right?  I think I always associated apples with Red Delicious apples...and those are gross.  Thankfully, I discovered some tastier varieties a few years ago.  

Roasted apples are perfect for fall!  They're warm, sweet, and cinnamon-y.  They pair perfectly with ice cream, whipped cream, oatmeal, or yogurt.  They make your house smell heavenly as they're baking.  They are super easy to make and very inexpensive.  What more could you want?

Roasted Apples

Ingredients:

4 apples (Fuji works well!)

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

3 teaspoons vanilla

2 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small cubes

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2.  Peel and core apples.  Cut into large chunks.  Spread in 9" by 13" baking pan lined with foil.

3.  Combine brown sugar and cinnamon.  Sprinkle over apples.  Drizzle vanilla over apples.  Dot with cold butter.

4.  Bake for about 30-40 minutes, stirring once or twice.

Source:  Adapted from Not Without Salt

Where there's smoke, there's fire...or not...

Well, that was a first.  I set off the fire alarms in my apartment last night while cooking.  Whoops.  

I was making these delicious sweet potato fries for about the 5th time in the last month (they're THAT good), and I left them in a bit too long.  The super skinny ones got a little burnt, and the moment I pulled them out of the oven, the alarms started screaming.  So, my friend and I quickly grabbed some towels to fan the smoke detectors, and I whipped the windows open.  The screaming finally stopped, and then we enjoyed our delicious fries...with the windows still open, just in case.

As I was lying in bed, half awake, this morning, I could hear the fire alarms in a nearby apartment going off.  Somebody must have burnt their Sunday breakfast.  What a relief to know I'm not the only one who does it!

Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients:

2 sweet potatoes

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cumin

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2.  Rinse and dry sweet potatoes.  Cut into thin strips.  Place into a large bowl.

2.  Drizzle vegetable oil over sweet potatoes.  Sprinkle with spices.  Toss to coat.

3.  Lay the potatoes on a parchment-paper lined baking sheet.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until slightly crispy, turning once during baking. 

Source:  Gimme Some Oven

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding

Tastes like a peanut butter cup.  Eaten with a spoon.  Enough said.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding

Ingredients:

1/4 cup cornstarch

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup cocoa powder

3-1/2 cups half-and-half or whole milk

6 egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

1.  Sift together the cornstarch, sugar, salt, and cocoa powder in a medium saucepan.  Slowly whisk in the half-and-half or whole milk until smooth.  Add the egg yolks one at a time, whisking after adding each one.

2.  Cook the pudding over medium heat, whisking continuously.  When the pudding begins to chicken and bubbles begin to pop, reduce heat to low and cook for 1 more minute, stirring continuously.  

3.  When pudding is thick enough (to check, run a finger across the back of a spoon coated in the pudding to see if a trail remains), remove from the heat.  Add the vanilla, peanut butter, and chocolate chips.  Stir until smooth.

4.  Pour pudding into small bowls or one large bowl.  Cover the surface of the pudding with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

5.  Serve with whipped cream and sprinkles, if desired.

Source: iVillage 

Chocolate Bowls (aka - Flippin' Disaster)

I was hosting a little Halloween gathering with a couple of friends, and I wanted to make a unique treat.  I saw these chocolate bowls on Bakerella's blog, and I immediately thought they would be perfect.  They turned out to be a flippin' disaster.  Allow me to explain...

To make the bowls, you are supposed to melt some chocolate candy coating and dip balloons in it.  Then the coating is just supposed to magically dry, and when you pop the balloons, the bowls should be gorgeous.  This is not what happened for me.

Instead:

1.  I discovered that blowing up small balloons (I thought 4-inch ones would work well) was incredibly difficult...I nearly passed out.

2.  The directions clearly stated to spray the balloons with a little non-stick cooking spray.  Oops, forgot that step the first time.  The balloons did not peel off of the chocolate.  The chocolate actually collapsed after I popped the balloons and I had to start over.

3.  The directions also said to let the chocolate candy coating cool slightly.  Big oops!  I was working too quickly and the heat from the chocolate made a balloon explode.  Consequently, chocolate flew ALL OVER my kitchen.  It was a disaster.  I just found another splatter of it tonight...more than a week after the incident.  Ugh.

Although the process of making the chocolate bowls did not go as smoothly as I had hoped it would, all was well in the end, and the bowls made for a very cute presentation.  Stay tuned for a scrumptious pudding recipe to serve in the edible bowls!

Chocolate Bowls

Ingredients/Equipment:

Chocolate candy coating

Small balloons

Non-stick cooking spray

Directions:

1.  Blow up a few small balloons.  Wash and dry balloons.

2.  Melt chocolate candy coating in the microwave.  Let cool slightly.

3.  Spray balloons lightly with non-stick spray.

4.  Spoon small amounts of chocolate onto parchment-paper lined baking sheets to create bases for the bowls.

5.  Dip balloons into chocolate and then set on top of the bases on the parchment paper.  Allow to cool and harden thoroughly.

6.  Once chocolate is cooled and hardened, carefully pop balloons and remove balloon shreds.

Source: Bakerella 

Ravioli with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Brown Butter Walnuts

Well, if that is not the longest name for a recipe ever, I don't know what is.  Despite its ridiculously long name, this dish is delish!  

I like making this one when I have company because it looks and tastes amazing, but really it's quite simple.  I made it for my parents when they came to visit me when I lived in Colorado, and I made it recently for my best friend.  You see, she can only eat good food when her husband is out of town (all he eats is cheese).  Since he was on a trip, we took advantage of the opportunity for Cindi to eat whatever she wanted!  Cindi's a talented photographer, and she took some great pictures.

Look at me add those sun-dried tomatoes to the brown butter!  Go me!

And that, my friend, is what good food looks like.

Ravioli with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Brown Butter Walnuts

Ingredients:

1 package (16 ounces) refrigerated ravioli (We went with the frozen ravioli, and the package was a bit larger.  Everything still worked out perfectly.)

4 ounces butter

2 teaspoons Italian salad dressing mix

1/4 cup walnut pieces

1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil, drained and julienned

Directions:

1.  Cook ravioli according to package directions.

2.  Melt butter in a skillet over medium to high heat.  Cook until golden and bubbling.

3.  Add Italian dressing mix, walnut pieces, and sun-dried tomatoes.  Heat through.

4.  Drain ravioli and toss ravioli with sauce.

Source: unknown (aka - found it in my recipe box)