Christmas Cheesecake

Here's another cheesecake recipe that can be made without a springform pan.

Christmas Cheesecake

Crust:
1/2 Cup flour
1/3 Cup butter, room temp
1/2 Cup brown sugar

Filling:
2 - 8 oz. cream cheese, soft
1/2 Cup sugar
2 large eggs
4 Tablespoons milk or cream
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla

Crust: Combine ingredients, pat in an ungreased 8" square (or 8" round) pan. bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven.

Filling: Combine filling ingredients, beat until smooth. Spread over the partially baked crust and put back in the oven.

Bake for 30 - 35 more minutes.

From: Goosebury Christmas

Stephanie's Pizza

I made this Sunday afternoon, changing the recipe to one for the bread machine. I'll add those directions. For toppings, I used ground beef browned with lots of onions (what I had on hand); Italian blend shredded cheese, and my favorite pizza sauce. It turned out great.

I usually make one pizza with sausage, onions, green peppers, and mushrooms and another with less meat but I used the ingredients I had on hand this time.

One thing I like about this recipe, the dough rolls out to be used on a cookie sheet...thin crust that bakes just fine and not doughy at all.

Stephanie's Pizza

3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cups warm water

Proof 1/4 cup warm water, 2 teaspoons yeast, a little sugar

Gradually add proofed mixture to first ingredients in mixture. Add water until right consistency.

Divide dough in half, roll into 2 squares as thin as possible (I rolled mine into a rectangle the size of the cookie sheet.

Bake on bottom rack of oven at 500 degrees for 10 minutes (I found 8 min. worked better in my stove).

BREAD MACHINE:

1 cup warm water
a little sugar (optional but I think it helps the yeast)
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons yeast

(I added a couple tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to both recipes)

My bread machine instructions call for the water, sugar, and salt to be added first. Then the flour with the yeast on top. Push the dough cycle and proceed from above recipe when ready.

Brownie Swirl Cheesecake

This recipe is far better made early and allowed to chill all day (or all night!). Also, I made it in a 9 x 13 dish rather than a springform pan. The only change was to lessen the final baking time.

Brownie Swirl Cheesecake

1 pkg. (8 oz.) Brownie Mix -- and ingredients it calls for
(or use your favorite brownie "from scratch recipe)

2 pkgs. (8 oz. each) Cream Cheese, room temp
1/2 C. Sugar
1 t. Vanilla
2 Eggs
1 C. Milk Chocolate Chips to melt (I used regular semi-sweet chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare brownie mix according to directions for chewy brownies. Spread into greased 9" springform pan (I used 9 x 13 Pyrex dish). Bake for 15 minutes. Then cool 10 minutes on wire rack.

Meanwhile, combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Mix well. Add eggs, beating one at a time. Pour over brownie mix. Melt chocolate, drizzle on top. Cut through batter with knife to form a swirl or marbled affect.

Bake 350 for 35-40 minutes if in springform pan. Bake 25-30 minutes if in 9 x 13 dish.

Cool completely, best left chilled for at least a six hours.

You could make a rather thin ganache and pour it on top after it has cooled a bit. I didn't have the time to do it but it would taste great and add an additional layer of chocolate.

My favorite Crock Pot recipe

This is the recipe I made for our Valentine's Day dinner. It may be the guy's favorite main dish.

Easy Crock Pot Beef and Gravy Meal

1 beef roast (I like a round rump roast but I also use chuck roasts when available, anything is good as long as it isn't too fatty)
1 onion, sliced in half
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup (store brand is fine)*
1 or 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
About 1/4th a soup can of water*
Salt and Pepper to taste (I use lots of pepper)

*Two cans of soup and 1/2 can of water can be used for with a large beef roast to serve more people.

Place the roast and onion halves in the Crock Pot. (The onion will break up as it slow cooks.) Pour the Worcestershire sauce over the roast. Using a knife or spoon, remove Cream of Mushroom soup and pour it into the Crock Pot. Salt and pepper the beef (you shouldn't need much salt if you are using regular canned soup).

Swish out the soup can with just a little water, perhaps 1/4th of the can, add to Crock Pot. Cover and start on high. Check after about an hour and spoon some of the liquid over the roast.
I like to turn the roast over after a couple of hours and then turn the Crock Pot to medium for a few more hours.

About half an hour before serving, remove the roast to a plate and let sit at least twenty minutes before slicing the rump roast (a chuck roast may fall apart on its own). Scoop out most of the gravy, leaving most of the onion in the Crock Pot, and place the gravy in a saucepan to simmer until thickened (watch closely).

Pour about half a cup of water into the Crock Pot with the remaining soup mixture and onions, place sliced beef back into the Crock Pot and "stir" a bit until the beef is covered with the soup mixture.

The gravy made from this is just the BEST, wonderful over mashed potatoes.

Cooking time increases the larger the roast.

My favorite bread machine bread recipe

This has been my "go to" bread recipe since I received my bread machine as a Christmas present (a very long time ago). I tweak the ingredients by who I'm making the bread for and what I'm going to use it for. If it is for my husband (who slices the bread and freezes it, getting out only enough for breakfast each day), I make it 100% freshly ground whole wheat. My son and I like it best half-whole wheat and half-King Arthur bread flour. For cinnamon rolls, I like to make it with three cups bread flour and one cup whole wheat flour. (I rarely make it with all white flour.)

If I'm using it to make a sweeter, richer, dough (for cinnamon rolls or to make dinner rolls), I use milk instead of water and use butter instead of oil. When I do this, I warm the milk up and then add the butter and honey to the warm milk to mix well.

As with any bread machine recipe, all ingredients should at least be room temperature (if not warmed a bit in the Winter).

This makes one loaf of bread or ten to twelve cinnamon rolls (if allowed to rise fully).

Whole Wheat Honey Bread (also cinnamon rolls)

1 Cup and 2 T. water (just slightly above the 1 C. line)
4 Cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 Cup honey (or a little less, or brown sugar)
2 T. shortening (I use mild olive oil or butter)
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Place water, salt, honey and shortening in machine pan. Add flour and then sprinkle the yeast on top.

Put on dough cycle, will take 1 ½ hours until finished. Take out of bread machine, mold into a loaf, put in greased loaf pan. Let rise until slightly over the top of the loaf pan, slash a few times on top. Bake 30-35 min. at 350 degrees.

If making cinnamon rolls: Roll out into a rectangle, brush melted butter on the dough (except about an inch at the bottom so it seals well), sprinkle with cinnamon and "rub" the cinnamon into the butter to cover the dough (leaving about an inch at the bottom clean), sprinkle with brown sugar, pat the sugar into the dough, roll up, cut into about one inch slices. Place slices in two 9" cake pans (or whatever you have, I've also put them all in a 9 x 13 dish) and let rise about 30 min..longer in cold weather.

Place into preheated 350 degree oven and bake 12-15 minutes or until golden on top. Let cool a bit and frost with frosting: 1/2 to 1 stick butter-room temp mixed with 3 cups confectioners sugar. Add just enough milk until you get the consistency you like (I like mine thinner than I'd use to frost a cake but not so thin it becomes a glaze).

Chicken Spaghetti

I made this especially for my son tonight since I had just enough Velveeta left over from the dip I made for he and his friends. It is not the healthiest dish in my recipe box but it is one of his favorites.

2 - 4 chicken breasts, boned, cooked, and cubed
(Can also use leftovers from a whole, cooked chicken)

1 medium onion, chopped
1 can Cream of Mushroom
1 can Cream of Celery
1 lb. Velveeta cheese, cubed
1 cup chicken broth

8 oz. Spaghetti or linguine, cooked*

In large saucepan or a deep skillet, saute onion. Add soups, cheese, and chicken broth, stirring until cheese is melted. Combine with chicken and spaghetti (or linguine).

Place in a greased 9 x 13 dish. Bake 30 minutes at 350 (or about 40 minutes at 325)
Let cool a little before serving.

*I've also made these with cooked noodles when they were all I had.

Two lemon chess pie recipes

I've been researching lemon chess pie recipes after my husband tried a piece at a restaurant and loved it. The first recipe I tried, he didn't care for. It was a traditional lemon chess pie with cornmeal in it, the pie at the restaurant was creamy.

I made this first recipe and it was much more like the creamy pie he had eaten. I'm going to try the second recipe for him soon. It also looks very interesting.

I used a frozen pie crust. I know how to make a pie crust and I do when I don't have a store bought crust handy. However, when my mother-in-law (who was famous for her pie crust) started using Pillsbury crusts...I was no longer guilty for going the quick route myself.

LEMON CHESS PIE

1/2 c. butter
1 c. sugar
5 eggs
1/2 c. lemon juice
9" pie shell

Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add lemon juice and mix thoroughly. Pour into pie shell. Bake in moderate oven (375 degrees) for 30 minutes.

It was still quite "wiggly" when I took it out of the oven. I put it in my garage to cool (it's VERY cold in my garage right now) and it firmed up nicely. We found it was better after sitting in the frig for awhile and it was better when served with whipped cream on top. Yeah, this is not a low fat dessert!

From: Cooks.com

Lemon Chess Pie Recipe courtesy of Biltmore Estate's Deerpark Restaurant, Asheville, N.C. Ingredients: 1/2 pkg. (15-oz.) refrigerated pie crusts 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar 2 Tbs. flour 5 large eggs 1/2 tsp. freshly grated lemon rind 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice 1/3 cup melted butter 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg whipped cream Preparation: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place one of the pie crusts in a 9-inch pie plate. Flute edges and set aside. Combine both sugars and flour in a large mixing bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating at medium speed of an electric mixer until blended. Add lemon rind, lemon juice, melted butter and nutmeg. Mix well. Pour pie filling into the prepared pie crust. Bake on lower rack of a 325-degree oven for 45 minutes. Dollop each wedge with whipped cream when the pie is cool enough to cut and serve. Yield: One 9" pie

From: HGTV

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

I just tried these today and they are one of the best muffins I've ever made!

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons Ovaltine (I used regular Hershey's cocoa)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (220 degrees C). Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
In a medium bowl blend the banana, oil, egg and vanilla together.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Stir in the banana mixture until just blended. Fold in the chocolate chips. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling 3/4 full.
Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.

From: Mommy, Are the Toys on Sale Blog (who got it from the Ovaltine online recipes)