Blueberry Almond Cheesecake Tunnel July 30, 2009

After picking about 12 pounds of blueberries in two weekends, I think I can honestly say I’m about blue-berried out.  I’m not sure if I could swallow one more blueberry no matter how good these fresh-picked blueberries taste. 

So, after freezing a bunch for future pancakes, muffins, etc., I went on to make this Blueberry Almond Cheesecake Tunnel.  As you can tell by my picture, I wouldn’t consider mine a ‘tunnel.’  The recipe calls for a bundt pan, but I made half the recipe and put it in a loaf pan.  I served this for Sunday breakfast and it turned out delicious.  The leftovers went to my co-workers who also enjoyed it.  Next time I think I’ll try a bundt pan, that is, after I go buy one, or maybe get one for Christmas…

Blueberry Almond Cheesecake Tunnel

1/2 cup sliced almonds, finely chopped

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Sprinkle chopped almonds in greased 12-cup bundt pan or 10-inch tube pan to coat; set aside.

Filling:

1/4 cup sugar

6 oz cream cheese, softened

1 egg

3 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp almond extract

Combine all filling ingredients in small bowl.  Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until smooth.  Set aside.

Cake:

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 tsp vanilla

3 eggs

1 cup sour cream

3 cups all-purpose flour (minus 1/2 to 1 cup)

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 3/4-2 cups fresh or rozen blueberries, thawed

Combine 1 cup sugar, butter and 2 tsp vanilla in a large bowl.  Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy.  Add eggs; continue beating until well mixed.  Reduce speed to low.  Beat, adding 3 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt alternately with sour cream, until well mixed.  Gently stir in blueberries.

Spoon half of batter into prepared pan.  Make indentation about 2-inches wide and 1-inch deep into batter.  Carefully pour filling into indentation.  Spoon remaining batter over filling; spread to cover.  Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool 10 minutes.  Remove from pan.  Cool completely.

Glaze:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

2 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 tsp vanilla

Combine powdered sugar, 2 oz cream cheese and vanilla in small bowl.  Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often and adding enough milk for desired glazing consistency, until well mixed.  Drizzle glaze over cooled cake. 

Store cake refrigerated.

Recipe from Joan on Finch Lake

July’s Daring Baker’s Challenge — COOKIES July 27, 2009

The July Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Nicole at Sweet Tooth.  She chose Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies and Milan Cookies from pastry chef Gale Gand of the Food Network.

We had the option of making one or both of the cookies, I decided on making the Mallows only.  The homemade marshmallows was a bit of a sticky mess, but surprisingly cleaned up easily with hot water.  The cookies turned out delicious.  Almost like a s’more minus the warm gooeyness I  love so much.

Mallows(Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies)
Recipe courtesy Gale Gand, from Food Network website

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 eggs, whisked together
• Homemade marshmallows, recipe follows
• Chocolate glaze, recipe follows

1. In a mixer with the paddle attachment, blend the dry ingredients.
2. On low speed, add the butter and mix until sandy.
3. Add the eggs and mix until combine.
4. Form the dough into a disk, wrap with clingfilm or parchment and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.
5. When ready to bake, grease a cookie sheet or line it with parchment paper or a silicon mat.
6. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
7. Roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thickness, on a lightly floured surface. Use a 1 to 1 1/2 inches cookie cutter to cut out small rounds of dough.
8. Transfer to the prepared pan and bake for 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Let cool to room temperature.
9. Pipe a “kiss” of marshmallow onto each cookie. Let set at room temperature for 2 hours.
10. Line a cookie sheet with parchment or silicon mat.
11. One at a time, gently drop the marshmallow-topped cookies into the hot chocolate glaze.
12. Lift out with a fork and let excess chocolate drip back into the bowl.
13. Place on the prepared pan and let set at room temperature until the coating is firm, about 1 to 2 hours.

Homemade marshmallows
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 3/4 cup (168.76 grams/5.95oz) sugar
• 1 tablespoon powdered gelatin
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 2 egg whites , room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. In a saucepan, combine the water, corn syrup, and sugar, bring to a boil until “soft-ball” stage, or 235 degrees on a candy thermometer.
2. Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and let dissolve.
3. Remove the syrup from the heat, add the gelatin, and mix.
4. Whip the whites until soft peaks form and pour the syrup into the whites.
5. Add the vanilla and continue whipping until stiff.
6. Transfer to a pastry bag.

Chocolate glaze
• 12 ounces semisweet chocolate
• 2 ounces cocoa butter or vegetable oil

1. Melt the 2 ingredients together in the top of a double boiler or a bowl set over barely simmering water.

Hawaiian Chicken Kabobs July 17, 2009

I recently purchased skewers at a local garden store for the intention of trying my hand at some kabobs.  I left them on our kitchen counter, purposefully, so I would see them ever time I was in my kitchen, which, if you ask my husband, is quite often.  They sat and sat.  Finally, remembering them during a trip to the grocery store, I rambled my brain to decide what to poke with those skewers.  My husband loves grilled pineapple, so that was a must.  I enjoy red peppers (if only I had a red pepper ready to be picked from my plant) and red onions, so after the grocery store, I went to the Internet to find some kind of marinade, when I found this Hawaiian Chicken Kabob recipe posted recently by Rita over at A Pookie Pantry.  This couldn’t get any easier.  Although I didn’t have any cooking sherry, I didn’t think Vermouth would be a good substitute, so I went to the fridge where I found a bottle of Merlot, with about 3 drops of wine left.  One warning, soy sauce is usually very salty, unless you use some kind of less sodium kind, so when adding the ’salt and pepper to taste,’ be careful!  I think ours could have used a tad less salt, I believe I dumped in 1 tsp.

I highly recommend you making these things, and if you do, come back and let me know what you think!. 

Hawaiian Chicken Kabobs

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks (I used two for my husband and I)

3 Tbsp soy sauce

3 Tbsp brown sugar

2 Tbsp cooking sherry (I used Merlot, which seemed to work fine)

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 fresh pineapple, cut into chunks plus 2 Tbsp reserved juice

red pepper, cut into chunks

1/2 red onion, cut into chunks

In a small bowl combine soy sauce, brown sugar, sherry, olive oil, ginger, garlic powder, salt, pepper and pineapple juice.  Whisk to incorporate.  Pour into a large Ziploc bag or leave in a large container and add chicken chunks.  Shake to coat completely.  Cover and marinate for at least two hours.

Preheat grill to medium heat and lightly oil grill grates.  Alternately thread chicken, pineapple and vegetables onto skewers (if using wood skewers, be sure to soak them at least 1/2 hour before assembling kabobs).  Grill for 15 to 20 minutes or until chicken is done, turning occasionally

Recipe from Rita at A Pookie Pantry

Yeah, they were pretty good…

First-Ever Sheet Cake July 15, 2009

or , as I’m calling them, brownies.  These things are excellent!  Moist, light, rich, chocolaty and sweet.  Perfect.  For a quick dessert, warm individual pieces up for a few seconds and scoop some good vanilla ice cream on top.   I don’t think I have to go try any other sheet cake recipes, this is the one to go into the recipe box.  Once again, I’m not let down by The Pioneer Woman!

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Have you ever made kabobs?  I haven’t, until last night!  Check back soon for the recipe and results!

Pioneer Woman Chocolate Sheet Cake

Combine in a mixing bowl:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a saucepan, melt:
2 sticks butter
Add 4 heaping tablespoons cocoa. Stir together.
Add 1 cup boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.

In measuring cup, pour 1/2 cup buttermilk.
Add:
2 beaten eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into sheet cake pan and bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes.

While cake is baking, make icing:
Chop 1/2 cup pecans finely.
Melt 1 3/4 sticks butter in a saucepan.
Add 4 heaping tablespoons cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat.
Add:
6 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 lb minus 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Stir together.
Add pecans, stir together, and pour over warm cake.

Cut into squares, eat, and totally wig out over the fact that you’ve just made the best chocolate sheet cake. Ever.

Recipe from The Pioneer Woman

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Other recipes made from The Pioneer Woman:

Crock-Pot Shredded Pork

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingerbread Crust

Apple Bundles

Summer Corn & Bean Dip July 9, 2009

Corn & Bean Dip

16-17 oz bag frozen corn

2 cans black beans, rinsed

1 medium red onion, diced

2 ripe avocados, diced

3 lrg beef tomatos, seeded and diced

1/4 cup minced cilantro

1 lime, juiced

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

In a large bowl, mix frozen corn, beans, onion, tomatoes, cilantro and vinegar.  Add avocados and lime juice, and stir some more until blended.

Serve with tortilla chips.

Makes enough dip for 3 bag of Tostitos Scoops.

Favorite Sheet Pan Pizza July 2, 2009

I would say this is my fav thin-crust pizza  recipe.  It comes from Cook’s Country.  They also have a recipe for sauce, but I am happy with my homemade sauce recipe and I haven’t tried theirs (plus it’s a little more involved). 

This recipe has you bake the pizza in three different steps.  1. just the crust sprinkled with Parmesan cheese to give the sauce something to hold it in place; 2. after the sauce is spread over the crust which takes the moisture out of the sauce to keep the pizza from getting soggy; and 3. after all toppings are added.  If you have the time and patience, I suggest you try it this way.  If not, I’ve skipped baking the pizza after the sauce and threw all my ingredients on top and baked until slightly brown and bubbly, which worked fine.

Sheet Pan Pizza Dough

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, separated

7/8 cup hot water (I bet you don’t have a 7/8 cup…I don’t, so I use a 1/2, 1/4 & 1/8 cups, kind of stupid but I’m halving the recipe to make one 18×13 inch pizza)

1/2 Tbsp sugar

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 envelope or 2 1/4 tsp instant/active yeast

1 tsp salt

Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 200 degrees. When oven reaches 200 degrees, turn off oven. Grease large bowl. Evenly coat 18- by 13-inch rimmed baking sheet with 1/8 cup oil.

Combine water, sugar, and 1/8 cup oil in measuring cup. In bowl of standing mixer fitted with dough hook, mix flour, yeast, and salt on low speed until combined. Increase speed to medium-low and slowly add water mixture until dough is uniform in texture, about 3 minutes. Transfer dough to prepared bowl, cover with plastic, and place in warm oven. Let rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

On lightly floured work surface, use rolling pin to roll dough into 16- by 12-inch rectangle. Transfer dough to prepared baking sheet and stretch dough to cover pan, pressing dough into corners. Brush dough with oil and cover with plastic wrap. Set in warm spot (not oven) until slightly risen, about 20 minutes. Heat oven to 450 degrees.

Remove plastic wrap and, using fingers, make indentations all over dough. Sprinkle dough with 1 cup Parmesan and bake until cheese begins to melt, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove baking sheet from oven and spoon sauce over pizza, leaving 1-inch border. Bake until sauce is deep red and steaming, 7 to 10 minutes.

Sprinkle mozzarella and remaining Parmesan evenly over sauce and bake until cheese is golden brown, about 12 minutes. Remove pizza from oven and let rest 5 minutes. Serve.

Serves 3-4

Recipe from Cook’s Country