Cherry Cheesecake

This is my favorite cheesecake recipe because it is relatively simple and doesn’t have a lot of steps. It is very festive for the holidays and everybody loves cheesecake! This recipe is from my dear friend, Sandi Roman, she is such a great cook! She brought this to our home for Christmas Eve dinner many, many years ago when our kids were small and we didn’t know many people in town. I was so impressed and I said,” I have to have this recipe!”Well, I have been making it every year since then! So as I was doing the foodie shoot, I used my daughter’s brand new camera and now I don’t know how to download pics from her camera and she has a cold, so I don’t want to bug her….so anyway, these are the pics from my camera when I was mixing the ingredients in the Kitchen Aid. You can see how high the cake rises. It feels like it weighs 10 pounds when you are all done baking and adding the cherries for the topping. This is the first time that I remember my cheesecake not cracking! Success!!

If you have a Kitchen Aid, it makes this recipe so easy, if not I always used a hand blender, keep beating until the ingredients are smooth.

Pour cream cheese batter into pan.

I was so excited how high the cake rose, I took the pic in the oven, I know I am a spaz! But it really is the little things in life, but this is huge!! LOL!

Beautiful!! It does fall when it cools and when your kids slam the door! I still hear my Mom’s voice—don’t slam the door and don’t walk like an elephant!

When cake cools completely, add cherry topping.

Spray the pan before pressing crumbs on the bottom, I didn’t so some cake stuck even though it’s non- stick.

Hubs and I actually split this piece in half because he said it was too big! Ha-big baby-I could have eaten it by myself hands down!

CHERRY CHEESECAKE Recipe from the kitchen of Sandi Roman

1½ cups Graham Cracker Crumbs ( 10 graham crackers, 1 full cracker sheet)
4 Tablespoons butter ( melted)
(3)- 8 ounce packages Cream Cheese
(1)- 14 ounces Sweetened Condensed Milk
4 eggs
(1)- 8 ounces Sour Cream
1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
1 can cherry pie filling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Spray your pan with PAM. Combine crumbs and butter, then press down on the bottom of a 9″ spring form pan.

In a Kitchen Aid, beat cream cheese until fluffy, add condensed milk, eggs, sour cream and vanilla. Mix until batter is nice and smooth. Pour into prepared spring form pan. Bake for 50 minutes. Let cool completely, add cherries on top.

Serves 12-14 depending on how big the slices are!

Abundanza! I have linked up this yummy recipe to these fabulous blogs!

 

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Brined Turkey Feast

This was the most delicious turkey that I have ever had, juicy and succulent, not dry at all.

Ingredients

• 12 cups water, divided
• 1 cup kosher salt
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sage
• 2 tablespoons thyme
• 2 tablespoons rosemary
• 1 tablespoon pepper
• 4 cups ice
• Thawed Turkey-mine was 12 pounds

Instructions

1. Bring 4 cups of water to a simmering boil. Add salt and sugar. Stir until the sugar has completely dissolved. Turn off the heat. Stir in 8 cups cold water, apple cider vinegar, sage, thyme, rosemary, pepper, and ice. The brine is ready to be used.
2. Remove giblets and neck from the cavity. Rinse the outside and inside of a thawed turkey. Using paper towels, pat the turkey dry. Complete submerge the turkey in a large soup pot bigger than the bird and cover with a lid. Allow the turkey to marinate for 12 hours for a small turkey (8-10 lbs) and up to a full day for a bigger bird. Rinse turkey and pat dry before adding additional seasoning, butter, or oil in preparation for roasting. I stuffed my turkey with stuffing and veggies. Baked at 350 F for 2 1/2- 3 hours.

Notes

*It’s important to reiterate not to use a self basting, pre-seasoned, or kosher turkey. Otherwise the turkey will be too salty.

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WHAT THE FLICKA HAPPY VIRTUAL THANKSGIVING

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients

• 1 (8-oz.) package elbow macaroni or any other pasta of your liking
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1 (8-oz.) block sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded and divided

Preparation

1.  Prepare pasta according to package directions. Keep warm.
2.  Melt butter in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-low heat; whisk in flour until smooth. Cook, whisking constantly, 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in milk, and cook, whisking constantly, 5 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in salt, black and red pepper, 1 cup shredded cheese, and cooked pasta.
3.  Spoon pasta mixture into a lightly greased 2-qt. baking dish; top with remaining 1 cup cheese.
4.  Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

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Cinnamon Rolls

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Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients:

• 1 package dry yeast
• 4 1/2 cups(630 g) white flour
• 1 cup lukewarm milk
• 3/4 cup  granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup raisins
• Milk
• 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

 

Directions:

Stir the yeast into 1/4 cup warm water and let stand for 5 minutes to dissolve. Add the dissolved yeast and 3 cups of the flour to the milk and blend well. Cover and let rise in a warm place until light. Add the granulated sugar, salt, cinnamon, eggs, butter, and 3/4 cup of the flour and blend. Turn out onto lightly floured board and knead gently, slowly adding the remaining 3/4 cup flour until the dough can be easily handled. Knead in the raisins. Pull off pieces of dough the size of medium lemons, roll each about 8 inches long, and wind it into a coil. Arrange on two buttered 9-inch cake pans, cover, let rise until double in bulk, then brush tops with milk. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake rolls for 25 minutes. Mix the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla with 4 teaspoons warm water to make a glaze, and spread a thin layer on rolls immediately after removing from the oven.

Feather rolls

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FEATHER ROLLS

1 cup milk 2 teaspoons salt 1/3 cup sugar 1 pkg yeast 4 1/4 cups bread flour (approximate) 2 eggs, well beaten 1/4 cup butter or shortening, melted Scald milk. Add salt and sugar; cool until lukewarm.Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup lukewarm milk mixture. Let sit for 5 minutes; add to remaining milk mixture. Stir in two cups bread flour, mixing thoroughly. Beat eggs until thick and lemony colored; add. Melt butter or shortening and beat until well blended. Add remaining flour gradually, beating until a soft dough is form that begins to leave the side of the bowl. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, adding small amounts of flour as needed to keep dough from sticking to board. The less flour that is used, the lighter the rolls will be. It helps to oil your hands lightly with vegetable oil to keep from having to use more flour; a large silicone pastry mat may also be used for the kneading to keep from sticking. Alternately, the dough may be mixed entirely in an electric mixer. Knead by hand for 8-10 minutes, or 4-5 minutes if using the dough hook of an electric mixer. Coat the inside of a large, clean bowl with oil. Put the kneaded dough into the bowl and turn to coat it well with oil and prevent drying and forming a crust (which would keep it from rising fully). Cover. Let rise in a warm place, free from draft, until doubled in bulk. Turn out and knead again. Allow dough to rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Then shape into rolls and arrange on baking sheets or in muffin pans. The dough may also be shaped into balls and placed in a greased cast iron skillet with an inch between each. Let rise again until light and puffy. The dough may be brushed lightly with cream or an egg wash before baking, for extra color, if desired. Bake in a preheated 425°F oven for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown and light. Brush tops with melted butter after the rolls are removed from the oven (if no cream or egg wash was used before baking). This makes for soft and tender crusts. Cool on wire rack, or serve warm. Makes about 24 rolls.

Blueberry Smoothie

We drink a lot of smoothies year round. Hubs makes them for the kids in the am, great way to get them to eat breakfast. Great as an afternoon snack also. There are so many different recipes for smoothies. We use whatever fruit we have on hand, you can also use soy milk or rice milk instead of orange juice.

Recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 banana, frozen or fresh

• 1 cup vanilla fat-free yogurt

• 1 1/2 teaspoons flax seed meal, optional

• 2/3 cup frozen or fresh blueberries

• 1/2 cup orange juice or any flavor juice you prefer

Directions

1. Cut banana into small pieces and place into the bowl of a blender. Add the juice, yogurt, and flax seed meal. Blend on lowest speed until smooth, about 5 seconds. Gradually add the blueberries while continuing to blend on low. Once the blueberries have been incorporated, increase speed, and blend to desired consistency. Pour into glass. Serve with whipped cream if desired.

 

Serves 1-2 depending on the size of glass that you are serving.

Chicken Pot Pie Fancy!

This is the Chicken Pot Pie that Susan and I made for my pie party. Neither one of us had ever made a chicken pot pie before, we have probably combined eaten thousands of them and love them, but make one, never. We know what we like in a chicken pot pie : Chicken, Mushrooms, onions, peas. But you can add carrots, garlic, potatoes, anything that makes your heart sing! We made a large pie, since we were inviting 15 women to the party and I wanted to make a savory pie just in case everyone was hungry for an early supper. There were so many oohs and aaahs and there was a tiny little sliver of a pie left for hubs supper. What a hit! The great thing is you can use turkey, beef, pork, goose, venison, moose, any meat that you have on hand for this recipe. I also wanted to try something pretty and tasty, drop biscuits, so that you could see what the pie looks like inside, great idea, beautiful presentation. Also you can do any crust or use puff pastry, as individual servings, it makes quite a statement when serving!

Diced Chicken and Portabella mushrooms.

Saute onions and carrots in EVOO.

Cut shortening with flour.

Making gravy, melt butter, add flour.

Add chicken broth and heavy cream.

Of course, we used a small container of heavy cream. MM M.

Shred chicken, add carrots and onion. Place in pie dish.

Add Thyme to gravy.

Pour gravy over chicken mixture.

Place 1 cup of frozen peas in glass measuring cup, heat for 30 seconds- 1 minute until defrosted. pour over chicken and gravy.

Drop biscuits over pie mixture.

Bake pie until biscuits are golden brown and pie is bubbly.

Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients

•     6 tbs butter
•     6 tbs flour
•     2 cups chicken broth
•     1 cup heavy cream
•     4 cups diced, cooked chicken
•     2 large carrots, diced and cooked
• 1/2 cup diced Portabella Mushrooms
•     1 onion chopped
•     1 cup peas
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
•     Drop Biscuits ( Baking Powder Biscuits)
•     salt and pepper, to taste

Method

1.     Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2.     Melt butter in a large saucepan. Add flour gradually and cook for 2 minutes.
3.     Gradually add chicken broth and milk or cream. Stir until thickened, about 5 minutes.
4.     Add chicken, carrots and peas to chicken broth mixture. Combine thoroughly.
5.     Pour mixture into a deep-dish pie plate or casserole. Place drop biscuits over top of chicken mixture.
6.     Bake pie for 25-30 minutes, until top is crusty and brown.

Drop Biscuits
yield: 16 Biscuits

Ingredients

•     2 cups flour
•     ½ teaspoon salt
•     4 teaspoons baking powder
•     1 tablespoon sugar
•     ½ cup vegetable shortening
•     1 cup milk

1. Put the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar in a bowl. 
2. Cut the shortening into the flour with two knives or a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse meal. 
3. Add the milk all at once and stir just until the dough forms a ball around the fork. 
4. Using two teaspoons, place a heaping spoonful on the chicken and vegetable mixture, use other spoon to scrape off dough. 
5. Leave a bit of space between biscuits.  

Recipe adapted from The Fannie Farmer Cookbook.

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Chicken Vegetable Matzo Ball Soup

Chicken Matzo Ball and Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

Chicken Soup:

• 1 (5 or 6 pound) baked chicken ( I used the leftovers from 2 baked chickens)
• 2 large celery stalks with leaves, chopped
• 2 large carrots, sliced in big chunks
• 1 onion, quartered
• 3 sprigs parsley
• 3 sprigs fresh dill (or 1 teaspoon dried)
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Matzoh Balls:

• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 4 tablespoons chicken fat (from the above soup)
• 1 cup matzoh meal
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 cup cold water

Directions

Place baked chicken in a pot and cover with water. after cooking on medium heat for 45 minutes, drain liquid from pot, reserving liquid. Let chicken cool. After chicken has cooled, remove all bones and skin. Cut up chicken into bite sized pieces.Place chicken back into pot of liquid. Add celery, carrots, onion, herbs, salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, mix together 4 eggs and 4 tablespoons chicken fat. Stir in the matzoh meal and salt. Add 1/4 cold water. Cover and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes. Form the matzoh dough into balls the size of walnuts. Bring the chicken and vegetables  to a boil. Lower heat, add the matzoh balls, cover, and cook for 20 minutes (don’t even peek!).

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Sausage Stuffed Butternut Squash

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SAUSAGE – STUFFED BUTTERNUT SQUASH

3 butternut squash, cut in halves 1 lb. Italian sweet sausage 1 lg. onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, chopped 8 slices bread, cut into 1/2 inch cubes 1/2 c. chopped parsley 2 eggs, beaten Place squash cut side down in greased shallow baking pan. Bake in 350°F oven 40 minutes until squash is easily pierced. Fry sausage removed from casings until brown and crumbly. Add onion and garlic and saute until onions are soft. Stir in bread, parsley and eggs. Remove from heat. Turn squash cut side up and scoop out seeds. With a fork mash squash in the skin. Spoon sausage mixture over squash. Replace in oven and bake another 15 minutes or until top is golden brown.Serves 6.

Easy Asparagus

I love asparagus! It is the greatest way to alkalize your blood level, delicious and healthy! I snap the ends off. Place in a bowl, sprinkle with EVOO and Provencal salt and Provencal herbs.

Roast in the oven at 375 F until tender.

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