Herbed Cheesecake

Butter, for greasing the pan
½ cup ricotta cheese
½ cup cream cheese
1/3 cup herbed goat cheese
1 tablespoon sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
Salt and pepper
¼ cup fresh basil
¼ cup fresh parsley
¼ cup fresh chives
assorted crackers

Preheat oven to 350°. Butter bottom and sides of a 4 ½ inch springform pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper. Wrap outside of pan with heavy-duty foil. Place the ricotta cheese, cream cheese, and goat cheese in a processor. (All cheeses should be at room temperature.) Pulse until mixed. Add the sugar, egg, egg yolk (eggs should be at room temperature), and salt and blend until smooth. Add the herbs; pulse until incorporated. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Place the pan in an 8-inch by 8-inch baking dish. Pour hot water in the baking dish to come halfway up the sides of the pan. Bake until the cheesecake is golden at the edges and the center of the cake moves slightly when the pan is gently shaken (the cheesecake will become firm when chilled), about 50 minutes. Turn off the oven and allow the cheesecake to cool in the oven for 1 hour. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 3 hours and up to 2 days. Remove the cheesecake from the pan. Allow the cheesecake to come to room temperature before serving, about 30 minutes. Serve with crackers.

Avocado Citrus Salad

6 avocados
5 oranges (can use grapefruit also)
½ red onion
1 T. white wine vinegar
3T. light olive oil
1 t. salt
½ t. pepper
1 t. sugar*
*(depending on sweetness of oranges)

Start by making the orange vinaigrette. Cut off the skin and pith of the orange and cut out the individual segments. Do this over a bowl to save any juice dripping from the orange. (Save 1 orange for just its juice.) Set segments aside in fridge. Squeeze remaining juice into the bowl from the segmented orange. Continue with all of the oranges. Cut your red onion in half. Then slice one of the halves into very thin slices. In the bowl with the orange juice add the vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper and sugar (if needed). Whisk. Add in the onions. Set aside to marinate for a while. When ready to serve salad, half your avocados and cut into ½ inch slices. Lay them out on a serving plate. Sprinkle with some salt and pepper. Lay the orange segments out amongst the avocado slices. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad.

Deviled Eggs-3 Ways

(all recipes are for 12 boiled eggs)

Start by boiling 12 eggs. In a large saucepan place eggs in cold water, enough to cover all of the eggs. Bring to a boil. Boil for 8 minutes. Remove from heat. Allow water and eggs to cool down to luke warm temperature. Peel immediately using cold water to aid in removal of shell. Slice eggs in half lengthwise and scoop out yolk. Reserve yolks in a mixing bowl.

Bacon Balsamic Filling
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 tsp sugar
1½ tsp balsamic vinegar
¼ tsp celery salt
¼ tsp salt and black pepper
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled, plus garnish
1 heaping T. finely minced red onion
1 heaping T. chopped fresh parsley

Smoked Salmon Filling
2-3 T. mayonnaise
1 T. sour cream
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp dried dill, plus garnish
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
2 oz. smoked salmon, finely chopped
1 T. fresh chives

Italian Filling
3 T. mayonnaise
2 tsp. sundried tomato oil
1 tsp dijon mustard
½ tsp balsamic vinegar
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp salt
pinch of pepper
2 T. sun dried tomatoes (in oil), finely chopped
1 T. paquillo red peppers, finely chopped
1 teaspoon basil, fresh or dried
garnish with fresh parsley

Mash the yolks. Add the wet ingredients, herbs and spices; stir until thoroughly combined and creamy. Add the remaining ingredients; carefully stir until incorporated. Spoon the mixture into the egg whites. Garnish.

Sweet & Sour Chicken

4 chicken breasts
salt and pepper
½ cup flour
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
½ red onion
1 small can chunk pineapple

Sauce:
¾ cup sugar
½ cup white vinegar
¼ cup chicken broth
1 T. soy sauce
4 T. ketchup
1 tsp. accent

Mix sauce ingredients together in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Simmer to thicken while preparing chicken. Cut chicken into 1 inch cubes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss in flour. In a skillet sauté chicken until just browned in a small amount of oil. Remove and set aside. Cut vegetables into one inch pieces. Add to skillet and sauté until fragrant but still crunchy. Add chicken back into the skillet. Add sauce to skillet. Stir. Bake (in the skillet or pour into a baking dish) at 325° uncovered for 1 hour.

(This is a modified recipe from Amber in cooking club.)

Veggie Chips & Onion Dip

whole beets
sweet potatos
yams
parsnips
potatoes
large amount of light olive oil

Dip:
2 sweet onions, thinly sliced
4 large shallots, thinly sliced
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)
3 T. light olive oil
1 T. sugar
salt
pepper
1-16oz. sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 shot of worchestershire sauce

Wash and slice the vegetables very thinly. If you have a mandoline, use it! In a heavy pot or pan heat the olive oil up to 325 degrees. Fry in batches until crispy and drain on paper towels. Make sure to salt them right after they come out of the oil.

For the dip: Melt the butter and oil together in a skillet. Add in onions and shallots. Season with salt, pepper and sugar. Saute on med-low heat until sweet and caramelized. At least 20 minutes. Put onions into a food processor and blend into "mush." Add in remaining ingredients and blend. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Roasted Vegetable Soup

3 to 4 cups chicken stock
1 quart roasted vegetables
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
croutons
good olive oil

In a large saucepan, heat 3 cups of chicken stock. Coarsely puree the roasted vegetables and the chicken stock in a food processor. Pour the soup back into the pot and season, to taste. Thin with more chicken stock and reheat. The soup should be thick but not like a vegetable puree, so add more chicken stock and/or water until it's the consistency you like. Serve with croutons and a drizzle of good olive oil.

Roasted Vegetables

4 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 fennel bulb, largely chopped
1 red onion, largely chopped
3 zucchini, largely chopped
3 yellow squash, largely chopped
1 small butternut squash, peeled and chopped
1 small red pepper, largely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
3 Tablespoons good olive oil
3 Tablespoons butter, melted
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon each dried sage, dill and celery salt
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Chop all of the vegetables. The vegetables will shrink while baking, so don't cut them too small. In a large bowl toss the vegetables with the garlic, oil, seasonings and herbs. Place vegetables in a single layer on 1 to 2 sheet pans. Bake at 425º for 25 to 35 minutes, until all the vegetables are tender, turning once. Sprinkle with parsley, season to taste, and serve hot.