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.

Soft Pretzels

1-1/2 cups warm (110º) water
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 package active dry yeast
4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour (approx.)
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
1 large egg yolk beaten
1 Tablespoon water
Pretzel salt or Kosher salt

Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, Clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.

Lemon Tiramisu

LEMON SYRUP:
juice from 3 lemons
½ cup water
½ cup sugar
zest from 1 lemon
In a small saucepan, combine lemon juice, water, sugar and zest. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved. Take the pan off the heat and allow the syrup to cool. Set aside.

FILLING #1:
1 ½ cups whipping cream
½ cup confectioners sugar
1-8 oz. mascarpone cheese
2 teaspoons vanilla
zest of 1 lemon

Whip the cream in a large bowl until thick. Add the lemon zest; continue to whip until the cream holds soft peaks. In another bowl, cream together sugar, mascarpone cheese and vanilla for 30 seconds. Whip the cream into the mascarpone mixture. Set aside.

FILLING #2:
1-8 oz. mascarpone cheese
1 cup lemonade concentrate, thawed
1/3 cup confectioners sugar
¼ cup cream mixture from above
yellow food coloring

In another bowl, cream the mascarpone and then add the concentrate, sugar, food coloring and cream mixture. Set aside. Mix until smooth. Set aside.
Pull apart angel food cake into very small pieces. In serving bowl or baking dish put a layer of the crumbled cake, press down a bit. Spoon or brush the lemon syrup mixture over the cake crumbles. Just enough to lightly moisten. Spread a layer of the mascarpone/cream mixture. Spread a layer of the mascarpone/lemon mixture. Repeat with cake and both mascarpone layers. Top with the sweetened cream (1 ½ cups whipping cream, 1 tsp. vanilla and ¼ cup sugar). Sprinkle with lemon zest. {Even better if you can make a day in advance.}

Cranberry Pork Tenderloin

1 pkg. pork tenderloin
1 pkg. onion soup mix
1-16oz. can whole cranberry sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2/3 cup chili sauce
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 Tablespoons cider vinegar

Combine all marinade/sauce ingredients. Marinate pork over night.

Remove pork from marinade, but do not discard the leftover marinade. In a small saucepan reduce marinade by about a ¼ or more. This will cook out any raw pork in the sauce and also thicken the sauce. Grill pork loin for approximately 7 minutes on each side. Baste with reduced sauce. Let the pork rest at least 5 minutes before cutting. This sauce is also yummy on chicken. Both the pork and the chicken can be done in the crockpot.

Beef Tenderloin Sammies

Sandwich:
3-4lb. beef tenderloin
salt and pepper
avocado
tomato
romaine lettuce
baguette

Balsamic Mayo:
1 egg
1 T. cider vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon
¾ tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. paprika
½ tsp. garlic powder
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
1 ½ tsp. sugar
¾ c. canola oil divided
2 T. balsamic vinegar

FOR THE BEEF: Preheat the oven to 400°. Season beef heavily on all sides. Quickly sear all sides in a very hot sauté pan. Spray a heavy baking sheet with vegetable oil cooking spray. Put the meat on the prepared baking sheet and roast for 35 to 40 minutes or until thermometer registers 150° for medium-rare. Remove from the oven and cover the meat loosely with foil and let rest for 20 minutes. FOR THE MAYO: Place all ingredients in the blender, except for the balsamic and only use ¼ cup of the oil. After the ingredients are blended, with the motor running, add the remaining oil in a slow stream. The mayonnaise should emulsify, and become thick. Add balsamic and blend just until the vinegar is incorporated. Slice vegetables and beef. Spread mayo on the baguette and layer the ingredients.

Mini Boston Cream Bites

1 pkg. yellow cake mix
1 pkg. vanilla Jell-o pudding (instant)
1 cup cold milk
1 ½ cups Cool Whip, thawed and divided
4 squares Baker’s semi-sweet Chocolate

Prepare cake batter as directed on package. Spray mini muffin pans generously with non-stick cooking spray. Fill each cup about ¾ full. Check the baking time for regular sized cupcakes and start with half of that time. Check to see if they are done, if not do a couple minutes more at a time. Beat pudding mix and milk until thick. Let stand 5 min. Stir ½ cup Cool Whip into pudding; spoon into a frosting bag or a Ziploc bag. Remove cupcakes from the oven. Using a small round frosting tip, inject pudding slowly and carefully into the hot cupcake. Let cool slightly and then refrigerate for 1 hour. Microwave remaining 1 cup Cool Whip and chocolate in small bowl 1 ½ min. or until chocolate is almost melted, stirring after 1 min. Stir until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended. Let stand 15 min. Spread onto cupcakes. Refrigerate 15 min. before serving. Refrigerate leftovers.