Boysenberry Cheesecake & Mini Cheesecakes

Boysenberry Cheesecake - SERVES 12

Crust

1 1/4 c.  crushed cinnamon graham crackers (regular graham crackers can be substituted)

 ¼ cup sugar

5 Tbsp. melted butter or margarine

Preheat oven to 350° F. Mix crust ingredients and pat firmly into bottom &3 up the sides of a 10-inch pie pan. Bake 20 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes.

Cheesecake

3 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened

1 tsp. grated lemon peel

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup sugar

2 Tbsp. All-purpose flour

¼ tsp. salt

4 eggs

¾ cup whipping cream

1 c. Smuckers Boysenberry Preserves

• Beat cream cheese until creamy; mix in lemon peel and vanilla.
• In separate bowl combine sugar, flour and salt.
• Add gradually to cream cheese mixture.
• Add eggs one at a time beating after each addition just until blended.
• Stir in whipping cream.
• Pour all but 3/4 cup cheese filling into already baked crust.
• Mix 2 Tablespoons preserves with remaining ½ cup filling & slowly drizzle back & forth across the top of cheesecake.
• Using a blunt knife, gently cut through batter of the cheesecake.
• Bake at 350° F 35 to 45 minutes or until knife comes out clean when inserted into the cheesecake.
• Remove from oven; let cool 30 minutes.
• Stir remaining preserves and spread evenly over cheesecake.
• Refrigerate overnight.

Mini Cheesecakes - use remaining batter to make cheesecakes to share

• Line 10 cupcake liners into a muffin tin.
• Add one Nilla Vanilla wafer into each liner...flat side down.
• Pour remaining batter into liners.
• Drizzle on the boysenberry cheesecake topping.
• Using a blunt knife, gently cut through the batter.
• Bake for about 17 - 20 minutes.
• Remove from the oven; let cool for 30 minutes.
• Spread boysenberry preserves over the top of the mini cheesecakes.
• Refrigerate overnight.

Share these with your neighbors or friends.

French Onion Soup for Two

Do any of you ever have cravings from restaurants where you used to live, but none from where you currently live? My cravings this week come from Le Madeleine in Washington, D.C., thousands of miles away from Seattle. Their French Onion soup has been on my mind all week... ahhhh.... it's SO GOOD. And it's the perfect dish when it's cold and foggy outside.  

I realize Britt already posted a recipe for French Onion soup a while back, but this recipe is more up my alley. I am all about easy recipes. Her's looked intimidating (really, it just had ingredients I didn't have). This recipe is revised from several recipes to accommodate my lack of certain ingredients, but even better... it's revised to feed just TWO people.  Which I know you all basically cook for two, since your children eat like birds.  

So, here we have it. It was amazing. I just wish I had those little bowls/cups to eat it in. I had to resort to a big bowl, which was just fine, because that meant I got to eat more. 

FRENCH ONION SOUP FOR TWO

3 cups beef broth

1 large onion, sliced thin

3 tablespoon butter, divided (or olive oil, if you insist on being healthy)

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 minced garlic clove 

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Dash of nutmeg

Several slices of Gruyere cheese (or Swiss)

1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese 

2 slices French bread (it must be noted that my grocery store here sells mini baguettes... perfect for this recipe )

In a large saucepan, saute onions in 2 TBS butter (or oil) until golden brown. About ten minutes in, add the sugar to help caramelize. When onions are soft and golden, stir in the garlic and dash of nutmeg. Saute about one minute, then add the beef broth and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt 1 TBS butter; add sliced bread. Cook until golden brown on both sides. 

Ladle soup into two-oven proof bowls, leaving room at the top. Place sliced bread on top of bowl, cover with slices of Gruyere, and sprinkle parmesan cheese on top. 

Place bowls in oven at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and brown. 

Enjoy! 

Healthy Black Bean Salsa

Today I took two different kinds of salsa's to work and asked my co-workers to taste them and let me know what they thought.  This salsa won the taste test.  Everyone seemed to love it.  (I know the photo isn't great...and don't you just love the container?) 

Try it and let me know what you think.

Healthy Black Bean Salsa

1/2 can of corn

1/2 can of tomato pieces 

1/2 can black beans

1/4 bunch of cilantro, cut into little pieces

1 or 2 green onions cut into small slices

1/4 cup red onion, diced

1/2 juiced lime

1 T. olive oil

Mix all the ingredients together and enjoy with your favorite tortilla chip. 

Coconut Syrup

Coconut Syrup - it's rich and divine!

     1 cube of butter (no not use margarine) 

Melt butter in a sauce pan, then add:

                           1 cup sugar

                           1/2 cup buttermilk

Boil for 1 minute - no longer!  Stir into the mixture:

                            1/2 tsp. baking soda

                            1 tsp. coconut flavoring

BEWARE  - The baking soda will expand the syrup.  

Serve warm

Yummy on waffles, pancakes and french toast!

Simply Delicious Dumplings

I had turkey left over from a holiday meal so the other day I made turkey and dumplings.   My older sister use to make chicken and dumplings when my parents would go out of town and last week I was thinking that I've never made a dumpling. 

This recipe is so easy and they taste delicious. Try them, you'll like them!

This recipe would also be good with a thicker beef stew.

1 c. flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1 T. butter

1/2 c. milk

Stir together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.  Cut the butter into the dry ingredients until crumbly.  Stir in the milk until the flour is absorbed.  Drop by spoonfuls into the hot stew.  Cover and simmer for 15 minutes without lifting the lid.  Serve hot.

Spinach Apple Bacon Salad

Dressing: whisk the following ingredients together
1/4 c. water
3 T. vinegar
2 T. olive oil
2 T. honey
4 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 Royal Gala or Granny Smith apple, cut lengthwise into small slices
8 cups baby spinach
sliced red onion - to taste
sliced mushrooms
2 slices of bacon, cooked until crisp & broken into little pieces
1-2 tablespoons of feta cheese (to taste)

Place apple slices in a large bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons of the dressing.  Add spinach, onions, mushrooms and remaining dressing; toss to coat.

Sprinkle crumbled bacon over the top of the salad.

Makes 4 servings
*From Smith's Grocery Store

Blueberry Coconut Cake with Lemon Sauce

I made this last night because I was craving something sweet that wasn't chocolate, with the promise to myself that I could eat a piece or two and give the rest away. It was tasty! And I brought the rest with me to work today to share with coworkers.

The only things I would do differently are add more coconut to the top, and make sure to not overcook it. Mine was a tad dry, but it was still delicious, especially with the lemon sauce.  

INGREDIENTS:

For the cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (unthawed)

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup flaked sweetened coconut

For the sauce:

1/2 cup granulated sugar

4 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1 cup water

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch aluminum baking dish and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and oil. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients with a rubber spatula just until moistened. Toss the fresh or frozen blueberries with the 2 tablespoons flour and fold them in very gently to the batter. Don't overmix or the batter will start take on a blue-ish tinge.

Scrape the batter into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the top of the cake with the coconut and bake for 18-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack.

For the sauce, in a small saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and grated lemon zest. Gradually whisk in the water until blended. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, whisking often, and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes at a boil until the mixture is thickened. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the butter and lemon juice. The sauce can be used warm or at room temperature.

Cut the cake into squares and drizzle each piece with the lemon sauce. Serve.