Mini Cheesecakes (adapted from Martha Stewart)

makes 18

For graham crust:

• 1 cup finely crushed graham cracker crumbs (12 graham cracker sheets)
• 1 TBS sugar
• 3 TBS unsalted butter, melted

For filling:

• 1 lb cream cheese (two 8 oz packages), at room temperature
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch salt
• ½ cup jam (any flavor)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. I did not use the paper liners because I’m absolutely out of my mind and wanted them to look perfectly formed without the lines of the cups. This is possible, yet pretty fussy to do. You must first grease each muffin cup, trace the circles of the muffin cups onto parchment paper, cut those circles out, and place each circle in the bottom of the cups. Then spritz these parchment rounds with cooking spray just to ensure that they don’t stick at all. Then you’ll press the graham crumbs firmly into place if you wish to do the same as I did. I recommend the paper liners, though, for almost everyone. Except my clinically insane brethren.

Grind your cracker sheets into crumbs using a food processor. You can also just place the crackers in a large ziploc and have at it with a rolling pin or hammer, until you achieve a finely ground crumb.

Mix crumbs and 1 tablespoon sugar in a bowl. Stir in butter. Press 1 heaping tablespoon of mixture in bottom of each cup. Bake until set, about 7 minutes. Let cool in tins on wire racks.

Reduce oven temperature to 275 degrees. Beat cream cheese with a mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add the sugar, salt, and then vanilla.

With mixer running, add eggs slowly, scraping down side of bowl.

Pour batter into muffin cups, filling almost to the tops.

Bake until sides are set but centers are wobbly, about 20 minutes. Let cool in tins on wire racks. Wrap tins tightly with plastic, and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.

Warm jam in a small saucepan until liquidy. Strain through a sieve. Spoon 1 teaspoon jam on top of each cake. Cheesecakes will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to 3 days.

I can’t promise I won’t do it again. And I don’t even think I can be held accountable for my actions.

Not when I’m capable of transforming what was once a sort of daunting, mess-inducing, oh-what-will-I-do-with-all-those-leftovers, casserole into petite-sized portions.

Not when tomato sauce is spiced and chunky with crumbled turkey.

Not when I can finally find a use for those damn wonton wrappers.

And no, certainly not when creamy ricotta and melting strands of mozzarella are on the line.

Petite Lasagnas

recipe slightly adapted from Hungry Girl

(makes 12)

12 oz raw ground turkey

¼ tsp salt, divided

¼ tsp pepper

1 cup chopped onion

½ cup chopped mushrooms

14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes, or tomato sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 tsp dried oregano, divided

½ tsp dried basil

1 ½ cups part skim ricotta cheese

24 small square wonton wrappers (the kind near the tofu in the refrigerated section of the produce dept)

1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the turkey, onions, mushrooms, salt, and pepper. Crumble the meat and saute the mixture for about 10 minutes, or until the turkey is cooked through. Add the garlic and stir constantly for 30 seconds.

Add the crushed tomatoes and 2 tsp of oregano. Bring the pan to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, a pinch of salt and pepper, the remaining teaspoon of oregano, and the basil. Stir to mix well. Set aside.

Coat a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. Place 1 wonton wrapper into each of the 12 cups, pressing firmly in the bottom of the cup and up the sides.

Using half of the ricotta mixture, divide it among the 12 muffin cups. Next, using half of the turkey tomato sauce, spoon it evenly over each of the ricotta filled cups. Sprinkle with 2 tsp of mozzarella.

Gently press another wonton wrapper on top of the mozzarella layer.

Repeat the process by distributing the remaining ricotta, then the remaining tomato sauce, and finally the rest of the shredded mozzarella.

Bake for 10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.

Let the cups cool, remove them from the pan, and serve!

Cookies ~ Homemade Samoas 
(also known as Caramel de-Lites) 
Makes about 3 1/2 to 4 dozen

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
up to 2 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 350F.
Cream together butter and sugar in a large bowl. Mix in flour, baking powder and salt at a low speed, next, the vanilla and milk, adding in the milk only as needed to make the dough come together without being sticky (you may not need any at all). The dough should come together into a soft, pliable ball. Add in a bit of extra flour if your dough seems sticky.

It’s easiest to roll the dough out in 2 or 3 batches (between pieces of wax (or parchment) paper to about 1/4-inch thickness (or a little thinner) using a 1 1/2-inch cookie cutter to make rounds. Place on a parchment lined (or on silicone mat) baking sheet and make a hole in the center. I used the small end of a large round piping tip. Nicole comments that you can use a knife, or the end of a wide straw, to cut a smaller center hole. Repeat until the dough is used up (it’s okay to re-roll, this dough is shortbread-like and very forgiving.)

Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, until bottoms are very lightly golden brown around the edges.

Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, to allow them to firm up slightly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Topping: 
3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
12-ounces good-quality chewy caramels
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons milk
8 ounces dark or semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips will do)

If you prefer milk chocolate, by all means use that.

My notes: The caramel-coconut mixture is quite sweet, so I used Bittersweet chocolate to balance the sweetness bit.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees (F)


Spread coconut evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Watch carefully, especially near the end of toasting time; the coconut toasts very quickly once it begins to become golden.

Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula.
Using the spatula or a small offset spatula, spread topping on cooled cookies, using about 2-3 teaspoons per cookie. Reheat caramel for a few seconds in the microwave if it begins to firm up, to make it soft and spreadable once again.

While topping sets up, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. (I melted mine stovetop using double boiler method.) Dip the base of each cookie into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment paper (I used silicone baking mats instead). Transfer all remaining chocolate into a piping bag or a ziplock bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle finished cookies with chocolate. (Melt a bit of additional chocolate, if there is not quite enough for each cookie.)

Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.

You will need:

• 1 large zucchni grated, excess water removed (Note: To do this, after you grate the zucchini, put the grated zucchini into paper towels and squeeze to release the water)
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• sprinkle of ground nutmeg, about 1/8 teaspoon (Note: If you add too much it can quickly take over the taste, less is more)
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 egg
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil

1. Combine all ingredients, except olive oil, in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Using a heaping tablespoon form the mixture into 8 patties.
2. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Once heated, add patties and cook until golden brown. About 3-4 minutes per side. Serve.

These are great when served with a dollop of  ranch dressing. Enjoy!

chocolate chip cookie dough truffles

140 comments  |  dairy-free, desserts, favorites, from our kitchen

Oh. My. God. If you could take perfection, roll it in a ball, and dip it chocolate, this would be it. I’m not joking here folks. I’d strongly advise you to put down the mouse and get your butt to the kitchen, stat. Even Taylor firmly declared these the best thing I’ve ever baked. Even though there was technically no baking involved, I’m still taking that as a hint that I did good. I did real good. And we’ve been enjoying the product of that goodness all week long.

My apologies to the New Years’ resolution folk. I tried to hold off until at least February to post these, but I just couldn’t do it. Call it a little treat to yourself for doing so well up until this point. While one of these little guys won’t hurt, good luck practicing self-restraint when faced with a cookie sheet full of them. It’s not easy. What is easy is whipping them up. Which I encourage you to go do. Immediately.

The cookie dough itself is egg-free, and potentially dairy free AND vegan if you get picky about what you coat them with. I used a bag of dark chocolate candy coating, available at craft stores, specialty baking stores, or online. While the brand I used did have a slightly fake-chocolate taste when I sampled a wafer beforehand, the final product was a thin and delicious chocolate coating that hardened into a beautifully snappy shell. Feel free to use pure semi-sweet or dark chocolate to coat these, but I didn’t want to have to deal with tempering and all that jazz. The chocolate wafers are a beautiful and simple solution. And, as I discovered purely by accident, one 14oz bag was the perfect amount of coating for one batch of truffles. One batch meaning about 4 dozen or so. One batch that we have been hoarding all for ourselves. Posting this recipe is the closest thing to sharing I’m willing to do.

Take it or leave it (but I strongly suggest you take it. Now).

chocolate chip cookie dough truffles

Makes approx. 3-4 dozen.

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup milk or soy milk
1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

14 oz dark chocolate candy coating

DIRECTIONS:

Beat butter and sugars and in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add soymilk and vanilla. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt and mix on low speed (or by hand) until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips.

Cover and chill dough for 1 hour.

When dough is firm enough to handle (it may help to lightly flour your hands), form dough into 1” balls and arrange on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper. Place sheets in freezer and let chill for 30 minutes.

Melt chocolate candy coating in a double boiler or in microwave according to package directions. Using forks or a dipping tool, dip cookie balls into candy coating to cover. Tap fork on side of pan to remove any excess coating, and return to waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Chill until set. Store, chilled, in an airtight container for up to 1 week (though good luck making them last that long).

STOLEN FROM:

Avocado Fries

Recipe Adapted from Sunset Magazine

Canola oil for frying
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp kosher salt
2 large eggs, beaten to blend
1 1/4 cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
2 firm-ripe medium avocados, pitted, peeled, and sliced into 1/2-in. wedges

Grated parmesan for serving (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 200°. In a medium saucepan, heat 1 1/2 in. oil until it registers 375° on a deep-fry thermometer.

2. Meanwhile, mix flour with 1/2 tsp. salt in a shallow plate. Put eggs and panko in separate shallow plates.

3. Sprinkle the avocado slices with the remaining ½ tsp salt.  Dip each slice in flour, shaking off excess. Dip in egg, then panko to coat. Set on 2 plates in a single layer.

3. Fry a quarter of avocado slices at a time until deep golden, 30 to 60 seconds. Transfer slices to a plate lined with paper towels. Keep warm in oven while cooking remaining avocados. Sprinkle with salt and a little grated parmesan.

Sundried Tomato Pesto Grilled Cheese Sandwich

(makes 1 sandwich)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons sundried tomato pesto
1 slice mozzarella cheese
1 handful basil leaves
2 slices bread
1 tablespoon butter

Directions:
1. Assemble sandwich and grill until the cheese has melted and the bread is golden brown on both sides, about 2-4 minutes per side.
Although the basic grilled cheese sandwich is pretty simple, there are endless ways to make them more exciting from simply changing up the cheese to adding extra flavours. With the primary ingredient of this sandwich being the sun dried tomato pesto, I was thinking tomatoes and for a cheese the natural choice seemed to be mozzarella. With the tomatoes and mozzarella on my mind I started thinking about caprese salads and as luck would have it, I also had some fresh basil left over from the tart and with that my sandwich was finished. Once again, I was throughly impressed by how amazingly well the pesto worked in a grilled cheese sandwich! The sun dried tomato pesto just packed the sandwich full of flavour and the basil brought a hint of freshness. The melted cheese brought everything together and the toasted, buttery, golden brown bread finished things off perfectly. -Closet Cooking

Spinach Pesto Grilled Cheese Sandwich

(makes 1 sandwich)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons spinach (aka spanakopita) pesto
1/4 cup graviera or gruyere (grated)
2 slices bread
1 tablespoon butter

Directions:
1. Assemble sandwich and grill until the cheese has melted and the bread is golden brown on both sides, about 2-4 minutes per side.

Here’s the How To:

Thaw out a box of Puff Pastry, and cut along the fold lines to make 6 large rectangles.  Cut each rectangle in half lengthwise.

Layer 1/4 of a whole graham cracker, a piece of milk chocolate bar and a spoonful of peanut butter on one side of the Puff Pastry.

Wet the edges with water (dip your finger in water and gently touch along the edge), fold over the filling ingredients and press edges together. Use a fork to seal the edges. Repeat with remaining pieces.

Transfer filled turnovers to a parchment-lined baking sheet, and brush with egg wash.

Use a sharp knife to cut a couple of slits in the top of each turnover (to allow steam to escape while baking).

Bake at 400 degrees F. until golden (about 15 minutes).

Scoop marshmallow creme into a zip baggie and microwave it for about 8 seconds. Snip the tip of the bag, zip it and drizzle marshmallow on top of warm turnovers.


Here’s the S’More’s Turnover- deconstructed…

The Puff Pastry gives the S’Mores an elegant touch, and frankly… they’re a lot easier to eat tucked inside of a turnover.  I think the picture above pretty much explains how this delicious dessert turns out.  If you’re a chocolate+peanut butter lover, you’ll be a big fan for sure.    Hint: Save a few chocolate bars from your kid’s Trick or Treating loot to bake up a few of these S’More’s treats!

 

PEANUT BUTTER- S’MORES TURNOVERS

1 box Puff Pastry (2 sheets), thawed
3 whole graham crackers, gently broken into fourths
9 small milk chocolate bars (I used Hershey’s .49 oz. bars)
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
small bowl of water
1 egg whisked with 1 Tbsp. water (to make egg wash)
1/2 cup jarred Marshmallow Creme (or Fluff)

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with nonstick spray.

2. Lay Puff Pastry on cutting board. Working with one sheet of Puff Pastry at a time, cut on three folds, creating 3 rectangles (about 3″ x 10″ each). Cut each 3 x 10 rectangle in half. You’ll have 6 pieces to work with for each sheet of Puff Pastry.

3. Assemble turnovers: Lay graham cracker on 1/2 of each square, top with chocolate that has been cut down to match the length of the graham cracker. Scoop a scant 1 Tbsp. peanut butter on top of each chocolate bar.

4. Working with one turnover at a time, wet edges of Puff Pastry and fold (over) in half to meet opposite edges. Gently push edges together to stick; use fork to seal edges together and create ridged pattern. Repeat with each turnover until all are sealed up. Gently move sealed turnovers to baking sheet with a small spatula. (At this point, the turnovers may be refrigerated for up to an hour before baking- cover baking sheet with plastic wrap- when ready to bake, remove from refrigerator and continue with instructions).

5. Brush turnovers lightly with egg wash, then use a sharp knife to cut two small slits into the top of each turnover.

6. Bake 15 minutes, or until turnovers are puffed and golden. Remove from oven. Let cool for 5 minutes. Scoop marshmallow creme into a zip baggie (don’t zip). Microwave for 8 seconds to soften. Zip bag and snip a small piece off of the corner of the bag. Drizzle marshmallow onto the top of each turnover. Serve immediately.

Servings: 12
Yield: 12 Turnovers

Cooking Tips
*Use any sort of chocolate that sounds good to you. Just cut it down or break it into pieces that fit on top of a 1/4 of a whole graham cracker. (Leftover mini Hershey’s bars from Halloween work great!)
*I tested this recipe with real marshmallows and they didn’t work as well as the marshmallow creme.
*This recipe can be easily cut in half- just thaw out one sheet of Puff Pastry.
*These are best served while warm & gooey, but they can certainly be eaten any time!

-recipegirl.com

Ingredients

• 2  cups  finely chopped tomatoes (about 3/4 pound)
• 2  cups  finely diced honeydew melon (about 3/4 pound)
• 2  cups  finely diced cantaloupe (about 3/4 pound)
• 1  cup  finely diced mango (about 1 medium)
• 1  cup  finely diced seeded peeled cucumber (about 1 medium)
• 1  cup  finely diced nectarines (about 3 medium)
• 1  cup  fresh orange juice (about 4 oranges)
• 1/2  cup  finely chopped Vidalia or other sweet onion
• 1/4  cup  chopped fresh basil
• 3  tablespoons  chopped fresh mint
• 3  tablespoons  fresh lemon juice
• 1  teaspoon  sugar
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1  jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped

Preparation

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Cover and chill at least 2 hours.