Chantal's New York Cheesecake

I've tried numerous cheesecake recipes and for some reason The Husband really liked this one.  It doesn't have a strong "cheese" taste, in fact it's a bit denser like a cake.  I just like how simple it was to make. Supposedly this is the recipe from the famous Chantal's deli in New York. I personally thought 1.5 cups of sugar was a bit sweet and even thought I left it in the oven, the cake still cracked.  I think next time I'll try 1 cup of sugar and cook the cake in a water bath.

Chantal's New York Cheesecake
ingredients | crust

• 15 graham crackers, crushed
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

ingredients | cake

• 4 (8 oz) packages cream cheese
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 3/4 cup milk
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

 directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9 inch springform pan.
2. In a medium bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs with melted butter. Press onto bottom of springform pan.
3. In a large bowl, mix cream cheese with sugar until smooth. Blend in milk, and then mix in the eggs one at a time, mixing just enough to incorporate. Mix in sour cream, vanilla and flour until smooth. Pour filling into prepared crust.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour. Turn the oven off, and let cake cool in oven with the door closed for 5 to 6 hours; this prevents cracking. Chill in refrigerator until serving.

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Shrimp Scampi with Linguini

Sometimes it astonishes me how much a dish cost to make versus order at a restaurant. This recipe is simple, but tasty especially if you get the right shrimp.

Shrimp Scampi with Linquini

ingredients

• 1lb linguini
• 4 Tb butter
• 4 Tb extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 2 shallots, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Pinch red pepper flakes
• 1lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley leaves

directions

1. For the pasta, put a large pot of water on the stove to boil. When it has come to the boil, add a couple of tablespoons of salt and the linguini. Stir to make sure the pasta separates; cover. When the water returns to a boil, cook for about 6 to 8 minutes or until the pasta is not quite done. Drain the pasta.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter in 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute the shallots, garlic, and red pepper flakes until the shallots are translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes. 
3. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper; add them to the pan and cook until they have turned pink, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the shrimp from the pan; set aside and keep warm. 
4. Add wine and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons oil. When the butter has melted, return the shrimp to the pan along with the parsley and cooked pasta. Stir well and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle over a bit more olive oil and serve immediately.

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Spinach Lasagna Rolls

I can't remember why I bought ricotta cheese, but it was about to expire and I was in dire need of a quick recipe where ricotta cheese was used abundantly.  I've made lasagna before but always felt they were quite labor intensive, it was probably my fault for taking on the more challenging recipes. This recipe will definitely be making a reappearance on our dinner table.  Quick, easy and delicious.

Spinach Lasagna Rolls
(adapted from the-girl-who-ate-everything.com)

ingredients

• 9 lasagna noodles, cooked
• 1 (10oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and completely drained
• 1 (15oz) container fat free ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp dried italian seasoning
• salt and pepper
• 1 chicken breast, cooked and diced
• 1 jar of spaghetti sauce
• 9 Tb mozzarella cheese, shredded

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Make sure you drain the spinach well. Combine spinach, ricotta, Parmesan cheese, egg, garlic, Italian seasonings, chicken, and salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Pour about 1 cup sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish.
2. Place a piece of wax paper on the counter and lay out lasagna noodles. Make sure noodles are dry by patting them with a paper towel. Take 1/3 cup of ricotta mixture and spread evenly over a noodle. Roll carefully and place seam side down onto the baking dish. Repeat with remaining noodles.
3. Ladle sauce over the noodles in the baking dish and top each one with 1 Tablespoon of mozzarella cheese. Cover baking dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes, or until cheese melts. Makes 9 rolls.
    

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strawberry cream cake

One of my favorite cakes to make although a laborious one, however ever since I got my second Kitchenaid mixing bowl the process has been much less painful.  What I like about this cake is the absence of butter and oil.  The sponge-like cake fluffs up purely by the power of the egg whites, granted 5 whole eggs are used in this recipe.  I suppose we sacrifice the fat for the cholesterol. The cream is creme fraiche and heavy cream so I usually only make half the amount it ask for... who needs that much cream when you got so many yummy strawberries?

Strawberry Cream Cake
(adapted from William Sonoma)

ingredients | for the cake:

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 5 eggs, separated
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 5 Tbs. boiling water
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• Grated zest of 2 lemons

ingredients | for the strawberry cream filling:

• 2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced, plus more for garnish
• 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
• 4 to 6 Tbs. granulated sugar
• 1 cups crème fraîche
• 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 

directions | to make the cake:

1. Preheat an oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip together the egg yolks and sugar on high speed until thick. Reduce the speed to medium-low and add the boiling water. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Increase the speed to high and whip again until thick. Stir in the vanilla extract and lemon zest. Reduce the speed to low and stir in the flour mixture.
4. In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites on medium-low speed until frothy. Increase the speed to medium-high and whip until thick and smooth; the mixture should not look dry. 
5. Fold half of the whites into the batter, then fold in the remaining whites.
6. Gently spread the batter in the prepared pan. Bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 30 minutes. 
7. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the inside edge of the pan and remove the ring. Invert the cake and remove the base of the pan. Carefully peel off the parchment. Transfer the cake to a wire rack and let cool completely. Using a serrated knife, cut the cake horizontally into 2 layers.

directions | to make the filling:

1. To make the filling, place the 2 cups strawberries in a bowl. Stir in the lemon juice and 2 Tbs. of the granulated sugar.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the crème fraîche, cream, vanilla and the remaining 2 Tbs. granulated sugar. Whip on medium-high speed until soft peaks form and the cream holds its shape.
3. Place 1 cake layer on a cake stand or serving plate. Arrange one-third of the strawberries and their juices over the cake. Spread one-third of the cream over the berries. Repeat the layering process with the remaining 2 cake layers, berries and cream, ending with a layer of cream.

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Baked Pasta with Sausage and Tomatoes

I was looking for another quick dinner solution and stumbled upon this.  Yums!

Baked Pasta with Sausage and Tomatoes
ingredients

• 1 (1 lb) package uncooked ziti (short tube-shaped pasta)
• 1 lb hot turkey Italian sausage links
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tbs tomato paste
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 (14.5-ounce) cans petite-diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• Cooking spray
• 1 cup shredded fresh mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain the pasta, and set aside.
3. Remove casings from sausage. Cook sausage, onion, and garlic in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until browned, stirring to crumble. Add the tomato paste, salt, pepper, and tomatoes, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Combine cooked pasta, sausage mixture, and basil. Place half of the pasta mixture in a 4-quart casserole coated with cooking spray. Top with half of mozzarella and half of Parmesan. Repeat. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until bubbly.

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Roast Chicken Chimichangas

I got out of work later than I anticipated and needed to make dinner fast. These were easier to make than enchiladas and took me only 30 minutes to get dinner ready.  Although what I like most about them is that it isn't fried.  Yum yum!

Roast Chicken Chimichangas

ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups shredded roasted skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 1 cup monterey jack cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 (4.5-oz) can chopped green chiles, drained
• 1 (16 oz) can fat-free refried beans 
• 6 (8-inch) flour tortillas 
• Cooking spray 
• Bottled green salsa

directions

1. Preheat oven to 500°.
2. Combine first 7 ingredients in a large bowl; toss well.
3. Spread 1/4 cup beans down center of each tortilla. Top each tortilla with 2/3 cup chicken mixture; roll up. Place rolls, seam sides down, on a large baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Coat tops of chimichangas with cooking spray. Bake at 500° for 7 minutes. Serve with salsa.

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beef stew

I've been craving beef stew for quite some time, but was forbidden to have Campbell's Beef & Barley because of all the preservatives... this left me with no option but to make my own. This was my first attempt and I was quite pleased with the result, now to figure out how to add barley.

Beef Stew
(adapted from For the Love of Cooking)
ingredients

• 1 lb stew meat (I used round cut into small chunks)
• 1 yellow onion chopped into large pieces
• 3 cloves of garlic chopped
• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 1 can stew tomatoes
• 1-2 tsp dried thyme
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 cups of beef stock
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 1 cup diced celery
• 2 cups diced baby red potatoes (skin on)

directions

1. Preheat oven to 250F.
2. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add stew meat and onion then cook for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds before adding tomatoes, seasonings and stock. Cover and cook in the oven for at least 4 hours. (I actually only cooked it for 2 hours)
3. Remove pot from oven place on stove top over medium low heat.
4. Add vegetables to the stew and add more beef broth if low. Taste and re-season if needed. Cover and cook for 1 - 1 1/ 2 hours. If you want the stew to be thick, add a slurry of cornstarch and cold beef broth (mixing thoroughly) then pour into stew while it's boiling, stir then reduce heat to low.

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