Triple Chip Cheesecake

I discovered this cheesecake recipe in Better Homes and Gardens magazine several years ago, and if I remember right, I think it was a reader submitted recipe. It has become my signature cheesecake. It's really not hard to make, but melted the three flavors of chips and stirring into the batter requires dirtying a lot of bowls. The butterscotch chip layer is the best part and gives this cheesecake a unique flavor.

Triple Chip Cheesecake
from Better Homes and Gardens

Crust
1 ½ c. graham cracker crumbs
½ c. powdered sugar
¼ c. cocoa
1/3 c. butter, melted

Filling
3 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
¾ c. sugar
1/3 c. sour cream
3 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. vanilla
3 large eggs
1 c. each butterscotch, chocolate, and white
chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 300˚. Grease 9-inch springform pan.

Crust: Combine crumbs, powdered sugar, cocoa, and butter in small bowl. Press onto bottom and 1 ½ inches up side of pan. Bake for 7-9 minutes. Cool in pan.

Filling: Beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl until creamy. Beat in sour cream, flour and vanilla. Add eggs; beat until combined. Melt butterscotch morsels in medium microwave-safe bowl at 70% power 1 minute; stir. Morsels may retain some of their shape. If necessary, microwave at additional 10-second intervals, stirring just until melted. Stir 1 ½ c. batter into melted morsels. Pour into crust. Repeat procedure with semi-sweet morsels. Carefully spoon over butterscotch layer. Melt white morsels in small bowl as stated above. Pour melted morsels in remaining batter; stir. Carefully pour over semi-sweet layer, covering completely.

Bake for 70 to 75 minutes or until edge is set and center moves slightly. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Run knife around edge of cheesecake. Let stand 1 hour. Refrigerate several hours or overnight.

Optional topping: drizzle additional melted chips over cheesecake.

CSA - Week 18

  

In week 18 I received: zucchini, yellow squash, potatoes, acorn squash, assorted peppers, radishes, yellow tomatoes, tomatoes, kale, swiss chard, eggs and watermelon.

My only recipe to share is a basic tomato sauce. This recipe is super easy, and of course I used fresh tomatoes instead of canned. Peel the tomatoes by cutting an X on the bottom of the tomatoes. Drop them in boiling water for 30 seconds. Run under cold water. Peel the skins off, cut out the stem part of the tomato, squeeze out some of the seeds, and puree in a food processor.

Basic Tomato Sauce
from Trattoria by Patricia Wells

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, minced
3 fresh garlic cloves, minced
sea salt to taste
one 28-ounce can peeled Italian plum tomatoes in juice or one 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes in puree
several sprigs of fresh parsley, bay leaves, and celery leaves

In a large unheated saucepan, combine the oil, onion, garlic, and salt, and stir to coat with oil. Cook over moderate heat just until the garlic turns golden but does not brown, 2 to 3 minutes. If using whole canned tomatoes, puree the tomatoes first and add to the skillet. Crushed tomatoes can be added directly from the can. Add the herbs, stir to blend, and simmer uncovered, until the sauce begins to thicken, about 15 minutes. Taste for seasoning. Remove and discard herbs. The sauce may be used immediately, stored in the refrigerator for 2 days, or frozen for up to 2 months.

Spinach and Black Bean Enchiladas

I am usually very good about planning out a menu each Saturday, and then I go to the store and buy everything I need for the week. This works out well, though planning menus can be painful. It's totally worth it when I can come home from work and start right on dinner, because I know what to make and I have everything I need.

Occasionally, I don't plan. That's what happened last week. I knew I had a ton of food waiting for me, but I wasn't sure how it would all come together. In this situation, usually I make something not so good.

I surprised myself by making up a recipe and it turned out good. So good that my husband, who usually doesn't make that many comments about dinner, spoke up and told me these enchiladas were surprisingly tasty. I almost fell off my chair. How could a tortilla filled primarily with spinach and no meat be good? He did admit that he was super hungry, so maybe anything he ate would have tasted excellent. Still...

Spinach and Black Bean Enchiladas

1 cup black beans
1 poblano pepper, diced
1 chili pepper, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
10 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1/3 cup feta cheese, shredded
4 10-inch whole wheat tortillas
enchilada sauce - see recipe below

Add the peppers and garlic to a medium frying pan over medium-high heat. Saute for 5 minutes, or until the peppers begin to slightly soften. Remove from heat. Combine peppers, spinach, black beans and cheese in a large bowl and toss to combine.

Spoon a little bit of enchilada sauce into the bottom of a baking dish – just enough sauce to create a very thin coating.

To form the enchiladas: Place a small handful of the spinach and cheese mixture onto each tortilla. Roll up the tortilla and place seam side down in baking dish. Repeat with other tortillas. Cover with the rest of the sauce. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Enchilada Sauce
adapted from Everyday Food by runningfoodie

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) reduced sodium chicken broth
1 small chipotle chile in adobo, minced, plus 1 tablespoon sauce (from a small can)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

In a medium saucepan, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil over medium. Add flour, chili powder, oregano, garlic, and salt and cook for 1 minute. Add broth, chipotle and adobo sauce, and 3/4 cup water, and vinegar; bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Reduce heat, and simmer until lightly thickened, about 10 minutes.

Pumpkin Apple Spice Bread

I love classic pumpkin bread with chocolate chips. But I fell in love with this pumpkin bread with apples, too. The spice combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves is common in recipes using pumpkin and apples, so pairing these fruits together just makes sense.

Sweet breads baked in mini-loaf pans are one of my favorite foods to give away. This recipe makes 4 mini-loaves and one standard loaf. Wrapped in plastic wrap and foil, this bread stores well in the freezer.

Pumpkin Apple Spice Bread
adapted from Recipes for IBS

3 c. flour
3/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. ginger
16 oz. can pumpkin or 2 c. homemade pumpkin puree
3/4 c. canola oil
2 1/4 cup sugar
4 eggs
2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped (about 2 cups)

Topping:
1 Tbsp. flour
5 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 Tbsp. butter

Preheat oven to 350. Combine topping ingredients with a fork. Set aside. Sift all dry ingredients into a large bowl. Stir until thoroughly blended. In a large bowl, beat pumpkin, oil, sugar, and eggs well with an electric mixer. Fold in apples. With a wooden spoon, add the dry ingredients to the wet, stirring the batter by hand until well blended. Pour batter into two non-stick greased loaf pans. Sprinkle on topping. Bake for about 50 minutes or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean (bake mini loaves for 40 minutes). Cool on racks.

Fresh Edamame

A few weeks ago I saw these bean stalks at the farmer's market. I didn't even wonder what they were, but I overheard the farmer telling someone else that they were edamame. So I bought some and searched the internet for what to do. Of course, they really weren't that hard to prepare and turned out really yummy. I just popped them in my mouth like candy.

If you buy fresh edamame, it should be sold on the stalks like this. Otherwise pulling the pods off of the stalks opens the pods, so they won't stay fresh for too long.

Fresh Edamame

Remove pods from stalk. Boil a pot of salted water - one or two teaspoons for a large pot. When water is boiling, add the edamame pods. Test an individual edamame at around 5-6 minutes and gauge the firmness of the bean. Edamame beans should be firm, yet give to the teeth. Mushy beans means that they are over cooked. Pour beans into a colander. Salt to taste. Serve edamame in the pods, or remove beans from pods. Serve at room temperature or cold.

CSA - Week 17

Week 17 (almost done): Eggs, acorn squash, summer squash, assorted peppers, potatoes, honeydew melon, tomatoes, and pear tomatoes.

I guess I'm getting a little burned out on trying new recipes with my recurring CSA produce. Don't get me wrong; I've been eating it, but in kind of boring ways. For example, I ate the pear tomatoes and the honeydew melon plain. I froze the hot peppers and grated the summer squash to put in the freezer.

Here'a new egg recipe, though!  I really do love eggs.  A friend verbally told me about this recipe, and I'm sure I got it all wrong, but this is the type of recipe where there's a thousand ways to make it. But here's what I did, and it worked. My husband said he really liked it.

Spanish Tortilla

4 slices bacon (2 slices tastes just as good)
3 medium potatoes (Yukon Gold work well), peeled and cut in half-inch cubes
1/2 onion, diced
6 eggs
salt and pepper
chopped chives (optional)

In a non-stick skillet, fry the four pieces of bacon until cooked through. Remove the bacon from the pan. Once cool, crumble the bacon into small pieces.

If there's a lot of bacon grease left in the pan, you can remove some of it, but leave several tablespoons in the pan. Add the potatoes and onions and cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender.

Meanwhile, beat the eggs in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Stir in bacon and chives, if using. Once potatoes and onions are done, pour the egg mixture over top. Cover the pan and cook for 5-8 minutes.

Chocolate Banana Bread

Banana bread isn't my favorite, though it's good every once in a while.  This chocolate version made the banana experience a whole lot more enjoyable.  

Cocoa Nana Bread
from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup semisweet cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped, or 1/2 cup store-bought chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan and place it on an insulated baking sheet or on two regular baking sheets stacked on top of the other. (This extra insulation will keep the bottom of the bread from over baking.)

Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt and baking soda.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter at medium speed for about a minute, until softened. Add the sugars and beat for 2 minutes more. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for a minute after each addition. At this point, the batter may look a little curdled -- it's okay. Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the mashed bananas. Add the dry ingredients in 3 additions, mixing only until they disappear into the batter. Still on low speed, add the buttermilk, mixing until it is incorporated. Stir in the chopped chocolate. Scrape the batter into the pan.

Bake for 30 minutes. Cover the bread loosely with a foil tent to keep the top from getting too dark, and continue to bake for another 40 to 45 minutes (total baking time is between 70 to 75 minutes) or until a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for at least 20 minutes before running a knife around the edges of the bread and unmolding. Invert and cool to room temp right side up.