Butter Pecan Cheescake with Chocolate Glaze

I learned something about cheese cakes recently when I went to a special restaurant in Omaha called Sullivan's. The master chef served us a complimentary desert that change my whole belief that cheesecake is heavy. It was a new New York style baked one and it was light as a feather! When I asked how they got it so light, he said  you make it the day you are serving it and let it come to room temp and DONT refrigerate it  and it maintains the air bubbles and stays light. When you refrigerate it, is collapses the bubbles and your cheesecake gets more dense. So if you like it light and fluffy, make and serve at room temp! Of course we like it either way! But you wont believe how light it ends up. Your guests will think you are a master!

Crust

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ cup butter or margarine, softened

½ cup finely chopped pecans

1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Filling and Topping

3 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

4 eggs

½ teaspoon butter flavoring, if desired

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ cup semisweet chocolate chips

¼ cup whipping (heavy) cream

1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

½ cup pecan halves

DIRECTIONS

1.      Heat oven to 400°F. In medium bowl, beat all crust ingredients with electric mixer on low speed until crumbly. Pat dough in bottom and 1 1/2 inches up sides of ungreased 9-inch springform pan. Bake about 7 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes.

2.      Reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Beat cream cheese in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Beat in 1 cup brown sugar until creamy. Beat in eggs, butter flavoring and vanilla, scraping bowl occasionally, until smooth. Pour into partially baked crust.

3.      Bake about 1 hour 10 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool 15 minutes (center will sink slightly).

4.      Meanwhile, heat chocolate chips and whipping cream in 1-quart saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until melted and smooth. Spread chocolate glaze on top of cheesecake.

5.      Heat 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 tablespoon butter and the pecan halves in 8-inch nonstick skillet over low heat, stirring frequently, until sugar is melted and pecans are toasted. Spread on waxed paper; cool 5 minutes. Arrange sugared pecans along edge of top of cheesecake. Cool 2 hours at room temperature. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Run metal spatula along side of cheesecake to loosen; remove side of pan. Store covered in refrigerator

Nutritional Information ( Just so you know)

1        Serving (1 Serving)

·         Calories 400 (Calories from Fat 270),

·         Total Fat 30g

o    (Saturated Fat 16g,Trans Fat ncg),

·         Cholesterol 120mg;

·         Sodium 190mg;

·         Total Carbohydrate 26g

o    (Dietary Fiber 1g,

o    Sugars ncg),

·         Protein 7g;

Healthy Chicken & Pecan Enchiladas

As I try to learn to cook more healthy this one caught my eye. Try is along with me and send me you results and pictures!

Chicken & Pecan Enchiladas

Ingredients

Serves 6
4 poblano peppers
2 bunches (about 12 cups) of spinach, washed and trimmed
2 onions, sliced, divided
4 cloves garlic, minced, divided
1 15½-oz can garbanzo beans, with liquid
2 Tbsps pecans ½ cup chicken broth
1 ½ tsps cumin, divided
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 lb cremini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
1 red bell pepper, cut in strips
2 Tbsps chopped cilantro, plus extra for garnish
6 10-inch flour tortillas
1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella (optional) Salt and pepper to taste
Vegetable oil for sautéing

Preparation

1. Char whole poblano peppers under broiler until skin is blackened. Remove from broiler and put in sealed plastic zip bag. Let sit for 15 minutes, then peel, seed, and cut peppers into 1/2-inch strips. Set aside.
2. Boil water in a large pot. Add spinach and blanch for 30-60 seconds in boiling water. Drain and rinse with cold water. Let cool. Squeeze out excess water and set aside.
3. Heat a bit of oil in a pan and sauté 1 cup of onions until golden, 5-10 minutes. Add half of the minced garlic and cook 1 more minute.
4. Add half of the poblano pepper strips and all of the spinach to the pan. Saute for 1-2 minutes to combine. Remove from heat and set aside.
5. Place garbanzo beans and liquid in a blender. Add pecans, poblano-onion-spinach mixture, chicken broth, ¼ tsp cumin, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Blend until smooth. Set sauce aside.
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. While oven is heating, grill chicken breasts approximately 4 minutes per side until cooked through. Remove from grill, shred chicken with a fork, and set aside.
7. While chicken is grilling, sauté remaining cup of onions in a bit of oil until soft, about 5 minutes. Add remaining half of the minced garlic and cook 1 minute. Add mushrooms and sauté until the liquid evaporates. Remove from heat.
8. Add remaining poblano pepper strips, red bell pepper strips, shredded chicken breast, remaining teaspoon of cumin, and chopped cilantro to onion-mushroom mixture and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
9. Working one tortilla at a time, heat a tortilla in the microwave for 15 seconds to soften. Place one-sixth of the filling in the center of the tortilla and top with ¼ cup of sauce. Fold in both sides of the tortilla to enclose the filling, and place seam-side down in an individual-serving-size oval gratin dish. (Alternatively, place all six wrapped tortillas in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.)
10. Top each tortilla with ½ cup of sauce. Place dishes or baking pan in the preheated oven and bake until heated through, about 15 minutes.
11. Remove from oven and top each enchilada with ¼ cup shredded mozzarella (optional) and garnish with cilantro before serving.

Apple Walnut Flax Bread

Apples are always in the fridge during the fall  and the smell of cinnamon and nutmeg with the meaty crunch of walnuts just give me that warm fall feeling.
Want to make this bread healthier? Substitute half of the flour for whole wheat or brown rice flour for us gluten free nerds, and substitute 2 Tbsp of butter and 1/4 c applesauce instead of 1/4 c butter. You won't regret it!


Apple Walnut Flax Bread

Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 pinch fresh ground nutmeg
1 c. dark brown sugar
1/4 c. oil 
1/4 c. unsalted butter, melted and then cooled
1 egg, plus 1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 c. apples (about 2 medium), diced
1/2 c. walnuts, coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp flax seeds

raw sugar

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 325 degrees and prepare a loaf pan (or 4 mini loaf pans).
-In medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg and whisk to combine thoroughly, set aside.
-In bowl of stand mixer, combine oil, butter and sugar and beat to combine thoroughly.
-Add egg and yolk and beat to combine thoroughly.
-Beat in vanilla.
-Turn mixer to low and add flour mixture, a little at a time, beating until just combined.
-Stir in apples, walnuts and flax seed.
-Scrape batter into prepared loaf pan (batter will be quite thick) and spread evenly.
-Sprinkle top with raw sugar.
-Place loaf pan into oven and bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 80-90 minutes (45 minutes for mini loaves).
-Let cool before serving.

Red Velvet Cup Cakes (A little bit of heaven)

When  someone asks you what you favorite desert is , it is often hard because you may like differnt ones at different times of the year and different occasions.It may be a daunting decision, but red velvet with cream cheese frosting needs to be seriously considered in the end.  I have made these cupcakes countless times and I’m still not sick of it.  That must mean something.  Some may think of red velvet as a Valentine’s treat, but for me this is a year-round type of love.  If you’ve never tried red velvet cake, you need to.  The flavor can’t really be adequately described, you just need to taste it to know.  I’ve made many versions but this is my favorite for sure, both for flavor and the perfect red coloring.  (And yes, I use the artificial coloring and I have no qualms about it.)  One thing I learned during my cupcake adventures is that using clear vanilla extract in the frosting makes for a prettier color and a better texture.  Normally I’m all about the natural stuff, but in this case I go for the clear kind.

Red Velvet Cupcakes
Yield: about 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:
For the cake:
2½ cups cake flour
1½ cups sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tbsp. cocoa powder
1 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
1½ cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 tbsp. (1 oz.) liquid red food coloring
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. distilled white vinegar

For the frosting:*
8 oz. cream cheese
5 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2½ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Line cupcake pans with paper liners.  In a medium bowl, combine the cake flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa powder and salt; whisk to blend.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the eggs, vegetable oil, buttermilk, food coloring, vanilla and vinegar.  Beat on medium speed until well blended.  Mix in the dry ingredients on low speed and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared liners.  Bake, rotating the pans halfway through baking, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 18 minutes.  Let cool in the pans 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, combine the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer.  Beat on medium-high speed until well combined and smooth, about 2-3 minutes.  Mix in the vanilla extract.  Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar until totally incorporated, increase the speed and then beat until smooth.  Frost cooled cupcakes as desired. (I used a large, unlabeled star tip to frost these cupcakes.)

*If you are big on frosting as I am, you may want to increase the quantities by 50%.  That is what I typically do for a batch of 24 cupcakes.  I usually end up with some left over, but I would rather have too much frosting than not enough!

Eating Gluten Free, The Search for Flavor & Texture

After years of abdominal pain and inflammation in my joints I finally figured out I have a gluten intolerance. Duh! I wish I would have known this long before now, but now that I know and have made some big changes,So now  I lost about 50 lbs and feeling much better, I have been eating very differently. More fresh veggies, fruits, fish, lean beef and turkey, and grilled chicken. But I have to admit I really miss bread!
When I have tried gluten free products I have just about gagged!  So I am trying to figure out how to make some gluten free, lower fat, less sugar- BUT taste fabulous. I am skeptical. I will let you know how my progress goes. Any insight is greatly appreciated.
My first recipe is a Blueberry Muffin.

For all of you non-believers, take note! You can bake gluten free and it will taste delicious. Furthermore, you will be hard-pressed to tell the difference between gluten free and non-gluten free, depending on the ingredients you use. Take these fabulous blueberry muffins that I made this morning. They were delicious. I've already scoffed down two and am keeping myself from going back into the kitchen for more. 

The recipe comes from one of my most recent cookbook purchases, Gluten-Free Baking Classics by Annalise G. Roberts. I would highly recommend that you add this to your library. While I've only made one recipe from the book, I have an eye for good cookbooks, and this one is good, believe me.

The author recommends using extra fine brown rice flour from Authentic Foods, but I didn't have any and really wanted to make the muffins, so I used Arrowhead MillsOrganic Brown Rice Flour which wasn't extra fine or at least it didn't say so on the packaging.

Blueberry MuffinsMakes 12 muffins

2 cups brown rice flour mix (see below)
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon xanthan gum
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ - ½ teaspoon nutmeg (to taste)
1 ½ cups unsweetened fresh blueberries (I used frozen, undefrosted)
½ cup milk (I used vanilla flavored almond milk)
½ cup canola oil
2 large eggs
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Cinnamon sugar for garnish or optional streusel topping (I used the streusel topping)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Position rack in center of oven. Spray muffin pan with cooking spray.
Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, salt, and nutmeg in large mixing bowl. Add blueberries; stir to coat evenly.
Combine milk and oil in small bowl; remove 1 tablespoon of combined liquid and discard it. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add liquids to blueberry mixture and stir until just blended.
Fill muffin pans 2/3 full. Sprinkle top with cinnamon sugar or streusel topping. Bake 18 – 25 minutes until lightly golden. Remove muffins from pan and serve immediately or cool on a rack.
Streusel Topping
½ cup brown rice flour mix
1/3 cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon xanthan gum
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and xanthan gum in a small bowl; stir to blend. Pour in butter and stir until all dry ingredients are moistened. Break into small pieces with spoon.
Brown Rice Flour Mix2 cups brown rice flour (extra finely ground)
2/3 cup potato starch (NOT potato flour)
1/3 cup tapioca flour
Total: 3 cups

This recipe is a keeper. 

Wedding Yummies

The wedding for our daughter is planned and the caterer fully engaged, with a simple outdoor evening event that we hope to enjoy thoroughly. Trying to stay in budget and make it delicious is a feat I hope we accomplish. It will be heavy appetizers and cake, with refreshing wines, beers, and flavored waters. Since it will be in late August in Iowa, the hope for cool breezes, lovely fireflies and yummy nibblings for all. Our plans for a photo booth will give folks something to entertain themselves with and perhaps get a cute family picture to mark this moment.
Emily and Daniel I am sure are ready to "get er done"!
We have decided on Gazpacho shots with a crusty bread brushed with olive oil and Parmesan cheese, grilled chicken breast with peanut sate, bacon wrapped shrimp, loads of fruits and veggies, humus with  crisp salted pita chips and a glorious cake made by my sister loaded with fresh flowers.You would kill for this cake! So I think we are ready for this to happen and we hope to dance among the stars into the night!

5 Minute Cake in a Mug_ I know it's CRAZY!

If a ‘Five-Minute Chocolate Mug Cake’ doesnt sound enticing enough, I understand the doubts the naysayers out there may have, and hence, here are five reasons I believe you should give this a try:
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