Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

   I've found it to be challenging lately to keep my blogs going.  Over a year!.....It's been over a year since I've posted a recipe.  That's terrible.  I decided I really needed to get a new recipe up here.  I picked one that Rachel and I made months ago. It's a really tasty & beautiful cheesecake.  It would look quite nice on a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner table.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

Ingredients - 

Crust

• 1 3/4 c graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 c sugar melted
• 1/3 c melted butter
• 2 T cocoa powder

Filling 

• 16 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
• 2/3 c sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs
• 1 c sour cream
• 4 oz semisweet baker's chocolate, melted
• 3/4 c chocolate chips

Directions - 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Make the crust - In a large bowl, thoroughly mix dry crust ingredients first & then add the melted butter; mix well.  
3. Press crust mixture firmly onto the bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch springform pan.  
4. Bake for 6-8 minutes.
5. While the crust bakes, make the filling - In a large bowl, cream sugar and cream cheese together.  Beat in vanilla & add eggs one at a time; making sure each one is incorporated before adding the next.
6. Mix in sour cream, then the melted chocolate.
7. Stir in chocolate chips with a spoon or spatula.
8. Add the filling to the hot crust. 
9. Turn oven down to 300 degrees and put pan in the oven to bake.
10. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until set.  It's ok if the cheesecake is has a little jiggle.  
11. Cool on a wire rack until cheesecake reaches room temperature.  Refrigerate until ready to serve. 

Serves 12

Calories per serving - 547

pie crust 

my crazy kitchen buddy

that's better

adding the melted chocolate

so pretty & delicious

Chicken Enchilada Quiche

 This was the very first quiche I ever ate.  The thought of eating an "egg pie" made me want to gag.  In this quiche you can't even taste the eggs or see them.  If you don't like eggs, you would probably still like this.  It tastes so good with the green chiles and salsa mixed in. If it hadn't been for this quiche, I don't think I would have ever tried a "real" quiche.  

Chicken Enchilada Quiche

Chicken Enchilada Quiche
from Old El Paso Mexican Special Edition 2005

Ingredients - 

• 1 Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust (from 15 oz box), softened as directed on box
• 4 eggs
• 1 c. half-and-half or milk
• 1 can (12.5 oz) chunk chicken breast in water, drained (1 1/2 c) or use left over grilled, baked or rotisserie chicken
• 1 1/2 c. broken tortilla chips
• 2 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese (8 oz.)
• 1 c. shredded Cheddar cheese (4 oz.)
• 1 c. Old El Paso Thick 'n Chunky Salsa (I use fresh salsa from the refrigerated section)
• 1 can (4.5oz) Old El Paso chopped green chiles
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• Pepper to taste
• Sour Cream, if desired
• Old El Paso Thick 'n Chunky salsa, if desired (I use fresh salsa from the refrigerated section)

Directions -

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.  In 9 or 9 1/2 inch glass deep dish pie pan, place pie crust as directed on box for one-crust filled pie.
2. In medium bowl with wire whisk, beat eggs until blended; beat in half-and-half.  Stir in chicken, chips, both cheeses, 1 cup salsa, green chiles and salt. Pour into pie crust-lined pan.  Sprinkle pepper over top of filling.
3. Bake 55 to 65 minutes or until crust is light golden brown and knife inserted in center comes out clean.   Let stand 10 minutes before serving.  Cut into wedges; serve with sour cream and/or salsa.

Serves 8.

Calories per serving - 480

I like to have sour cream, salsa & guacamole.

Just to let you know,  I don't bake many pies and don't really know how deep a deep dish pie pan is.  I used a deep glass baking dish that is about 3 inches deep.  It works great.  One other thing....I don't like chunky salsa, so I always run it through the food processor and make it smooth.  

Stromboli

I first made stromboli when we were in Kansas.  I don't really know what made me look into finding a recipe.  I found a really good recipe with excellent instructions.  I noticed, when I went online to find the original recipe I used, the website left out all the step-by-step pictures.  So, I'll try to provide enough pics so you get the visual (if you've never made stromboli).  I really love this rolled up pizza or sandwich....or whatever you want to call it.  

Pepperoni and a ton of cheese

Stromboli
adapted from FabulousFoods.com

Ingredients - 

• pizza dough (if you want to make your own click  FabulousFoods.com - there is a recipe there)
• pizza or sandwich fillings of your choice - (I used pepperoni & shredded Italian 5 cheese blend)
• pizza sauce if doing a pizza stromboli
• 1 egg, beaten 
• sesame seeds

Directions -

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease a large baking sheet.  
2. If using store bought dough, roll it out into a rectangle about 10" by 8".  If not, follow the directions regarding the dough on the website.
3. Add toppings/fillings of your choice.
4. Roll the dough up; jelly roll style. 
5. Pinch the edges of the seam and tuck the ends under.
6. Cut slits about 1/2 inch deep along the top about every 3 inches.  
7. Brush the top of the stromboli with beaten egg (avoiding the area in the slits).
8. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
9. Bake 30 minutes or until bread is golden brown.  
10. Cool slightly before cutting and serving.  

Serves - 6-8
Calories - per stromboli loaf - 2335
              - for 6 servings - 389

              - for 8 servings - 292

   *You can make this so many ways.  I've made ham & cheese stromboli, chicken bacon stromboli, steak & cheese stromboli, cheeseburger stromboli, and several different "pizza" stromboli.  I've used sliced lunch meat, diced ham, left over baked/rotisserie chicken, sliced cheese, shredded cheese, crumbled bacon.....on & on. 
   *A couple tips that were mentioned in the original recipe was "the more veggies you use the more liquid they'll release, so too many veggies can make a soggy stromboli, you can help alleviate this by blanching your veggies first" and "it's important not to layer the fillings too thickly; it makes it difficult to roll".  
   *This last time I made the stromboli I used a pre-made ready to bake dough I found a Safeway.  It was the Garlic & Herb Pizza Dough and it was really delicious.  I dough per stromboli.  I usually follow the pizza dough directions from the website but getting the ready to bake dough was a real time saver.  
   *Brushing the top of the stromboli is a must if you want it to have the pretty shiny, golden brown color.  I skipped that step once....while it still tasted great; it just wasn't nearly as pretty.
   *
   

Dough rolled out into a rectangle.
Using the word rectangle loosely. 

Added a teeny bit of pizza sauce
and a bunch (3/4 of a bag of pepperoni).

Added  a bag of shredded Italian blend cheese (2 c).
Then rolled it up and folded the ends under and
pinched the seam closed.  

Cut the slits, brushed it with the egg,
and sprinkled with sesame seeds.

So golden brown, shiny,
 and oozing warn melted cheese.

Rachel's Chocolate Dipped Marshmallows

This "recipe", if I can really call it that, is something Rach and I thought of for this year's Father's Day treat. I thought of this because every time we go to the Melting Pot he asks for extra marshmallows for the chocolate fondue.  This is how we gave him chocolate marshmallows without the Melting Pot price.  

                                   
                
Rachel's Chocolate Dipped Marshmallows
by Rachel

Ingredients - 

• 1 bag of regular sized marshmallows 
• 1 16 oz package of chocolate CandiQuik candy coating
• variety of sprinkles (optional)

Directions - 

1. Melt chocolate candy coating according to the package directions.
2. Take a marshmallow and dip in the chocolate & sprinkles.
3. Place on parchment or wax paper until chocolate hardens.

Calories per chocolate marshmallow - approx. 63 

In this recipe we just dipped half the marshmallow. This is one of those recipes that is super easy to make it your way.....you can totally dip the entire marshmallow.....you could use white chocolate....drizzle chocolate instead of dipping.  Just have fun with it....and if you're doing this with a young cook - plan on wiping up chocolate for days!  

Getting started.

Carefully placing
about every other marshmallow
on the parchment paper.

I think the chocolate fingerprints gives them
that extra pizazz. 

She love creating in the kitchen.

Auntie Heather's Lumpia

Lumpia is not something I ever heard until living here in Hawaii.  It's questionable if I would've even tried it......had I not seen it made and what went in it.  Almost a year ago, I had it for the first time at my friend, Heather's house.  We had a mom's cooking group.  The best way for me to describe it is.....it's sorta like an egg roll with lots of meat and without that less than desirable cooked cabbage in it.  No funny business in it.....except these weird, clear noodles that I've also never seen 'til living here.  ha  You'll have to try them sometime.  I'm very addicted to lumpia - Heather's recipe that is.  

Auntie Heather's Lumpia

Auntie Heather's Lumpia
by Auntie Heather

Ingredients -

Filling

• 1 lb hamburger meat
• 1 onion, sliced thin
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 carrot, grated
• 1 pkg. long rice noodles, prepared according to directions, then chopped
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• lumpia wrappers
• oil for frying

Sauce

• 3 cloves garlic, crushed (I used my microplane to do the job)
• 1/2 c. white vinegar
• 1/4 tsp (more if you prefer) pepper

Directions - 

1. Brown hamburger 'til half done.
2. Add onions, salt, and pepper.
3. Add vegetables.
4. When vegetables are done; add oyster sauce and mix.
5. Drain in strainer 'til mixture is dry.
6. Using about a tablespoon or two; wrap filling in lumpia wrapper (kinda like a burrito) and deep fry.
7. Drain on paper towels standing up. (I'm a rebel and lay mine flat!)
8. Mix all ingredients together for sauce.  Dip lumpia in sauce when eating or cut and spoon sauce into lumpia.

I made 24 lumpia with this batch.  

Calories per lumpia - 115 (that's not including the oil it took to fry them)

 In case you end up making more or less you can figure out how many calories are in each of your lumpia. 

Calories per meat mixture batch - 1710

Calories per lumpia wrapper - 44

Somethings to note - 1.) lumpia freezes well (Auntie Heather suggests putting them in the microwave for about 15 or so seconds to thaw a bit before frying - to ensure your lumpia gets cooked completely)  2.) you can also add ingredients like - water chestnuts and beansprouts; if Auntie Heather uses beansprouts she leaves the noodles out.

Lumpia wrappers

Long Rice noodle bag
(in case you need to have an idea of what to look for)

noodles soaking in hot water according to directions

ground beef lumpia mixture

wrapping the lumpia
(kinda like a burrito)

wrapping the lumpia

wrapping the lumpia

all my lumpia...
ready for their hot oil bath!

lumpia getting their hot oil bath
I put just enough oil to cover them half way ,
once the bottom is golden - I turn them

the garlic vinegar sauce
trust me - it's really good on/in the lumpia

nice and golden
cut them in half so you can spoon the
vinegar sauce in them

Mini Penne with Spicy Chicken Alfredo

I got this recipe from my "Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade 20-minute meals" cookbook.   There are so many good looking recipes in this book.  Unfortunately, so ,many of them have way more nasty veggies ingredients that hubby won't eat.  So, I either don't make it or leave so much out that it's no longer Sandra's recipe!  ha.  I hope you'll try this.  It was a nice twist to regular Alfredo.

This sure was tasty.

Mini Penne with Spicy Chicken Alfredo
from Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade 20 minute meals

Ingredients - 

• 8 ounces dried mini penne pasta (can you believe the commissary had the mini?!), Barilla
• 1 jar (16 oz.) Alfredo sauce, Classico
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano, Del Monte
• 1 T. Italian seasoning,  McCormick
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes, McCormick
• 2 packages (6 oz each) refrigerated cooked chicken breast strips, Oscar Mayer or Louis Rich
• 1 can (2.25 oz) sliced black olives, drained, Early California
• shredded Parmesan cheese, Kraft

Directions -

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain well; return to hot pot.  Cover; keep warm.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium sauce pan, combine Alfredo sauce, tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes over medium heat.  Stir in chicken and olives.  Bring to a simmer; cook for 10 minutes.
3. Serve hot over cooked pasta. Top with Parmesan cheese. 

Serves - 4

Calories per serving - 566

A few things I wanted to note about how I made this recipe a better fit for me and my family:  

#1 - I used only half the can of tomatoes & chopped them up more in my little food processor (I can stand chunks of tomatoes....well I just can't stand tomatoes).

#2 - I used a little ground red pepper instead of the flakes.  Little Miss won't eat it if she's sees red pepper flakes.  Also, I didn't add so much to it wouldn't be too spicy for her. 

#3 - I couldn't find the chicken strips the recipe calls for, so I just did it the old fashioned way and cooked the chicken myself and cut it into strips.

#4 - I didn't add the black olives in the dish.  Hubby would have spent a good 10 minutes picking around them and Little Miss and I would be nearly finished eating.  ha  

Paula's Favorite Peppermint Cake

So, here we go again with a recipe I've had for a few years and just now making.  This recipe comes from one of my favorite Food Network cooks/chefs.....Paula Deen.  You know it's gonna have plenty of calories. 

So pretty
We took this little gem to Rachel's CF care team.

Paula's Favorite Peppermint Cake
from Paula Deen "Cooking with Paula Deen"
Nov/Dec 2008 issue

Ingredients -

• 1 c. butter, softened
• 2 c. sugar
• 4 large eggs, separated
• 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
• 3 c. all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 1/4 c. heavy whipping cream
• 1/3 c. sour cream
• 1/2 crushed peppermint candies
• White Chocolate Frosting (recipe follows)
• Garnish: peppermint sticks

Directions -

1. Preheat oven 350 degrees.  Spray 2 (9-inch) round cake pans with nonstick baking spray with flour. 
2. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar at a medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.
3. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. 
4. Beat in peppermint extract.
5. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add to butter mixture, alternately with cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating  until combined after each addition. 
6. Stir in sour cream and crushed peppermints, just until combined.
7. In a medium bowl, beat egg whites at high speed with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.  Gently fold into batter.
8. Spoon batter evenly into prepared pans. 
9. Bake for 26 - 28 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. 
10. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes.
11. Remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks. 
12. Wrap cake layers in heavy-duty plastic wrap, and chill for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours. 
13. Using a serrated knife, cut each cake layer in half horizontally to make 4 layers.
14. Place 1 layer, cut side down, on a cake plate: spread with 1/2 c. White Chocolate Frosting. 
15. Repeat procedure with remaining 3 layers.
16. Spread sides and top of cake with remaining frosting.
17. Garnish with peppermint sticks, if desired. 

White Chocolate Frosting
Makes about 5 cups

Ingredients -

• 8 (1 ounce) squares white chocolate
• 3/4 c. heavy whipping cream
• 3/4 c. butter, softened
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 9 c. confectioner's sugar

Directions -

1. In a medium bowl, combine white chocolate and cream.
2. Microwave on High in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until chocolate is melted and smooth (about 1 1/2 minutes total).
3. Let cool completely.
4. In a large bowl, combine chocolate mixture and butter. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.
5. Add vanilla, beating until combined.
6. Gradually add confectioner's sugar, beating until smooth

A couple things to note here....one I didn't bother adding up the calories.....just know/trust that it's a boat load.  Second, the baking spray with flour is a must!  If you don't have that, just the regular pan spray....be sure you lightly dust the pans with flour after you spray them.  I just used regular spray thinking it would be fine.....it wasn't - one cake stuck and well, what was supposed to be a 4 layer cake turned into a 3 layer cake!  ha. 

Miss Rach adding the peppermint
and sporting the apron Granny made for her.

Carefully spreading the frosting.

Carefully licking the frosting!

Ta-da....all done and ready to go.

.