NY Style Cheesecake... the blank canvas :)

scenario: you've been running around all day doing errands and such, and then you remember-- you have a holiday party in an hour! well i have a simple solution!

new york style cheesecake is simple. its easy to dress up, even if you're in a hurry! go to your local supermarket and right on over to the bakery. in the refrigerated section, you will find cheesecakes of all different sizes. pick one up and place it in your cart or basket. pick up the following ingredients, depending on the event you're going to... or if you can think of another combination, use it! remember, cheesecake is a blank canvas!!


Hazelnut Pirouette's/Nutella
Peanut Brittle/Peanut Butter
Mint Milano Cookies (Pepperidge Farms)/Crushed Starlight Mints
Soft Peppermint Sticks/ Chocolate Shavings
Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bars/Big Marshmellows or Fluffernutter *Toast to golden with a butane torch
Apple Chips/Apple Pie Filling
Apple Chips/Pumpkin Pie Filling


and the list goes on and on and on...

the 1st ingredient, you will layer around the edge of the cheesecake, pressing it into the sides of the cake so it will stay. the second ingredient will go on top of the cheesecake. feel free to get creative! this doesn't take long at all. if you're up to making your own NY style cheesecake... here is a fantastic recipe to try!

Ingredients
Crust:

* 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
* 2 tablespoons sugar
* 2 tablespoons butter, room temperature

Cheesecake:

* 24 ounces cream cheese
* 3 eggs
* 2 cups sugar
* 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.

Make the Crust: Stir all ingredients with fork and press into 8-inch springform pan that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.

Make the filling: Allow the cream cheese and eggs to sit out for about 1 hour before mixing. Mix the cream cheese and sugar in a mixer on low speed. Add the eggs 1 at a time; then add the vanilla.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake at 275 degrees F for 90 minutes. Turn the oven off but do not open the oven door for 3 hours. Refrigerate for 8 hours before removing from the pan.

brr... its cold outside!

its getting chilly out, isnt it?

how about breaking out of the usual hot apple cider & hot coco mold, and make your own warm tasty drinks!


Hot Russian Tea

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

* 2 cups orange-flavored drink mix (e.g. Tang)
* 2 cups white sugar
* 1/4 cup instant tea powder
* 3/4 cup lemon-flavored instant tea powder
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon ground cloves

* add to recipe box Add to Recipe Box
My folders:
* add to shopping list Add to Shopping List
* Customize Recipe
* add a personal note Add a Personal Note

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, combine orange drink mix, sugar, tea powder, cinnamon and cloves. Mix well and store in an airtight container.
2. To serve, put 3 teaspoons of mix in a mug. Stir in 1 cup boiling water. Adjust to taste.


Yeild: 100 servings.



COCOA MIX

INGREDIENTS
2 cups nonfat dry milk powder
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup powdered nondairy creamer
1/8 teaspoon salt
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Measure all of the ingredients into a mixing bowl and whisk them until they are evenly blended.
2. Store the mix in a tightly covered container at room temperature until you're ready to package it. Makes about 4 cups of mix.

The secret ingredient in this mix is the mini chocolate chips, which melt when combined with the boiling water and give the cocoa an extra-rich flavor. The recipe makes enough for four gift-size portions, each of which can be measured into a small plastic bag and tucked into a cup or mug filled with mini marshmallows, candy stick stirrers, and a spoon. Wrap each filled gift cup in cellophane and don't forget to include a tag with a list of the ingredients.




**These are both great gift ideas for those chillier months! Layer them in mason jars, add some festive fabric over top, and finish with a ribbon! Make sure to include the ingredients and directions with your gift, so others can follow in your lead :)

craving something sweet & easy?

this recipe is easy & only requires a microwave!


these cookies are called haystacks. they are crunchy & sweet & easy!

ingredients:

one bag of butterscotch morsels, milk chocolate morsels, or dark chocolate morsels
one cup of peanut butter
any cereal of your choice! (origionally these are made with chinese noodles... if you can find them in your local grocery store, try them out! it really makes them look like stacks of hay! )


place butterscotch and peanut butter in a microwave safe bowl. microwave in increments of 30 second, stirring together each time, until the butterscotch and the peanut butter have melted. its very important not to microwave longer than 30 seconds at a time, so that the butterscotch does not burn. do remember that microwaves, unlike ovens, heat from the inside, out. so stirring is very very important.

when the butterscotch and peanut butter mixture is melted, combine the cereal. i personally like frosted flakes, as they stay really crunchy. stir the cereal in until every piece is lightly coated. roll out wax paper or tin foil on your counter top, and spoon out mounds of cereal. let cool.

remove the 'cookies' from the wax paper, and enjoy! great with a very cold glass of milk :)



*feel free to personalize these cookies any way you wish! they are great with baby marshmellows, peanuts, pecans or almonds, coconut flake... anything you wish to add! add these secondary ingredients when you add the cereal.

on a diet? try these

greek cinnamon chicken

Ingredients

1 (2 1/2 pound) chicken, cut in 8 pieces
Salt
Pepper
3 Tablespoons butter
2 medium red onions, peeled and sliced
1 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

FOR THE SAUCE:

2 cloves garlic, peeled and mashed with salt
8 small tomatoes, skinned and seeded and cut in slices
2 cups dry white wine
1 Tablespoon tomato paste
4 celery stalks, thinly sliced
2 Tablespoons chopped parsley

1/2 pound broad noodles*feel free to substitute whole wheat pasta for a healthier mea
1/2 pound fine noodles*
2 Tablespoons grated cheese

*feel free to substitute whole wheat pasta for a healthier meal

Directions

Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Heat the butter in a large frying pan and brown the chicken on all sides. Add the onions and stock; simmer 45 minutes. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Bring the garlic, wine, and tomatoes to a boil in a saucepan; stir in the tomato paste and celery. Season with salt and pepper and boil 15 minutes; Add the parsley.

Boil the noodles in salt water in another saucepan for 10 minutes OR until they are done, rinse with cold water, and drain.

To serve, mix the noodles with half of the cheese and place on a serving dish. Arrange the chicken on the bed of noodles. Pour the sauce on top of the chicken and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. This serves 4 to 6.


Idiot chicken

Ingredients:

chicken breast (however many you need to feel the people in your family)
salsa (mild, medium, hot, peach, raspberry, blackbean and corn... whatever floats your boat)
chili seasoning (only add if using mild, medium or hot salsa)** this is completely optional

white rice


Directions:

Place the chicken & salsa in a crockpot for 8 hours on low, or 4 hours on high.
Boil rice.


place rice & chicken on plate, and enjoy! its idiot proof! ;) and healthy :)




Pork, Sweet Potatoes & Sauteed Apples and Onions

Ingredients

• 4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• Salt
• 4 bon-in pork chops, 1-inch thick
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 large onions, yellow or red, thinly sliced
• 2 Gala or Golden Delicious apples, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 1 lemon
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup apple cider
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 rounded tablespoons orange marmalade

Directions

In a medium pot add sweet potatoes and cover with salted water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer until fork tender, 15 to 18 minutes.

Season chops with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, a turn of the pan, in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook pork 5 minutes on the first side until deeply golden, turn and cook 3 to 4 minutes more with a loose foil tent over the pan. Remove cooked chops to a plate and cover to keep warm. Add another turn of the pan of olive oil, add the onions and apples. Season with salt, pepper and thyme and cook until just tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Douse with juice of a lemon and remove chops to a plate.

Add 2 tablespoons butter to the skillet, melt then whisk in flour, cook 1 minute then whisk in cider and 1 cup of stock. Season the gravy with salt and pepper. Thicken 4 to 5 minutes over medium-low heat.

Drain cooked sweet potatoes and return pan to stove. Melt 2 tablespoons butter and combine with marmalade and 1 cup stock. Add potatoes and mash, season with salt and pepper.

Serve chop on a bed of sweet potatoes, and then cover chop with apples and onions, gravy poured down over top.

* Instead of pork chops, I roasted a tenderloin and just cut it before serving it. Enjoy!















(please note, these are not my recipes, and i do not intend to take credit for them, but i do love them and make them constantly!)

food :)

so i've been cooking a lot lately, and i thought i'd share some recipes with you :) i know i haven't really blogged consistantly in the past, but i know & love food. so from now on, this blog is dedicated to great recipies that i know and love, with the occasional rant or thought thrown in when i'm having a difficult day.



enjoy the recipies i post & comments on how they turn out are appreciated! i hope you love the food as much as i do!

Delish.

Balsamic Roast Pork Tenderloins

Cook Time:20 min

Total:30 min

Yield: 10 servings

Ingredients

• 4 1/2 pounds pork tenderloins, 2 packages with 2 tenderloins in each package
• 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 8 cloves garlic, cracked
• Steak seasoning blend or coarse salt and black pepper
• 4 sprigs fresh rosemary leaves stripped and finely chopped
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped and finely chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

Trim silver skin or connective tissue off tenderloins with a very sharp thin knife.

Place tender loins on a nonstick cookie sheet with a rim. Coat tenderloins in a few tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, rubbing vinegar into meat. Drizzle tenderloins with extra-virgin olive oil, just enough to coat. Cut small slits into meat and disperse chunks of cracked garlic cloves into meat. Combine steak seasoning blend or coarse salt and pepper with rosemary and thyme and rub meat with blend. Roast in hot oven 20 minutes.

Let meat rest, transfer to a carving board, slice and serve.

* This is a fantastic recipe. I have a tenderloin in my freezer, and will make this tomorrow night. Fantastic recipe I stumbled upon :)