Classic Cheesecake

I'm so sorry I haven't blogged in a while y'all! I started a new internship and have been trying to adjust to a new schedule which includes waking up at 5:30 am. Not my cup of tea, this waking up early thing. Anyway...on to food.

I happen to be a fan of cheesecake. Never met a cheesecake I didn't like. But once in a while I love just havin' that classic, creamy vanilla cheesecake. This recipe is the one and only I have ever made and will ever make. Simple, delicious, and well, classic!

Classic Cheesecake

Crust:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons butter melted

Filling:
3 (8 oz.) packages of cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoons grated lemon peel

Topping:
2 cups (16 ounces) sour cream
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Heat your oven to 325 degrees. Mix together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Wanna know my little secret? I buy a ready made graham cracker crust and mix the sugar and butter right in the pan it comes in. Who wants to crumble a bunch of graham crackers and make a mess? Not me.

Press onto the bottom and about 2 inches up the sides of an ungreased 9-inch springform pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Now for the filling. Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Beat in vanilla and lemon peel just until blended. Pour into crust. Place on a baking sheet. DO NOT forget this step otherwise you will be cleaning your oven! Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until center is almost set.

Before the topping.

And oopsie, a lil overcooked. Do not wait to remove from oven until brown spots appear. Just a tip.

For the topping combine the sour cream, sugar, and vanilla. Carefully spread over filling. Return to the oven and bake for 10 minutes longer or until edges appear dry. I have chose not to use the topping before and just cooked the cheesecake until the edges of the filling appear dry. Your choice.

Cool on a wire rack. Carefully run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen. Cool for 1 hour longer. Cover and chill overnight. Remove sides of pan and top with some sweet lovelies such as sweetened strawberries, hot fudge, caramel, or cherries. Or just eat her plain because that is always good too!

Baked Potato Soup

When it looks like this outside:

Then I think y'all need to eat some of this:

Creamy, heart warming, stomach filling baked potato soup. Another throw-it-in-the-crockpot meal that is a family favorite. A must have to go along with this soup: some so close to Red Lobster's Cheddar Biscuits You will grin ear-to-ear when you eat them because you feel like you've outsmarted Red Lobster.

Baked Potato Soup

Adapted from Southern Living Comfort Food

6 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 large onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)

3 (14 oz) can chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon of minced garlic

1/4 cup butter

2 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/4 teaspoons freshly ground pepper

1 cup of half-and-half or whipping cream

1 cup (4 oz) shredded sharp cheddar cheese

3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

4 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled

Sour cream, extra cheddar cheese, or extra bacon for topping, optional

Put the first 7 ingredients in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or until potato is tender. Mash mixture until potatoes are coarsely chopped and soup is slightly thickened; stir in half-and-half or cream, cheese, chives, and bacon. I'll admit that I add extra cheese to make it even more cheesy. Give it a taste test and add what you want. More salt or pepper, extra bacon or chives? Go for it! If desired, top with sour cream and/or sprinkle with cheddar cheese or extra bacon before serving.

Mmm, mmm...good for the soul

Cheddar Biscuits

Do y'all love the biscuits they serve at Red Lobster? I do! So here is how you can make them yourself at home so you can avoid acquiring that I-just-ate-at-a-seafood-restaurant smell.

Cheddar Biscuits
Adapted from bigoven.com

Served with yummy baked potato soup

2 1/2 cups Bisquick baking mix
1 cup cheddar cheese finely grated
3/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

To brush on top:
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1 dash Salt

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Combine Bisquick with cheddar cheese, milk, butter, and garlic powder in a medium bowl. Mix until well-combined. Drop approximately 1/4-cup portions of the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

Combine butter with garlic powder, parsley flakes and salt. Brush this mixture over the tops of each unbaked biscuit. Brush extra (or just make extra because you will use it) on the tops during baking and after baking. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes or until the tops of the biscuits begin to turn light brown. Serve warm.

Mix-and-Match Oatmeal Cookies

For some reason I got a craving for oatmeal cookies but I couldn't decide if I wanted oatmeal raisin, or oatmeal chocolate chip, or a little bit of everything. Do any of y'all relate to this dessert dilemma? No? Okay, I guess it's just me. Anyway, I found a oatmeal raisin recipe that sounded tasty and didn't produce like 6 dozen cookies. Because I will confess, if the sweets are in the house, I will eat them. All. Relate to this? Again, maybe it's just me.
This recipe makes thick, chewy cookies. I made the recipe without adding in the extras. Then I separated the dough into 3 bowls and added golden raisins to one, mini chocolate chips to the other, and Reese's Pieces to the last. You can add your favorite nuts, m & m's, dried fruit, or anything your little heart desires. Mix-and-match what sounds tantalizing to the tongue. I'm thinking white chocolate cherry next time....

Mix-and-Match Oatmeal Cookies
Adapted from Smittenkitchen.com
 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups oats (I used instant. Any oat will work but the thicker the oat the more texture it brings)
Mix-ins of your choice

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth.

In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together. Stir this into the butter/sugar mixture. Stir in the oats.

Here is where I separated the dough and mixed in what I wanted. I did not measure how much I added. I just mixed in enough until I thought it was evenly distributed.   

Put the dough in the fridge to chill while you clean up your mess. Well, I always have a mess, don't you? Maybe I'm alone again on this one. Anyway, let the dough chill for 10 minutes to help create that thick, chewy cookie.  

Form into small-medium sized balls. Place the cookies two inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Bake them for 10 to 12 minutes (your baking time will vary, depending on your oven and how cold the cookies were going in). Take them out when golden at the edges but still a little undercooked-looking on top. Let them sit on the hot baking sheet for five minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool. Makes 2 dozen.

You must eat one straight from the oven!

Susan's "Fight Like a Girl" Soup

So, I'm sure y'all are thinking 1.) Who is Susan? and 2.) Why fight like a girl? Well, here are the answers. Susan was my former boss at my college job at Edward Jones Investments. Susan was a fighter for her family (She was married 33 years and had 3 children she was devoted to), her office (She wrote this recipe on the back of her business card. Such a business lady!), and in her community (I think she volunteered for, um, like, everything). She also fought against breast cancer until she passed away in 2009. A true fighter if I have to say so myself! So go out there and fight like a girl in all you do. And take the time to throw this quick and easy soup together to reward all your hard work!

Susan's "Fight Like a Girl" Soup

2 cans of Campbell's Minestrone soup

1 can of Rotel

1 can of Ranch stlye beans

1 lb. of ground beef, browned and drained

Brown and drain your ground beef. Add the soups, rotel, beans, and meat to a pot. Let simmer for atleast 15 minutes.

Serve with warm, crusty bread or crackers. Remember those sourdough subs from the french dip sammies? I served those with the soup.

You can also turn it into a Mexican dish by serving with Frito corn chips and shredded cheese melted on top. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy! 

French Dip Sandwiches

I L-O-V-E crockpot recipes. Put this and that in, turn it on low, leave, yada yada, come back, dinner is ready. Genius! Here is a super easy recipe for french dip sammies. You can personalize it to your liking and, unless you're feeding a small army, you will have leftovers which is always a plus.

French Dip Sandwiches

Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com

1 (4 pound) boneless beef roast

1/2 cup soy sauce

1 beef bouillon cube

1 bay leaf

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Bread of choice

Remove and discard all visible fat from the roast. Place trimmed roast in a slow cooker.

In a medium bowl, combine soy sauce, bouillon, bay leaf, black pepper, rosemary, thyme, and garlic powder. Pour mixture over roast, and add enough water to almost cover roast. Cover, and cook on low heat for 8 to 10 hours, or until meat is very tender.

Remove meat from broth, reserving broth. Shred meat with a fork, and distribute on bread for sandwiches. I used sourdough sub rolls. You could use french rolls or hoagie rolls, basically any warm, crusty break to soak up the broth will be perfect. I sauteed some onions and melted swiss cheese on top. (pepperjack would be good too!) Use the reserved broth for dipping. My husband even loved eating the salty, tender roast by itself straight from the crockpot. Success!

Root Beer Float Cake

I really like root beer, and y'all might just call me unsouthern, but I'm just not a fan of root beer floats. I guess I just don't like the creamy concoction I end up with in my glass. However, I do love this cake. Chocolate and root beer with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Need I say more? How about, this is one of the most moist chocolate bundt cakes you will ever have. And the root beer is very subtle so this cake is definitely for chocolate lovers!

Root Beer Float Cake
Recipe from joythebaker.com

2 cups root beer (not diet)

1 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 cups AP flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Spray the inside of a 10-inch Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In a small saucepan, heat the root beer, cocoa powder and butter over medium heat until butter is melted. Add sugars and whisk until dissolved.  Remove from heat and let cool. In a small bowl whisk the eggs until just beaten. Then whisk into the cocoa mixture until combined.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Gently fold the cocoa mixture into the flour mixture. The batter will be slightly lumpy and loose. Don’t over beat the batter or it could cause the cake to be tough.

Pour the batter into prepared pan and cook for 35-45 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking until a sharp knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely then loosen edges with a butter knife and turn out onto a cake plate.

Chocolate Root Beer Frosting
2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, melted
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup root beer
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 1/2  cups powdered sugar

Beat softened butter and cocoa powder with mixer. Once combined add the melted chocolate, salt, powdered sugar, and root beer.  Beat together until smooth. Spread on top of cooled cake.  Slice and serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Chicken Pot Pie-Part 2

I'm sure y'all have just been waiting on pins and needles for part 2 of the chicken pot pie. ;) There are multiple steps to this recipe but I promise it is not difficult. This recipe is great if you need to take a dish to a sick friend or a family who had a baby or a death. A life or death dish. Yes, I just said that.

Chicken Pot Pie
Recipe adapted from Southern Living Comfort Food



Mmm, mmm, good.

1/2 cup of butter
1/2 cup of AP flour
1 1/2 cups of chicken broth
1 1/2 cups of half-and-half
3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, or to taste
2 tablespoons of butter
1/2 cup of carrots, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
                                                                            1 cup of frozen green peas
                                                                            3 1/2 cups cooked chicken, chopped
                                                                            2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
                                                                            1 tablespoon of half-and-half
                                                                            1 large egg, lightly beaten




I hope you can multi-task...

While you are making your pie crust, you can cook your eggs and chicken. If you just despise eggs you can leave them out, but I promise you don't taste an egg flavor, just a nice salty touch. I boil my chicken so that I can use the chicken broth from that instead of using canned chicken broth. After they are finished cooking let them cool while you make the filling.

Melt 1/2 cup of butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat; whisk in flour, whisking to smooth. Cook, whisking constantly, for 1 minute. Gradually add the chicken broth and half-and-half. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, unil thickened and bubbly. Sitr in salt and pepper. Set the white sauce aside.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add carrots and saute until softened. The original recipe calls for mushrooms, but I prefer carrots, so this is where you can personalize what veggies you want in your pot pie. After the carrots are cooked, add them to the white sauce. Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter in the skillet. Add onion and saute until tender. Stir in peas. Add this veggie mix to the white sauce. Chop the chicken and hard-cooked eggs and add those to the white sauce. Taste test the sauce and add more salt or pepper if desired.

{Let's pretend there is a picture here...oopsie. Must remember to take more pics.}

 Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spoon your filling into your pie crust. Top with the other pie crust. Trim off the excess, fold edges under, and flute. Cut slits into the top. Combine the half-and-half and egg; brush egg wash over pastry. These will given it a pretty golden color.
Bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until browned and bubbly.
Ohhh, good golly miss molly! Delish!

Chicken Pot Pie-Part 1: Pie Crust

I hope 2011 has started off nicely for y'all! Mine has because I am still on winter break from school. Hallelujah! This is given me a lot of time to cook and now I have to take the time to share with you. This recipe is one my husband picked out of my cookbook for me to make for dinner. I probably would have never chose to make it but I am so glad I did because it has turned into a favorite that I will prepare again and again.
I grew up eating frozen chicken pot pies. The only thing I liked about it was the crust! I like everything about this homemade pot pie. The recipe calls for store bought pie crust, which you can choose to use, but I like to make everything from scratch (especially after I read the unnecessary ingredients found in a store bought crust). Making the crust yourself will take more time, but it is well worth it. So before you can make this chicken pot pie, you need to make the crust.
This recipe is from my mother-in-law. She has given me several one-on-one tutorials on "the art of pie crust," but I still would not consider myself an expert. Every baker has his or her own pie crust recipe and technique. One crust may be more tender and flaky, more buttery, or more sweet. So try several recipes and see which one you like better. I like this recipe because it requires minimal ingredients, is fairly quick and easy, and seems to turn out good every time. Making pie crust can be tricky and takes practice so let's get to it.

Image courtesy of allrecipes.com

Polly's Pie Crust

1 cup of all purpose (AP) flour
1/8 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup chilled shortening
1/4 cup ice cold water

Mix the flour and salt together. Cut shortening into the flour using a pastry cutter, knife, or fork. I've also read that you can use a food processor but I have never tried that method before. You want the flour and shortening to mix until it looks like small peas. Add the cold water and mix gently with a fork. Use your hands to gently press it into a ball.


I said generously...



Generously dust flour onto a clean, dry surface. Flatten the dough ball out a little with your hands and dust the dough with flour. Using a rolling pin, start rolling the dough at the center and work your way outwards.

Roll the dough into a circle 1/4 inch thick or so. As you roll, lift the edges to make sure they're not sticking. Add more flour if necessary. Otherwise the dough will be so stuck to the counter you have to start over and take the chance of having a tough crust. Just saying. Not that I have ever experienced that before or anything.

After you have rolled the dough out you have to move it into your pie plate. This is when I hold my breath and move quickly. Some people fold the dough in half and then in quarters and move it to the pie plate placing the point in the center. You can then unfold it. Others sorta roll it onto the rolling pin and and then unroll into the pie plate. Do what works best for you. Just do it gently. When you get the crust in the pie plate, gently press the dough into the plate letting the excess dough hang off the edges. If you wanted to use this for a single-crust pie, you would go ahead and trim the edges leaving 1/2 inch of overhang, fold the edges under themselves, and flute the edges. Put for our pot pie leave the edges for now until you fill it and put the second crust on top. So yes, you need to do this process twice for the pot pie. I promise it will be well worth it.

Sigh of relief