Brownie Mosaic Cheesecake

I love cheesecake...probably a little too much. I even wanted cheesecake at my wedding, but it was a little out of our budget! So I asked for a springform pan for Christmas to feed my cheesecake obsession myself. I JUST now got around to using it though! I have been bookmarking cheesecake recipes for awhile, so I definitely had a lot to choose from. However, I kept coming back to this recipe. Even though it has a ton of steps, don't be afraid of it! This was my first time making a cheesecake (besides one that I made in a 9x13 pan once) and I thought it came out great. This is definitely a RICH cheesecake...and that's coming from someone who looooves sweets. I couldn't even finish a whole piece! I think I will be freezing part of the cheesecake to have later - there's no way Jon and I will be able to finish it before it goes bad...and we won't be having anyone over in the next couple of days to help us!

Brownie Mosaic Cheesecake
Source: Brown-Eyed Baker, who adapted it from Smitten Kitchen


Part One: Brownies

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter
1¾ cups sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup flour

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 13×9-inch baking pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan. Grease foil.

Microwave chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2 min. or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in sugar. Blend in eggs and vanilla. Add flour and salt; mix well. Spread into prepared pan.

Bake 30 to 35 minute or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with fudgy crumbs. (Do not overbake.) Cool in pan on wire rack. Remove brownies from pan, using foil handles.

Cool brownies, then cut them into 3/4- to 1-inch squares for use in the cheesecake (I used a pizza cutter, per Deb’s recommendation). You will have more than the two cups of cubes, loosely measured, than you will need, and I’m sorry, you’re just going to have to decide for yourself what to do with the extra. Add cubes to cake batter as directed below.

Part Two: Crumb Crust

1½ cups or 5 ounces (3 cups or 10 ounces to double) finely ground Oreos, or other chocolate cookie
5 tablespoons (10 tablespoons to double) unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup (2/3 cup to double) granulated sugar
1/8 teaspooon (¼ teaspoon to double) salt

Stir together ingredients and press into bottom and 1 inch up side of a buttered 10″ springform pan. Fill right away or chill for up to 2 hours. (I used a 9" springform pan and it worked just fine!)

Part Three: Cheesecake

3 (8-oz) packages of cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Make crumb crust as directed above for 10-inch cheesecake. (Again, I used a 9") Preheat oven to 350°F.

Beat together cream cheese and sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, then vanilla, beating on low speed until each ingredient is incorporated and scraping down bowl between additions.

Fold brownie cubes in very gently and pour mixture into prepared pan. Put springform pan with crust in a shallow baking pan. Pour filling into crust and bake in baking pan (to catch drips) in middle of oven 45 minutes, or until cake is set 3 inches from edge but center is still slightly wobbly when pan is gently shaken.

When completely cool, top with following glaze.

Part Four: Ganache Glaze

3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
¼ cup heavy cream
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Place finely chopped chocolate in a medium size mixing bowl. Scald the butter and cream together in a saucepan (or in the microwave on HIGH for 1 minute). Pour the cream mixture over the chocolate and stir until the chocolate is completely melted. Whisk in vanilla and then whisk in powdered sugar until smooth. Spread over cheesecake while ganache is still warm. Chill until ready to serve.

Pin It

Honey Whole Wheat Bread

I apparently was in a baking mood this weekend because as I was waiting for my cheesecake to cool, I decided to bake some bread. I've had a bread machine for almost 3 years now...and have not used it once. I have just carted it from apartment to apartment with me, but didn't want to get rid of it. I am so glad that I kept it and finally decided to use it! This bread was SO good. I forgot how good homemade bread is. Now I want to make some every single day. I hope to try out some other recipes too, but I know that I will probably make this one again and again. I am posting the original recipe, but I changed some things around based on others' reviews which are reflected in italics.

Honey Whole Wheat Bread
Adapted from allrecipes.com


Ingredients:
1 1/8 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3 tablespoons honey (I used 1/4 cup)
1/3 teaspoon salt (I used 1 tsp.)
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I used 2 cups)
1 1/2 cups bread flour (I used 1 cup)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used 2 unsalted butter)
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Directions:
Add ingredients according to the manufacturer's directions to your bread machine. Use the wheat bread cycle and light color setting. Pin It

Spinach Pasta Toss

After baking all day I wanted a low-key dinner. I chose this one from my newest issue of Food & Family from Kraft. I was worried that it would be too bland, but it wasn't at all. The chiles in the tomatoes definitely spiced it up. In fact, I will probably keep this on rotation for nights when I don't have much time to cook! It's also a great vegetarian meal, but still filling. You could always add chicken or some type of beans if you wanted some protein though.

Spinach Pasta Toss
Adapted from Food & Family


Ingredients:

1 can (14-1/2 oz.) Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained (I used a can of diced tomatoes & chiles I already had on hand)

2 cups multi-grain penne pasta, uncooked (I used whole wheat)

1 cup water

1 pkg. (9 oz.) baby spinach leaves (7 cups)

1 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Italian* Three Cheese Blend

Directions:

BRING tomatoes, pasta and water to boil in large saucepan; stir. Cover; simmer on medium-low heat 10 min. or just until pasta is tender.

ADD 1/2 of spinach; simmer, covered, 2 min. or until wilted. Stir. Repeat with remaining spinach.

SERVE topped with cheese.

Pin It

Sausage & Pepperoni Pizza

I really like making pizza for a quick weeknight meal. This one isn't the healthiest to make, but it tastes good! I also didn't have any shredded mozzarella so I ended up using a fiesta blend instead, which ended up being just fine.

Sausage & Pepperoni Pizza
Source: Stef's Kitchen

Ingredients:
Italian sausage, cooked and crumbled
Pepperoni slices
Tomato sauce
Italian seasonings
Fiesta blend shredded cheese
Refrigerated pizza dough (I used Pillsbury)

Directions:
Roll out pizza dough onto pizza stone. Spread tomato sauce over dough and grind Italian seasonings over it. Sprinkle the Italian sausage and pepperoni over pizza, and top with cheese. Bake according to dough instructions.

Pin It

Sausage & Tomato Rigatoni

I used to rely on Kraft for most of my recipes when I first started to get into cooking. I still get the Kraft magazine in the mail and occasionally look at the site if I want to use up some ingredients. Anyways, I made this dish a long time ago and I remember Jon really liking it. He mentioned it a couple times in the past few weeks so I decided it was time to make it again - especially since my mom gave me some sausage the last time I visited! This is a really easy and great tasting meal. It could easily be made with another type of meat or without meat if you want too.

Sausage & Tomato Rigatoni
Adapted from kraftfoods.com

Ingredients:

4 cups rigatoni pasta (8 oz.), uncooked

1 lb. Italian sausage, cut into chunks

1 red onion, sliced (Omitted)

1/4 cup tomato paste

1/4 cup KRAFT Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing(I used a sun-dried tomato and feta cheese dressing - yum!)

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (Omitted)

1/4 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

COOK pasta as directed on package.

MEANWHILE, brown sausage in large nonstick skillet; drain. Stir in onions and tomato paste; cover. Cook 15 min. or until onions are tender and sausage is cooked through, stirring occasionally. Stir in dressing.

TOSS sausage mixture with pasta. Sprinkle with parsley and cheese.

Pin It

Sweet and Spicy Orange Salmon

I cannot find the food blog where I got this recipe, so if it yours please let me know and I will give you credit!

My mom gave us a care package when I went to visit my family over the weekend. She included 2 salmon fillets which I never buy anymore, so we ate these only 2 days later! I thought this salmon was wonderful...just the perfect blend of spices.

Sweet and Spicy Orange Salmon
Source: unknown :(

Ingredients:
2 salmon fillets
2 T. brown sugar
1 t. chili powder
1/2 t. orange zest
1/2 t. cumin
1/2 t. paprika
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
1/4 cup orange juice

Directions:
Preheat broiler to high. Coat broiler pan with cooking spray.

Combine ingredients (except orange juice) and rub both sides of salmon. Broil 8-10 minutes. Drizzle with orange juice. (I didn't use the orange juice and it still tasted great!)Pin It

Cajun Chicken Fettuccine

I love mixing tomato and alfredo sauces. I also love cajun spices. Put it all together and you have one great meal! It even tastes good heated up for lunch the next day. Put this on your menu for a quick weeknight meal and you will not be disappointed!

Cajun Chicken Fettuccine
Adapted from Taste of Home Simple and Delicious

Ingredients:
8 oz. uncooked fettuccine
1 large sweet onion, halved and sliced
1 medium green pepper, cut into 1/4 inch strips
1 medium sweet red pepper, cut into 1/4 inch strips (For the onion and peppers I just used half a bag of frozen pepper stir fry that I wanted to use up)
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
4 tsp. Cajun seasoning
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 jar alfredo sauce
1/2 cup spaghetti sauce (I used tomato sauce that I needed to use up)
2 cups shredded park-skim mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Cook fettuccine according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute onion and peppers in oil under tender. Add the chicken, Cajun seasoning and garlic; heat through. Transfer to a large bowl. Drain fettuccine; add to chicken mixture. Stir in Alfredo and spaghetti sauces.

Transfer to a greased 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle with cheeses. Cover and bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Uncover; bake 10-15 minutes longer or until golden brown.Pin It

Tomato Basil Soup & Grilled Turkey and Ham Sandwiches

I've always wanted to make my own tomato soup to see how it measures up against the condensed kind so once I saw this recipe pop up on my Google Reader, I knew I would someday be making it! I finally got the chance to do that this past week. This tomato soup is really good, although I cannot find fresh basil anywhere so I had to use dried. I really think the fresh would flavor the soup MUCH better. However, I still thought it was pretty good and Jon ate two bowls so I'm assuming he liked it too! He added some shredded cheese and croutons to his second bowl to flavor it up even more. As for this sandwiches - I LOVED them. I used Miracle Whip Light and I just think it added that little extra zip!

Tomato Basil Soup
Source: Savory Spicy Sweet, who adapted it from allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
2 (28 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
14 ounces chicken or vegetable broth
18 fresh basil leaves, minced (I used minced but strongly recommend fresh if you can find it!)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup whole milk, half and half, or whipping cream (I used half & half)
3 to 8 tablespoons butter
salt and pepper, to taste
grated or shredded Parmesan, for garnish

Directions:
In a large saucepan, bring the tomatoes and broth to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add basil and sugar. Reduce heat to low; stir in cream (or milk) and butter. Cook until butter is melted.

Grilled Turkey & Ham Sandwiches
Source: Cooking Light - go to website to get recipe! :)Pin It

Revised Potato Skins

I think I've mentioned before how much I love potatoes. I was going to actually make dinner one night, but the pork ended up going bad before we could eat it so I made it a "fend for yourself" night. I ended up eating these potatoes and a salad. Not the most balanced meal, but it was definitely good. I didn't know what to call these so I just call them revised potato skins. They have all the flavors of a potato skin, but are cut into small rounds. I've seen variations of this recipe in the food blogging world so I have no idea if there is an actual recipe for it, but I just did my own thing to come up with this. I only used 1 potato to make for myself, but you can use however many you want depending on how many you need to feed.

Revised Potato Skins
My own recipe


Ingredients:
1 potato, washed and scrubbed
Olive oil
Salt & pepper
Barbecue sauce
Bacon bits (the real ones)
Shredded cheddar cheese

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Cut the potato into 1/4 inch rounds. Toss with olive oil and salt and pepper. Spread potatoes out on a baking sheet (I always line mine with foil to cut down on the mess). Bake for 15-20 minutes, then brush bbq sauce over each potato. Top with bacon bits and cheese (use the amounts according to your preference), then bake until the cheese melts. I always dip mine in sour cream while eating.Pin It

BBQ Chicken Pizza

I've seen a lot of pizza recipes floating around lately - something must be in the air! I love to make pizza because you can put anything on it and it doesn't take long to make at all (if you use refrigerated pizza crust). I have yet to make my own pizza crust. Not because I don't think I can, but I haven't been in the mood to wait for the dough to do its thing! With my schedule lately all I have time to do is roll out some refrigerated dough, slap some toppings on it, and bake. I actually made this pizza a long time ago, but I'm just now getting around to blogging about it. The pictures don't do this pizza justice. It makes it look like the dough is really light and not done, but that was not the case at all. This is a super easy recipe - enjoy!

BBQ Chicken Pizza
My own "recipe"

Ingredients:
Refrigerated pizza dough crust
BBQ sauce (I used hickory)
2 chicken breasts, cubed and cooked
Can of diced pineapple
Shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Roll out pizza crust onto a baking stone or sheet. Spread bbq sauce over pizza - use however much or little you like. Spread chicken and pineapple over pizza and then sprinkle the amount of cheese you want on top. Bake according to pizza crust instructions. (I made this so long ago I don't remember the temp or time)
Pin It