Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake

Ingredients:
Crust:

1 1/2 cups crushed graham crackers

5 tablespoons melted butter

2 tablespoons sugar

Cookie Dough Layer:

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

2 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Cheesecake Layer:

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, diced

1 cup sour cream

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons lemon juice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degreees.

To Make Crust:

Crush the graham crackers in a plastic bag with your hands or a rolling pin until fine crumbs.  Then melt the butter and mix with the graham crackers and 2 tablespoons of sugar.  Grease the bottom of a 9 inch spring form pan and press the crumbs into the bottom a little up the sides of the pan.  Bake for 8 minutes in the oven.

To Make Cookie Dough:

In a bowl beat 1/4 cup butter or margarine with the brown sugar and 1/4 cup of the white sugar. Stir in the water and 1 teaspoon of the vanilla. Beat in the flour and the semisweet chocolate chips. Stir until combined.

To Make the Cheesecake:

In a bowl beat 1 cup of the white sugar, and all the cream cheese. Add 1 cup of the sour cream, the eggs, vanilla, and lemon juice. Mix well and pour half into the crust.

Drop cookie dough in 2 tablespoon portions evenly over the top of the batter, then top with the rest of the cheesecake batter. Bake for about 40 minutes. Cake will jiggle slightly in center.

Let cake cool and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.  I served it with a little caramel topping on top.

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Stuffed Zucchini

Ingredients:
3 large zucchini
6 white button mushrooms
5 garlic cloves
5 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups bread crumb
2 tablespoons parsley
1 cup parmesan cheese
salt
pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut each zucchini in half lengthwise and scoop out the insides.  Then cut them 2 inches across.

In a large frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Leaving the garlic cloves whole put them in the warm olive oil.  If they start to burn lower the heat.  After about 10 minutes or until garlic turns brown take the cloves out and set them aside.  Then toss in the mushrooms that have been finely chopped.  Saute for about 7-8 minutes or until they turn brown. 

Then allow the mushrooms to cool and transfer to a bowl.  Chop up the cooked garlic and put it in the bowl with the mushrooms.  Add the bread crumbs and parmesan cheese.  Stir until combined.  Then add the chopped parsley and 2 more tablespoons of olive oil.  Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and stuff inside the zucchini.  Drizzle the top with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil.

Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until zucchini becomes soft and the stuffing browns.

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Brookies

These are the ultimate dessert, a combination of cookies and brownies.  What's better than that?  If you are short on time use your favorite brownie mix and your favorite store-bought cookie dough.  Don't forget to serve them hot with vanilla ice cream.

Brownies:
Ingredients:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

In a medium bowl, mix together the oil, sugar, and vanilla.  Beat in eggs one by one until the ingredients are completely combined.  In a separate bowl combined the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.  Add a little bit at a time and stir after each addition until all has been completely combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Line a 13 by 9 inch pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.  Then pour the batter in and set aside while you make the cookie batter.

Cookies:
Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips until evenly distributed.

Using your hands, drop little dollops of cookie dough all along the top of the brownie batter.

Bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes or until set.  Allow to cool for 15 minutes and remove them using the aluminum foil.  Then cut the bars and serve with vanilla ice cream.  Enjoy!

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Triple Berry Struesel Muffins

Ingredients:
Muffin:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 egg, slightly beaten
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup fresh blackberries
1/2 cup fresh raspberries

Struesel Topping:
1 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 12 cup muffin tin.
In a bowl combine the flour, baking powder and sugar.  In another bowl combine the melted butter, egg, and milk and mix well.  Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. 

Spoon the batter into the muffin tray, filling each cup about 2/3 full. 

For the struesel topping, in a separate bowl combine the flour and brown sugar together and mix.  Then add the 3 tablespoons of cold butter and mix together with your hands so that you get small pea size amounts of butter running through the topping.  Then add the cinnamon and continue to mix with your hands. 

Sprinkle each muffin with the topping and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes.  Cool for 10 minutes before removing.  Enjoy!

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Creamed Corn

Ingredients:
2 lbs frozen corn
1 8 oz block cream cheese
1 stick salted butter
3/4 cup whipping cream
4 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Cube up the butter and cream cheese.

Add the corn, butter, cream cheese, whipping cream, salt, and pepper to a crock pot.

Cook on low for 4 hours stirring after 1/2 hour.  To speed it up cook on high for 2 hours, but you won't get the same consistency.  Enjoy!

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Warm Chocolate Pudding Cake

This recipe is not only easy but healthy.  1/9 of this pudding cake is only 3 points on Weight Watchers.  For those that aren't on a diet serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 sugar
1/3 cup + 1/4 unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon instant coffee powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup low fat milk (1%)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 2/3 cups boiling water

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9 inch square baking pan with non-stick spray.

Combine the flour, sugar, 1/3 cup cocoa powder, baking powder, instant-coffee, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.  Make a well in the center, and pour the milk, melted butter, and vanilla into the well.  Stir just until blended.  Spoon the batter evenly into the pan.

Combine the brown sugar and the 1/4 cup cocoa powder in a small bowl.  Sprinkle over the top of the batter.  Gently pour boiling water in  zigzag fashion over the top, but do not stir.  Bake until the top of the pudding is set, about 35 minutes.  Cool at least 30 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

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The Best Thing I Ever Ate: Appetizer

Calamari Fritti
Tutto Italia
Disney World's Epcot Italy Pavilion
Orlando, FL

So obviously this is one of my favorite restaurants if you have read my cannelloni al forno post.  Fried calamari may look very simple, but it is very difficult to cook well.  The breading either comes off and is soggy or the calamari is chewy and tough or there is just no flavor.  These are cooked perfectly.  A good amount come in each order (It fed my starving family of four) but honestly you could never have enough of these delicious bites.  Each calamari or squid is cut into ringlets that are the perfect size.  I do have to say it makes me sad that they don't serve the tentacles because I personally love them, but maybe it freaks out some Disney guests. So back to the calamari.  They are absolutely fried to perfection with the perfect amount of crust on the outside.  The crust is flavored with herbs and spices, I am assuming things like basil and parsley and other italian ingredients.  The crust is the perfect golden brown and is so crispy.  The calamari itself is so tender and juicy.  Not even a little bit tough.  Now they serve these calamari with a classic marinara sauce that has at least 2 tablespoons of crushed red pepper flakes on top.  My parents said it was delicious, but since I hate tomato sauce I leave it off of the calamari.  For me the best topping for these calamari is a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.  Now what is the most annoying thing about squeezing fresh lemon juice?  The seeds of course.  But this restaurant has thought of everything.  They wrap the lemon in a yellow cheesecloth that catches all of the seeds but allows the juice to go right through.  Pretty cool right?  And has soon as that lemon juice hits the hot calamari it starts to glisten a little.  You sink your teeth in and you hear the amazing crunch.  Then you taste that tender calamari and you know this is one of the best appetizers you have ever eaten.

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