Foodie Friday - Cheesecake Mousse with Pecan Brittle Baskets

This was our Valentines Dessert this year.  It was SO amazing.  I had lost the recipe and hadn't made it in years.  Thank you to Tara for lighting a fire under me to find it!  DECADENT!!!

CHEESECAKE MOUSSE WITH PECAN BRITTLE BASKETS

Cheesecake Mousse

1 1/2 cups heavy cream, divided

4 oz. cream cheese, cut into 1 inch squares

3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided

1/3 cup sour cream

1 tsp. vanilla

In a small pan, heat together 1/2 cup of cream, cream cheese, and 1/2 cup sugar over medium heat.  Stir frequently until the cream cheese is melted and mixture is smooth.

Put into a bowl and allow to cool to room temperature.

In your mixer, beat the 1 cup cream with the sour cream, remaining 1/4 cup sugar and vanilla until medium peaks form.  Fold the two mixtures together, 1/3 at a time.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Pecan Brittle Baskets

2 sticks (1 cup) butter

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup corn syrup

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 cup pecans, toasted

3/4 cups flour

1/4 tsp. salt

-In food processor, grind the pecans.  Combine salt and flour.  Set aside.

-In a saucepan, melt together the butter, sugar and corn syrup.  Bring the mixture to a boil.  Add the pecans and the flour/salt mixture.  Remove from heat.  Add the vanilla.

-Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  Using a small cookie scoop, drop the batter onto the cookie sheets (2 scoops per baking sheet).  Give the cookies plenty of room to expand during baking.

-Bake the cookies in a preheated 275 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.

-While still warm, but not hot, lift the cookie up and turn it over a custard cup, forming fluted edge.  -Let cookies firm up for about a minute and then turn them out to cool completely.

-Serve on chocolate drizzled plate with Cheesecake Mousse and fresh raspberries. 

Foodie Friday - Granola

I made my favorite granola for a brunch with friends this week.  It’s a Mom Casper recipe.  LOVE  it with berries and vanilla yogurt or with a little milk for breakfast.  YUM!

SEVEN WIVES INN GRANOLA

((aka Mom Casper’s Granola)

)

MIX TOGETHER IN A LARGE BOWL:

8 cups oatmeal (old fashioned oats)

1 ½ cups packed brown sugar

1 ½ cups wheat germ (8 oz)

8 oz. coconut (wide, unsweetened)

8 oz. sliced almonds

8 oz. cashews

3 oz. sunflower seeds

COMBINE IN SAUCEPAN – BRING TO BOIL:

½ cup water

½ cup vegetable oil

½ cup honey

½ cup peanut butter

2 tsp. vanilla

Pour honey mixture over dry mixture – combine thoroughly.  Spread mixture on 2 large cookie sheets.  Bake about 2 hours @ 200 degrees (until coconut becomes brown around the edges.  Add 1 cup raisins if desired (yuck) after baking.  Makes about 5 lbs. granola.  Recipe can be cut in half.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Foodie Friday - Cinnamon Rolls

  I'm a sucker for a yummy cinnamon roll, and NO, I didn't make cinnamon rolls twice this week.  This is a recipe I tried a couple of months ago.  It's definitely blog worthy.  I LOVE this recipe.  The dough is made in my bread maker and the finished product tastes suspiciously like a Cinnabon!  YUM!

Ingredients

• 1 cup warm milk (110 degrees)
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1/3 cup margarine, melted
• 4  1/2 cups bread flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2  1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast
•  
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2  1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
•  
• 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1  1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select dough cycle; press START.
2. After the dough has doubled in size turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.
3. Roll dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll up dough and cut into 12 rolls (I use dental floss to cut the rolls). Place rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees
4. Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.  ENJOY!

Wordless Wednesday - Our Yummy Breakfast (I Love Pinterest!)

Foodie Friday - Pesto!

I couldn't believe how easy it was to make my own pesto!  I've wanted to give this a try for quite some time.  Today was the day!  Here's the recipe I used:

2 cups fresh, packed basil leaves with stems removed

1/3 cup grated Parmesan/Romano cheese

1/3 cup pine nuts (if you can't find pine nuts, you can use walnuts or hazelnuts)

3 garlic cloves, finely minced (or 1 TBLS prepared minced garlic)

1TBLS lemon juice

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Wash basil and remove stems.  Chop pine nuts, garlic and olive oil in food processor.  You can use a blender if you don't have a food processor.   Add basil leaves in small batches.  Chop the mix until if forms a thick, smooth paste.  Blend in the grated cheese.  (Note, if you plan to freeze the pesto, leave the cheese out and add it when you thaw and use it).  Voila!  Delish!

Great on pasta or ravioli!

Amazing pizza sauce!

Delicious on crusty french bread slices!

Foodie Friday - BBQ Chicken Pizza

I made this Barbeque Chicken Pizza this week.  Doesn't it look yummy?  It's our new favorite!

I found this knock-off California Pizza Kitchen recipe for Barbeque Chicken Pizza.  With a few tweaks, we have a KEEPER!!

BARBEQUE CHICKEN PIZZA

Ingredients

• 1 whole Recipe For Pizza Crust (see below for a two crust recipe)
• 2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 1/2 cup Barbecue Sauce
• Olive Oil, For Drizzling
• Salt For Sprinkling
• 16 ounces Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, Sliced Thinly
• 1/2 whole Red Onion, Cut In Half And Sliced Very Thin
• Sliced green onions

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Salt chicken breasts on both sides, then place in an ovenproof dish. Pour BBQ sauce over the breasts and turn them over to coat. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until chicken is done. Remove from oven and cut into a fine dice. Set aside.

Increase oven temperature to 500 degrees.

Roll/stretch out one pizza crust. Lay it on a sheet pan drizzled with olive oil. Drizzle a little olive oil on the crust, then sprinkle on a little salt.

Spoon a couple of tablespoons of extra BBQ sauce on the crust and spread it evenly. Top sauce with half the sliced mozzarella. Sprinkle on half the diced chicken, thinly sliced red onion, and sliced green onions.

Sprinkle again with a little salt, then bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and toppings are bubbly.

Serve immediately. Repeat with other crust and other ingredients, or save for another time.

Recipe: Basic Pizza Crust

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon Instant Or Active Dry Yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1  1/2 cup Warm Water
• 4 cups All-purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1/3 cup Olive Oil

Preparation Instructions

Sprinkle sugar over 1  1/2 cups warm (not lukewarm) water.  Sprinkle yeast on top. Let stand for a few minutes.  In a mixer, combine flour and salt. With the mixer running on low speed (with paddle attachment), drizzle in olive oil until combined with flour. Next, pour in yeast/water mixture and mix until just combined, and the dough comes together in a sticky mass.

Coat a separate mixing bowl with a light drizzle of olive oil, and form the dough into a ball. Toss to coat dough in olive oil, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set it aside for 1 to 2 hours, or store in the fridge until you need it.

Note: it’s best to make the dough at least 24 hours in advance, and 3 or 4 days is even better.

When you are ready to make the pizza, grab HALF the pizza dough (recipe makes 2 crusts) and squeeze the dough toward the bottom to form a nice, tight, pulled ball. You can roll out the pizza with a rolling pin if you’d like, but sometimes it’s just as easy to throw it around and pull and stretch till it feels right. And when the crust is nice and thin, lay it on an oiled baking sheet or pizza pan. Drizzle a little olive oil on the dough and spread it with your fingers. Very lightly sprinkle some salt on the crust.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Top your crust with your toppings of choice. Then bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and toppings are bubbly.