Colleen’s Blue Cheese Cheesecake

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This savory cheesecake is a specialty of my friend Colleen, who is such an amazing cook. It’s a beautiful appetizer (something I’m normally terrible at) and perfect for potlucks.

Most people are familiar with sweet cheesecake so this cheesy, tangy one is something totally new.    Colleen puts it on a large platter garnished with pretty globe grapes and serves it with crackers.  (She makes it with light cream cheese, light sour cream and light mayonnaise, and it’s delicious, too – so you can do that if you wish.)

Crust:
3/4 cup crushed club crackers (18-20 crackers)
2 Tbsp butter, melted

Mix in a bowl and press into one large or two smaller springform pans. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

Mix:
2 8 oz. packages of cream cheese
8 oz. of blue cheese
1 cup sour cream
2/3 cup mayonnaise
3 eggs

Blend all ingredients very well and pour into baked crust. Smooth the top and bake at 300 for another 45 minutes. ( Check at 40 minutes if  you’re making two smaller ones.) Remove from oven and let rest one hour. Gently loosen edge with a butter knife and chill the cheesecake for several hours.

To serve, just remove the sides of the springform pan, and place the cheesecake on a large platter, with crackers and globe grapes. This would probably also be delicious with sliced apples.

Faye’s Cukes and Onions

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Faye made this unusual dish for us once and said that whenever the Miracle Whip jar is almost empty, she make this dish.  I think it might be an eastern European dish, but I am not sure.  It is a great summer dish to make when cucumbers are ripe in the garden.

The combination of hot, buttery potatoes and the cool crunch of cucumbers with a creamy dressing is wonderful. Miracle Whip is a little sweeter than Mayo, so if you use Mayo just add a little sugar to add sweetness.

1 cup Miracle Whip (or mayonnaise)
3 cups water
2 Tbsp apple cider
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Mix all in the miracle whip jar. (I just add everything in, close the lid and shake it like crazy.)

3-4 cucumbers, peeled, halved and sliced
1/2 – 1 onion, sliced

Put the cucumbers and onions in a bowl, and pour the dressing over them. Cover and refrigerate for several house.

1 lb potatos, scrubbed and cut into quarters, unless using new potatoes
1/2 to 1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp butter (more if you like lots of butter!)

Boil potatoes in hot, salted water until soft – usually 25 minutes or so. Drain.

On a large serving dish, lay down the potatoes, sprinkle with salt and butter generously. Spoon over cucumbers and onions mix with plenty of the dressing, and serve immediately.

Chicken Picatta

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I love the tart flavors of lemon juice and capers in this classic Italian dish, and it’s so quick! I often serve it with smashed potatoes sauteed in butter, since the tartness of the sauce blends really well with the potatoes. This recipe makes enough for 6-8 people.

Ingredients

8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, flattened between layers of plastic wrap.  (I used a rolling pin to smash them and make them even. It’s important to get the chicken quite thin so it cooks quickly.)
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup flour (use more if needed)
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp olive oil

1/3 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup capers, drained
2 more Tbsp butter
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
One more squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Heat oil and butter over medium heat in your largest frying pan.  Season flattened thighs with salt and pepper.  Put flour in a flat bowl or pie pan, and dredge the thighs, shaking off the excess.  Drop the floured thighs into the frying pan without crowding, and fry for 3-4 minutes per side, until they are starting to get golden bits on them.  Remove from pan and add more thighs. Continue until all the chicken is cooked.

Add in the lemon juice, chicken stock and capers and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and add the chicken thighs back in along with any juices that have collected on the plate.  Cook for about 5 more minutes, turning the chicken so both sides are saucy. Add the last 2 Tbsp of butter and stir gently to distribute it.  Taste to see if it needs more salt or pepper.  Place in a serving dish, give one more good squeeze of lemon juice, and sprinkle parsley.

Moroccan Squash & Chicken Tagine

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A tagine is a stew that’s cooked in a ceramic dish with a conical lid that sits on top of it, but you can also just cook it in a dutch oven. The original recipe called for a cup of golden raisins and 3 Tbsp honey, but I found it too sweet, so I’ve cut them both in half.  This recipe makes a nice, large batch.

Moroccan Spice Mix:
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp black pepper

Blend and set aside.

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts and thighs, cut into large chunks
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 onions, cut in wedges
6 cloves of garlic, halved
5-6 saffron threads
2 1/2 to 3 lbs. of butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1″ cubes
1 cup chicken broth or water
1/2 cup golden raisins (optional)
1 1/2 Tbsp honey
1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

Rub 1 Tbsp spice mix on chicken. Heat oil in a dutch oven and saute chicken for 6-8 minutes. Remove and add a little more oil, than add onions, garlic and saffron. Cook 2 minutes and add squash. Add 2 tsp more of spice mix. Add chicken back in, and add broth and honey. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer one hour, stirring very gently once in a while.

Add raisins and cook 10-20 more minutes.  Sprinkle with fresh parsley just before serving with Couscous, or whole wheat flour tortillas warmed in the oven.

Pineapple Pudding Cake

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If you’re crushing for a sweet treat, this cake is for you. It is a very semi-homemade type dessert (ie uses lots of packaged things) but is so good…

1 yellow cake mix, made according to directions and baked in a deep 9 x 13 pan
2 small packages instant vanilla pudding mix
3 cups whole milk
1 can crushed pineapple
3/4 cup sugar
Sweetened, whipped cream or Cool Whip

Bake cake, and remove from oven.

While it’s baking, heat pineapple and sugar in a saucepan until sugar dissolves and mixture becomes syrupy. Pour over hot cake.

Make pudding with mixes and milk. Pour over pineapple, and smooth. Refrigerate for two hours. Before serving, top with whipped cream or Cool Whip. Ridiculously good.

You’ll want to be sure to use a deep pan so there’s plenty of room for the layers of pineapple, pudding and whipped cream on top.

Mulligatawny Soup

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I just learned this evening that this is Ali’s favorite soup. This version isn’t super traditional, but it’s still delicious.

1 Tbsp olive oil
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 carrot, well-scrubbed and chopped
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and rough-chopped

Saute veggies in olive oil. Once veggies are soft, puree them in a blender or food processor.

1 can coconut milk
1 apple, peeled cored and diced
2 cups cooked basmati rice

6 cups chicken stock
2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken meat
1 1/2 Tbsp curry powder
1/8 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
1/4 cup red lentils

In a large stock pot, heat stock and add chicken, lentils and spices. Cook 25 minutes, remove chicken and shred it. Add pureed veggies and coconut milk to stock. Bring to a simmer and remove from heat.

Put rice, chicken and apples in bowls and cover with broth. Yum!

Faye’s Oatmeal Cake

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We worked with Faye for many years, and she is a great cook and wonderful person.

1 1/2 cup boiling water
1 cup oatmeal (I use McCann’s quick cooking.)

Mix and let sit a while.

1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs

Cream butter and sugar together in a big bowl, and add eggs and oatmeal. Stir well.

1 1/2 cup flour
3 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

1 cup pecans

Blend all but pecans in a bowl, and fold into butter mixture. Turn out into a 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Spread topping over while it’s still warm, and sprinkle with 1 cup pecans.  Set under the broiler for 2-3 minutes.

Topping:

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 white sugar
6 Tbsp butter
1 cup coconut
1/4 cup cream
1 tsp vanilla

Cook sugars and butter in a pan for a few minutes until sugar is dissolved. Add coconut and cream and cook a couple more minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla.

Apple Pan Dowdy

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Okay, so I found this recipe and had to make it because I have always loved the song “Shoe-Fly Pie” (and Apple Pan Dowdy, make your eyes light up, your tummy say howdy!)  Here’s a link to Dinah Shore singing it.

But it turns out that it’s really good, and even better with ice cream on top!

4 1/2 cups peeled, cored and sliced apples, placed in a 9 x 12 baking dish

1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup apple cider (or water)

Mix in a saucepan and cook for a few minutes until it’s thickened a bit. Remove from heat and add:

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp butter
Sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg

Pour over apples.

1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
3 Tbsp baking powder
3 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup milk

Blend dry ingredients, cut in butter until crumbly. Add milk and gently blend. Drop by the spoonful onto apples. Smooth it out a bit so it’s more evenly distributed.

Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Penne Adriana

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1 lb. penne pasta
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 package spicy Italian sausage
1 package mushrooms, thickly sliced
1/2 cup beef or chicken broth
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped or use baby spinach
3 Tbsp parmesan cheese.

Cook pasta to al dente in salted water. Heat olive oil in a frying pan, and cook sausage and mushrooms until sausage is cooked through. Remove from heat and slice into 1/2″ thick slices. Add back into frying pan, and add broth, and pepper. Stir well, and add spinach. Cook until spinach is just wilted.

Serve in bowls, and sprinkle with parmesan and another twist of black pepper. This makes me hungry just thinking about it, and rated a “Yum!” in 2003.

Update:  This looked so good that I made it for supper last night.  I only had smoked sausage, and no mushrooms, so I added more pepper and a pinch of red pepper flakes.  It was so amazingly delicious.  We’ve grown to really love cooked spinach and I think you could add 4 or even 5 cups of spinach.