real life foodie adventures

The end of another month has arrived and, if you’re a regular reader of food blogs, you’ve probably already noticed the flood of cheesecake pops at every turn. You know what that means… it’s Daring Baker time again!

This month’s Daring Baker Challenge - Cheesecake Pops - was chosen by our lovely co-hosts, Elle at Feeding My Enthusiasms and Deborah at Taste and Tell. These are girls after my own heart… I was drooling with anticipation!

For as excited as I was about this challenge (and I was VERY excited, since I’ve been meaning to make cheesecake pops for a while now)… I certainly did my fair share of procrastinating. The five (yes, five!) blocks of cream cheese sat in our fridge for weeks. And then, last weekend, I finally took the plunge. I made the cheesecake… and then… I ran out of time again and it sat in the fridge for another week.

Now, this presented a bit of a problem. Cheesecake in our fridge just cannot go untouched for a full week. Not possible. Nope… so spoonfulls kept disappearing (did you know that cheesecake is perfect for self-medicating after a bad day at work?)… and, by the time the weekend rolled around again, there was only half a cheesecake left. (What can I say? It was a particularly rough week for both of us.)

The procrastination trend continued and yesterday got away from me, too. So, here it is the afternoon evening of reveal day, and I’ve just finished dipping my little orbs of cheesecake into chocolate. Nothing like waiting until the very last minute! Whew! Someone remind me never to push it this far again.

Luckily, this recipe made a big cheesecake. So, even with half of it gone, we still came away with more pops than any two people need access to. I’m going to have some happy co-workers tomorrow!

I initially had big plans of dipping my finished pops into all manner of things… graham crackers, jimmies, caramel, nuts, etc… but - in the eleventh hour - and after trying to roll cheesecake into balls and ending up with cheesecake all over me… and a good part of my kitchen (there are worse things in life) - I opted to go with something simple… Taza shaved chocolate. There’s just no such thing as too much chocolate!

This recipe makes a wonderful, thick cheesecake. And, as was the experience of many of the other DB’ers, mine took longer than the recommended 35-45 minutes… about 20 minutes longer, as a matter of fact. No matter, though, this one’s worth every extra minute.

My husband agrees! I’ll definitely be making this again - both in pop form and in a more classic form (I’m already thinking about how great it would be with a chocolate crust). To see how the other DB’ers felt about cheesecake in the form of lollipops, check out the Daring Baker Blogroll.

Cheesecake Pops
(from Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey by Jill O’Connor)
5 8-oz. packages cream cheese at room temperature
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 large eggs
2 egg yolks
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup heavy cream
Boiling water as needed
Thirty to forty 8-inch lollipop sticks

1 pound chocolate, finely chopped - you can use all one kind or half and half of dark, milk, or white (Alternately, you can use 1 pound of flavored coatings, also known as summer coating, confectionary coating or wafer chocolate - candy supply stores carry colors, as well as the three kinds of chocolate.)
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
Assorted decorations such as chopped nuts, colored jimmies, crushed peppermints, mini chocolate chips, sanding sugars, dragees) - Optional

Position oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Set some water to boil.

In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, flour, and salt until smooth. If using a mixer, mix on low speed. Add the whole eggs and the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well (but still at low speed) after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and cream.

Grease a 10-inch cake pan (not a springform pan), and pour the batter into the cake pan. Place the pan in a larger roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with the boiling water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake until the cheesecake is firm and slightly golden on top, 35 to 45 minutes.

Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and cool to room temperature. Cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate until very cold, at least 3 hours or up to overnight.

When the cheesecake is cold and very firm, scoop the cheesecake into 2-ounce balls and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Carefully insert a lollipop stick into each cheesecake ball. Freeze the cheesecake pops, uncovered, until very hard, at least 1 - 2 hours.

When the cheesecake pops are frozen and ready for dipping, prepare the chocolate. In the top of a double boiler, set over simmering water, or in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, heat half the chocolate and half the shortening, stirring often, until chocolate is melted and chocolate and shortening are combined. Stir until completely smooth. Do not heat the chocolate too much or your chocolate will lose it’s shine after it has dried. Save the rest of the chocolate and shortening for later dipping, or use another type of chocolate for variety.

Alternately, you can microwave the same amount of chocolate coating pieces on high at 30 second intervals, stirring until smooth.

Quickly dip a frozen cheesecake pop in the melted chocolate, swirling quickly to coat it completely. Shake off any excess into the melted chocolate. If you like, you can now roll the pops quickly in optional decorations. You can also drizzle them with a contrasting color of melted chocolate (dark chocolate drizzled over milk chocolate or white chocolate over dark chocolate, etc.) Place the pop on a clean parchment paper-lined baking sheet to set. Repeat with remaining pops, melting more chocolate and shortening (or confectionary chocolate pieces) as needed.

Refrigerate the pops for up to 24 hours, until ready to serve.
(Makes 30 - 40 Pops)

Leftover mashed potatoes are a rarity in our world. They’re just one of those things that don’t make it long in our house. But… on the rare occasion that we actually manage to exercise some self-restraint and not plow through way more than our fair share of servings in one evening, I always have as much fun deciding what to do with the leftovers as I do in just deciding to make them in the first place

Decisions, decisions…

Over the weekend we were in need of something quick and easy (anyone see a theme here? life has been entirely too hectic). I found a small serving of mashed potatoes hiding in the back of the fridge (a-ha!) and there was a can of salmon in the pantry. In minutes, dinner was in the works.

Viola! Salmon croquettes! Paired with a salad and a glass of wine… a tasty meal indeed.

Salmon Croquettes
7 oz. canned salmon, flaked
1 cup mashed potatoes
1/2 cup bread crumbs
garlic powder
cayenne pepper
salt & pepper
1 egg, beaten
Vegetable oil, for frying

Combine the salmon, potatoes and seasonings to taste. Mix in beaten egg. Roll into golf ball size balls and roll in breadcrumbs. (If time allows, refrigerate corquettes for 30-60 minutes to allow mixture to firm up.)

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Fry croquettes until golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side.

Serve with sour cream for dipping. (Makes 6 croquettes.)

The world may hate her, but I’m a Rachael Ray fan. Say what you will about her, but she really has come up with some pretty tasty quick-fix dinners. Do I ever complete the recipe in under thirty minutes? Rarely… at least until I’ve made it a few times through. But, no matter. They’re still quick, tasty, flexible, and easy. Life is hectic right now, and anything that makes weeknight life in the kitchen easier is a-okay in my book.

Case in point. I’ve had this recipe bookmarked for a while now… trying to remember to buy some frozen spinach. When I finally did, I immediately put it on the menu plan for the week, because I’d been so anxious to give it a try. As luck would have it, the night we were to have this for dinner, I was running late from work. Since the hubby was home already, he offered to get started on dinner prep so that I wouldn’t have to do it all when I got home. So, we struck a deal. He’d make the meatballs, I’d make the pasta. We did… and dinner was still on the table in under forty-five minutes. Even with me running late and the two of us fighting over kitchen space.

Is it gourmet? No. But it’s a fun, easy meal that makes good use of lean meat and leafy greens. Had we had a whole-grain pasta in a fun shape to incorporate, it would have been all the better. But, I wanted a fun shape, and the whole-grain selection in my area is still a little lacking in that category. And the meatballs? Awesome. And enormous. So fun!

Either way… file this one under “easy.” You won’t regret it. And, come on, who doesn’t love monster meatballs?

Florentine Mac and Cheese with Chicken Meatballs
(adapted from Rachael Ray)
Salt
1 pound cavatappi or other corkscrew shaped hallow pasta
1 pound ground chicken breast
Black pepper
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
3 cloves garlic, grated
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups grated Parmigiano Reggiano, divided
1 egg 3/4 cup bread crumbs, plus more, if needed
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 10 oz. boxes chopped frozen spinach
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup skim milk
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Place a large pot of water on to boil for pasta. When it comes to a boil, salt it and add the pasta to cook to al dente. Strain pasta reserving 1 cup cooking liquid.

While the water is coming to a boil, in a large mixing bowl combine the chicken, salt and pepper, rosemary, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano, egg and bread crumbs. (If the mixture seems too wet, mix in another handful of breadcrumbs.) Form 8 large round balls, about 3 to 4-inches in diameter. Coat balls in a couple of tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil and lightly grease a baking sheet with 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil. Arrange balls on the baking sheet and roast 17 to 18 minutes until juices run clear.

Meanwhile, defrost spinach in microwave 8 to 10 minutes on “defrost” setting. Place the boxes in a shallow dish to catch any run off.

In a medium sauce pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Whisk in flour and cook 1 minute, then whisk in stock and milk. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg and cook over medium-low heat 5-6 minutes until thick. Stir in the remaining cup of grated cheese and reduce heat to lowest setting.

Wring spinach completely dry in clean kitchen towel. Separate it with your fingers and add it to the sauce. Stir in the reserved cup of pasta cooking liquid if sauce is too thick. Toss pasta with the spinach-white sauce and adjust seasonings. (Serves four.)

We’re lucky. Whether we should or not (and often we should not), in our house we can eat pretty much whatever we like. No dietary restrictions, allergies, etc. to work around. Nothing’s really off-limits unless it’s just because we don’t care much for it. So, short of playing around with the occasional sugar-free recipe, I’ve never really tried much in the way of modified recipes.

Until now.

I imposed on myself sort of dual-purpose challenge… first, I wanted to try my hand at a gluten-free recipe to give to an acquaintance who has a daughter with celiac disease… and second, I wanted to put together a gluten-free cookie featuring mesquite flour.

What a fun way to stretch myself in the kitchen!

I had a particular cookie in mind when I set out on my little adventure… a cookie I had once upon a time about two years ago. It was fudgy and nutty and had a crackly top not unlike a brownie. It seemed like it might make an easy transition to being flour-free and still have a satisfying cookie texture.

I tried eggs versus egg whites… I tried cocoa versus melted chocolate… I tried varying amounts of mesquite flour. And, finally, I found my winner.

We liked them. The young lady I gifted half of the last batch with liked them. And I think this recipe’s a keeper. And, bonus, that makes three good cookie recipes that incorporate mesquite flour (the others are here and here if you’re interested).

Chewy Dark Chocolate Pecan Cookies
(makes approximately 18 cookies)
2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup mesquite flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch salt
4 oz. good quality dark chocolate
4 egg whites
2 cups pecans, toasted and roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, sift together the dry ingredients.

Place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30 second intervals until just melted. Set aside.

Whisk the eggwhites on high until stiff peaks form, about three minutes. Alternately add the dry ingredients and the melted chocolate to the egg whites, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until ingredients are completely combined, stopping once to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Fold in pecans.

Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheets, spacing the cookies about two inches apart.

Bake for 18 minutes. Remove from oven and allow the cookies to cool for 7-10 minutes before carefully removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container.

(I’m also envisioning these with dried cherries or chocolate chunks - or both! - mixed into the batter along with the pecans. YUM!)

I admire people who have the willpower to give up carbs. That whole “don’t eat anything white” thing? Yeah. Not this girl. I figure I’m doing well to be making the conversion over to more whole grains in my breads and my pasta… even sneaking it into my sweets here an there. But to give up all things white forever and ever, amen? Oh, to have such strength.

It would be hard enough to face life without a crusty piece of french bread or a plump, buttery biscuit here and there. But a world without potatoes? I can’t imagine. Roasted, mashed, baked, hashbrowned, scalloped, chowdered… I love them any which way. That’s why, when Tempered Woman announced the category for this month’s Homegrown Gourmet was potatoes, I knew immediately what my entry would be.

This recipe is all about homegrown comfort food. My mom has been making this literally for as long as I can remember. I think it was an adaptation from something originally published in the cookbook that came with her crockpot but, over the years, she’s modified to be much, much easier. It’s the first thing I think of when there’s leftover ham in the house (and, truth be told, it’s the same recipe I promised you for using up your leftover Easter ham… I just never got around to writing it up). It’s also a good reason to go ahead and MAKE a ham (it’s easy… you can even do it in the crockpot). And, if all else fails, it works fine with the pre-cubed ham that you can pick up at the supermarket.

(Carb lovers - be sure to server this with a big slice of french bread… it’s the perfect thing for mopping up the bottom of your bowl!)

Dad’s Ham and Potatoes
6 medium potatoes
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon Worcestersire sauce (more to taste)
2 cups cooked ham, cubed
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
salt and pepper to taste

Peel potatoes. Cube and place in a medium to large pot. Cover with cool water and place over medium-high heat. Bring to a slow boil and cook until just fork tender. Drain.

When potatoes are nearly done, melt butter in a large skillet. Stir in flour and salt and cook for 3-4 minutes. Whisk in milk. Stir constantly until mixture has thickened. Reduce heat and stir in Worcestershire sauce.

Add in the drained potatoes, ham, and cheese. Mix thoroughly ensuring sauce coats all of the potatoes. Adjust seasonings and enjoy. (Serves four to six.)