Cheesecakes, Desserts, Recipes

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Pecan Praline Sauce

Sarah
pumpkin cheesecake
Don't you wish I was on your table?

I know, I know. It’s probably not nice of me to post a pumpkin recipe the day before Thanksgiving when the menus are already planned and the shopping is already done… [right?]. But this Pumpkin Cheesecake with Pecan Praline Topping is so fabulous I hope you’ll forgive me, just this once. I made it to take to our small group from church about a month ago and it was absolute devoured.
slice of cheesecake
This cheesecake is so light, so fluffy, so rich, so flavorful. Even if there is no room for cheesecake on Thanksgiving day, I bet there’d be room on Black Friday. Or Saturday. Or Sunday. Or Monday. Or… any day, really! The chocolate crust pairs really well with the spicy pumpkin filling, and the Pecan Praline Topping is to die for! [And leftovers serve really well as dip for apple slices or drizzle for ice cream…] All the work for this cheesecake is totally worth it… I promise. So, do you forgive me for being mean? 🙂

Pumpkin Cheesecake [from Brown Eyed Baker]

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs [use a food processor/blender or a rolling pin/ziploc to crush them]
  • 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 32 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • about 2 cups [15 ounces] canned pumpkin
  • 4 eggs, at room temperature
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ginger

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use aluminum foil to double-wrap the bottom and outside of a 9 inch springform pan.

In a food processor or blender, mix together the graham cracker crumbs, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, and butter. Press into the bottom of the springform pan and bake for about 7 minutes or until set and golden brown. Cool completely before filling. Adjust the oven to 325 degrees.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add cream cheese and sugars and mix on medium speed until creamy, approximately 2-3 minutes. Add pumpkin and mix on low until fully combined, scraping the sides as needed. Beat in eggs one by one, mixing long enough to ensure each is fully incorporated. In a small bowl, whisk together cream and vanilla, then pour in the batter and mix until combined. Stir together the spices and add, mixing on low until all is combined.

Boil a pot or teakettle of water for a water bath.

Pour batter onto crust. Place the cheesecake pan into a larger dish [I use a roaster] and pour the boiling water into the larger dish, about halfway [2-3 inches] up the sides of the cheesecake.

Bake for 55-65 minutes, or until edges are set and middle is slightly underbaked [it should not be firm yet]. Turn off the oven and let cheesecake sit in the water bath for about 60 minutes, leaving the oven door shut. Then, take cheesecake out of water bath and oven, remove the foil, and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. [Do not refrigerate until cheesecake is cooled; this causes condensation.] About 2-3 hours is necessary for the cheesecake to cool completely, so take that into consideration when you’re planning!

Refrigerate at least 6-8 hours or overnight before serving

For more info on cheesecakes and water baths, check out this site.

Pecan Praline Sauce [from Food & Wine]

Ingredients:

  • 12 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups pecans, roughly chopped and toasted in a 350 degree oven for 4-5 minutes if desired

Directions:

In a small saucepan, melt butter and stir in sugar. Cook over medium heat, always stirring, until smooth. Whisk in heavy cream and salt, then bring to a boil and simmer until thick. Cool, and stir in pecans.

Click here for the printable: Pumpkin Cheesecake with Pecan Praline Sauce

designQuestion of the Day: Favorite flavor of cheesecake. Ready, go!

Main Dishes, Pork, Recipes

Blackberry Mustard Marinade

Sarah

porkEven though I’m not a big meat-lover like my husband, I still enjoy it. Before we were married, my main staple meat dishes were lasagna, meatloaf, tacos, and grilled chicken or chicken cooked with ranch dressing and BBQ sauce. Tasty, right? Umm… no, not so much anymore. Since getting married, I have come to embrace more diverse meat dishes, and have become more experimental in cooking [instead of just with baking, as before]. One of these “more diverse meat dishes” is what I affectionately call, the big hunk of meat. Pork or beef, it doesn’t matter. To me, a big hunk of meat is the same amount of work [and I’m sure this is blasphemous to some–tastes the same], no matter what type it is. So, in order to flavor up the meat, I’ve taken to some experimental marinades, using what we have in the pantry and fridge, instead of buying a pre-mixed marinade or a lot of complex ingredients. Fruit and mustard sauces are a classic counterpart to pork, since they play off each other so well. This blackberry mustard marinade is really simple and really tasty. Feel free to mix up the type of preserves or mustard used, but try to stay with good quality ingredients because that’s what really adds the depth of flavor.

Blackberry Mustard Marinade

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup good quality, all-natural blackberry preserves
  • 1/4 cup good quality, grainy Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon dried sage
  • 1 tablespoon dried rosemary

Directions:

Whisk together all ingredients and rub on a 1 1/2-2 pound pork roast, and prepare as desired. Here’s what I did.

  1. I chopped two apples into slices and laid them out in the bottom of a crock pot, and covered them with 1 cup of water.
  2. I rubbed the marinade on the pork roast and seasoned the whole thing with a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper.
  3. Then, I cooked the whole pork roast on low for about 8 hours until it was so tender it fell to pieces! Delicious! You could also use the marinade to cook the pork in the oven in a roaster.

Click here for the printable version: Blackberry Mustard Marinade

Question of the Day: How do you feel about ‘big hunks of meat’? [sorry, vegetarians!]

Main Dishes, Pasta, Recipes

Spinach Mushroom Cream Sauce with Spaghetti

Sarah

dinner plateNeed a quick, light dinner? Well, have I got the masterpiece for you then! This Spinach Mushroom Cream Sauce served over spaghetti can be prepared in less than 30 minutes… and it’s not from Rachael Ray! I whipped up this pasta on a whim last Monday night after our other dinner plans were scrapped, and I absolutely cannot stop thinking about it. Spinach. Mushrooms. Sweet peppers. Italian seasonings. All melded together with a light cream sauce. I haven’t tried this, but I bet subbing some white wine for the cream would be fantastic. Not much else to say about this dinner because I know you’ll love it!

saucey sauce
so pretty!

Spinach Mushroom Cream Sauce with Spaghetti

Ingredients:

  • 8 ounces mushrooms, chopped
  • olive oil
  • salt
  • pepper
  • ~1 cup heavy cream or half and half
  • ~2 tablespoons Parmesan
  • ~1 teaspoon oregano
  • ~2 teaspoons garlic
  • 1/3 cup roasted peppers, roughly chopped [I used roasted Piquillo peppers from Trader Joe’s–they are sweet, but if you wanted to use hot peppers that would work too!]
  • 9 ounces frozen spinach, cooked [don’t drain]
  • 1/2 pound spaghetti noodles

Directions:

Prepare spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat up a little olive oil in a skillet and then sautee the mushrooms over medium-high heat until soft, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste [for me, this is a teeny bit of salt with a lot of freshly ground pepper]. Stir in the cream, then add the Parmesan, oregano, and garlic. [I just eyeballed all the amounts.] Add the peppers and spinach, toss, and then simmer for about 5 minutes. When the spaghetti is cooked, return to pan and add sauce. Serve and enjoy!

Click here for the printable version: Spinach Mushroom Cream Sauce with Spaghetti

Question of the Day: Rachael Ray–yea or nay?

Menu Plans

Menu Plan

Sarah

Week of November 22

Monday: the last of our spaghetti and meatballs from the freezer

Tuesday: mustard chicken

Wednesday-Saturday: Thanksgiving! Meals with family. Turkey. Lots of yummyness!

Sunday: leftovers or things from the freezer… tba 🙂

Other, Recipes, Sides

CranApple Stuffing

Sarah

So, the stuffing is one of my favorite parts about Thanksgiving dinner. It’s tied with cranberry relish [not the stuff outta a can here!] and pumpkin pie for the top spot on my plate. Mashed potatoes, turkey, green bean casserole… ehh, I’d take ’em or leave ’em. But stuffing? No way. I gotta have it.

Consequently, when Diana at The Chic Life announced the Healthy Thanksgiving Challenge 2010, I knew that stuffing would be my dish! Except, I think the technical term is “dressing” since it’s not stuffed in anything. But technicalities, people, technicalities!

This stuffing, er–dressing, is fabulous. Crisp, flavorful bread punctuated with sweet apples and cranberries and chunky, crisp but not mushy, carrots and celery, all flavored with garlic and herbs.

CranApple Stuffing - an easy, healthy stuffing recipe bursting with apples, cranberries, and carrots!

And you don’t have to tell anyone, but my stuffing is just a little bit healthier too–multigrain bread instead of white bread, additional fruits and veggies for nutrients and flavor, the omission of sausage, and the addition of wheat germ for protein, fiber, and other nutrients galore.

Hungry already? I am! Here’s the recipe, I’m headed to the fridge… leftovers are callin’ my name!

CranApple Stuffing

  • Servings: 6
  • Print

inspired by Betty Crocker

Ingredients:

  • 5 cups multigrain French bread, cut into 1″ cubes
  • 2 tablespoons wheat germ
  • 1/2 cup diced celery [about 2 ribs]
  • 1 cup thinly sliced carrot [1 large]
  • 1 cup peeled and diced apple [1 medium]
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 1 teaspoon dried sage
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup skim milk
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • olive oil

Directions:

In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add celery, carrot, apple, and garlic and cook until fragrant and softened, about 10-12 minutes.

Meanwhile, toss wheat germ with bread cubes in a large bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together chicken broth, milk, and egg.

After fruits and veggies are softened, stir in cranberries, sage, and thyme. Remove from heat and spoon into bowl with bread cubes.

Pour egg mixture over everything and toss to coat.

Spoon into 1 1/2 quart baking dish, top with freshly ground black pepper, and refrigerate for about 2-3 hours to set before baking.

Then bake in a 350 degree oven, uncovered, for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean and top is crispy.

Question of the Day: What’s your favorite healthy substitution?