Momma Z's Cheesecake!

For the crust:
2 cups graham crackers
1/4 lb. butter
1/4 c. sugar

For the filling:
1 1/2 lbs. cream cheese
1 1/2 c. sugar
4 eggs
1 t. vanilla
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 pt. sour cream
3 T. sugar
1 t. vanilla

For the topping:
2 c. frozen blueberries
1 lemon, juiced
2 T. sugar
1 t. cornstarch

Crush crackers until ground.  Cream butter and sugar and add crackers.  Blend well.  Press into a spingform pan on the bottom and halfway up the sides.  For the filling, blend cream cheese and 1 1/2 c. sugar until smooth.  Add eggs one at a time.  Add 1 t. vanilla and lemon juice.  Beat for 10 minutes.  Add sour cream, 3 T. sugar, and rest of vanilla.  Beat 10 minutes more.  Pour filling over the graham cracker crust.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 55 minutes.  Turn off the oven and leave cake in the oven for 30 minutes with the door open.  Make a day in advance and chill in the fridge before serving.  For the topping, simmer blueberries with lemon juice, sugar, and cornstarch just until bubbly.  Chill in the fridge before topping cheesecake slices.

Pickled Radishes!

3 large radishes, sliced
1 1/2 c. vinegar
4 T. honey
2 T. salt
1 t. mustard seeds
1 t. peppercorns
1 t. red pepper flakes

Combine vinegar, honey, and spices in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer.  Pour over sliced radishes in a mason jar.  Cover and cool in the refrigerator.

Cabbage Roll Soup!

1 T. olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 lb. ground beef
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 oz. tomato paste
1 t. Italian seasoning
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper
28 oz. diced tomatoes
1 head cabbage, chopped
1 qt. beef broth
1/2 c. orzo or rice

Saute onion in olive oil in a large pot.  Add beef and sauté until browned.  Add garlic and sauté a minute more.   Stir in tomato paste, seasonings, tomatoes, cabbage, and broth.  Simmer for 20 minutes.  Add orzo and simmer for 10 more minutes or until al dente.

Tukey Tetrazzini!

1lb. fettuccine, boiled

6 T. butter

1 onion, diced

8 oz. mushrooms, sliced

1 t. salt

1 t. sage

¼ c. cooking wine

⅓ c. flour

2½ c. chicken broth

3 c. milk

⅛ t. nutmeg

1 lb. leftover Thanksgiving, shredded or chopped

1 c.  broccoli florets

1 c. grated parmesan

¼ c. bread crumbs

 

Butter or lightly coat with cooking spray a 9x13-inch baking dish. Preheat oven to 375-degrees F.

In a large skillet, melt 3 T. butter. Add diced onion and mushrooms and season with salt. Cook 5 minutes. Add sage and cook 2 minutes. Add wine and cook 2 more minutes. Push onions and mushrooms to one side of pan.  Add 3 T. butter. Sift in flour and whisk until smooth. Cook and stir until browned. Season with salt. Stir everything in pan together.

Whisk in stock and bring to a simmer.  Whisk in milk and nutmeg. Simmer for 5 more minutes.  Remove from heat. Add cooked pasta, turkey, and broccoli to the sauce and stir to combine. Stir in ½ cup of the grated cheese. Pour into a greased baking dish.  Mix together the remaining grated cheese and bread crumbs. Sprinkle over top.

Bake at 375degrees until top is slightly browned and bubbly, about 30 minutes.

Creme Brulee Cheesecake!

9 graham crackers

½ stick butter, melted

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature

1 c. sugar

2  eggs

1  egg yolk

1 t. vanilla

½ t. salt

¼ c. sugar (for the brulee topping)

 

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch square baking dish with foil, leaving an overhang.

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the graham crackers until finely ground. Add the butter and pulse until moistened. Press into the bottom of an 8 inch pan lined with foil. Bake at 350 degrees until lightly browned and set, about 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool and reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees.  Mix the cream cheese, sugar, eggs, egg yolk, vanilla, and salt with an electric mixer until  smooth.  Pour the mixture over the crust and bake until the cheesecake is set but still slightly jiggly in the center, about 45 minutes. Cool completely in the pan and refrigerate until firm. Cut the cheesecake into squares and sprinkle the tops of each square with sugar. Torch the tops with a kitchen torch until it turns a deep amber color. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Pecan Pie Cookies!

1 prepared single pie crust

2 T. butter

½ c. pecans, chopped

⅓ c. brown sugar

¼ c. corn syrup

2 eggs

⅛ teaspoon salt

1/2  c. chocolate chips

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a large non-stick pan, combine butter, pecans, brown sugar, corn syrup, salt and eggs. Cook  over medium-low heat just until thickened. Remove from heat and set aside.

Unroll dough and cut out circles. Place each circle on a pan lined with parchment paper.  Gently fold up the edges and spoon 1 T. of the pecan mixture into each circle. Bake 9 minutes at 400 degrees or until filling is just set. Remove from oven and let cool.   Microwave chocolate chips about 30 seconds or until mostly melted. Spoon into a plastic bag and snip off a tiny corner and drizzle chocolate over the cookies. Cool until set.

Sugared Nuts!

3 c. pecans

3 c. almonds

2 T. water

2 c. sugar

3 t. cinnamon

2 t. salt

 

Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites and water on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Add the sugar, cinnamon, and salt, folding until combined.  Pour sugar mixture over nuts and stir to coat. Spread nuts over two large baking sheets lined with parchment paper and bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Cool the nuts and store at room temperature, covered.