Sweet Potato Soup

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon unsalted butter (Earth Balance)
1 1/2 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth, if desired)
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups cooked sweet potatoes
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup milk
Salt


Directions:

In a heavy saucepot, over medium-low heat, cook the flour and butter, stirring constantly until roux achieves a light caramel color. 
Add the broth and brown sugar, bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. 
Stir in the sweet potatoes and spices, bring to a simmer again, and cook for 5 minutes more. 
In a blender, puree the soup in batches and return to saucepan. 
Add the milk, and reheat soup. 
Season with salt and pepper, ladle into warm soup bowls and serve.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/cooking-live/sweet-potato-soup-recipe/index.html

Neapolitan Cheesecake

Ingredients

Crust:

1 1/4 cups chocolate cookie crumbs (I used Teddy Grahams)

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup chocolate sprinkles

Filling:

3 packages (8oz) of cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup sugar

3 whole eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

3 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted & cooled 

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

3 ounces white chocolate, melted and cooled 

1/2 cup strawberries, crushed

3 drops red food coloring

Prep:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Coat an 8 or 9 inch spring form pan with cooking spray or butter.

Directions:

1. In a bowl thoroughly combine cookie crumbs, sprinkles and melted butter. Press cookie mixture into the bottom of the spring form pan and approx. 1 1/2 inch up the sides. Place in the freezer to cool.
2. In a mixing bowl, with paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and sugar on medium speed until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time until fully incorporated, stopping in between to scrap down the sides. Add the vanilla extract.
3. Divide the batter into thirds. Incorporating one third into the prepared melted semisweet chocolate, one third into the melted white chocolate and one third into the crushed strawberries. Add three drops of red food coloring to the strawberry mixture and blend well .
4. Pour the semisweet chocolate batter over the prepared crust and place in the refrigerator to cool for approx. 5 minutes or until slightly firm. Pour the white chocolate batter over the semisweet chocolate batter and place back in the refrigerator to cool fro approx. 5 minutes or until firm. Pour the strawberry batter over the white chocolate batter  and smooth the top.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for approx. 45 to 55 minutes, just until the top is lightly golden brown and the center has a slight jiggle. Let cool on a wire rack for approx. 2 hours. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours to overnight.

http://www.tickledred.com/neapolitan-cheesecake/

Vanilla Funfetti Cake Roll

Ingredients:

For the cake:
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar (for dusting towel)
For the filling:
• 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sprinkles (jimmies)

Instructions:

1. Line a 15x10x1 baking sheet with parchment paper. Spray with baking spray (or grease and flour). Set aside. Sprinkle powdered sugar onto a large, clean dish towel (same size or bigger than baking sheet). Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl beat eggs for 2-3 minutes. Add sugar, water and vanilla and beat an additional minute until fully incorporated. Beat in flour, baking powder and salt. Pour into prepared baking sheet. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 11-13 minutes.
3. Remove from oven and immediately flip cake onto powdered sugar towel. Peel off parchment paper. Place a clean sheet of parchment paper over back of cake and roll cake up in towel carefully (from short end to short end). Cool for one hour.
4. To make filling, beat heavy cream for several minutes until soft peaks form. Add in granulated sugar and vanilla and continue beating until desired consistency. Very gently, fold in sprinkles. Try not to over stir the sprinkles or the colors will start to bleed.
5. When cake is cooled, unroll gently. Remove parchment paper and spread filling in the cake. Re-roll the cake without the towel. Sprinkle with extra powdered sugar or sprinkles, if desired. Refrigerate cake on a plate with plastic wrap over the top. Serve and enjoy! This cake is best served within 1-2 days.

http://www.shugarysweets.com/2013/05/vanilla-funfetti-cake-roll

Apple Turnovers

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup cold butter, divided
• 1/4 cup ice water

FILLING:

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 medium tart apples, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons beaten egg
• 1-1/2 teaspoons water

GLAZE:

• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon water

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, combine flour and salt; cut in 1/4 cup butter until crumbly. Gradually add water, tossing with a fork until a ball forms. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 12-in. x 6-in. rectangle.
2. Cut remaining butter into thin slices. Starting at a short side of dough, arrange half of the butter slices over two-thirds of rectangle to within 1/2 in. of edges. Fold unbuttered third of dough over middle third. Fold remaining third over the middle, forming a 6-in. x 4-in. rectangle. Roll dough into a 12-in. x 6-in. rectangle.
3. Repeat steps of butter layering and dough folding, ending with a 6-in. x 4-in. rectangle. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate for 15 minutes. Roll dough into a 12-in. x 6-in. rectangle. Fold in half lengthwise and then width-wise. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate for 1 hour.
4. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon. Add apples and lemon juice; toss to coat. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5-10 minutes or until apples are tender, stirring often. Remove from the heat.
5. In a small bowl, combine egg and water. Roll dough into a 12-in. square; cut into four squares. Brush with half of the egg mixture. Spoon about 1/4 cup filling on half of each square; fold dough over filling. Press edges with a fork to seal. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Brush with remaining egg mixture. With a sharp knife, cut three small slits in the top of each turnover.
6. Bake at 450° for 17-22 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to a wire rack. Combine glaze ingredients; drizzle over turnovers. Serve warm. 

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Apple-Turnovers

Yield: 4 servings.

Nutritional Facts1 turnover equals 456 calories, 24 g fat (14 g saturated fat), 94 mg cholesterol, 537 mg sodium, 58 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 5 g protein.

Red Velvet Raspberry Truffles

Ingredients:

Makes 2 dozen

1 pound semi-sweet baking chocolate, divided

4 ounces (1/2 package) cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup confectioners sugar

1 tablespoon red food color

1 teaspoon raspberry extract

Directions:

1. Melt 8 ounces of the chocolate as directed on package. Beat cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, food color and raspberry extract in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended and smooth. Add melted chocolate; beat until well mixed. Cover. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or until firm.
2. Shape into 24 (about 3/4-inch) balls. Place on wax paper-lined tray. Refrigerate until ready to dip.
3. Coat only 12 truffles at a time. Melt 4 ounces of the remaining chocolate in small microwavable bowl on MEDIUM (50% power) 1 1/2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute. Using a fork, dip 1 truffle at a time into the chocolate. Tap back of fork 2 or 3 times against edge of dish to allow excess chocolate to drip off. Place truffles on wax paper-lined tray. (If there are any “bald” spots on truffle, cover with melted chocolate that remains on the fork.) Repeat with remaining 4 ounces chocolate and remaining truffles.
4. Refrigerate 1 hour or until chocolate is set. Store truffles between layers of wax paper in airtight container in refrigerator up to 1 week.

http://www.mccormick.com/Recipes/Dessert/Red-Velvet-Raspberry-Truffles#.URa6kHX1ex8.mailto

Chocolate Cheesecake

Ingredients:

For the base:
1 1/3 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 stick butter, melted
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
For the filling:
6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped small
2 1/2 cups cream cheese
3/4 cup superfine sugar
1 tablespoon Bird's custard powder (available at baking supply stores)
3 large eggs plus 3 egg yolks
2/3 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder, dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water


For the glaze:
3 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon dark corn syrup

Directions:
To make the base, process the graham cracker crumbs, butter and cocoa powder in a food processor until it makes damp, clumping crumbs. Tip them into a 9-inch springform pan. Press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan to make an even base and put into the freezer while you make the filling.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put a kettle on to boil. Melt the chocolate either in a microwave or double boiler, and set aside to cool slightly.

To make the filling, beat the cream cheese to soften it, and then add the sugar and custard powder, beating again to combine. Beat in the whole eggs and then the yolks and the sour cream. Finally, add the cocoa dissolved in hot water and the melted chocolate and mix to make a smooth batter.

Take the springform pan out of the freezer and line the outside of the pan with a good layer of plastic wrap, and then another layer of strong foil over that. This will protect it from the water bath. Sit the springform pan in a roasting pan and pour the cheesecake filling into the springform pan. Fill the roasting pan with the just-boiled water from the kettle to come about halfway up the cake pan, and bake in the oven 50 minutes to 1 hour. The top of the cheesecake should be set, but the underneath should still have a wobble to it.

Peel away the foil and plastic wrap and sit the cheesecake in its pan on a rack to cool. Put in the fridge once it is no longer hot and leave to set, covered with plastic, overnight. Let it lose its chill before unspringing the cheesecake to serve.

To make the glaze, very gently melt the chopped chocolate, cream and corn syrup. When the chocolate has nearly melted, take it off the heat and whisk until smooth. Let it cool a little, then Jackson Pollock it over the cheesecake. Use the remaining glaze as an accompanying sauce.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/nigella-lawson/chocolate-cheesecake-recipe2/index.html

Croissants

makes about 20-24 croissants, depending on triangle size

1 1/2 cups warm whole milk (about 105 degrees F)

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 tablespoons + 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast

3 3/4 – 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon salt

3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) cold, unsalted butter

1 egg + 1 teaspoon whole milk, beaten for brushing

1. To make dough, combined milk, sugar and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer attached with a dough hook, and let sit until foamy – about 5-10 minutes. If it doesn’t foam, start over. Once foamy, add 3 3/4 cups flour and the salt, and mix on low speed until dough comes together and is soft, about 7 minutes. Transfer dough to your workspace and knead by hand for a minute or 2, using more flour to make it silky and not sticky. Form dough into a 1 1/2 inch thick rectangle, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for one hour.

2. Once dough has chilled, set butter sticks next to each other with their sides touching. Pound it down with a rolling pin to soften it a bit, then set it between two towels or two sheets of plastic wrap. I found this to be the most challenging part. Using the rolling pin, continue to press down on it with the rolling pin and roll. I also used my hands to press it down and form it into 8 x 5 inch rectangle. Once done, wrap in plastic wrap and chill while rolling dough.

3. Remove dough from plastic wrap and sit on a lightly floured surface. Using your hands, stretch the dough (especially the corners) into the 16 x 10 inch rectangle. It works pretty easily – just be sure to measure! Place dough with a short end near you. Set butter slab in the middle of the dough, then fold the ends up like a letter: top half down so it completely covers the butter and bottom half up so it covers the first. So three layers of dough and one layer of butter.  Turn dough again so the short side is facing you, and use the rolling pin to press down equally on the dough to help flatten it. Roll dough into a 15 x 10 inch rectangle, rolling out to the ends but not actually over the ends. Again, fold the dough like a letter: top have down and bottom half up, and stretch so the corners are square. This should form a 10 x 5 inch rectangle (roughly). Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for one hour.

4. Repeat step 3 THREE more times, for a total of four folds, chilling the dough for one hour after each fold. After the fourth and final fold, wrap dough tightly with plastic wrap and chill for 8-12 hours, no longer. 

5. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. When dough is ready, roll out to a very long and skinny rectangle, about 20 x 32. (If your counter is small, you can break the dough in half and do this in 2 sections). Using a pizza slicer (or sharp knife) cut the dough into triangles. Cut a small vertical slit right into the middle of the straight end, and using both hands, roll croissant up pushing the sides out to either side. Place on a baking sheet about 2-3 inches apart, cover with a towel and set in a warm place to rice for 1-2 hours. I did not see a great change, but they rose a bit. Brush with beaten egg then, bake for 12-14 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool before removing from baking sheet.

For chocolate croissants: in step 5, place a 1/2 – 1 ounce of chocolate in the middle of the dough before rolling up.

For cinnamon sugar croissants: you have two options. If you’d like every croissant to be cinnamon sugar, layer each fold of dough with a cinnamon sugar mixture (about 2 parts sugar to 1 part cinnamon). If you just want to make a few cinnamon sugar croissants, completely coat the triangle in cinnamon sugar before rolling up. Brush with beaten egg, then coat with cinnamon sugar again. Be sure to use a non-stick baking sheet, as sugar will caramelize a bit and croissants may stick. Make sure they cool completely before trying to remove.

For pumpkin spice croissants: in step 5, drop 1-2 teaspoons of pumpkin spice cream into the middle of the dough before rolling. For cream, combine 1 part cream cheese with 1/2 part pureed pumpkin, 1/2 part sugar, and a heavy sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice. Either layer each fold or roll each triangle through a pumpkin spice sugar mixture (2 parts sugar to 1 part pumpkin pie spice), then brush with beaten egg and coat with pumpkin spice sugar. Be sure to use a non-stick baking sheet, as sugar will caramelize a bit and croissants may stick. Make sure they cool completely before trying to remove.

http://www.howsweeteats.com/2011/09/how-to-make-croissants-and-lose-your-mind-while-doing-it/

Barbecue Turkey Meatloaf

Serves 8

Ingredients:

For the meatloaf
2 pounds ground turkey (or beef/pork)
1 cup barbecue sauce (recipe below)
1 onion, chopped fine
1 large carrot, chopped fine
1/2 cup bread crumbs
3 - 4 garlic cloves, minced
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Additional barbecue sauce for topping

For the barbecue sauce
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 onions, chopped small
2 1/2 cups (32 ounce bottle) ketchup
1 1/2 cups (12 ounce bottle) chili sauce, such as Heinz
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1/3 cup dark molasses
1/4 cup prepared mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Juice from 1/2 lemon
Juice from 1/2 orange
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Ingredients:

Preheat oven to 400°

To make the meatloaf, combine turkey, barbecue sauce, onion, bread crumbs, garlic, and eggs in a large bowl. Season generously with salt and pepper. Pour turkey mixture into an aluminum foil-lined loaf pan.

Cook the meatloaf for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and lower the temperature to 350°. Top with additional barbecue sauce and cook until the internal temperature reaches 160°, about 35 more minutes. Allow the meatloaf to cool in pan for 15 minutes. Remove the loaf from the pan by lifting out the aluminum foil. Drain the excess grease. Slice and serve with additional warm barbecue sauce. Pair with mashed potatoes.

To make the barbecue sauce, melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Saute the onions until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for two hours, stirring occasionally. This sauce can be made in advance and keeps well in the refrigerator.

http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-barbecue-160193