Chocolate Cheesecake

Ingredients

1 cup crushed chocolate wafer crumbs
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons butter, melted

FILLING:
2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
In a small bowl, combine cookie crumbs and sugar; stir in butter. Press onto the bottom of a greased 9-in. springform pan; set aside. In a microwave, melt chocolate chips; stir until smooth. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and flour until smooth. Add eggs beat on low just until combined. Stir in vanilla and melted chocolate just until blended. Pour filling over crust.

Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight.

Pumpkin Pie Bars

For the crust and topping:
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup cold unsalted butter, diced
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup butterscotch chips, for topping

For the filling:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree
1 Tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 

Spray a 9-x13-inch pan with Baker's Joy, or line with foil and lightly grease the foil. 

Set aside.

In a small bowl, mix together the flour and sugars for the crust/topping. Toss in the diced butter and blend it in with a pastry cutter, two knives or the tips of your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in the oats and chopped pecans.

Set aside one cup of the crust/topping mixture. Press the remaining mixture evenly into the bottom of the baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes. While the crust is baking, prepare the filling.
For the filling, in a mixing bowl, blend together the cream cheese, sugar, eggs, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla on medium speed until smooth.

Remove the crust from the oven and immediately pour the filling into the pan. Use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to smooth the filling over the crust. Sprinkle the 1 cup reserved crust/topping mixture over top, along with the butterscotch chips. Return to the oven for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let set at room temperature to cool. Slice and serve when cooled completely.

Black Olive Tapenade

4 Tbsp Kalamata Olives, Rough Chopped 1/8”
3 Tbsp Calabrian Roasted Peppers, Finely Chopped
2 Tbsp Roasted Red Onions, Finely Chopped 1/8”
1 Clove, Roasted Garlic,
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
Dash, Balsamic Vinegar

Finely chop all Kalamata olives, roasted red pepper, roasted red onions and garlic until 1/8”.
Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl and blend thoroughly using a rubber spatula.

Starbucks Pumpkin Pound Cake

Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. All Purpose Flour
1/2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/4 tsp. Ground Cloves
1/4 tsp. Ground Nutmeg
1 1/2 c. Sugar
1/2 c. Fat Free VanillaYogurt
3 Egg Whites
1 c. Canned Pumpkin

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350º. 

Grease a loaf pan, set aside.
Sift the flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cloves, and nutmeg, into a mixing bowl. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, yogurt, and egg whites. Whisk thoroughly until blended. Stir in the pumpkin. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture. Stir until completely incorporated.

Pour into pan and bake for 60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Let cool on a wire rack. 

Treats! Chocolate & Peanut Butter Acorns

Chocolate and Peanut Butter; need I say more? These are a perfect project for tiny fingers!

1. Melt 1/2 bag of Mini-Chips {5 second interval in the microwave, stirring really good each time}
2. Dip the flat end of the Hershey's Kiss into melted chocolate and top with a bite-size NutterButter.
3. Dip the flat end of a Mini-Chip into the melted chocolate and stick it to the NutterButter.

Starbucks pumpkin scones

Ingredients:

For the Scones:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup and 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
3 tablespoons half-and-half
1 large egg
For the Powdered Sugar Glaze:
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons milk

For the Spiced Glaze:
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 pinch ground ginger
1 pinch ground cloves

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with fit the paddle attachment, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Add the butter and toss with a fork to coat with the flour mixture. Mix on medium-low speed until the texture resembles coarse cornmeal, with the butter pieces no larger than small peas.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, half-and-half and egg. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients, and form the dough into a ball. Pat out dough onto a lightly floured surface and form into a 1-inch thick rectangle about 4 inches by 12 inches. Use a large knife to slice the dough making three equal portions. Cut each of the portions in an X pattern (four pieces) so you end up with 12 triangular slices of dough. Place on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until light brown. Place on wire rack to cool.

While the scones are cooling, make the powdered sugar glaze by mixing the powdered sugar and milk together until smooth. When scones are cool, use a pastry brush to spread plain glaze over the top of each scone. Allow to firm.

While the powdered sugar glaze is firming, combine all of the ingredients for the spiced glaze. Drizzle over each scone and allow the icing to dry before serving (about an hour).

Recipe Note: you can freeze unbaked scones and enjoy hot from the oven scones any day of the week. Just freeze on a baking sheet until firm, tightly wrap in plastic wrap and place in a ziploc freezer bag. When ready to bake just pop into the oven straight from the freezer, no need to thaw. Just add a few more minutes to the baking time.

Hamburger Helper Alfredo

Ingredients

3 cups (24 oz) marinara sauce (storebought or homemade)
1 batch easy alfredo sauce (recipe below)
1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes, with juices
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 lbs ground beef (I used extra lean)
1 1/2 lbs penne noodles (I used whole wheat)
pinch of salt and pepper

Easy Alfredo Sauce:
4 tbsp unsalted butter
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
pinch of nutmeg
Black pepper and salt to taste
Instructions

To make the alfredo:
Melt the butter in a large sauté pan set over low heat. Add the cream to the butter as it melts. Stir occasionally (keeping the heat on low). Let it simmer for about 15 minutes. When it’s reduced slightly, add the parmesan cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper and stir. Set aside while you make the rest of the sauce. Stir the alfredo occasionally. Note: if the alfredo is WAY too thick for your liking, add some extra milk or cream (1 tbsp at a time) after it’s simmered and reduced.

To make the hamburger helper:
Brown the ground beef in a large skillet then drain the fat.
Add the garlic to the drained beef and cook for about 30 seconds. Then add the marinara and diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil. As soon as it starts to boil, turn down the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the alfredo sauce a few minutes before you add the noodles.

While the sauce is cooking, boil the pasta noodles.
Using a slotted spoon (or pasta scoop) spoon the noodles into the sauce pan.
On a low heat, mix the noddles and sauce for about 3 minutes. Note: if you sauce is too thick, add some of the reserved pasta water, 1/4 cup at a time.