Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake

18 OREO Cookies, finely crushed (about 1-1/2 cups crumbs)
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
3 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
2 tsp. vanilla
1 pkg. (12 oz.) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chunks, melted, slightly cooled
4 eggs

Heat oven to 300°F

Mix cookie crumbs and butter; press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan.

Beat cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Add chocolate; mix well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended. Pour over crust.

Bake 1 hour 5 min. to 1 hour 10 min. or until center is almost set. Run knife around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim. Refrigerate 4 hours.

Roasted Cauliflower and Mushroom Carbonara

Ingredients

1 small head cauliflower, cut into florets
8 ounces mushrooms, quartered
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
8 ounces fettuccine (or pasta of choice) (gluten free for gluten free)
4 ounces pancetta, diced or 4 ounces bacon cut into 1 inch pieces
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 eggs
1/2 cup (2 ounces) parmigiano reggiano (parmesan), grated
plenty of fresh cracked black pepper
salt to taste
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped

Directions

Toss the cauliflower and mushrooms in the oil, salt and pepper, place on a baking sheet in a single layer and roast in a preheated 400F/200C oven until they start to caramelize, about 20-30 minutes, mixing half way through.

Start cooking the pasta as directed on the package.

Cook the pancetta in a pan, pour off all but a tablespoon of the grease from the pan, add the garlic, cook for 30 second and turn off the heat.

Mix the egg, cheese, pepper and salt and parsley in a bowl.

Drain the cooked pasta reserving some of the water.

Mix the pasta, egg mixture, cauliflower and mushrooms into the pan with the pancetta, adding reserved pasta water as needed.

Marsala Glazed Mushrooms

Button or cremini mushrooms, dry sautéed, then sautéed with butter and Marsala wine, and reduced until the wine is just a glaze on the mushrooms.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Yield: Serves 4 as a side.

1 pound fresh button or cremini mushrooms, cut into thick slices
Salt
4 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup Marsala wine
Pinch of chopped fresh or dry thyme

METHOD
1 To dry sauté the mushrooms, heat a large sauté pan over high heat. Put all the mushrooms in the hot pan and stir the mushrooms. Reduce the heat to medium-high. Stir often. You may hear the mushrooms squeak. Just when you think the mushrooms may start burning, they will begin to give up their moisture. Water will seem to just seep out of the mushrooms. Stir so that the mushrooms are coated with their own sauce, and sprinkle salt over them.

2 Cook until most of the liquid has boiled away, then add the butter to the pan and stir to combine. Add a pinch of thyme. Sauté the mushrooms in the butter on medium high heat until they begin to brown, about 2-3 minutes.

3 Add the Marsala wine to the pan and increase the heat to high. Toss to coat the mushrooms well. Boil this down vigorously until the Marsala is nearly gone. What you will see remaining is the butter in the pan.

Red Enchilada Sauce

PREP: 5 MINS 

COOK: 15 MINS 

TOTAL: 20 MINS

INGREDIENTS:

2 Tbsp. vegetable or canola oil
2 Tbsp. all-purpose or gluten-free flour
4 Tbsp. chili powder (*not cayenne! also, see note below if you do not like heat*)
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. oregano
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour and stir together over the heat for one minute. Stir in the remaining seasonings (chili powder through oregano). Then gradually add in the stock, whisking constantly to remove lumps. Reduce heat and simmer 10-15 minutes until thick.

Use immediately or refrigerate in an air-tight container for up to two weeks.

Fried Smashed Potatoes

Ingredients

12 small red potatoes (1-1/2 to 2 inches in diameter; 1-1/2 to 2 pounds total)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley

Directions

Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with at least 1 inch of water. 

Add the 1 teaspoon salt to water. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. 

Cover and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes or until potatoes are very tender; drain potatoes.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Transfer potatoes to a foil-lined 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Cool for 10 minutes. 

Using a potato masher or the palm of your hand (be careful not to burn your hand), lightly press down on each potato to smash to about 1/2-inch thickness, keeping each potato in one piece.

Using half of the olive oil, brush on potatoes. Sprinkle half of the salt and pepper on potatoes. 

Bake, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned and crisp. Turn potatoes; brush with the remaining olive oil and sprinkle with the remaining salt and pepper. 

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes more or until potatoes are lightly browned and crisp. 

In a bowl combine cheese and parsley. Sprinkle on potatoes. Bake for 2 to 3 minutes more or until cheese is melted.

Green Bean Almondine with Garlic & Blue Cheese

Ingredients

3 heads garlic minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and ground pepper to taste
1 pound fresh green beans trimmed
1 teaspoon butter
1/3 cup sliced almonds
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pinch cayenne pepper or more to taste
2 ounces blue cheese crumbled

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. 

Line a baking dish with aluminum foil.

Cut top 1/3 of garlic heads, exposing the cloves. Place garlic in the prepared baking dish cut side up. Pour olive oil over the garlic and season with salt. Fold up foil and seal to create a tight packet.

Bake in the preheated oven until a paring knife inserts easily into the center of a garlic clove, about 1 hour; set aside to cool. Once cool, remove each garlic clove from the skin. Reserve remaining oil oil.

Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees F.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; add green beans and cook until bright green and nearly tender, 4 to 6 minutes.

Drain beans and transfer to a large bowl of ice water to cool completely; drain well and set aside.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add almonds; cook and stir until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes.

Toss green beans, roasted garlic and reserve olive oil, toasted almonds, and 1 table spoon olive oil together in a large bowl; season with cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper.

Transfer to a shallow baking dish and top with blue cheese. Bake until cheese is melted and beans are fully tender, about 15 minutes.

Shortcut Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus more if needed
1 1/2 pounds 85 percent lean ground beef
1 onion, diced small
2 cloves garlic, grated or minced
2 fresh thyme sprigs or pinch dried thyme
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups beef stock
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
10 ounces frozen mixed peas and carrots
1 pound frozen mini or regular potato tots (about 4 cups)
1/2 cup shredded sharp yellow Cheddar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. 

Heat a large skillet over high heat for 2 minutes, then add the oil. When you start to see wisps of smoke, crumble the ground beef evenly into the pan. Let the beef cook undisturbed until browned on one side, 3 minutes, then start breaking it up and turning it to brown any remaining pink spots, about 4 minutes more. Transfer the beef with a slotted spoon to a medium bowl; set aside.

Turn the heat down to medium and discard all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the skillet. Add the onions, garlic and thyme, stir to combine and cook until the onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the flour and tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the cooked beef, beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce has thickened, about 4 minutes. Remove the thyme sprigs if using. Fold in the peas and carrots.

Transfer the mixture to an 8-inch square casserole pan, and top with the potato tots and Cheddar. Bake until the potato tots are crisp and the meat layer is bubbling up the sides, 20 to 25 minutes.