Sunday, September 3, 2023

No Bake Cheesecake

Originally from:
https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/no-bake-cheesecake/#tasty-recipes-67191


Ingredients

Graham Cracker Crust

• 2 cups (240g) graham cracker crumbs (about 16 full sheet graham crackers)
• 1/3 cup (67g) packed light or dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, melted

Cheesecake

• 1 and 1/4 cups (300ml) heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
• 24 ounces (678g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
• 2 Tablespoons (15g) confectioners’ sugar
• 1/4 cup (60g) sour cream, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Make the crust: Stir the graham cracker crust ingredients together. Pour into a 9-inch springform pan or 10-inch springform pan and pack in very tightly. The tighter it’s packed, the less likely it will fall apart when cutting the cheesecake. I recommend using the bottom of a measuring cup to pack it into the bottom and up the sides. You can watch me do this in the video above. Freeze for 10–20 minutes as you prepare the filling. Note: Freeze for up to 1 hour in step 1, then cover tightly and refrigerate for 1–2 days before adding the filling. 

2. Make the filling: Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the cold heavy cream into stiff peaks on medium-high speed, about 4–5 minutes. Set aside.

3. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and granulated sugar together on medium speed until perfectly smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the confectioners’ sugar, sour cream, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Beat for 2–3 minutes on medium-high speed until smooth and combined. Make sure there are no large lumps of cream cheese. If there are lumps, keep beating until smooth.

4. Using your mixer on low speed or a rubber spatula, fold the whipped cream into the cheesecake filling until combined. This takes several turns of your rubber spatula. Combine slowly as you don’t want to deflate all the air in the whipped cream.

5. Remove crust from the freezer and spread filling into crust. Use an offset spatula to smooth down the top.

6. Cover tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 6–8 hours and up to 2 days. For best results, 12 hours is best. I chill mine overnight. The longer refrigerated, the nicer the no-bake cheesecake will set up.

7. Use a knife to loosen the chilled cheesecake from the rim of the springform pan, then remove the rim. Using a clean sharp knife, cut into slices for serving. For neat slices, wipe the knife clean between each slice.

8. Serve cheesecake with desired toppings (see Note). Cover and store leftover cheesecake in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.


Other info

Make Ahead Instructions: This cheesecake can be made 1–2 days in advance. It can be refrigerated in step 6 for up to 2 days before serving. You can also make the crust 1–2 days ahead of time. Freeze for up to 1 hour in step 1, then cover tightly and refrigerate for 1–2 days before adding the filling. Another way to make this cheesecake ahead of time is to freeze it. Cheesecake can be frozen up to 3 months 

Room Temperature Ingredients: Bring the cream cheese and sour cream to room temperature before beginning. Room temperature ingredients guarantee a smooth cheesecake filling. Beating cold ingredients together will result in a chunky cheesecake filling. (The heavy cream, however, MUST be cold in order to whip into stiff peaks.)

Hot Mama Grade: tbd

Hot Mama Notes: Not too hard to make compared to a baked cheesecake. I left my crust in the freezer for considerably longer than 20 minutes (maybe2 hours? At least 1 hour) as I didn't read the caveat that I should remove it after 20 minutes and put it in the frig as that info was in a different section. Hopefully the cheesecake doesn't Crack as a result. 






Monday, June 12, 2023

Noodle Salad

Loosely based on: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/81108/classic-macaroni-salad/


Ingredients

4 cups uncooked elbow macaroni

1 cup mayonnaise

⅔ cup white sugar

¼ cup distilled white vinegar

2 ½ tablespoons prepared yellow mustard

1 ½ teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

¼ cup grated carrot (Optional)

Instructions:
Cook pasta per package directions. 
Chop veggies. 
Mix together. 
Refrigerate. 
Enjoy! 

Hot Mama Grade: A-

Hot Mama Notes: I used all the veggies for this veggie salad. I did not use mayonnaise, but instead I put in 2 avocados. 2 cucumbers, 1 tomato, 1 green pepper, a few stalks of celery, diced red onion, and 2 grated carrots. Next time I may add chick peas and hard boiled egg. I used red lentil spiral pasta which is eh. Next time, normal spiral pasta or elbow macaroni. 


Sunday, June 11, 2023

Almond Crusted Baked Chicken

Originally from: https://thewholecook.com/almond-crusted-ranch-chicken/

INGREDIENTS 

CHICKEN
3 chicken breasts, around 1.5 to 1.75 lbs of chicken
2 tbsp olive oil, extra virgin

EGG WASH
2 eggs

BREADING
1 1/4 cups almond flour, finely ground, Bob’s Red Mill
1 1/2 tbsp dried parsley
1 1/2 tbsp dried dill weed
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
  • Slice your chicken breasts horizontally to create 6 chicken cutlets.
  • Add your almond flour, parsley, dill, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to a shallow dish. Stir to combine.
  • Crack your eggs into a separate bowl. Whisk until well combined.
  • Dredge each cutlet in the egg mixture and let the excess drip off (that’s important). Then dredge each cutlet in the breading mixture. 
  • Grease your baking sheet with olive oil or another cooking fat of choice. Place each breaded cutlet on the greased baking sheet. Bake for 13 minutes. Flip each cutlet. Bake for an additional 12 minutes. Remove from oven and serve!
Hot Mama Grade A

Mini Cheesecake Parfaits

From: Husbands that Cook 

Hot Mama Grade: A-

Hot Mama Notes: These are pretty easy to make. I added extra fresh strawberries with a bit of sugar to beef up the fruit content. I made 7 parfaits, so I was not able to get the layering exactly as above. I should have used the extra half cream cheese I had! 

Sunday, March 26, 2023

red velvet cookies

https://tasty.co/recipe/red-velvet-box-cookies-recipe

Ingredients

for 24 cookies

  • 1 box red velvet cake mix
  • 2 eggs
  • ⅓ cup vegetable oil
  • powdered sugar, for topping

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
Mix everything except the powdered sugar into a bowl (Batter will be thick).
Spoon into balls and roll in the powdered sugar.
Place on cookie sheets leaving about 2 inches (5 cm) between cookies. Level with a glass.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until cookies brown SLIGHTLY on the edges.
Enjoy!


Friday, March 24, 2023

Meatballs

https://ourtableforseven.com/how-long-to-bake-meatballs-at-350/

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Combine the bread crumbs and milk in a small bowl; stir to combine and put aside.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the beef, pork, and veal, the grated onion, the minced garlic, the eggs, the parmesan cheese, the Worcestershire sauce, the House Seasoning Blend, the Italian Seasoning Blend, and the red pepper flakes.
  4. Mix in the moistened bread crumbs with the meat mixture.
  5. Mix the meat with your hands until it is barely mixed. Make sure not to over-mix the meat.
  6. Using parchment paper or nonstick foil, line a rimmed baking sheet.
  7. Form the meat into 24-30 medium meatballs with a cookie scoop and set them on the prepared baking sheet.
  8. Bake the meatballs for 25-30 minutes, or until an internal temperature of 160°F is reached

Thursday, March 23, 2023

Scrumptious Chocolate Chip Cookies

Posted at:
 https://www.thebakingchocolatess.com/omg-soft-batch-chocolate-chip-cookies-pure-nirvana/#recipe


Ingredients:
14 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2½ cups all-purpose flour + a few extra tablespoons, see ** in directions below--I used 2 extra tablespoons
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt or sea salt
3 cups chocolate chips ( any variation of chocolate chips or chocolate chunks)

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 and line a few trays with baking paper or spray with non-stick spray.
2 ways to partially melt better. Place in microwave and partially melt halfway (watch to not melt completely) or use a a metal bowl, place the butter inside the bowl and place in the preheating oven. Leave it just for a few minutes, until the butter starts to melt around the outside (approx ½ of the butter melted). Take out of oven to cool.
Once the butter has cooled down, add both sugars and beat with a mixer until light and fluffy.
Add the vanilla and eggs, beating between each addition just until mixed.
Add the flour, baking soda and salt or sea salt and beat on a low speed, just until combined. If you find that the dough is wet, you probably need a little more flour.
**If needed, add more flour, a tablespoon at a time, until the dough starts coming together to start forming a ball and not sticking to the sides of the bowl as much. 
I added 2 extra tablespoons of flour to the 2 ½ cups flour - if you use over 3 tablespoons, it's too much. 
Fold in the chocolate chips until just incorporated.  
Use an ice cream or cookie scoop (¼ cup for large, 1.5 tablespoons for medium) and drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, allowing room for spreading. Pat down cookies just a little and press additional chocolate chips on top of cookie dough if desired.
Bake one tray of cookies at a time, for 10-12 minutes for large, 8-9 for small. Don't over-bake and allow to cool on wire rack.
Makes 1 dozen large or 2 dozen small cookies.
Store cookies in air-tight container

Hot Mama Grade: A 

Hot Mama Notes: These cookies are scrumptious! I love them! So do my kids! I had them previously at a friend's house, and I asked for the recipe. I love the extra chocolate chips. And the recipe is simple. It did take almost twice as long to bake as was stated, but it is all good. I used my cookie school which is maybe why it took so long to bake. Large, thick cookie balls. I didn't pay them down (Oops!). I didn't add extra chips on top, there are definitely plenty! 🤣🤣 I did add the extra flour into the dough.