.strawberry wontons.

Today was a great day. I invited a couple girlfriends over for lunch and for scrapbooking. I met them over at 2Peas, and while I have gotten together with Deb quite a few times, I have only had email conversations with Denise. I had planned on making Santa Fe Chicken Salad for lunch, but while grocery shopping yesterday, I had a sudden craving for lettuce wraps.....

... and crab rangoon... (weak)

For dessert, I decided to make some deep fried strawberry wontons. What is a strawberry wonton, you ask? Oh my.... well, let me show you what it is!

In a bowl (this bowl looks really small in the picture, but it's not) mix together 1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, a dash cinnamon, and about 1 cup finely diced strawberries.

While munching on these, we all decided that any kind of berry would be awesome in these. Raspberries. Blackberries.... we really aren't particular. They were so delicious!

Take won ton wrappers (usually found by the tofu products in your grocery store) and lay as many out as you need. This recipe will make almost 2 dozen. Spoon a little filling in the middle of each wrapper.

Crack open an egg and separate. We need the egg whites to act as glue.

Dip your finger in the egg white, and run it around all four sides of the won ton wrapper. Place another won ton wrapper on top and seal the edges well. Put a dab of egg white on the corners and then pinch the corners together (as seen in the picture).

Repeat until you've made all the filled won tons. Put them on a plate and stick in the freezer. You want to firm up the filling a bit before frying otherwise it will ooze out into your oil.

Heat your oil in a pot or wok to 350* F. Carefully add each won ton and fry until golden brown. Let drain well on paper towels.

Drizzle the tops with chocolate ganache (or you can use Hershey's syrup) and put a dollop of whipped cream on the side.

Serve warm (my friends said they're still pretty tasty cold too).

Printable version:

http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AZ-Z_fQXybIkZGcydmZqcW1fMTU2aHNnazRuZ3M&hl=en

.salmon w/ cheesy crumb topping.

I have a very easy, delicious recipe for you.  Salmon with a cheesy, crumb topping.  I received this month's issue of Woman's Day a week ago and while flipping through it came across this recipe.  I tweaked it a little because I didn't have everything they listed, but it was very good and something I will be making again.

I realized I don't make nearly enough fish and that's something I want to fix.  Paige isn't quite excited about the plan though, but she did eat the salmon, and picked off the cheesy topping.  Go figure.

In a mixing bowl, put 1 8oz package cream cheese (I used low fat), 1 cup bread crumbs (fresh preferred), 1 tsp dill, 1 tsp thyme, 1 clove minced garlic, and a little salt and pepper.

Cut a salmon fillet into individual pieces and put in a baking dish that has been drizzled with olive oil.  Make sure you put the skin side down.

Spoon the cream cheese topping on top of the salmon.  Use your finger to push around if you need to.  Pop in a 350* oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes.  When the flesh is a light pink the salmon is done. 

So super easy and healthy, and delicious.  While the salmon was in the oven, I sauteed some fresh spinach leaves with a little olive oil, garlic, and salt and pepper.  I put a spoonful on the plate and rested some salmon right on top.  Delicious!

Printable version:

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg2vfjqm_1443bjqm8cb

.white chocolate raspberry cheesecake.

I have to admit I have a slight addiction to cheesecake.  Probably one of the reasons I love going to The Cheesecake Factory.  There's just something about that creamy baked filling and the graham cracker crust.  I love all variations!

This recipe has melted white chocolate mixed into the batter, and jellied raspberries on top.  A delightful marriage.  Here's how I made it.

Begin by creaming together 4 8oz packages of cream cheese (softened) and 1/2 cup (1 cube) butter (softened).  

Once creamed, scrape down the sides and add 3 eggs.  Mix well.

Add 1 cup sugar, 3 Tbsp flour, and 1 tsp vanilla.

Melt 8 ounces white chocolate (use a good quality brand) in a double boiler.  When the white chocolate just starts melting, turn the heat off and let the steam finish it off.  Pour into the cream cheese mixture and mix well, scraping sides down.

Prepare one graham cracker crust by crushing 1 package (about 2 cups), then adding 2 tsp sugar, and 1/4 cup melted butter.  Press into the bottom of a 9" springform pan.

Pour the cream cheese mixture into the pan and wrap the entire pan with foil.

The foil will keep water from getting into the pan.  Put a baking sheet that has sides in your oven and fill halfway up with water.  Place the springform pan in the center.  Bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hrs in a preheated 325* oven.

When done, the top should be slightly browned.  The center should be set and there shouldn't be any cracking on the surface at all.

Allow to cool to room temp then cover well with saran and put in the fridge to chill at least 5 hours, but best if you can let it chill overnight.

Now for the topping.  You can use fresh or frozen raspberries.  In a saucepan put 1 1/2 cups berries with 1/2 cup sugar, 2 Tbsp cornstarch, and 1/2 cup water.  Put on the stove over high heat.  Make sure you stir often to keep this from burning.

When it's done, it should be nice and thick.  At this time, I added another 1/2 cup or so of berries because the ones I put in the pan originally have cooked down a lot and I like to have some whole berries in there.

Spread out on top of the cheesecake and then put back into the fridge to chill another hour to really let that raspberry topping set up.

When you're ready to serve, use a thin knife and run along the sides to release the cheesecake from the pan.  Carefully open up the side of the pan and remove.

Heat a butcher's knife by running under hot water.  Dry the blade and slice the cheesecake.  This will keep the cake from sticking to the metal when you pull through.  Serve with some whipped cream.

Printable version:

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg2vfjqm_149f782pdf6

.strawberry cream cupcakes.

We were at Costco yesterday and I noticed they had strawberries in stock. I swear I could live on strawberries alone. I love them so much. If you've ever bought them at Costco you know they come in this huge package. My husband asked me what I was going to do make with all of those strawberries. Well DUH. I don't have to make ANYTHING! I can eat them all by their pretty little selves!

Well, that wasn't a good enough answer so I told him I would make some strawberry cream cupcakes for him to take into work. I think they're starting to love me there because Jim has so far taken in Cinnamon rolls, sugar cookies, muffins, and now cupcakes. Maybe they're hating me for expanding waistlines? *gasp*

This recipe comes courtesy of Martha Stewart. She had a big cupcake thing on her show last year and this was a recipe given or shared by Sprinkles -- that famous little cupcake shop out west in California. I thought I'd give them a shot. :) (For the record, I did have to eat one of the cupcakes. Poison control, right?)


First we have to wash the berries. Make sure you only wash what you need. Don't put wet washed berries back in with the dirty ones because it promotes mold and we don't want our strawberries going bad before we eat -- I mean use them all.








Remove the stems on about 10 strawberries. We need enough to measure 2/3 cup mashed.

Use a fork to smash their itty bitty heads in. (such violence!) I would smash some and then put into a measuring cup. When I reached 2/3, I let Paige eat the rest (I helped).













See? 2/3 cup. I think there might actually be closer to 1 cup in there. You'll be safe if you inch up to 1 cup. I wouldn't go over though because strawberries produce a lot of juice when they come in contact with sugar, which can be instant death to fluffy little cupcakes.







Measure out 1/4 cup milk and pour in the measuring cup with the strawberries. Add 1 tsp vanilla as well.










In a bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1 tsp baking powder.











In a mixing bowl, cream together 1/2 cup butter (softened) and 1 cup sugar.











Add 3 eggs and whip on high until everything's creamed together and a little fluffy.










Alternate adding the flour mix and strawberry/milk mix until everything has been put into the mixing bowl. Don't overbeat this. When everything has come together, remove the bowl from the stand and do a courtesy mix with a rubber spatula just to make sure there's nothing left on the sides and bottom of the bowl.





Spray down a muffin tin. This made almost exactly 12 cupcakes. I didn't have paper liners so I spooned it all right into the pan. If you have or want to use liners, go ahead and use them. I have never met a fussy cupcake. :)

Put in a preheated 350* oven and bake for about 20 minutes. Insert a toothpick to make sure they're baked through.




Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Then dump the cupcakes out and let cool on a wire rack.

While they cool, let's make the cream cheese frosting.







Cream together 1 (8oz) package cream cheese, and 1/2 cup butter.











Add 4 cups powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing between each addition. You don't want to add it all at the same time because when you go to turn on your machine.. POOF! You'll be coughing on a big powdered sugar cloud.

So add a little at a time, and scrape your bowl often.






You won't even have to add any milk to this recipe. The moisture from the butter and cream cheese is enough. Add a little vanilla and some pink food coloring. Mix well.









Fill a piping bag with a star tip and swirl the frosting on the tops of the cupcakes. I washed extra strawberries and patted them dry to put on top. Paige remembered I bought Valentine sprinkles at Target a couple weeks ago so we sprinkled some of those on top after the strawberries were put in place.

Keep these stored in an air-tight container and put in the fridge. That's if they last that long. ;)

A sweet little treat for your special Valentine's to enjoy this week.


Printable version:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg2vfjqm_135gmkjk3c8

.dutch apple cheesecake.

If you haven't noticed, my blog is taking a slight transformation. One problem I've been running into is the new alignment has messed up some of my older entries - pictures are smooshed together and words are difficult to read. If you encounter one of these problems, please email me. I've gotten pretty far back, but still need to do the rest so anything from January to April hasn't been touched but I will get to it within the next couple days.

More changes will take place, but do not be alarmed. I'm only doing it to give my blog a more streamline look. I appreciate your comments so keep them coming! Let me know what you think. :)

Alright.. now on to the good stuff. I feel like I've been making a lot of apple things lately but it's only because it's so "fall-ish" and apple is one of my favorites. This cheesecake is really a showstopper because it has pieces of cinnamon apples folded into the batter and has a buttery crumb topping. It's sure to be a hit at any of your holiday gatherings this year.



Peel, core and chop 2 granny smith apples. You could probably use any firm baking apple you want. I prefer granny smith. Go with what you like!


Melt 2 Tbsp butter in a skillet.


Add the apples and stir to coat with the butter. Start sauteeing over medium high heat.


Add 1/4 cup brown sugar.


Add a pinch of kosher salt.


And add 1/2 tsp cinnamon.

Stir everything to coat and cook until the brown sugar begins to caramelize on the apples. Don't let the apples cook too long because you don't want them turning to mush when it bakes in the oven.


Set aside and allow to cool. Now let's make the crust.


You want to use this kind of graham crackers. Make sure they say cinnnnamoonnnnn. Repeat after me. "Cinnnnamonnnnnn."


Take out one pack and put in a ziploc. Crush with a rolling pin or your choice of crushing machinery.


Add 1/2 cup oatmeal. I used quick oats but you can use regular as well.


Add 2 Tbsp sugar.


Pour in 4 Tbsp melted butter.

Smoosh everything together until all the graham crackers and oatmeal are coated with butter.


Pour all the contents of the ziploc into the springform pan. Use the back of the measuring cup and press into the bottom.


See? Nice and packed.


In a mixing bowl, put 4 - 8oz packages cream cheese and 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter. Use a whisk attachment and beat until smooth.


Add 1 cup sugar Mix on high until fluffy.


Add 3 eggs one at a time, mixing between each addition.


Add 3 Tbsp flour.


Add 1 tsp vanilla and mix well.



Fold in 1 cup sour cream.


Dump in the cinnamon apples and fold into the batter.


Pour into pan and smooth out.

Now at this point, the batteries on my camera decided to DIE ON ME so you'll just have to picture the image in your own head.

Wrap the base of the pan with heavy duty foil. You want to make sure water doesn't seep into the pan while it bakes.

Set the pan on a cookie sheet or some kind of pan with sides. Add water and put in a 325* oven. Bake for 1 1/2 hours. When the middle is setting, it's time to add the topping!


Put 1 cup flour and 2/3 cup brown sugar in a bowl. Mix together.


Cut in 1/2 cup butter.


Add 1/2 cup chopped pecans. Nuts are optional so if you don't want them, don't add them.


Open the oven and without taking the cheesecake out of the oven, spread the topping all over the top.

Raise the temp to 350* and bake another hour to hour and half. The topping should be nice and golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temp. Cover the top with foil and put in the fridge and chill completely, if not overnight.

To get nice slices of cheesecake, heat a butcher knife until hot water. Dry the knife and slice. Serve with a little caramel sauce and some whipped cream.


Printable version:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg2vfjqm_114c9sph7gp