Poptart Cheesecake

Yep..... another sign of my quirkiness..... but this recipe ROCKS! I just made it up on a whim and happen to love the easiness of it.... and it tastes fabulous, I might add.

Here is the simple, yet delicious recipe in my own Barefoot "Back-to-Basics" way......ENJOY!

Poptart Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

Fast and EASY

2 pkgs softened cream cheese (8oz each)

2 room temp eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 c sugar

1 c mini chocolate chips

3 pkgs  chocolate fudge poptarts finely crushed in food processor (6 total poptarts)

1/2 c melted butter

Mix poptart crumbs and butter. Press into 9x9 glass baking dish.

Beat cream cheese in large bowl..then add the rest of the ingredients. Pour into baking dish. Sprinkle top with more chocolate chips and bake for 40-50 mins in 350 degree oven.

Christmas in a Bowl

Last year, I made Ina's Pumpkin Mousse for dessert on Christmas Day. Well, now it is a tradition... and I will keep making it every Christmas Day, until I am no longer able to..... Philip LOVES it!! We all love it, but I know Philip loves it more, because he went to the grocery store to get me the ingredients to make it yesterday..... :) 

Here's the ingredients (which can also be found on www.foodnetwork.com):

• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1 (29-ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 2 cups light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 6 extra-large egg yolks
• 2 packages (4 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin
• 2 ripe banana, finely mashed
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest, plus more for garnish, optional
• 2 cups cold heavy cream
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Using really good ingredients does make all the difference.

the gelatin

Ahhh.. and there it is - Christmas in a bowl :)

 

First Taste: You will taste creamy pumpkin pie custard with hints of orange and banana - yeah, it's good. And it tastes better the day after you make it..... so make it ahead of time for a party! :)

Very Thankful

I will try and do another food post about one of Ina's amazing dishes soon........ But just want to say how Thankful I am for living in this Country...thankful for yummy food that can be recreated over and over again.....but most importantly thankful to God for giving me the family, friends, & life that I have. Enjoy your feast today everyone!

FLAVORFUL Filet of Beef Bourguignon

Tonight I decided to tackle Ina's Filet of Beef Bourguignon from her very first cookbook, "The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook". This is one of those recipes that I have always wanted to make, but never thought I had the time or energy to do it. Trust me....... this dish, even though it may take awhile to make - IT IS WORTH IT!!! Upon your first bite, the flavor of the sauce alone will have your tastebuds dancing with joy.... okay, I'm cheesy, but seriously, this dish is five star restaurant quality in the flavor department... and equally impressed the hubby, so I think we have a winner!

Note to self: only make this dish on the weekend when you have a few hours to actually be in the kitchen.... Ina notes that it is great to make ahead and then reheat the day after so you can save the time, and I completely agree - there is no way I could make this dish on a week night, unless we really wanted to eat at 9pm....... not a good idea. So stick to the weekend with this one. 

Looking at the recipe is a little intimidating but it's fairly easy once you get going...

Above is everything you need to make this dish.

I started out with two bowls, one for the chopped veggies, the other for all the trash scraps - kuddos to Rachel Ray's idea on that one!

I thought peeling the white pearl onions would be daunting, but if you blanch them in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, they are super quick to peel.

Beautiful pearl onions..... I tried to find them in the freezer section (Ina usually uses the frozen ones) but I couldn't find them anywhere.....sad!

I think the mushrooms and the bacon really help make this dish!

Season the meat...... so very important!

I have to admit, the only downside to making this dish is that you WILL have grease all over your stove from browning the meat and bacon, BUT again, it's totally worth the clean up......... my husband fortunately helped me afterwards (what a nice man he is!) :)

Wish you could have smelled this at the same moment I took the picture..... the sound alone of the veggies simmering away for 20 minutes was so comforting - and allowed me to start cleaning up my kitchen as well.

Sauce thickener........

Almost ready....

Tada! Even being 36 weeks pregnant....... I somehow got the energy to make this dish (served with french bread) and it was absolutely FABULOUS. The best part was watching my husband and son eat it..... the dinner table was very quiet, which is sometimes rare - but means they were enjoying every single bite! As always, Thank You, Ina!

My Twist on Ina's Weeknight Bolognese

I recently went to the Library and was able to [finally!] find Ina's latest cookbook, "How Easy is That?"......after reading it cover to cover in one day (that's how interesting I find her cookbooks to be!) I have to admit, I personally favor her "Back to Basics" cookbook, just because I find the recipes much more fun, yet challenging at the same time - which I love!

There was one recipe that caught my eye immediately and I just simply had to make it tonight. It was not hard to imagine it would be a big hit with my little boy...... he loves Spaghetti and Meatsauce/Meatballs. I try and make it once a week or every other week. I also try to puree carrots and add it in the sauce to incorporate more veggies/nutrients. It's sneaky .....and works like a charm every time! :) Below is her recipe for 'Weeknight Bolognese' - pictured above is what I made tonight.... along with a raspberry spinach/spring mix salad and garlic toast. Love love love this dish!

~

Barefoot Contessa How Easy is That? Ina Garten (with my slight spin on it)
serves 4-5

2 TB good olive oil, plus extra to cook pasta
1 pound lean ground sirloin
4 tsp minced garlic (4 cloves)
1 TB dried oregano
¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes (I will use 1/8 tsp next time for the kids) - I don't put any in
1 ¼ cups dry red wine, divided
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
2 TB tomato paste
Kosher salt & black pepper
¾ pound dried pasta, such as orecchiette or small shells (I used 1 pound) - I used thin spaghetti
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ cup chopped fresh basil leaves, lightly packed
¼ cup heavy cream - I used organic whole milk
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese ( in our house this is called "snow" ), plus extra for serving

See the happiness coming from this simple meal???? Oh yeah!!

Happy Mistake

I cannot believe how long it has been since my last post, but I do have a great reason why - I am 12 weeks pregnant!!! Philip and I have been talking about trying for our second child for the past year, and we knew that once he got back from his deployment, we definitely wanted to start trying right away - and we were fortunate enough to get pregnant right away! ............and boy do I have a pregnant brain!

I had made beef stew in my crockpot yesterday morning, and was really craving homemade biscuits to go with it for dinner. So I whipped out my biscuit recipe card and started making the "dough" ...for some reason, it just didn't seem to come together, so I added a 1/2 C of whole milk..... (and honestly, I think I wrote down the wrong measurement for sugar-I think it was supposed to be 1-1/2 tbsps instead of cups...haha) SO...by the time Jake and I were done mixing and rolling it out, it was pretty much cookie dough. I thought, oh my goodness....I have a batch for about 3 dozen sugar cookies....so I thought I would see if it would even rise and just see how it would taste. Well, it was pretty much the best sugar cookie I have ever tasted in my life!!! And I'm going to share the recipe with you.... it's definitely not healthy with all the butter, sugar and whole milk - but when is dessert ever really good for you?  I'm using this for my Christmas sugar cookies this year and I am so excited because they taste even better than the pre-made pillsbury cookie dough.

I sift the dry ingredients first for a smoother texture.

*Forgot to write "cup" for the 1/2 C of Milk.... pregnancy brain...gotta love it!

Barefoot Products

This past week has been extremely busy with work and getting everything ready at home to welcome my husband back from a four month long deployment..... so I haven't really done too much "Barefoot" cooking.... mostly, chopping up some fresh fruit and making salads.....and the occasional frozen pizza...sadly, I know it's not the healthiest - the pizza - but it is sometimes the easiest thing to make. I think we all can agree on that one!

So, since I don't have any recipes to talk about today.... I thought I would share a little bit of my own ratings on some of the products I have purchased from the Barefoot Contessa online store...

The picture above is the Barefoot Contessa spatula and brownie pan. Two of the best things in my kitchen! I am not just saying this because I love her, the show, and the food..... The brownie pan has made absolutely perfect brownies every single time I have made them in this pan - and it is extremely EASY to clean and NOTHING gets stuck to it - and if you know me............you know that I love anything that is EASY TO CLEAN!!!! Because....... I clean all the time. :) It's just a part of who I am, and what I enjoy doing in my free time... and I'm proud to say it!

Also, the spatula is perfect! I can easily make scrambled eggs with it and it won't melt.... it's extremely heat resistant and....also easy to clean. Good quality products  = completely worth it!!!

I think these products are just a tiny example of why I spend so much time incorporating the Barefoot Contessa food/life-style into my own life.... because of the QUALITY of every single facet of this brand.

*Also, the only other thing I have purchased from her online pantry is her pre-made carmel espresso hot fudge.........AND IT WAS AMAZING!!!!! Pour it over ice cream or brownies (or both together in the same bowl) made from my brownie pan and it is the most indulgent thing you will ever taste!