November 29, 2012

Pumpkin Layer Cheesecake

adventures in married life Thursday, November 29, 2012 0 Comments

Double-Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake

What You Need

2 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Fat Free Cream Cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

Dash ground nutmeg

1/3 cup HONEY MAID Graham Cracker Crumbs

1/2 cup thawed COOL WHIP Sugar Free Whipped Topping

Make It

HEAT oven to 325ºF.

BEAT cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with mixer until blended. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, just until blended. Remove 1 cup batter; place in medium bowl. Stir in pumpkin and spices.

SPRAY 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray; sprinkle bottom with graham crumbs.

TOP with layers of plain and pumpkin batters. Bake 40 min. or until center is almost set. Cool completely. Refrigerate 3 hours. Serve topped with COOL WHIP.

Baklava

adventures in married life Thursday, November 29, 2012 0 Comments

Baklava

So I just followed the recipe on the back of the phyllo dough box. I found the phyllo dough at cash and carry it was like a 2.50$. It calls for nuts, cinnamon, honey and lots o' butter!!

It was sooooo yummy!!!!!!

No Excuses…here comes the Holidays

adventures in married life Thursday, November 29, 2012 0 Comments

I have been a bad, bad blogger. Blogging is one of my most favorite things to do, and I have been a flake. Life has been crazy. I have like a gazzillion posts to do. I have a file on my desktop that says things to blog about, and its getting fuller by the minute.
So here we go… I am going to start with my favorite time of the year; Thanksgiving & Christmas. When I was on my mission in El Salvador people would ask me what I miss most about the States. I would say the mall at Christmas time. It sounds, smells and looks like Christmas. But really the most important thing about the holidays is being with family and remembering the birth of the Savior of the World.
I am grateful to be able to spend this holiday season with my new husband. We have made the most of our time together.

We had Thanksgiving dinner with my family, we were in charge of desserts (that post comes later). The meal was so wonderful but really is was all about sitting around and chatting with family (actually it went like this… everyone had their digital devices and were sprawled out all over the living room.)

November 13, 2012

Potato and Cheese Pierogi with Sour Cream Garlic-Chive Sauce

adventures in married life Tuesday, November 13, 2012 0 Comments

Potato and Cheese Pierogi with Sour Cream Garlic-Chive Sauce

Pierogi are traditional Polish noodle dumplings, filled with a variety of classic sweet and savory mixtures.This recipe is so amazingly yummy!

For the dough:
3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons sour cream
3/4 to 1 cup water
For the filling:
1-1/2 lbs baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch slices
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small sweet onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 to 1 cup grated dry farmer's cheese
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
For the finished dish:
1/2 stick butter, cut into 1 tablespoon portions
1 recipe Sour Cream Garlic-Chive Sauce below

For the dough:

In a large bowl or mixer, combine the flour, eggs, sour cream and 1/2 cup of water. Beat the eggs as you mix and gradually add the rest of the water until the mixture is combined.

Turn the dough onto a well floured surface. Knead it gently, using a dropping technique (lift the dough from the surface and drop it down). Knead only until the ingredients are blended and the dough is smooth and slightly sticky, about 3 to 5 minutes. Be careful not to over work the dough.
Wrap the dough ball in plastic wrap and let it rest for at least 20 to 30 minutes while you prepare the filling.

For the filling:
Put the potatoes in a medium pot and add just enough cold, salted water to cover them. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are soft, about 20 minutes.
While the potatoes cook, melt the butter and oil over medium heat in a large saute pan. Add the onion, garlic and thyme, cooking until the onion turns translucent, about 2 minutes. Lower the heat and continue cooking until onions caramelize slightly, about 20 minutes. You may need to add a bit more butter as the onion and garlic mixture cooks. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside to cool. When the potatoes are soft, drain them in a colander and lightly press out the remaining moisture. Return them to the pot, remove from heat and add the cooled onion mixture and the cheese. Mash them just until blended and large lumps are gone. Season again with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside to cool while you roll out the pierogi dough.

Assemble and cook:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. With lightly floured hands, pinch off tablespoon sized portions of the dough and roll them into balls. The balls should be about 1-1/2 inches in diameter, yielding about 3 dozen total.
On a well floured surface, gently roll each ball with a rolling pin until about 1/8 inch thick and 3-1/2 inches round. Cover the finished rounds with a damp towel so they don't dry out while you're working.Once your rounds are rolled out, hold each in the palm of your hand, filling the center of it with a generous tablespoon of the potato mixture. Gently fold the round in half, pulling the edges away and pinching them firmly shut to enclose the filling. Be sure the edges are sealed by working from one end to the other.
As you work, set your filled pierogi aside on a floured surface and cover them with plastic wrap.
Working in batches, drop no more than 6 pierogi at a time into the boiling water. After they float back to the surface, allow them to cook another 2 to 4 minutes. Remove the pierogi with a slotted spoon and place on a towel to drain and cool.

Sauté and serve:
To finish the dish, heat a tablespoon or two of butter in a pan over medium heat and briefly sauté them in batches until they are slightly crispy and brown on the exterior. Transfer to a serving dish and top with Sour Cream Garlic-Chive Sauce.

Makes about 3-1/2 dozen

Sour Cream Garlic-Chive Sauce

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons flour
1-3/4 cup chicken broth (either homemade or low-sodium)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 cup sour cream
1/3 cup chives

Preparation:
Heat the butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly until it softens and begins to turn a very light golden color. Be careful not to allow it to crisp or brown. Add the flour, and continue stirring until it is well incorporated into the butter and garlic. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the flour begins to turn golden yellow.

Gradually begin stirring in the chicken broth, blending it with the flour mixture until the sauce is smooth, creamy and thickened. Add the salt and pepper, taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Whisk in the sour cream and blend until smooth. Add the fresh chives just before serving.

November 1, 2012

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

adventures in married life Thursday, November 01, 2012 0 Comments

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 cups (12-ounce bag) milk chocolate chips, not semisweet
Nonstick cooking spray or parchment paper

Directions

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick spray or line them with parchment paper.
Using a mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Beat in the white and brown sugars, a little at a time, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time, then mix in the vanilla and pumpkin puree. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Slowly beat the flour mixture into the batter in thirds. Stir in the chips. Scoop the cookie dough by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared cookie sheets and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cookies are browned around the edges. Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let them rest for 2 minutes. Take the cookies off with a spatula and cool them on wire racks. And then enjoy them hot and moist.

Broccoli Ham Calzone

adventures in married life Thursday, November 01, 2012 0 Comments

Broccoli Ham Calzone

Ingredients

Olive oil, for brushing
All-purpose flour, for work surface
1 pound pizza dough, thawed if frozen
2 cups broccoli florets
1 cup cubed ham
6 ounces sliced cheddar
Salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Brush a rimmed baking sheet with oil. On a lightly floured work surface, roll dough into a 16-inch round. Spread broccoli on bottom half of dough, leaving a 1-inch border. Top broccoli with ham and cheddar. Fold top half over and roll and pinch edges to seal. Brush off excess flour.
Carefully transfer calzone to baking sheet. Lightly brush with oil, season with salt, and bake until golden brown, 22 to 25 minutes.

CROCK POT TERIYAKI CHICKEN

adventures in married life Thursday, November 01, 2012 0 Comments

CROCK POT TERIYAKI CHICKEN

6-10 chicken drumsticks, skinned
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
6 tablespoons cider vinegar
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
4 1/2 teaspoons cold water
Hot cooked long grain rice

Place chicken in a 4 qt. slow cooker. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, soy sauce, cider vinegar, ginger, garlic and pepper. Pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken to a serving platter; keep warm. Skim fat from cooking liquid. Place liquid in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth. Gradually stir into liquid and stir until sauce is thickened. Serve with rice.