Mini Cheesecakes in a jar with fruit sauces

Yep another wonderful idea thanks to Pinterest.  I put myself in charge of desserts for the Teacher Appreciation Lunch this week.

You can find the original post at The Italian Dish.

2 cups graham cracker crumbs (16 whole graham crackers, ground)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
4 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
4 eggs, room temperature
1 cup sour cream (I used Fage Greek Yogurt thanks to my Bzz Agent Kit)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
zest of 1 lemon
24 4 oz mason jars

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.

Spray the mason jars with non-stick cooking spray, making sure to spray the bottoms so the crust doesn't stick.

 

Blend the graham cracker crumbs, 2 tablespoons of sugar and melted butter in a bowl.  Place about 1 heaping tablespoon of the crumbs into each mason jar and tamp down to make the crust (I used a part of my apple corer).

 

In a large mixer bowl, mix the room temperature cream cheese with the 3/4 cup of sugar until smooth.  Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix well.  Add the Greek yogurt, vanilla and lemon zest and mix until well incorporated. Fill each mason jar with about 1/3 cup of the filling, leaving room at the top for your topping.

 

Place the jars in a large roasting pan or two deep baking dishes.  Fill the pan with hot water halfway up the mason jars.  Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove jars with tongs and place on a wire rack to cool.

 

For the toppings I made a mango sauce, raspberry sauce and fresh blueberries.

 

For the Mango Sauce I did halve the recipe linked above.

 

6 oz. frozen cubed mango, thawed, or 1 1/2 cups chopped fresh mangoes, cubed
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoons lime juice

 

Puree mango in food processor until smooth. With processor running, add all remaining sauce ingredients; process until smooth and well-blended. Serve cheesecake with sauce.

 

For the Raspberry Sauce

1 12 oz bag frozen unsweetened raspberries thawed in a fine mesh strainer over a bowl

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tsp lemon juice

 

Once the berries have thawed force the juice from the berries by gently pressing them with the back of a wooden spoon.  Throw away the seeds.

 

Stir in the sugar and lemon juice.  Spoon the sauce over the cheesecakes.

 

 

 

By far the mango was chosen first and everyone raved about it.  I only took home one raspberry and two plain with blueberries.

Pina Pineapple Sherbert

As you all know, I love Pinterest!  I found a quick way to make Sherbet.

1 cup sugar
1 envelope unsweetened Kool-Aid
3 cups milk
1/4 cup water

In a small saucepan mix kool-aid, water and sugar over medium heat until smooth and sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and cool in the fridge for a couple of hours.

Mix in 3 cups of cold milk to the Kool Aid and combine well.

Then pour into your ice cream maker and process for about 15 to 20 minutes.

I then like to scoop it out into individual servings.

It definitely was sweet, and I think I would use a bit less sugar next time.  I did pick up lots of different flavors so that Miss V can have lots of variety now that it is hot here in SW Florida.

Mother's Day Gift and Mango Blueberry Sorbet

See what Miss V picked out for my Mother's Day Gift

My old Krups one just wasn't working so well anymore...I couldn't have been happier that this is what she picked.  The freezer bowl went into the garage freezer immediately.

Today I finally had a chance to try it out.

3 cups of thawed Mango Chunks
1/2 cup of thawed Blueberries

Simple syrup made from 2 cups water and 1/2 cup of sugar.

I used the blender to puree the mango chunks with a bit of they syrup until smooth.  Then added the blueberries and checked for sweetness.  I didn't use all the syrup.

After blending, I did strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve.  Then poured it back into the blender container and placed in the fridge for a few hour.

The set up the ice cream maker and turned it on.

It tastes wonderful and I love my new ice cream maker.  I am definitely going to have to get another freezer bowl.

S'Mores Snack Mix

I spotted these little bags of Hershey Drops and picked one up.  My brain kicked on when I was at Sweetbay and saw the mini Graham Crackers.

One 8oz bag of Hershey Drops
2 Cups mini marshmallows
4 Cups mini Graham Cracker Squares

Put the ingredients in a bowl and mix.

Put into an airtight container and snack away...

Shredded Chicken for Tacos and Nachos

On Tuesday morning I decided to make some shredded chicken that could be used for Tacos and Nachos.  Miss V has been on a chicken taco kick lately.

6 large boneless skinless and can be frozen Chicken Breasts

1 can of diced tomatoes, not drained
1 jar of salsa
1 tbs chili powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tbs brown sugar

 

Put the chicken in the bottom of your crock pot.

 

In a bowl combine the rest of the ingredients and pour over chicken.

 

Cook on low for about 9 hours.

 

Take the chicken out and shred with two forks.  Place back in the crock pot to keep warm.

 

The first night we had chicken tacos; flour tortillas, cheese, lettuce, sour cream, tomatoes, avocados.

 

Last night I made a plate of nachos and everyone else had tacos.

 

 

Baked Honey Mustard Chicken

I had pinned this recipe awhile ago.  I decided to make it last night for dinner.  You can find the original recipe at Good Life Eats.  I did change a few things like using chicken breasts instead of tenderloins and baked it in my large skillet since I don't have a Le Creuset Braiser.

So here is what I did:

1 pkg (about 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast)
2 tbs Dijon Mustard
2 tbs Grainy Dijon Mustard
1/4 cup of honey
3 tsp olive oil
1/2 a medium onion chopped
1 garlic clove minced
salt and pepper
fresh rosemary sprigs

Preheat oven to 400

In a small bowl combine the mustards, honey and 2 tsp of the olive oil.

Saute the onion until soft and then place the garlic in the pan.  Cook for 30 seconds then remove pan from the heat.

Place the chicken breast on top of the onion/garlic mix.  Pour the mustard mixture over the chicken breasts and place the rosemary sprigs around the chicken.

Cover with lid and place into the oven and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove lid and bake for another 20 minutes.

Miss V picked out some Cheddar Broccoli pasta and steamed broccoli.  I also poured some of the sauce over my piece of chicken.

It was really good!  I will definitely make this again.

Baked Chicken Breasts With Parmesan Crust

I saw this in an issue of Food Network Magazine.  So I looked up the recipe and a lot of people said that it didn't brown or didn't have any flavor.  Well I decided to try it anyway.  I did make one change and cooked it at a lower temp and for a little longer.

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves, chopped

Kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 8 ounces each)

3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

3/4 cup panko

Cooking spray

 

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

 

Mix the mustard, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the cayenne in a medium bowl. Add the chicken breasts and turn to coat completely; set aside.

In a medium shallow bowl, combine the Parmesan and panko. Dredge the chicken pieces in the panko mixture, coating evenly and heavily, and pressing the coating into the meat.

Put the chicken on a rack set over a baking sheet, spray with a quick burst of cooking spray and put the sheet in the middle of the oven.

Bake until the chicken is golden and cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes before cutting or serving.

I actually cooked it at 425 for 30 minutes and it was cooked through, juicy and the panko browned nicely.

I served it with baked potatoes and green beans.

I am not sure why people said there was no flavor.  Between the Dijon mustard and cayenne pepper it had great flavor.

Rosemary Chicken Strips

I recently pinned this recipe and made it for dinner last night.  You can find the original recipe at Women's Health.

I doubled the marinade since I had almost 1 pounds of chicken breasts.  Below is original amount of marinade.

1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tbs olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tbs fresh rosemary chopped
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into thick strips.

Mix the marinade in a glass bowl and place chicken strips.  Stir until the chicken is coated.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.  Place into the fridge and let marinate for at least 3 hours.

Grill chicken until cooked through and discard the marinade.

I served this with salad, roasted summer squash and Hassleback Potatoes.

This chicken was fantastic!!!!

My "other" blog

I wanted to share with you that I have another blog dedicated to my "non" foodie side.  If you want to come on over, I have been busy sewing lately.

http://lifeat2540.blogspot.com/

Salsa Chicken

I spotted this recipe on Pintrest a while ago and made it last night.  It also comes from Food.com

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
4 -5 teaspoons taco seasoning mix
1 cup salsa
1 -1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons sour cream

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Place chicken breasts in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish.

Sprinkle taco seasoning on both sides of chicken breasts, and pour salsa over all.

Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 25 to 35 minutes, or until chicken is tender and juicy and its juices run clear.

Sprinkle chicken evenly with cheese, and continue baking for an additional 3 to 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Top with sour cream.

Baha Black Beans

Another recipe from Pinterest.  The original recipe can be found at Food.com.

6 cups cooked brown rice
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 ounce) can corn, drained
4 fresh tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
2 dashes hot sauce

Directions:

Cook brown rice.

In a medium bowl, combine black beans, corn, tomatoes, onion, cilantro, jalapeno, lime juice, oil, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Mix in the cooked rice and season to taste again.

This was pretty good, but I think I would like to add some cumin next time.  This make a HUGE batch.

Parmesan Zucchini Crisps

I saw this idea on Pinterest and Facebook the other day  You can find the recipe at Black Jack Bake House.  Luckily we picked up some zucchini the other day.

1 lb. zucchini or squash (about 2 medium-sized)
1/4 cup shredded parmesan (heaping)
1/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs (heaping)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line two baking sheets with foil and spray lightly with vegetable spray.
Slice zucchini or squash into 1/4 inch-thick rounds. Toss rounds with oil, coating well.

In a wide bowl or plate, combine breadcrumbs, parmesan, salt and pepper.

Place rounds in parmesan-breadcrumb mixture, coating both sides of each round, pressing to adhere.

The mixture will not completely cover each round, but provides a light coating on each side.

Place rounds in a single layer on baking sheets. Sprinkle any remaining breadcrumb mixture over the rounds.

These were pretty good! 

Desserts in mason jars...the new "trendy" thing...

At Miss V's school, each month the parents put on a Teacher Appreciation Luncheon.  Each grade is assigned a month.  I love that we can show the teachers how much we appreciate their hard work, dedication and love they have for the students.

It also gives me an excuse to try new things on a big scale.

Since our month is May and it is already getting warm we have a general menu, can't tell you what it is just in case any teacher peeks.

Anyway, I was looking for a cute way to package personal size desserts.  I can say Pinterest did not fail me.  I am really sorry if I blew away your feed on Friday.

One of the things I kept coming back to was individual cheesecakes with different toppings in the small mason jars.  The next thing was cake/cupcakes in the jars.  I must have read a couple hundred blogs on Friday and Saturday.

I was blown away by some of the comments like:

How do you get the cupcake out?

Doesn't the cupcake make a mess when you tip the jar to get it out?

Can you really bake things in the canning jars?

Ok...I thought the point of making and serving the dessert in the jar was to actually EAT the dessert from the jar????  Am I confused?  Or have people lost common sense? 

Please...I would love to hear your comments/feedback.

Rosemary Smashed Potatoes

On Saturday we decided to do fun family things instead of yard work.  We went to a produce stand called Grant's Produce in Nokomis.  It was a great little stand.  Miss V picked up a bunch of little red potatoes.

Last night I made a recipe from Pinterest called Rosemary Smashed Potatoes, it comes from Paula Deen and can be found on her site.

3 pounds small red potatoes

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

 

Preheat oven to 375º. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Place potatoes in a stockpot. Add cold water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Drain.

Meanwhile, in a small microwave-safe bowl, combine olive oil, rosemary, and garlic. Microwave on HIGH 30 seconds, stirring once.

Place potatoes on prepared pan. Using the bottom of a drinking glass or small bowl, carefully flatten potatoes until they are about ¾ inch thick. Drizzle with olive oil mixture, and sprinkle with salt.

 As you can see mine didn't smash so well.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned.

 

We had these with grilled Italian Sausage and salad.  They were pretty good, but I did cook them a bit longer since they didn't look very crispy.

Pasta Salad

One of my favorite things to make when it starts to get warm out is pasta salad.  I don't really have a recipe just a basic guideline; pasta, Italian dressing and veggies.  I love that it keeps really well and I believe it tastes better the next day. 

Last Friday my plan was to make it right after I dropped Miss V off at school.  Well she ended up with a sick tummy and stayed home from school.  Between bathroom visits and sleeping I didn't want to be banging around in the kitchen.

She started feeling better in the afternoon so I quickly made this so it would be ready by dinner time.

Cook whatever kind of pasta you have or want to use.  While it is cooking, I chopped up some peppers, cucumber and sliced up baby carrots.

Drain and rinse the pasta until it is cool.

In a large glass bowl, place the veggies and pasta.  Pour 2/3 of the dressing over the pasta, salt and pepper to taste and mix to combine.  Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to cool.

Right before serving I add the last of the dressing and mix again.  I also like to add Parmesan cheese to salad before serving.  Sometimes I like to add cheese cubes and diced tomatoes, but didn't have any this time. 

My absolute favorite dressing for pasta salad is Kraft Tuscan House Italian.  It has great flavor without being overpowering.