Mini Cherry Cheesecakes

From: Cherry Cheesecake Murder by Joanne Fluke

Ingredients:
2 8-oz packages softened cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
24 vanilla wafer cookies
24 cupcake liners
1 can cherry pie filling, chilled

Line two muffin pans with cupcake liners. Put one vanilla wafer cookie in the bottom of each cupcake paper, flat side down. So easy a 2-year old can do it!

Mix the cream cheese with the sugar until blended. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Then mix in the lemon juice and vanilla, and beat until light and fluffy. Spoon the batter into the muffin tin. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. Cool on wire racks. Place three cherries on each cheesecake and divide the juice equally among them. Refrigerate for 4 hours before serving.

What I did differently from the recipe:
Nothing.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Best recipe ever!! I am a cheesecake addict, so these are heaven to me because it's cheesecake without all the drama of a springform pan. YES! I used vanilla wafer cookies from the dollar store, so you definitely don't need name-brand for these. I was worried because they looked like they'd be a little small but once everything chilled and solidified it was perfect. This recipe only made about 18 for me, though, so I was able to put 4 cherries on each one and still have leftover pie filling. It took just about the 20-minute mark for mine to cook all the way through, so do watch that.

Mini Cherry Cheesecakes

Ingredients:
2 8-oz packages softened cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
24 vanilla wafer cookies
24 cupcake liners
1 can cherry pie filling, chilled

Line two muffin pans with cupcake liners. Put one vanilla wafer cookie in the bottom of each cupcake paper, flat side down. Mix the cream cheese with the sugar until blended. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Then mix in the lemon juice and vanilla, and beat until light and fluffy. Spoon the batter into the muffin tin. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. Cool on wire racks. Place three cherries on each cheesecake and divide the juice equally among them. Refrigerate for 4 hours before serving.

Sweet and Sour Stir-Fry

From: Light Cooking Cookbook

Ingredients:
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 can (8 oz) sliced water chestnuts, drained
1 cup red bell pepper strips
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 can (8 oz) pineapple chunks packed in juice, undrained
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1 3/4 tsp Equal or 6 packets Equal or 1/4 cup Equal Spoonful
1 package (6 oz) frozen pea pods

Heat oil in wok or skillet. Add chicken; cook until chicken is no longer pink, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove and set aside. Add water chestnuts, pepper and onion to wok; cook until vegetables are tender, 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly.
Combine cornstarch, soy sauce and vinegar in small bowl; stir to dissolve cornstarch. Add pineapple with juice, ginger and salt. Add to vegetable mixture; cook until sauce thickens, 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in Equal.
Add pea pods and chicken; cook until pea pods and chicken are heated through, 2 to 3 minutes.

What I did differently from the recipe:
I only used about 1/2 lb of chicken. I omitted the water chestnuts because I didn't have them on hand. I used about 1/3 cup of sugar instead of the Equal. I used fresh peas from our local food co-op instead of the frozen variety.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! I have made a variety of sweet and sour chicken before that I loved but Stephen didn't. Also, I didn't like having green peppers in it. I really liked this recipe, with the red pepper instead and the crunch of the pea pods. I don't really remember the taste of the other recipe but this was definitely delicious. I served it over rice because I just have to have rice with stir-fry.

Sweet and Sour Stir-Fry

Ingredients:
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 can (8 oz) sliced water chestnuts, drained
1 cup red bell pepper strips
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 can (8 oz) pineapple chunks packed in juice, undrained
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1 3/4 tsp Equal or 6 packets Equal or 1/4 cup Equal Spoonful
1 package (6 oz) frozen pea pods

Heat oil in wok or skillet. Add chicken; cook until chicken is no longer pink, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove and set aside. Add water chestnuts, pepper and onion to wok; cook until vegetables are tender, 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Combine cornstarch, soy sauce and vinegar in small bowl; stir to dissolve cornstarch. Add pineapple with juice, ginger and salt. Add to vegetable mixture; cook until sauce thickens, 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in Equal. Add pea pods and chicken; cook until pea pods and chicken are heated through, 2 to 3 minutes.

Tangy Oven-Fried BBQ Chicken

From: Light Cooking cookbook

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 Tbsp each garlic powder, onion powder and poultry seasoning
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 tsp salt
cooking spray
1 can Healthy Choice Recipe Creations Tomato with Garden Herbs Condensed Soup
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup each Worcestershire sauce and packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp cider vinegar

In a large bowl, combine flour, garlic powder, onion powder and poultry seasoning. Season chicken with salt. Coat chicken pieces with flour mixture and place on foil-lined baking sheet sprayed with vegetable cooking spray. Bake chicken at 350 for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in small saucepan, combine soup, onion, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar and vinegar; bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low; simmer 10 minutes. Baste chicken generously with 1 cup sauce, reserving remaining sauce. Continue baking 20 minutes or until no longer pink in center. Serve with remaining sauce for dipping.

What I did differently from the recipe:
First of all, I halved the recipe because I wasn't making that much chicken. I didn't have "poultry seasoning" technically but I did have some Montreal Chicken (McCormick Grillmates) seasoning that I used. I just used plain tomato soup. And I substituted white vinegar for the cider vinegar because I was out of cider vinegar.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! This was very delicious and super easy to make! I don't make barbecue stuff a lot because Stephen's not a huge fan, but I am! This had such a great flavor and I loved the slight crunch of the onions. I used small chicken breasts so they were absolutely falling apart after just 30 minutes. Deeeelicious!

Tangy Oven-Fried BBQ Chicken

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 Tbsp each garlic powder, onion powder and poultry seasoning
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 tsp salt
cooking spray
1 can Healthy Choice Recipe Creations Tomato with Garden Herbs Condensed Soup
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup each Worcestershire sauce and packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp cider vinegar

In a large bowl, combine flour, garlic powder, onion powder and poultry seasoning. Season chicken with salt. Coat chicken pieces with flour mixture and place on foil-lined baking sheet sprayed with vegetable cooking spray. Bake chicken at 350 for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, in small saucepan, combine soup, onion, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar and vinegar; bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low; simmer 10 minutes. Baste chicken generously with 1 cup sauce, reserving remaining sauce. Continue baking 20 minutes or until no longer pink in center. Serve with remaining sauce for dipping.

Strawberry-White Chocolate Muffins

From: Betty Crocker website

Ingredients:
1 egg
2 cups Bisquick
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup white baking chips
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup raspberries (I substituted strawberries)

Heat oven to 400. Grease bottoms of muffin tin or place baking cups in each muffin cup. Beat egg slightly in medium bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients except raspberries just until moistened. Gently stir in raspberries. Divide batter evenly among cups. Bake 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pan.

What I did differently from the recipe:
Substituted strawberries because I had some I needed to use. Also, instead of using baking chips I used chocolate chips. They melt faster but the taste is the same.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Ooh, these looked and smelled delicious and definitely lived up to that. The combination of strawberries and white chocolate is just divine, but it's not overwhelmingly sweet either. I love muffins anyway, so I'm always glad to add a new muffin recipe! Do take note - I know my strawberries melted into mush in the muffin tins so I kept thinking the bottoms of the muffins weren't cooking. But I did mine about 18 minutes and taste tested a couple just to be sure (ahem) and they were definitely done all the way through. So don't fear that, just tear open one or two to be sure but then have faith! (Oh, please pay no attention to the bad picture, it doesn't do justice!)

Strawberry White-Chocolate Muffins

Ingredients:
1 egg
2 cups Bisquick
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup white baking chips
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup raspberries (I substituted strawberries)

Heat oven to 400. Grease bottoms of muffin tin or place baking cups in each muffin cup. Beat egg slightly in medium bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients except raspberries just until moistened. Gently stir in raspberries. Divide batter evenly among cups. Bake 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pan.

Tomato And Cheese Pasta

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked small tube pasta

1 small onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 can (14 ½ oz) Italian diced tomatoes

½ tsp dried basil

½ tsp dried oregano

¼ tsp sugar

¼ tsp pepper

¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. In a small saucepan, sauté onion and garlic in oil until tender. Stir in the tomatoes, basil, oregano, sugar and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Drain pasta; stir into saucepan.

Transfer to a greased 1-qt baking dish. Top with cheeses. Bake, uncovered, at 375 for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

What I did differently from the recipe:

Well, I used the pasta I had on hand, and I needed to use some of my fresh tomatoes so I made my own diced tomatoes instead of using canned. That's about it though!

What I'll do differently next time:

I'm not sure what I'd do differently. I'd try to tone down the juice from the tomatoes though. There was too much juice in the final product, I thought - probably my fault.

Verdict:

Neutral. It definitely wasn't bad, but there was nothing about it that stood out. I wouldn't make this again unless I figured out something to add to it. Maybe some sausage or tofu? That actually sounds good...

Tomato and Cheese Pasta

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked small tube pasta

1 small onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 can (14 ½ oz) Italian diced tomatoes

½ tsp dried basil

½ tsp dried oregano

¼ tsp sugar

¼ tsp pepper

¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. In a small saucepan, sauté onion and garlic in oil until tender. Stir in the tomatoes, basil, oregano, sugar and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Drain pasta; stir into saucepan.

Transfer to a greased 1-qt baking dish. Top with cheeses. Bake, uncovered, at 375 for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Help!!

I need some feedback... after I post on my computer the whole recipe looks like this:

1 1/2 tbsp cookie dough 1 tsp salt 1 cup milk

instead of:

1 1/2 tbsp cookie dough

1 tsp salt

1 cup milk

I have to format my entire post in html every time which takes three times longer than just typing it out. But if it's only showing up like this on my computer (I'm using Firefox by the way) then I'll stop posting in html and just post like normal.

So... any feedback? Does it make sense what I'm asking?

Oatmeal S'more Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup shortening

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup mini marshmallows

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, shortening and sugars. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in the oats, chocolate chips and marshmallows. Drop by teaspoonfuls on greased baking sheets. Bake at 350 for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown.

What I did differently from the recipe:

I ran out of chocolate chips so I used some chocolate chips and some white chocolate chips. Of course that didn't make any difference.

What I'll do differently next time:

Either cut it in half or even a quarter!!!

Verdict:

Thumbs up! Honestly, when they were first made I was not that impressed with them. Within a couple of hours of them coming out of the oven they were already yummier than at first. These were such an easy, straight-forward recipe. Would be great for church functions or parties especially. It makes a TON - I only used about half my dough and it probably made 3 dozen.

Oatmeal S'more Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup shortening

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup mini marshmallows

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, shortening and sugars. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in the oats, chocolate chips and marshmallows. Drop by teaspoonfuls on greased baking sheets. Bake at 350 for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown.

Moo Goo Gai Pan

From: A Chinese e-cookbook

Ingredients:

4 chicken breast halves, skinned, boned and sliced

salt and pepper

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups water

1 Tbsp cornstarch

5 Tbsp corn oil

8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced

4 lb bok choy or chinese white cabbage, chopped

2 Tbsp sugar

4 Tbsp soy sauce

6 scallions, chopped

In a bowl, toss chicken with the salt and pepper, garlic and cornstarch mixture. Set aside. (Please note: This is the exact original recipe. I assume the "cornstarch mixture" would mean mixing together the 2 cups water and 1 Tbsp cornstarch to make a thickening agent. That's what I did anyway.) Heat 3 Tbsp of corn oil in a wok and stir in mushrooms, bok choy or cabbage, and sugar for 2 minutes. Cover and cook 5 minutes.

Remove from wok. Heat remaining corn oil in wok. Stir-fry chicken for 2 minutes over high heat. Add soy sauce and mix well. Cover and cook for about 6 minutes, or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked. Mix in the cooked vegetables and scallions. Stir fry together for about 1 minute. Serve hot with rice.

What I did differently from the recipe:
I halved the chicken amount because I figured it would be just me eating it. I used vegetable oil instead of corn oil. I used a 4 oz can of mushrooms instead of 8 ounces of fresh mushrooms because while I like mushrooms, I don't love them. I used onions instead of scallions. I completely skipped the whole step about tossing the chicken with salt, pepper, garlic and cornstarch so I added in all of those ingredients at the end. Oops.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Thumbs UP! Oh my goodness. I've never even had moo goo gai pan in a restaurant, but when I saw this recipe I just knew I had to make it. I had bok choy and onions from our local food co-op so the only ingredient I had to buy was the mushrooms ($0.77). This was one of the best recipes I have ever had. I absolutely love the mix of these ingredients and the end results. It did take a little while to make but it was a very simple recipe.

Printable version:

Moo Goo Gai Pan:
Ingredients:
4 chicken breast halves, skinned, boned and sliced
salt and pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups water
1 Tbsp cornstarch
5 Tbsp corn oil
8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
4 lb bok choy or chinese white cabbage, chopped
2 Tbsp sugar
4 Tbsp soy sauce
6 scallions, chopped

In a bowl, toss chicken with the salt and pepper, garlic and cornstarch mixture. Set aside. (Please note: This is the exact original recipe. I assume the "cornstarch mixture" would mean mixing together the 2 cups water and 1 Tbsp cornstarch to make a thickening agent. That's what I did anyway.) Heat 3 Tbsp of corn oil in a wok and stir in mushrooms, bok choy or cabbage, and sugar for 2 minutes. Cover and cook 5 minutes.

Remove from wok. Heat remaining corn oil in wok. Stir-fry chicken for 2 minutes over high heat. Add soy sauce and mix well. Cover and cook for about 6 minutes, or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked. Mix in the cooked vegetables and scallions. Stir fry together for about 1 minute. Serve hot with rice.