Apple Streusel Cheesecake Bars

THESE ARE EVERYTHING!

It's a cheesecake!

It's an apple crisp!

It's so much graham cracker crust!

Apple Streusel Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients
For the crust:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 stick melted butter
1/4 cup sugar

For the cheesecake:
3 packages cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

For the apples:
3 apples, peeled, cored, finely chopped
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

For the streusel:
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup butter, softened

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Mix together melted butter and graham cracker crumbs. Press into a 13x9 inch pan. Bake for 10 minutes.
2. Wipe out that bowl and mix cheesecake filling together until smooth.  Pour onto crust.
3. Wipe out the same bowl and mix the apples with cinnamon and sugar.  Spread evenly over cheesecake layer.
4. Mix the streusel ingredients together until it resembles wet sand.  Sprinkle evenly over the apples.  Bake for 40-45 minutes or until filling is set and streusel is browned.  Cool for at least 3 hours before slicing into bars.

This makes a ton of massive bars so your Christmas crowd will be stuffed for sure. Enjoy!

Brownie + Cookie = Brookie

It's time for the 3rd annual Christmas cookie party! You can see our previous parties here and here.

I baked up a massive batch of brookies to bring to the event. What is this mythical brookie I speak of? Why, it's when a chocolate chip cookie and a brownie come together in the words of Grayson from Top Chef "like sex in the mouth."

Yes, they are that good.

Brookies
From Cookies and Cups

Ingredients

For the cookie dough:
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups flour
2 cups chocolate chips

For the brownie
1 box brownie mix, 18oz
1 1/4 cup flour
3 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil

1. Preheat oven to 350. Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy.
2. Add eggs and vanilla and mix. Mix in baking soda, salt, and flour until combined. Then stir in chocolate chips. Set aside.
3. Mix flour and brownie mix. Add in eggs and oil and stir until combined.
4. To assemble the cookies: Take a tablespoon full of each dough and roll together. Bake 2 inches apart for 9-10 minutes on an ungreased cookie sheet. Cool for 3-4 minutes on sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

*Note: If you only have 1 cookie sheet to bake with, put the dough in the fridge while each batch bakes in the oven.

This recipe makes a ton of cookies and you will be glad because they are delicious!

We will definitely all be eating cookies for days. Excellent work everyone!

Green Tea Chocolate Cake

I got a free can of matcha powder from an Amazon seller a few weeks ago.  It was fine as a cup of hot tea, but I wanted to know what else this perplexing green powder can do.  A quick internet search led me to see I could bake with it!

And so I give you green tea chocolate cake!

Green Tea Chocolate Cake

From Crepes of Wrath

Ingredients

1 3/4 cup flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup sour cream or plain yogurt

1/3 cup cocoa powder

2-3 tbsp matcha powder

1. Preheat oven to 350 and grease an 8x8 inch pan. Beat butter and sugar until light an fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until combined. Slowly add in flour, baking powder, milk, and sour cream.

2. Take half of the batter into another bowl and mix in cocoa powder. Mix matcha powder to the first bowl. 

3. Place alternating dollops of the batter in the prepared pan.  Use a knife to swirl. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before serving.

I know this sounds totally weird, but it is delicious I promise. Try the batter with 2 tbsp of powder before you go and add another to the mix to see if you like the flavor.

This would be a fun addition to your Christmas baking...because it's green and it's delicious! Also, since it has tea in it you can totally eat it for breakfast.

Lomo Saltado, Peruvian Beef Stir Fry

I have only had this dish once at a restaurant in Manhattan about 6 months ago.  That night, I made sure not to eat the whole serving because I knew I needed my husband to try it.  Topping rice with french fries and beef? Incredible!  Here I attempted (successfully) to recreate that meal I have been dreaming of ever since.

               

Lomo Saltado

Ingredients

1/2 a bag of frozen french fries

white rice

1 lb stir fry beef

salt

1/2 tsp cumin

black pepper

2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, sliced into thin strips

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tomato, sliced into wedges

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp cider vinegar

1/2 cup cilantro

1. Prepare french fries according to package directions. Cook white rice as you see fit.

2. In a large pan heat oil on high heat.  Add steak and cook until browned. Add onions and garlic cook 2 minutes. Add tomato, soy sauce, and vinegar cook another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper as desired.

3. Mix in cooked french fries and stir on cilantro.

4. To serve: Place white rice in individual bowls and top with meat and vegetables.  Devour! 

Rice topped with french fries kids, those Peruvians know how to live it up! Oooooh baby this was a fantastic dinner.

Spiced Carrot Salad

How about something super simple and healthy for the week after Thanksgiving?  Maybe give your body some much needed relief?

Ok, I've got you covered with this spiced carrot salad.

Spiced Carrot Salad

Adapted From Plenty

Ingredients

1 lb carrots

1/3 cup olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1/2 tsp sugar

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 small can chopped green chilies

1/4 tsp ginger

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp cumin

1 tbsp cider vinegar

1 tbsp preserved lemon*

salt

1 1/2 cup parsley leaves, chopped

1. Cut carrots into 1/2 inch disks and cook in salted boiling water, covered, until tender.  Approximately 10 minutes, you don't want them to be mushy. Drain in a colander while you prep the rest of the ingredients.
2. Heat olive oil in a large pan and cook onions until browned and softened. Add carrots and all remaining ingredients, reserving some parsley for garnishing. Season with salt and stir well.
3. Salad can be served hot or at room temperature. Garnish with reserved parsley.

*Don't go nuts in search of the preserved lemon.  I happened to have some and was excited to find a recipe that utilized preserved lemon.  Just give a squirt of some juice or perhaps a little zest to get some citrus flavor in the mix.

Vegetables without a cream sauce? No carbohydrates? Your tummy with thank you.

This was a perfect jazzy vegetable side dish. Yum!

Pumpkin Recipe Round Up

In case you are still deciding how to add some pumpkin spice to your Thanksgiving table this year, here are a few of my favorites.

Top row: Pumpkin cinnamon rolls, pumpkin blondies, double chocolate pumpkin spice cookies, pumpkin potato gratin

Middle row: pumpkin mac and cheese, pumpkin shortbread

Bottom row: sopapilla pumpkin bars, pumpkin chocolate chip bars, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin brownies with apple butter

Happy Thanksgiving!

Potato and Goat Cheese Tart

I have a new amazing cookbook in my possession, Plenty, by Yotam Ottolenghi.  I highly recommend you take a look at it.  Although it's filled with complicated recipes with ingredients you might not recognize, it is a beautiful collection of delicious vegetarian meals that I can't wait to try.

This potato goat cheese tart has you dirtying half a dozen pots and pans, gives you a mild panic attack midway through, but is worth every second you spent putting it together. You will be in awe that you crafted such a gorgeous and tasty dinner. I know I was.

Potato and Goat Cheese Tart
From Plenty
Ingredients

1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes (I used grape)
2 tbsp olive oil, plus a bit more for drizzling over tomatoes
salt and pepper
1 lb new potatoes
1 onion, thinly sliced
3 tbsp sugar
2 tsp butter
3 oregano sprigs (I used dried oregano)
5 oz goat cheese
1 puff pastry sheet

1. Preheat oven to 275.  Halve the tomatoes and place on a sheet pan.  Drizzle with olive oil and  season with salt and pepper. Let dry in oven for about 45 minutes.
2. Boil potatoes in salted water for about 25 minutes.  Drain and let cool.  Trim off the rounded tops and bottoms of the potatoes and slice any larger ones so they are all about 1 inch thick.
3. Saute the onion with the oil and some salt for about 10 minutes, until golden brown.
Ok, now all the vegetables are done! On to assembly!
4, Preheat oven to 400. Brush a 9 inch cake pan with oil. Line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper.
5. In a small pan cook sugar and butter on high heat, stirring constantly, to get a semi-dark caramel. Pour the caramel into the cake pan and try your best to spread it around.  This part was a disaster for me, but don't worry about spreading it perfectly.  It will work out in the end.
6. Arrange potatoes cut side down in an even layer on top of the caramel.  Mix tomatoes and onions and press that mixture in between your potatoes.  Season with oregano, salt, and pepper. Glob goat cheese on top of vegetables as evenly as you can.
7.  Lay pastry sheet on top of vegetables.  Carefully tucking in the edges around the potatoes inside the pan. Cook 25 minutes then reduce temperature to 350 and cook 15 minutes longer.
8. Remove from oven and let sit for 2 minutes. Invert tart onto a plate. Serve hot or warm,

YES! I couldn't believe it when it came out of the pan. Incredible!

 I cannot say enough about how delicious and interesting this was. So SO good!  Set aside some time to cook this tart up, I promise it is worth the trouble.