RECIPE: Cream Cheese Brownies

I *love* cheesecake desserts, but many of them are quite expensive to make, calling for several bricks of cream cheese. This is a good way to get my cheesecake fix while using only a single brick. Even better, that creamy layer is resting atop a dense and fudgy chocolate brownie - dessert perfection!!

 

Ingredients:

Brownie layer:
3 oz chocolate chips
1/2 cup butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt 

Cream cheese layer:
8 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

Instructions:
Line a 9x9" pan with parchment paper.
To make the brownie layer:
In a large saucepan, melt together the butter and chocolate chips. Cool to room temperature. Add sugar, eggs, flour, vanilla, and salt, stirring until well combined. Set aside 1/2 cup batter, then pour remaining batter in prepared pan, spreading evenly.
To make the cream cheese layer:
With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add sugar, egg and vanilla and beat until smooth. Carefully pour over top of brownie layer in pan. Dollop spoonfuls of reserved brownie batter over cream cheese layer, then swirl gently with a knife. Bake at 325F for 25 minutes, or until cream cheese layer is just barely set (be careful not to overbake!). Cool on wire rack to room temperature, then chill in refrigerator for several hours before cutting into squares.
Makes 16 brownies.

I shared this recipe at Frugal Food Thursday,  Full Plate Thursday, It's a Keeper Thursday, Recipe Swap Thursday, the GCC Recipe Swap, Fat Camp Friday and Friday Favorites.

RECIPE: Fish Au Gratin with Honey-Orange Roasted Root Vegetables

My younger son loves fish, so I'm always looking for different ways to serve it. It's not something I grew up eating, so I have to experiment a bit more than usual. This recipe was a big winner and the roasted vegetables are a satisfying companion to this dish. I roast the vegetables first because they take much longer to cook, then lower the oven temperature and put the fish in for the last 20 minutes of cooking time.

To make the fish:

Ingredients:

1 – 1½ lbs whitefish fillets

2 tbsp butter

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp flour

2 cups milk

½ tsp each salt and pepper

¾ cup grated cheddar cheese

½ cup breadcrumbs

Instructions:

In a medium saucepan, sauté onion and garlic in butter until tender. Add flour and mix until well coated with fat. Slowly add milk, stirring constantly. Add salt and pepper and continue to stir until sauce has thickened.

Put a few spoonfuls of sauce in the bottom of an 11 x 7” baking dish. Arrange fish fillets over top. Pour remaining sauce over fish, spreading evenly to completely cover. Sprinkle cheese on top of sauce, then sprinkle breadcrumbs over top of cheese.

Bake at 400°F for 18-20 minutes, or until fish flakes easily with fork.

Serves 4.

To make the roasted vegetables:

Ingredients:

6-8 cups root vegetables (carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, parsnips) peeled and cut into 1” chunks

3 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsp orange juice

1 tbsp honey

½ tsp ginger

½ tsp poultry seasoning

1/4 tsp cumin

1 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

Instructions:

In a large baking dish, arrange the vegetables in a single layer. In a small bowl, combine the oil, orange juice, honey, ginger, poultry seasoning, cumin, salt and pepper. Pour over the vegetables, turning to coat evenly. Roast at 425°F for about 45 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring halfway through cooking time.

Serves 6. 

I shared this recipe at Tasty Tuesday, Full Plate Thursday, Recipe Swap Thursday, the GCC Recipe Swap, Fat Camp Friday, Friday Favorites and Seasonal Sunday.

RECIPE: Spicy Black Bean Bake

Photo by Filomena Scalise/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

My older son *loves* black beans so I'm always looking for new ways to use them. I came up with this dish one night when I wanted something meatless, quick, and filling. Both my boys loved it, so it's definitely going in our regular menu rotation (I would have a photo, but the midnight snackers ate the leftovers I was saving to photograph during daylight!)

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 ½ cups salsa

3 cups black beans

1 ½ tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

½ tsp each salt and pepper

juice of 1 lime

1 ½ cups grated cheddar cheese

cornbread batter for topping (recipe below)

Instructions:

In a large frying pan, sauté the onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add the salsa, black beans, chili powder, cumin, salt pepper and lime juice. Simmer over medium heat for a few minutes to allow flavours to blend.

While bean mixture is simmering, prepare the cornbread batter.

Pour the bean mixture into a greased 11x7" lasagna pan. 

Sprinkle with grated cheese, then pour cornbread batter over top and spread evenly.

Bake at 375°F for 25 minutes or until topping is golden brown and springs back when lightly touched.

Serves 6.

Cornbread Batter:

1 cup flour

1 cup cornmeal

⅓ cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tbsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 cup milk

¼ cup vegetable oil

In bowl, combine dry ingredients.  In small bowl, combine remaining ingredients and beat well. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. 

I shared this recipe at  Tasty Tuesday, Full Plate Thursday, Fat Camp Friday, the GCC Recipe Swap and Friday Favorites.

RECIPE: Indian-Spiced Honey Garlic Chicken

I came up with this recipe when I had a stockpile of sale-priced chicken and wanted something a bit new and different. This is a mildly spicy twist on honey garlic chicken that is kid-friendly. Serve with plain, coconut, or curried rice and vegetables.

8 chicken thighs or drumsticks, bone in (skin on or off as you prefer)

2 tbsp butter, melted

2 cloves garlic, minced

¼ cup honey

¼ tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

½ tsp cumin

¼ tsp turmeric

Place the chicken pieces in a glass baking dish. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over chicken, turning pieces over a couple of times to make sure they are well-coated. Cover dish with foil and bake at 375°F for 45 minutes or until chicken is tender and no trace of pink remains. Pour a generous spoonful of sauce over chicken when serving. Remaining sauce can be poured over rice or vegetables if desired.  Serves 4.

I shared this recipe at Fat Camp Friday.

RECIPE: Amish Oatmeal Pie

When I first stumbled across a recipe for Oatmeal Pie, I was pretty skeptical about how it would taste. There's a variation of this dessert in almost every Amish cookbook I've come across, though, so I figured it must be reasonably palatable! Everyone in my family loved it, and seeing as how it calls for very inexpensive ingredients that are pantry staples, I was happy to add it to my repertoire of Tightwad Desserts :) The raisins and coconut are optional but delicious additions to this dish.

Ingredients:

Pastry for a single crust 9" pie 

1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup honey or corn syrup
1 cup rolled oats
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup coconut

Instructions:

Roll out pie crust and fit into pie plate.

In a medium bowl, combine butter, brown sugar, eggs, honey, and oats. Stir until well combined. Fold in raisins and coconut. Pour filling into prepared pie crust. Bake at 375F for 40-45 minutes, or until golden brown.

I shared this recipe at Tasty Tuesday, the GCC Recipe Swap, Friday Favorites, and Sweets for a Saturday.

RECIPE: Baked Pasta

Baked pasta is one of the staple dishes at our household, so I can't believe I haven't shared the recipe here yet! It's a very quick and easy dish to put together, perfect for when you're having a low-energy day or have a busy schedule. Even though it's super-easy to make, the kids are always happy to see me pulling this out of the oven! Serve with cooked veggies or tossed salad on the side. If you have a bit more time and ambition, you can throw together some Pull-Apart Garlic & Parmesan Breadsticks to serve with this and your family will be in heaven!

Ingredients:
1 lb fusilli or rotini pasta
1 medium to large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
3/4-1 lb ground beef
1 1/2 tsp dried basil
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup light cream
2 cups (or more) grated mozzarella
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions:
In large pot of boiling water, cook pasta until al dente, then drain thoroughly and pour into lasagna pan.

While pasta is cooking, in a large saucepan, saute onion and garlic in olive oil until tender. Add ground beef and cook until no trace of pink remains. Add basil, oregano, salt, pepper, crushed tomatoes, and about 1/3 of the tomato can of water (you can add a bit more or less, depending how thick you want your sauce). Simmer the sauce for a few minutes, then turn heat to low and add cream.

Gradually stir the tomato sauce into the pasta until you have the desired "sauciness" level (most of the time I have a little bit of sauce left over - you can use it to make a single serving of spaghetti or throw it into a pot of soup). Once the pasta and sauce are well combined, sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over top, then sprinkle with Parmesan. Be as generous as you can with the cheese; the nice crusty cheese layer on top is what really makes this dish!

Bake at 375F for about 30 minutes, or until nice and golden and crusty on the top.

I shared this recipe at Tasty Tuesday, the GCC Recipe Swap and Friday Favorites.

RECIPE: Raspberry Cream Cheese Squares

I don't know about you, but I'm a sucker for a good cheesecake. Unfortunately, most cheesecakes use several packages of cream cheese, which, even if purchased on sale at rock-bottom prices, still add up to one expensive dessert! So, I save the decadence of a real cheesecake for special occasions. In between, I get my "cheesecake fix" by making recipes such as this one, that uses only one package of cream cheese while still delivering that smooth, creamy goodness!

These squares have a white cake-y bottom and a yummy cream-cheese-and-raspberry topping, with just a hint of almond. They're even quick and easy to prepare! So go ahead and whip up a batch :)

Ingredients:

Base:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 tsp almond extract
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder

Topping:
8 oz pkg cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup raspberry jam

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350F.
Make the base: In a medium sized bowl, cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs and almond extract and beat until fluffy. Stir in flour and baking powder; mix until well combined. Spread evenly in greased 9" square baking pan.
Make the filling: Beat together cream cheese, sugar and egg. Spread carefully over batter in pan. Drop spoonfuls of jam onto mixture and swirl gently into cheese mixture.
Bake for 35 minutes or until lightly golden on top and toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean. Cool, then cut into squares. Store in refrigerator.

I shared this recipe at Tasty Tuesday, the GCC Recipe Swap, Friday Favorites and Sweets for a Saturday.

RECIPE: Peach Clafouti

I've had recipes for clafouti in my recipe box for years; it wasn't until last summer that I actually tried making one. A clafouti is a French dessert that's somewhere between a custard and a cake. It's traditionally made with cherries; you can use just about any type of summer fruit in this delicious dessert, though!

Since clafouti is both extremely tasty *and* quick and inexpensive to make, it's become one of my go-to summer desserts.

Ingredients:
3 cups sliced fresh peaches
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup light (10%) cream
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 tsp almond or vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
icing sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 2 quart casserole or baking dish. Arrange the peach slices in the bottom of the dish. In blender, combine remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth and pour over peaches. Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown. Dust with icing sugar before serving if desired. Serve warm.

This is probably supposed to serve 6-8, but I confess the four of us always polish the whole thing off in one go :)

I shared this recipe at Tasty Tuesday, Foodie Friday, Friday Favourites and the GCC Recipe Swap.

RECIPE: Lemon Blueberry Polenta Cake

I have to begin by saying that this is quite possibly the best cake I have EVER made! And considering that I've been baking for 30 years, that's fairly impressive. Even my two boys gave it their highest ranking, putting it ahead of anything chocolate (even my chocolate peanut butter brownies!). So in other words, I highly recommend you make yourself some Lemon Blueberry Polenta Cake as soon as possible. And I'm not just saying that because I invented it :)

This recipe will make two 8" cakes - one to share and one to keep all for yourself! Or if you have a bit more willpower, you can stash the second one in the freezer to pull out on a day when a dose of Lemon Blueberry Polenta Cake is just what the doctor ordered.

This is a moist, dense cake with a lovely texture (courtesy of the cornmeal). You could use raspberries, blackberries or sliced strawberries in place of the blueberries. Heck, I think I'm going to try it with chopped peaches or cherries. I can't imagine any of them being better than the blueberries, though!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
4 eggs
1 1/2 tsp almond extract
zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 cups flour
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 pint fresh blueberries
icing sugar for dusting (optional, but makes your cake look extra-fancy)

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together. Add olive oil and eggs and beat for a minute or so. Add almond extract and lemon juice and zest. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, cornmeal, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  Add flour mixture to egg mixture gradually, beating on a medium-low speed until well combined.

Line two 8" round baking pans with parchment paper. Fill each pan a bit less than half full with batter. Sprinkle blueberries over batter in a single layer (you should use a full pint between the two cakes). Pour remaining batter over blueberries and carefully smooth it over the top of the fruit to cover completely.

Bake for about 45 minutes, or until golden brown on top and cake no longer has any "jiggly" bit in the centre. Cool on a wire rack for 30-60 minutes, then carefully flip out of pans and onto rack to cool further (although you probably won't be able to wait any longer to start eating it!) Dust with icing sugar before serving if you have guests for dinner :)

I shared this recipe at Foodie Friday and Friday Feasts.

RECIPE: Southwestern Spiced Barley & Vegetable Salad

I'm not sure why barley isn't a more popular grain. It's one of my favourites - I love its unique and satisfying chewiness. When most people think of barley they think of soups and stews; I love to use it in cold summer salads like this one! It's usually cheaper to buy barley at the bulk food store rather than prepackaged at the supermarket. Variations of this salad, using whatever fresh vegetables are on sale, appear regularly on our summer table. It's a great accompaniment to just about anything you might have grilled on the barbecue (shown here with Lime and Garlic Chicken).

3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup uncooked pearl barley
about 3/4 lb or so fresh green beans
1 small red pepper, chopped

Dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tbsp cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
zest & juice of one lime
1/4 tsp dry mustard powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

In a large, heavy bottomed saucepan, bring the chicken or vegetable stock to a boil. Add the barley and simmer until barley is tender and liquid is almost all absorbed, about 45-60 minutes. While barley is cooking, chop the green beans into 1" pieces and steam or boil them until tender-crisp. In a small bowl, combine all dressing ingredients and mix until well-blended. In serving dish, combine the cooked barley with the green beans, peppers, and dressing, and stir gently until well combined. Refrigerate until serving. This will keep well for a couple of days in the fridge.

I shared this recipe at Tasty Tuesday,  Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tuesdays at the Table and Friday Favorites.

RECIPE: Quick Crustless Quiche

A glance in our CSA share bin this week, and you know we are heading for midsummer. The bounty included kale, lettuce, salad mix, green onions, Swiss chard, cabbage, zucchini, mushrooms and potatoes.

I admit it is still sometimes a challenge to use up all my greens even after all these years as a CSA shareholder!

One of my favourite ways to use up a whole bunch of chard or spinach is to toss them into a quiche. To keep things super simple, I often make a crustless quiche (no fiddling around with a pastry crust!)

Quick Crustless Quiche
This is a truly crustless quiche - not like the other "crustless" variety that forms a crust while it bakes. Serve this with a tossed salad and you will use up lots of salad greens too.

Time: 60 minutes
Serves: 4-6

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch of spinach or chard, chopped
3 eggs
3/4 cup milk
4 slices regular or turkey bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 tsp each salt and pepper

Preparation:

1. In a large frying pan, saute the onion and garlic in olive oil until tender. Add spinach or chard and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until greens are wilted.

2. In a medium bowl, beat eggs and milk together. Add bacon, cheese, parsley, salt, pepper, and spinach mixture, stirring gently until well combined.

3. Pour into a greased 9" pie plate and bake at 375° F for 30-45 minutes or until golden brown on top and knife inserted in centre comes out clean.

P.S. My new camera arrived today, so photos shall return to the blog next week!

RECIPE: Tex-Mex Shepherd's Pie

I was recently inspired to "spice up" one of my favourite comfort foods. The day I created this dish, it received rave reviews from my whole family. I'll be making this one often!

Time: under 60 minutes
Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

6 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp canola oil
1 lb ground beef, chicken or turkey
3/4 cup salsa
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
19 oz can corn, drained
1/2 cup sour cream
milk (as needed)
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Preparation:

1. Boil potatoes until tender (about 20 minutes).

2. While potatoes are cooking, in a medium frying pan, saute the onions and garlic in oil until they start to soften. Add ground meat and cook until no trace of pink remains.

3. Add salsa, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and corn. Cook until hot and bubbly.

4. When potatoes are done, drain well and add sour cream. Mash until smooth (add a bit of milk if needed to get desired consistency).

5. Pour meat mixture into a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Spread mashed potatoes evenly over top.

6. Sprinkle with grated cheese and place under broiler until cheese is melted and bubbly (5-10 minutes)