Quite possibly one of the most requested desserts is cheesecake.  It’s been around since the time of the early Greeks.  It can be baked or not.  It can be flavored with fruit, nuts or chocolate.  The cake can be baked directly on the oven rack or in a water bath.  I prefer the water bath as the cake is lighter and there aren’t any cracks on the top.

One of my personal favorites, not just for taste but also for eye appeal, is the rainbow cheesecake.  Give this recipe a try and sit back and wait for kudos to come your way!

RAINBOW CHEESECAKE

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups crushed graham crackers

2 Tbsp. sugar

6 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp.salt

2 lbs. cream cheese at room temperature

1 1/3 cup granulated sugar

4 large eggs at room temperature

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup sour cream

1 cup heavy cream

Pinch of salt

Assorted food colors, red, yellow blue and green  (I use the gel food colors as opposed to the liquid.  You can find them at stores that carry baking supplies; I find them at Michael’s)

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 350-degrees.

Prepare a 9-inch springform pan by wrapping the base in heavy duty foil.  Wrap it in both directions so it’s water tight.

Mix the graham cracker crumbs with the sugar, cinnamon and salt together in a bowl.  Work the butter in with your fingers and spread evenly in the bottom of the prepared pan.

Bake on a lower rack in the oven for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before filling.  Reduce oven temp to 325-degrees.

Prepare filling.  Place cream cheese in a mixing bowl.  Whip until smooth and creamy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add sugar and continue to mix until smooth.  Add eggs one at a time then add salt, vanilla, sour cream and heavy cream.

Divide the mixture into 6 smaller bowls.  Add food coloring to each dish to get desired color.  (Add red and blue to make purple and yellow with a drop of red to get peach)

Pour the colored filling into the crust.  Begin with your favorite color and pour it directly into the center.  Continue to build the rainbow by pouring the remaining colors directly into the center, this will create layers so each slice has some of each color.

Place cheesecake into a baking dish and fill with boiling water about 1-inch up side of cake pan.  Bake the cake for 1 hour and 45 minutes in the water bath at 325-degrees.  Turn off oven, crack the door open a bit and allow cake to cool in the oven for 1 hour.  The cooling will help the top not to crack.  Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight before cutting.

If you want to be truly decadent top the cake with strawberry or raspberry sauce.

Remember to keep looking at your glass as half full!

Patti

During my last visit to Massachusetts my daughter Eileen introduced me to a savory cheesecake she served to her book club as an appetizer.  She purchased the cake and picked up a flier with all the different selections available.  To say the least I was inspired and intrigued.  After several attempts to produce my own I came up with this recipe that I think is absolutely delicious.  I serve it warm with either wheat thins or whole grain crackers.  You can cut the baked cake in half and freeze half for another occasion if you’re entertaining a small group.  I’ve found the whole cake will serve 12 to 16 people as an appetizer and so far I haven’t had any left overs.  I’ve also frozen half of the cake and reheated it before serving and it tastes equally good the first and second time around.  Give it a try and wait for the raves from your guests!

Bacon Cheesecake

INGREDIENTS:

1/3 cup breadcrumbs

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

16 ounces mascarpone cheese

12 ounces cream cheese

4 large eggs

1/2 cup whipping cream

1/2 pound bacon

1 small Vidalia or Maui onion, minced

1 small jalapeno, seeded and minced

8 ounces crumbled blue cheese

1/2 tsp. each, salt and pepper

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 300-degrees.

Sprinkle bread crumbs and gated cheese over the bottom of a 8-inch spring form pan.  Wrap the pan in 3 layers of heavy duty aluminum foil to insure that it’s waterproof.  Combine the mascarpone cheese, cream cheese, eggs and cream in a mixing bowl.  Saute the bacon until crisp, drain and crumble.  Saute the onion and jalapeno in 1 tbsp. bacon drippings until softened.  Add bacon, onion, peppers, blue cheese and salt and pepper to creamed mixture.  Pour into prepared pan.  Place pan in a larger pan and fill that pan with 2-inches boiling water.  Carefully place pan in preheated oven and bake for 1 hour and 40 minutes.  Turn off oven and let cake sit for 1 hour.  Remove  pan from oven and take spring form pan out of the water bath.  Let cool for about 2 hours before unmolding.  Serve warm or at room temperature with crackers.

Remember to keep looking at your glass as half full!

Patti

Butternut squash soup has got to be my favorite soup.  It’s rich, creamy, spicy, a bit sweet and always hits the spot for me.  I used to only make it with fresh squash which I first roasted.  I also used a lot of ingredients which weren’t always easy to fine. I still make it that way but I’ve also dummed it down so it’s quicker and much easier to prepare.  For instance, I’ve found that once I add all of the ingredients to the soup I sort of lose the flavor of the roasted squash.  I’ve also found that I don’t have to use lemon grass and Kafir lime leaves to get the citrus punch I enjoy.  I can get about the same taste with lemon and lime juice and zest.  The squash taste seems to be as intense if I use frozen squash as opposed to fresh butternut squash and it cuts down significantly on prep time.  To make this soup company worthy I top it off with a dollop of sour cream and a scattering of toasted pepitas (raw pumpkin seeds).

Creamy Butternut Squash Soup

INGREDIENTS:

1 pkg. frozen butternut squash

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 onion, diced

6 large carrots, peeled and diced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 jalapeno, seeded and diced

2 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger

1 lemon, juice and zest

1 lime, juice and zest

6 cups chicken or vegetable broth

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 tsp. grated nutmeg

Sour Cream (optional)

Pepitas (optional)

METHOD:

Heat olive oil in a large heavy bottom saucepan.  Add onion, carrots, jalapeno, and ginger and saute lightly.  Add garlic and cook for a minute more.  Add broth, squash, lemon and lime juice and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.  Add lemon and lime zest and cook for 10 minutes more.  Puree the mixture with an immersion blender until smooth and creamy.  Season with salt and pepper and nutmeg.  Serve with a dollop of sour cream if desired.  If using pepitas put 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a small frying pan with a cover,  add 1/4 cup pepitas and cover.  The seeds will pop like pop corn and it will only take a minute or two.  When the popping stops remove the pan from the heat and sprinkle the seeds with salt and pepper.  Top the soup with the seeds.

Remember to keep looking at your glass as half full!

Patti

We all know that eating red meat every day or even more than once or twice a week isn’t particularly healthy but that doesn’t mean we should eliminate it entirely from our diet.  To me a great roast beef dinner once in a while is a luxury I deserve and so do my dinner guests.  I’ve found that a filet roast never disappoints but the reality is the price is more than I can afford to pay, especially when I’m feeding a family.  I’ve found great success with a bottom round roast.  It’s moist, tender and flavorful; especially when it’s cooked medium rare.  Nothing reminds me more of Sunday dinner at Mom’s house than roast beef with gravy, fluffy mashed potatoes, and corn, carrots or green beans.   Begin the meal with a fresh garden salad, add hot rolls and end with a cherry pie and life doesn’t get much better for me!

Mom’s Roast Beef Dinner

INGREDIENTS:

1 boneless beef bottom round roast, 3 to 4 pounds

Salt and pepper

2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. dried parsley

1 tsp, dried thyme

METHOD:

Heat oven to 325-degrees.  Combine herbs with salt and pepper and press evenly onto all surfaces of meat.

Place roast on a rack in a shallow roasting pan.  Roast for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until a meat thermometer registers 135-degrees.  Don’t add water or cover pan.

Remove roast from oven, transfer to a cutting board and cover loosely with a foil tent.   Allow meat to rest for 15 minutes before slicing . (Meat will continue to cook and temperature will rise to about 145-degrees; medium rare)

Carve meat into thin slices and serve with pan gravy.

To make the gravy you’ll need some water, red wine or beef broth.  Add the liquid to the roasting pan and loosen brown bits with a wooden spoon.  Dissolve 1 Tbsp. cornstarch to a little water and add it to the pan.  Stir quickly to avoid lumps.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

If you’re looking for a light, bright way to start a meal give this soup a try.  It’s tasty and tangy and will leave you feeling sated but not stuffed.  It’s loaded with fresh vegetables in a flavorful, slightly sweet, spicy, salty broth that will keep you coming back for more.

Hot and Soup Shrimp Soup

INGREDIENTS:

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

2 tsp. sesame oil

2 cloves minced garlic

1 stalk celery, slice thin on the diagonal

1 cup broccoli florettes

1 cup thin sliced yellow squash

1 large carrot, sliced thin

2 Tbsp. granulated sugar

3 cups chicken broth

3 cups water

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1 Tbsp. grated lime zest

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 Tbsp. finely minced fresh ginger

1/4 to 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/4 cup sliced canned bamboo shoots

1/4 cup sliced canned water chestnuts

1/2 cup bean sprouts

1 green onion sliced on the diagonal

METHOD:

Heat oils in a large heavy bottom saucepan.  Add next 5 ingredients and saute over medium heat until wilted but not browned.  Sprinkle with sugar and add chicken broth, water,  lime juice and zest and soy sauce.  Simmer for 20 minutes.  Add crushed red pepper and ginger.  Let come to a boil and add shrimp.  Cook for 5 minutes and add bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, bean sprouts and green onion.  Serve hot.

To give this soup an extra pop I add a squeeze of fresh lime juice to each bowl just before I serve it.

Remember to keep looking at your glass as half full!

Patti

This recipe is for my son in law Rick.  Not only is he a great guy but he takes excellent care of two of my most precious gifts, my daughter and my granddaughter.  He doesn’t eat a lot of sweets but the ones he does eat he really loves.  That makes me want to cook for him!

Key Lime Pie with Sweetened Whipped Cream

INGREDIENTS:

5 egg yolks, lightly beaten

1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

A wonderful way to start a meal is with clams steamed in white wine and herbs and topped with crumbled bacon.  Try this lighter version of clams casino and you’ll see what I mean.

Clams with Bacon and White Wine

INGREDIENTS:

5-6 dozen steamer clams

1 Tbsp. butter

1 cup dry white wine

1 small onion peeled and chopped fine

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1/2 tsp. dried basil

2 Tbsp. chopped parsley

6 slices crumbled cooked bacon

METHOD:

Place clams in a large heavy bottom pan and cover with remaining ingredients except bacon.  Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to a simmer and cook until all clams are open.  Place on a serving tray, top with crumbled bacon and drizzle with liquid.

Remember to keep looking at your glass as half full!

Patti

 When I’m having guests for dinner and want to prepare a meal that’s always a hit I think of roast pork loin.  For many years pork has gotten a bad rap for being tough and dry.  That’s because for years we were taught to cook it to death.  Guess what?  It’s already dead so why not give it a chance to shine?  Pork doesn’t have to be dry and flavorless.  It’s safe to cook it just until it’s pink inside.  As long as the internal temperature of the meat is 160-degrees it’s safe to eat.  When checking the temperature of the meat remember that it will continue to cook after you take it from the oven and the internal temperature will be raised by 5 to 10 degrees.  I usually take mine out of the oven when the temperature is 150-degrees and let it rest for 15 minutes under a foil tent before I slice it.

Pork Roast with Herbs

INGREDIENTS:

4 to 4 1/2 pound boneless pork loin

2 tsp. minced fresh thyme

1 tsp. crushed fennel seeds

2 tsp. minced fresh rosemary

2 tsp. minced fresh sage

3 cloves minced garlic

1 tsp. Kosher salt

1 tsp. cracked black pepper

1 Tbsp. olive oil

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 450-degrees.  Make a paste with the herbs, garlic, oil, salt and pepper.  Rub the pork with the paste and put on a rack in a roasting pan.  Roast for 30 minutes then reduce oven to 350-degrees.  Cook for another 30 minutes and check temperature of the meat.  When it’s 150-degrees remove from oven and let rest for 15 minutes before slicing.

If you want to make gravy add 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour to drippings in pan.  Cook for a minute or two to get rid of the raw flour taste.  Add 1/2 cup red wine and about 2 cups chicken broth to the pan and stir well to get rid of any lumps that might be in the gravy.  Simmer for about 2 minutes and taste for seasoning.  Add salt and pepper if necessary.

Remember to keep looking at your glass as half full!

Patti

Who can think about being in New England and not have their mouth water for lobster? I know I can’t.  There’s an endless amount of different ways to prepare lobster and one of my favorites is lobster ravioli.

From the time my kids were young I was a single mother with 3 jobs and 4 children.  Bartending was a great way to make extra cash and I was fortunate enough to have a job tending bar at a place that was on the waterfront in New Bedford, MA.  Most of the clientel were fishermen and lots of times my tips were in the form of a 5-pound bucket of frozen lobster meat.  Needless to say we ate more than our share of lobster.  After a while we ran out of ways to serve this “chicken of the sea”.  A fisherman friend of mine gave me a recipe that his Italian mother served to her family and it quickly became a big hit with my family and friends.  I’ve simplified the recipe by using wonton skins for the pasta and they still get rave reviews! 

Lobster Ravioli 

INGREDIENTS: 

1 clove minced garlic

1 shallot, minced

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter 

2 cups cooked lobster meat 

2 Tbsp. cognac 

1/4 cup ricotta 

1 tsp. salt 

1/2 tsp. pepper 

1 Tbsp. chopped chives 

1 package wonton wrappers 

1 egg, lightly beaten 

METHOD: 

Melt the butter in a large saute pan, add the garlic and shallot and saute until light golden.  Add the lobster and saute for an additional minute.  Add the chives and cognac and reduce for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 30 minutes.  Chop the lobster meat into small chunks.  In a large bowl combine the lobster mixture with ricotta, salt and pepper and mix well.

Lay out the wonton skins, 4 at a time, and put about 1 teaspoon of filling close to one corner of the square.  Using a pastry brush, brush the edges with the beaten egg and fold one corner over to the opposite corner forming a triangle. Continue until the mixture is gone.  Make sure to pinch the sides tightly so the filling doesn’t come out during cooking.  Place the filled ravioli on a sheet pan which has been dusted with semolina or corn meal.  Gently cook the ravioli in boiling water for 7 to 9 minutes.  Drain and serve with your favorite alfredo or cream sauce. 

I often add a Tbps. of tomato paste to my sauce and garnish the dish with some toasted pine nuts.

Remember to keep looking at your glass as half full!  

Patti

Today it’s damp and cold and the perfect day for a nice warming bowl of vegetable soup.  It got me remembering the soup I used to make when my kids were young.  Sometimes we added beef or chicken to the soup but often it was just a lot of vegetables.  You’d be surprised how tasty a bowl of veggies can taste if you add a bit of seasoning and fresh herbs.  Try our family favorite adjusting the veggies and seasoning to your family’s preferences and let me know how they like it.

Vegetable Soup

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup diced onion

1 cup diced celery

2 cups sliced carrots

3 cloves minced garlic

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

2 cups chicken, beef or vegetable broth

4 cups water

1 cup fresh or frozen peas

1 cup diced bell pepper

1 cup fresh or frozen cauliflower

1 cup fresh or frozen broccoli

1 cup canned white beans

1 cup green beans

2 Tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 Tbsp. lemon zest

1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs (I use thyme with veggies, sage with chicken and rosemary with beef)

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

METHOD:

Saute onion, celery and carrots in vegetable oil until limp.  Add garlic and saute for a minute more.  Add broth and water and bring to a boil.  Add vegetables, 1/4 cup fresh herb of your choice and lemon zest and reduce to a simmer.  Cook for about 1 hour or until vegetables are tender.  Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.  Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice and parsley.

I’ve found that adding lemon juice and zest to almost any soup really brightens the flavor.  I add the lemon zest during the cooking process so it won’t be overpowering and the juice when the cooking is done.  Try this tip in your favorite soup recipe and see if it doesn’t do just that.

Remember to keep looking at your glass as half full!

Patti