Tag: cup

Pumpkin Cheesecake – Giving Thanks for Cheap and Easy to Use Kitchen Gadgets

I’d rather eat vegan for a week than write a blog post on
why pumpkin cheesecakes crack, but I’m more than happy to explain how to get
that perfect, creamy-custardy, probably-won’t-crack doneness you all deserve.
Use a digital thermometer. Okay, that was a little anticlimactic, but it really
is that simple.

If you turn off the heat when the cheesecake’s internal temp
is between 155-160 F., and let it cool slowly in the warm oven, you should get
exactly what you see here. The reason a thermometer is so key, is that going
just by sight is hard to do. Even at 155 F., a cheesecake has a fairly jiggly
middle, and really does look undercooked. Many cooks get scared and leave it in
for a few more minutes, which can make all the difference.

This should take anywhere from 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Many
factors are involved, but a big one is the temperature of your cheese and eggs.
Mine were cold, which not only makes mixing harder, but also will increase
cooking time, as a room temp batter starts cooking sooner. So, to recap, use a
thermometer.

This recipe was adapted from one found on my friend Elise’s
blog, Simply Recipes. She’s one of my all-time favorites (food bloggers and
people), and I insist you head over there to check out her gorgeous version as
well. I (we) hope you give this easy pumpkin cheesecake a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 1 Pumpkin Cheesecake (10 slices)
For the crust:

2 cups gingersnap crumbs

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup melted butter

1 large egg yolk

Filling

4 (8-oz) packages cream cheese, room temp

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 (15-oz) cans pure pumpkin puree

4 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoons bourbon whiskey

1/4 cup all purpose flour

*Bake at 325 degrees F. for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until
internal temp is between 155-160 F. Let cool in warm oven, with door cracked.

Crock Pot Picadillo

Picadillo, a flavorful Cuban dish made with ground beef and a sauce made from simmering tomatoes, green olives, bell peppers, cumin, and spices is one of my family’s favorite weeknight meals.

Trust me on this one, if you want a recipe the whole family will love, this is it! I grew up on this dish and my friends used to love eating over when my mom made it for dinner. This was probably one of the first recipes I ever learned how to cook and I make it at least once a month, although usually on the stove. (stove top version here^[1]) It’s inexpensive, kid-friendly, freezer friendly and gluten-free.

I knew this would adapt nicely for the slow cooker, and I was right! In fact, I think it’s even better since the lean beef cooks longer and becomes very tender the longer it simmers.

This makes a lot, so you’ll get several meals out of it. We serve it
over brown rice, we make tacos with the leftovers, and I am going to
post a second recipe using the leftovers. Don’t you love a recipe that
can serve as two different meals!

Anytime you use ground beef in the crock pot, you’ll need to brown it first on the stove. Since the skillet is already out, I threw the onions, peppers and garlic in with the meat to let the flavors bloom.

If you want to prep this the night before, the meat is fully cooked, so you can add all the ingredients into the crock pot, then refrigerate. The next morning plug it in and go to work, or go on with your day. When you come home, you’ll just have to make some rice and a salad and dinner is ready!

By the way, lean beef is the meat of choice for this dish in my house, but you can also use lean bison or ground turkey if desired. Raisins are commonly added to this dish, but we prefer this without.

Slow Cooker Picadillo
gordon-ramsay-recipe.com
Servings: 11 • Size: 1/2 cup • Old Points: 4 pts • Weight Watchers Points+: 4 pts
Calories: 170 • Fat: 7 g • Protein: 22.5 g • Carb: 4.5 g • Fiber: 1 g • Sugar: 1.5 g
Sodium: 237 mg (without the salt)

Ingredients:

2 1/2 lbs 93% lean ground beef

1 cup minced onion

1 cup diced red bell peppers

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup minced cilantro

1 small tomato, diced

8 oz can tomato sauce

1/4 cup alcaparrado (manzanilla olives, pimientos, capers) or green olives

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp garlic powder

2 bay leaves

kosher salt and fresh pepper, to taste

Directions:

Brown meat in a large deep skillet on medium-high heat; season with generously with salt and a little pepper. Use a wooden spoon to break the meat up into small pieces. When meat is no longer pink, drain all the liquid from pan. Add the onions, garlic and bell peppers to the meat and cook an addition 3-4 minutes.

Transfer the meat to the slow cooker, then add tomato, cilantro, tomato sauce, 1 1/4 cups water, alcaparrado (or olives) [I usually add some of the brine from the jar for added flavor] then add the spices.

Set slow cooker to HIGH for 3 to 4 hours or LOW for 6 to 8. After it’s ready, taste for salt and add more as needed [I added a little more cumin and garlic powder at the end as well since the crock pot tends to mute the flavors of herbs and spices]. Discard the bay leaves and serve over brown rice.

Makes about 5 3/4 cups.

Serve this with 3/4 cups brown rice for an 8 point meal and a salad on the side.

References

^{^} stove top version here (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)

Salsa Verde Chicken Tostadas

Chicken tenders are slow cooked in the crock pot with salsa verde, then served on a crispy corn tostada and topped with melted cheese, jalapeño and a simple cabbage slaw made with red cabbage, lime juice, cilantro and salt. I could eat these everyday!!

Yesterday I posted the Easiest Crock Pot Salsa Verde Chicken^[1] recipe and promised to post the tostadas today. I made these for lunch and everyone in my home loved them (even my husband doesn’t care for cabbage). The cabbage adds just the right amount of texture and freshness with a hint of acidity that just works, and he loved it! One was enough to fill me up for lunch, but if you want this for dinner, I would go with two.

The crock pot chicken actually makes enough for 9 tostadas, but I only made 6 tostadas for sake of calculating to keep it an even number. It’s really not spicy at all, which is why I added jalapenos. If your family doesn’t like spicy food, leave them out. If you don’t have plans for Cinco De Mayo, I suggest you give these a try!! If you can’t find tostada shells, you can follow the same recipe with corn taco shells instead.

Salsa Verde Chicken Tostadas
gordon-ramsay-recipe.com
Servings: 6 • Size: 1/2 cup • Old Points: 4 • Weight Watcher Points+: 5 pt
Calories: 200 • Fat: 7.5 g • Carb: 12 g • Fiber: 1 g • Protein: 22 g • Sugar: 0 g
Sodium: 465 mg (without the salt) • Cholest: 10 mg

Ingredients:

3/4 cup shredded red cabbage

2 tsp fresh lime juice (or more to taste)

5 cilantro leaves

salt, to taste

2 cups easy crock pot chicken salsa verde^[2] (warmed)

6 tostada shells (Ortega)

3/4 cup shredded reduced fat Mexican Cheese (Sargento)

pickled jalapeño slices (optional)

Directions:

Combine the shredded cabbage with lime juice, cilantro and salt, to taste. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place tostada shells on a baking sheet. When the oven is hot, layer 1/3 cup of chicken, 2 tbsp shredded cheese and jalapenos over each tostada shell. Bake until the cheese is melted and the shells are crisp, about 4 minutes. Top with shredded cabbage and enjoy!

References

^{^} Easiest Crock Pot Salsa Verde Chicken (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)

^{^} easy crock pot chicken salsa verde (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)

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