White Chocolate Lemon Cheesecake

For Easter, I had a hard time deciding on desserts to make {I even asked you to help me choose from this list}, but I ended up trying a new cheesecake recipe that combined a couple flavors I was wanting. I had saved this recipe from an ad years ago.

Though the lemon flavor is mild in this cheesecake, it's a yummy traditional-type cheesecake. I didn't like how the top was looking after I took it out of the oven, so I topped it with a sour cream topping - helps hide imperfections and it's yummy!

White Chocolate Lemon Cheesecake

Crust
6 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups flour
1 large egg yolk
1/8 teaspoon salt

Cheesecake
2 cups (12 oz. pkg) white chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 pkg (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large egg whites
1 large egg

Sour Cream Topping
1/2+ cup sour cream
Powdered sugar to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease 9-inch springform pan.

Crust:
In small mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add flour, egg yolk, and salt and beat until combined. Press mixture onto bottom and 1 inch up side of prepared pan. Bake for 14-16 minutes or until crust is set.

Cheesecake:
Microwave white chocolate chips and cream in uncovered bowl on medium-high power (70%) for 1 minute. Stir. If necessary, microwave in additional 10-second intervals and stir until smooth. {Or gradually melt in bowl placed over pot of boiling water.}

In large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, lemon juice, lemon peel, and salt until smooth. Gradually beat in melted white chocolate chips. Beat in egg whites and egg. Pour into prepared crust.

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until edge is lightly browned. Run knife around edge of cheesecake. If desired, add sour cream topping {Stir sour cream and sugar until smooth and spread evenly over top.} and bake additional 5 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Remove side of springform pan.

I do love cheesecake - do you? Though I really enjoyed this one, I think my fave is still the Creamy Baked Cheesecake. What's your favorite cheesecake?

This post linked to:
 ~ Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed With Grace
 ~ Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
 ~ Chic & Crafty Party at The Frugal Girls

You can stop and smell every recipe with me - just subscribe here! :)

Have a fabulous day friends!!

Cranberry-Raspberry Mousse-Topped Chocolate Cake

I got the basic recipe for this cake from a Pampered Chef recipe booklet several years ago.  I tried it once and it was yummy, but then I forgot all about it.  I made it for one of our Christmas desserts {I also made Peppermint Chocolate Ice Cream Pie which I posted over at Pennies and Blessings}.  The pretty pink on top of chocolate makes it a great choice for a Valentine's Day cake too, don't you think?

The original recipe called for a Devil's Food Cake mix, but I thought I'd be "cool" and make that part from scratch.  I mixed up temps though and had all kinds of trouble with this cake part.  Just shoulda made life easy and used a mix!  Oh, and also, depending on your springform pan, you might want to wrap the bottom in foil or put it on a cookie sheet unless you enjoy big globs of smoking/burning cake batter on the bottom of your oven which may cause your company to wonder what "that smell" could be.  *ahem*

After brushing the chocolate cake with cran-raspberry juice concentrate, the lovely pink mousse topping gets spread over and smoothed out, then off to the refrigerator it goes.

Why does that slice of cake look so short?  Oh there's a story.  The cake was goopy in the middle because of all my temp goof-ups, brushing on juice, etc. so I didn't want to serve that part nor did I want to waste a bunch of topping on a hole in the middle.  I put an upside-down pyrex prep dish over the middle and pushed it all the way down - it was almost level with the cake.  Then I put the topping over everything and the glass in the middle kept the cake slicer from getting to any of the mushy center.  ~giggle~  It seems like my motto is: Above all, we *must* save the dessert!

Cranberry-Raspberry Mousse-Topped Chocolate Cake

 ~ adapted from a Pampered Chef recipe

1 9-ounce* package Devil's Food cake mix (box that makes only 1 layer cake/12 cupcakes or use 1 1/2 cups cake mix from bigger box or make your own half recipe)

1 cup thawed, frozen cran-raspberry juice concentrate, divided

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

1 3.3-ounce package white chocolate instant pudding (I can't find this anymore, so I substitute cheesecake pudding)

8 ounces heavy whipping cream

Powdered sugar to taste

1.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Grease and flour springform pan.  In mixing bowl, prepare cake mix (or homemade cake) according to package directions.  Pour batter into pan.  Wrap bottom of pan with foil or place on cookie sheet.  Bake 25-28 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Remove from oven and cool completely in pan on wire rack.

2.  Brush cake with 1/4 cup of the juice concentrate.  In bowl, whip heavy whipping cream and add powdered sugar to sweeten to taste.  Set aside 1 cup of whipped cream for garnish.

3.  Place softened cream cheese in large bowl.  Whisk until smooth.  Gradually add remaining juice concentrate, whisking until smooth.  Add pudding mix; whisk until smooth.  Fold in remaining whipped cream.  Spoon filling over cake and spread evenly.  Refrigerate cake for at least 30 minutes.

4.  Before serving, carefully remove springform pan side (I usually run a knife around the edge first).  Garnish top with a decorative border using remaining whipped cream (or just top each slice with some whipped cream).  Slice.  Serve.  Enjoy!

* Hello - might have been nice if I had actually noticed the 9 OUNCE part in front of the cake mix in the ingredients (which I just noticed NOW as I was typing this post)!  No wonder I got everything goofed up - I only needed to make a half recipe of the cake - LOL!  I was wondering why the cake seemed so much taller than the first time I ever made this dessert.  I am soooo not perfect - now you know.  ;)

Who else thinks that pink and chocolate are just delightful together?  :)  And who else agrees with me that above all, the dessert *must* be saved - LOL?

This post linked to:

 ~ Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam

 ~ Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed With Grace

 ~ Chic & Crafty Party at The Frugal Girls

 ~ I'm Lovin' It at TidyMom

Have a fantastic day friends!!

Chicken Caesar Lasagna

I found this recipe in a magazine a few years ago and it has become one of our family's favorites! I like to make it for special occasions - we've had it on several different holidays like Easter, Christmas, and Valentine's Day but I've even taken it to church potlucks. I originally posted it on my healthier blog (I'm not really writing there anymore) a few years ago, but I think you deserve to have it right here! You can make it a healthier dish by using light Alfredo sauce, less cheese, and whole wheat or whole grain noodles.

I prefer to use my friend Kathy's recipe for easy homemade light Alfredo sauce. So good!

Chicken Caesar Lasagna

9 dried whole wheat lasagna noodles
2 (10 oz) containers refrigerated light Alfredo sauce (or homemade)
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
3 cups chopped, cooked chicken breast
1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well-drained
1 cup bottled roasted red sweet peppers, drained and chopped
1+ cup shredded Italian blend cheese (more if you like)

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain; rinse with cold water; drain again. Meanwhile, in a bowl combine Alfredo sauce, lemon juice, and black pepper. Stir in chicken, spinach, and red peppers.

2. Lightly coat a 3-quart rectangular baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange 3 noodles in bottom of dish. Top with one-third chicken mixture. Sprinkle 1/3 of the cheese over mixture. Repeat layers twice, topping with remaining cheese. Cover; bake for 45-55 minutes or until heated through. Uncover. Bake, uncovered, 5 minutes more or until cheese is melted. Let stand 15 minutes before serving. Makes 9 servings.

Have you ever made a chicken lasagna? Do let me know what you think if you try this!

This post linked to:
 ~ Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed With Grace
 ~ Chic & Crafty at The Frugal Girls
 ~ Fusion Fridays at Jane Deere

Have a terrific day friends!

Baked Caramel French Toast

For Christmas morning I wanted something special for breakfast, but I needed it to be easy since we would be going to church in the morning. I had thought about making some cinnamon rolls, but kiddo wasn't that interested (yes, this is my kid who also does not like brownies - something is clearly wrong - LOL). When I saw this recipe in my Best Recipes from American Country Inns and Bed & Breakfasts - I knew I had to try it! The best part was that I could put it together the night before and just pop it in the oven on Christmas morning!

You start with a yummy layer of caramel in the pan!

After putting in slices of French bread, you pour the egg mixture in, then cover and refrigerate overnight.

Look at that gooey caramel on top! No syrup needed here.

Baked Caramel French Toast

1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
5 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 loaf French bread, cut into 3/4 inch slices (I only fit 1/2 loaf or less)

In saucepan on medium-low, combine brown sugar, butter, and corn syrup. Stir until melted together. Spray 9x13 pan with nonstick spray. Pour caramel mixture into prepared pan.

In bowl, combine eggs, milk, and vanilla. Whisk well. Arrange bread slices over caramel mixture in pan - fit as many slices as you can, but keep in a single layer. Pour egg mixture over bread slices, making sure to coat all parts of bread. Cover dish and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, bring the dish to room temp as you preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Uncover baking dish and bake about 45-50 minutes. Serve directly from dish, flipping slices over onto plates so caramel layer is on top. Be sure to serve and eat right away so the caramel layer is nice and soft. After it sits for a bit, the caramel layer can get very chewy and harder to eat.

This was a fun treat for Christmas morning and a yummy version of French toast! I'd like to play around with the recipe and see what variations I could come up with. I think adding some pecans might be yummy.

I served this French toast with some bacon and Fabulous Fruit Salad (couldn't find nectarines for it so I subbed some white peaches I found). Did you have something special for breakfast Christmas morning? Do you have a fave French toast recipe?

This post is linked to:
 ~ Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed With Grace
 ~ Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
 ~ Chic & Crafty at The Frugal Girls
 ~ Fusion Fridays at Jane Deere

Have a delicious day friends!

Wine Biscuits with Rosemary and Pepper

I've wanted to try this recipe for quite a while and finally had the perfect occasion to make it for.  I love these biscuits!  They are a wonderful appetizer!  A little sweet and a little savory at the same time.

I found the recipe in Pam Anderson's cookbook The Perfect Recipe for Losing Weight & Eating Great.  You can cut the dough into small circles, but I happened to have a small flower cookie cutter that I used.  And they perfectly fit into my olive tray!  Serve them up with a little goat cheese - yum!

Wine Biscuits with Rosemary and Pepper

1/2 cup dry red wine
1 cup flour ( I used unbleached)
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Pour wine into a saucepan over medium-high heat.  Bring to a boil and keep boiling until wine reduces by half (2-3 minutes).

Put oven racks to upper and lower thirds of oven.  Preheat to 325 degrees.  Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Combine flour, sugar, pepper, rosemary, salt and baking powder in food processor.  Stir oil into wine and add mixture to dry ingredients.  Process until dough starts to come together.  Place dough on lightly floured surface and roll out to about 1/8 inch thickness.  Use a cookie cutter or something round about 1 1/2 inches across to cut out dough.  Place cut-outs on prepared cookie sheets.  Roll and cut out scraps too.  You should get about 3 dozen small rounds or cut-outs.

Bake for 30 minutes, until crisp and golden.  Cool completely on wire rack.  Can store in airtight container for up to a month.
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Don't they sound yummy?  Now you have something new to take to your next party or just to save and nibble on a couple at a time with a glass of wine.  I notice the pics make them look a little golden brown - they actually have a more reddish color from the wine.

This post is linked to:
~ Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
~ Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed With Grace
~ Chic & Crafty at The Frugal Girls
~ I'm Lovin' It at TidyMom
~ Fusion Fridays at Jane Deere

Have a fantastic day friends!!

White Chocolate Berry Pie

It's been a while since I've shared a recipe so I'll give you a yummy one today!  Strawberries are in season (yay) so it's perfect timing for this recipe.  I had clipped this recipe (maybe out of an ad) years ago and ran across it again.  Sounded good and I wanted to try a new dessert recipe!

The pie turned out yummy!  My family loved it - light & fluffy, topped with sweet berries.

Why didn't I turn the berries the other way, with points out?  I have no idea, but that would have been prettier.  And I had planned to use a squeeze bottle to make beautiful white chocolate drizzles, but it was too small of a quantity and came out in clumps - LOL!  I think it looks yummy anyway.  Oh and the crust - confession - that is a Marie Callender's frozen crust.  I didn't feel up to attempting pie crust (have ya seen a scarier crust?) again...yet.

White Chocolate Berry Pie
1 pie crust (homemade, refrigerated, or frozen)
5 squares White Chocolate (I used a 4 oz. bar of Ghiradelli - 6 squares in the recipe & 2 for the drizzle)
2 tablespoons milk
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
1 cup whipping cream, whipped
2 cups sliced strawberries (could top with raspberries or other berries too)

Prepare and bake pie crust.  Cool completely.

Microwave 4 squares ( I did 6) white chocolate and milk.  Microwave on high for 45 seconds to 1 minute and stir until melted.  Cool to room temp.

Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, and orange peel in small bowl with electric mixer on low until smooth.  Beat in white chocolate mixture.

Fold prepared whipped cream into white chocolate mixture.  Spread in bottom of pie crust.  Arrange berries on top of filling.  Melt remaining white chocolate and drizzle over the top.

Refrigerate 1 hour or until time to serve.  Store in refrigerator.

Enjoy!

This recipe is linked up to Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at At The Well.  Stop by both for more yummy recipes!

Do you have a favorite strawberry recipe?  Have a fabulous day friends!