Cheesecake Brownie Bars

I saw a picture of these on the cover of a Family Circle magazine and I couldn't stop thinking about them. I happen to have a bit of a sweet tooth and it was amplified by my most recent attempt at calorie counting. My birthday was the perfect occasion to give them a try. For a slight variation, I poured half of the cheesecake mixture on top of the brownie part, topped it with a layer of chopped Oreos, then poured the rest of the cheesecake on top. Next time I think I will decrease the baking time a little bit, but I think they turned out really well.


Cheesecake Brownie Bars
(32 servings)

Cheesecake
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
3 packages (8 oz each) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
3 large eggs
3/4 cup sour cream
2/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla

Brownie
1 cup unsalted butter
5 squares (1 oz each) unsweetened chocolate
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 bag (12 oz) bittersweet chocolate chips

Topping
3 Tbsp strawberry jelly
1 pkg (12 oz) strawberries, hulled and chopped
1/4 cup hot fudge sauce, heated
Whipped topping
Chopped hazelnuts, for garnish (optional)

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan with foil. Coat foil with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

2. Cheesecake: In large bowl, whisk cornstarch and sugar until blended. Add cream cheese, and beat until smooth. Beat in eggs, sour cream and milk. Stir in vanilla; set aside.

3. Brownie: In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine butter and chocolate. Microwave for 1 minute, 30 seconds. Stir, if necessary, continue heating in 30-second increments, stirring after each, until chocolate is melted.

4. Whisk in sugar, then eggs. Whisk in flour, baking powder and salt until smooth. Stir in vanilla and chocolate chips. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Pour cream cheese mixture over brownie mixture. Spread gently until smooth.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 5 minutes or until center is set. Cool on wire rack to room temperature, about 2 hours. Transfer to refrigerator and continue to cool 2 hours.

6. Topping: Heat jelly in microwave-safe bowl for 15 seconds. Stir in berries. Heat fudge sauce in a glass cup in microwave for 25 seconds, until drizzling consistency.

7. Cut cheesecake brownie into 32 squares. Dollop each square with about 1 tablespoon whipped topping, then some of the strawberries and fudge topping. Sprinkle with nuts, if desired.

Rainy Day Risotto

I have been cleaning out cupboards recently, and found a box of Arborio rice I bought to make Risotto (of course!). I've never tried making it but everyone on the food network says it's easy. Alton Brown's recipe called for precooked mushrooms and asparagus. I had leftover mushrooms and chopped zucchini from our fondue night the other night (hmmm, that might be a good post too). Overall, the Risotto was a total success, even though it took much longer than the recipe said. I was in the kitchen cleaning and putting things away, so it wasn't a big deal to stir and add liquid over the hour-plus it took to come together. It was delicious and creamy--so good that I had TWO bowls for lunch. I love that it gets that texture with NO cream! I think I used a tablespoon of butter, and that's it (I made a half recipe, since it was just for myself). This recipe calls for nutmeg (I used less than it called for) and lemon zest, which I almost skipped, but then decided to add when I remembered I had some in a baggie in the freezer. (I usually take the zest from oranges and lemons and throw it in the freezer if I think about it before I use them.) There are plenty of risotto recipes around, I'm just a big fan of Alton. It was a winner for sure. Yum!

Click here for the Good Eats risotto recipe!

Go Fish!

I found this delicious recipe in the Family Circle magazine and couldn't wait to try it out. I decided that yesterday would be the day so I headed off to the store. My store didn't have flounder (which didn't surprise me) so I got some sole. I also used half and half instead of the cream since I already had some in the fridge. John thought it was so good that he had seconds. I love cooking meals that he can't stop talking about and this was one of those meals. I hope you enjoy the recipe as much as we did!


Baked Flounder with Crabmeat Stuffing

1/2 small onion, minced
1/2 small red pepper, finely chopped
3/4 tsp low-sodium Old Bay seasoning
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup light cream
8 ounces imitation crabmeat, finely chopped
3 tsp chopped parsley
4 flounder fillets (about 4 ounces each)
3/4 cup white wine or water
Cooked brown rice (optional)

1. Heat a medium-size nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with nonstick cooking spray, then add onion and red pepper; cover and cook 4 minutes or until softened, stirring occasionally.

2. Remove cover and stir in 1/2 tsp of the Old Bay, 1/8 tsp of the salt and the light cream. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil; cook for 1 minute or until reduced and thickened. Gently fold in crabmeat and 2 tsp of the parsley; refrigerate 30 minutes.

3. heat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place one of the flounder fillets pretty side down on work surface, then spoon 1/2 cup crab mixture onto end of fillet; roll up, creating a small bundle. Repeat using remaining fillets and crab. Transfer bundles to prepared baking dish, seam-side down, and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 tsp Old Bay, 1/8 tsp salt and 1 tsp parsley. Add wine or water to pan; transfer to oven.

4. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until fish is solid white and flakes easily with a fork. Remove to plates with a large spatula and serve with rice, if desired.

PER SERVING 281 calories;
9 g fat (5 g sat.); 27 g protein;
13 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber;
803 mg sodium;
92 mg cholesterol

Healthy Brownies?????

No, I am not kidding! Not only are these brownies low in fat and calories, but they are made with 100% whole wheat flour! Why would anyone ever deviate from the best loved ooey gooey sinful alternative? Summer is quickly approaching. Need I say more? I was a little skeptical about this recipe for obvious reasons, but I was pleasantly surprised. These brownies are not chewy and they aren't very gooey, but they are moist, chocolaty and delicious. One recipe makes 24 brownies each containing a meager 137 calories and 6.6 grams of fat! My chocolate loving husband thought these were really good and both of my kids loved them! My favorite brownie recipe? Probably not. My favorite healthy brownie recipe? Definitely!

Ellie Krieger's Double-Chocolate Brownies

Ingredients
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup whole-grain pastry flour (or 1/2 cup each whole-wheat and all-purpose flours)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
4 large eggs
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1/4 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Melt the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally; do not let the bottom of the bowl touch the water.

Whisk the flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and brown sugar until smooth, then add the yogurt, oil and vanilla and whisk to combine. Whisk in the melted chocolate mixture until blended. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just moistened.

Spread the batter in the prepared pan and sprinkle with walnuts, if desired. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool almost completely in the pan on a rack before slicing.

Per brownie (without nuts): Calories 137; Fat 6.6 g (Saturated 2.8 g); Cholesterol 40 mg; Sodium 55 mg; Carbohydrate 16.5 g; Fiber 1 g; Protein 2.4 g

Per brownie (with nuts): Calories 160; Fat 9 g; (Saturated 3 g); Cholesterol 40 mg; Sodium 55 mg; Carbohydrate 17 g; Fiber 1 g; Protein 3 g

Chicken Balls (Ebelskivers)

For about a year, my 4-year-old had been wanting chicken balls for dinner. She created this idea that you could form chicken into balls and dip them in "white ketchup." For a while, every time we went out to eat she asked me if they could make chicken balls for her. Finally, I found a recipe for chicken meat balls. She told me that she liked them, but I could tell she wasn't truly satisfied. Then I got an email from my sister-in-law with this recipe for Chicken Ebelskivers with a buttermilk dipping sauce. I made them for dinner and my kids LOVED them!! The next day, my 4-year-old asked me when we were going to have chicken balls for dinner again. You may be asking, "What are ebelskivers?" They are these fun spherical Danish pancakes. You have to have an ebelskiver pan to make them. I have the Williams Sonoma nonstick pan and I love it. Ebilskivers were already a breakfast favorite around here and now they are a dinner favorite too!


Chicken Bites (Ebelskivers)

2 cups all-purpose flour (I used half whole wheat)
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 large eggs, separated
2 cups whole milk (I used 1 ½ cups skim milk + ½ cup nonfat plain yogurt)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
8 ounces chopped, cooked chicken breast meat
5 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley (or 5 tsp dried)
1 shallot, finely chopped
Buttermilk Dressing

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper. In a small bowl, lightly whisk the egg yolks, then whisk in the milk and 2 tablespoons of the melted butter. Add the yolk mixture to the flour mixture and , using a wooden spoon, stir until well blended. The batter will be lumpy.

In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff, but not dry, peaks form. Fold about one-third of the egg whites into the batter to lighten it, then fold in the rest just until no white streaks remain. Gently fold in the chicken, parsley, and shallot, taking care not to deflate the mixture.

Brush the wells of the ebelskiver pan with some of the remaining melted butter and place over medium heat. When the butter starts to bubble, add about 2 tablespoons of the batter to each well.

Cook until the bottoms of the pancakes are lightly browned and crisp, 3-5 minutes. Use 2 short wooden skewers to turn all the pancakes and cook until lightly browned on the other side, about 3 minutes longer.

Transfer the finished pancakes to a platter and keep warm in 200 degree oven while you repeat to cook more batches. Serve right away with the buttermilk dressing for dipping.

Buttermilk Dressing
3/4 cup mayonnaise (I substituted some of the mayonnaise with nonfat plain yogurt)
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 ½ tablespoons chopped Italian parsley (or 2 1/2 tsp dried)
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried minced onion
salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

In a bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, buttermilk, parsley, cheese, and dried onion until blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 8 hours, to blend the flavors.
Makes about 1 cup

Bread Anyone?

I love making bread to go with dinner but sometimes I know I won't have time to make the bread and the dinner. I have found the answer! This very delicious sourdough bread recipe requires very little work before baking since it is actually mixed the day before. Once you mix the dough, it just sits on your counter for 19 hours until you need to do anything else. It was really nice that after shaping it into the loaf it rose for 2-3 more hours because that was well before I needed to get dinner started. The bread is supposed to cook in a dutch oven, but that doesn't mean you have to use charcoal outside. The recipe has instructions for baking it inside too.

When I pulled the bread out of the oven, it made crackling noises that the kids thought were really cool. This bread is not very sour for sourdough, but I think my kids probably like it better that way. The texture was like sourdough bread: dense, but spongy and moist at the same time. One of the best things about this bread is that it will impress any dinner guests with its artisan look and taste. I can't wait to try this recipe with rosemary or other twists! Thank you Alton Brown- this recipe is definitely "Good Eats!"

Click here for the recipe and enjoy!!