Spicy Molasses Cookies

Today is my love's birthday! Since we already had a party for him where I made key lime pie and New York cheesecake, I wanted something different to spoil him with today. He's not a cake fan, so when I saw this recipe under Pioneer Woman's "favorite" recipes I knew I had found what I was looking for. Kevin loves molasses cookies and since I've only tried one or two recipes before I'm still searching for the perfect one. I think I may have found it. Even though cookies are forbidden for me, I think I may have eaten 4....They're that great. Irresistible.

Note: A week later, these cookies are still fresh and soft and absolutely amazing. I have found the perfect Molasses Cookie. Thanks, PW.

Ingredients

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup Crisco (vegetable shortening)

1/4 cup molasses

1 egg

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix sugar, shortening, molasses, and egg together until well combined.

Dump in dry ingredients, stirring dry ingredients together lightly. Mix together until dough is combined.

Roll dough into walnut-sized balls, then generously coat each ball with sugar.

Place balls on a baking sheet and bake for 9 to 11 minutes, allowing to bake for about a minute after cookies begin to crack.

Remove cookies from baking sheet and allow to cool….though these are delicious while still warm.

Makes 30 cookies

Roasted Red Pepper Soup

After watching the pepper roasting technique from Rachael Ray and The Food Network and more, I really wanted to try it myself. Red peppers tend to be a bit too pricey for my taste, but when I saw them on sale 5 for $1 I couldn't pass it up. I saw a cooking segment on The Today Show last week where they made a simple roasted red pepper soup. I used that recipe and we both loved the result. Make sure you love red peppers though. Or you will not love this soup. Because that's all it is.

To Roast the Peppers

For precise instructions see this post on The Food Network.

Preheat oven to the highest broil setting.

Place washed peppers on a baking sheet.

Put the sheet in the oven but

If you don't crack the oven door, so much steam will build up it will literally burn your face.

Broil for approximately 4-5 minutes on each side or until

Place roasted peppers in a paper bag and roll tightly

Let cool for about 30 minutes.

Skins will separate from the flesh.

Peel off the skins.

Slice off the stems and de-vein the peppers, removing seeds.

Slice.

Roasted Red Pepper Soup

From: Sam Zien on The Today Show

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup onions, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoons olive oil

2-12 ounce jars roasted red peppers, drained

1 tsp cayenne pepper (I substituted chili powder and crushed red pepper flakes)

3 cups chicken broth

Salt and Pepper

Sour cream

Freshly chopped cilantro

DIRECTIONS

Cook onions and garlic in olive oil in a large pot until softened. Add red peppers and cayenne to onions — mix well.

Put pepper mixture in a food processor with 1 cup of the broth, process until smooth. Put back into pot with remaining stock, season with salt and pepper and heat through.

Serve with a spoonful of sour cream and some fresh chopped cilantro.

Sweet Potatoes, Apples & Pork Chops

I needed to throw a dinner together before leaving for church this morning--as we had my family here visiting. I couldn't just procrastinate and come up with something "easy" like Kevin and I normally do. I wanted to be a good hostess. So I started the bread machine bright and early and then tried to brainstorm through ingredients and crockpot ideas. I had pork chops that I found in the back of the freezer that were from who knows how long ago. I wasn't sure they were still edible but I couldn't throw them away without at least trying to cook them. (They were still great, btw.) We had two sweet potatoes in the pantry which had somehow developed moisture in their packaging and thus mold was taking over. I knew I could save at least some of those root vegetables. I also still had a huge bag of apples from our neighbor's tree. Hmmm. Think, Mel, think.

The result was quite delicious. Kevin helped me quite a bit in the brainstorming process. I have to give him half the credit.

Ingredients

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped

4 apples, peeled and sliced

1 whole onion, sliced

1/4 cup apple cider

3/4 cup water

salt

pepper

1 Tbsp cinnamon

sprinkle of nutmeg

1/4 cup brown sugar

4 boneless pork chops or pork roast

Combine all ingredients except pork in the bottom of the slow cooker. Stir to combine. Place pork on top and cook on high 4 hours.

New York Cheesecake

In looking for the perfect cheesecake recipe, I realized choosing one out of the thousands was quite daunting and nearly impossible. This is my first "official" cheesecake and I wanted it to be great. I knew right away I needed to consult one of my favorite recipe bloggers--Annie. I have used many of her recipes before and they have never failed me. We have similar styles and her cooking methods are refined yet down-to-earth. When I found her rave reviews about this cheesecake recipe, I knew I had found what I was looking for.

*Note, this cake will be served tomorrow night for Kevin and Brian's birthday desserts, so I have yet to hear feedback. I will post pictures and results later.

**Note #2: everyone raved about the cheesecake. The sides pulled away a bit as it cooled, so the edges are a bit imperfect, but taste wise it's top notch!

New York Cheesecake

For the crust:

5 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted, plus 1 additional tbsp., melted for greasing the pan

4 oz. (approx. 8 whole) graham crackers, broken into rough pieces and processed into fine, even crumbs*

1 tbsp. sugar

(*Note – if you have a kitchen scale, definitely weigh the graham crackers. I found the amount to be significantly different than the number of whole crackers they suggest. Of course, it varies depending on size/brand of cracker.)

For the cheesecake:

2 1/2 lb. (5 8-oz. pkgs.) cream cheese, cut into rough 1-inch chunks, at room temperature

1/8 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/3 cup sour cream

2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 large egg yolks plus 6 large eggs, at room temperature

To make the crust, adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees F. Brush the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan with 1/2 tablespoon of the melted butter. In a medium bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs, 5 tablespoons melted butter, and sugar. Toss with a fork until the crumbs are evenly moistened. Transfer the crumbs to the springform pan and use the bottom of a ramekin to firmly press the crumbs evenly into the pan bottom. (Note: this is a fabulous technique! I have used it several times since, and it does a great job.) Bake until fragrant and beginning to brown around the edges, about 13 minutes. Cool on a wire rack while preparing the filling.

Increase the oven temperature to 500 degrees F. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese at medium-low speed to break up and soften it slightly, about 1 minute. Scrape the beater and the bottom and sides of the bowl well with a rubber spatula; add the salt and about half of the sugar and beat at medium-low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape the bowl; beat in the remaining sugar until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape the bowl; add the sour cream, lemon juice, and vanilla. Beat at low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape the bowl; add the egg yolks and beat at medium-low speed until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute. Scrape the bowl; add the remaining eggs 2 at a time, beating until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute, scraping the bowl between additions.

Brush the sides of the springform pan with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon melted butter. Set the pan on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any spills in case the pan leaks. Pour the filling into the cooled crust and bake 10 minutes; without opening the oven door, reduce the oven temperature to 200 degrees and continue to bake until the cheesecake reads about 150 degrees on an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center, about 1 1/2 hours. Transfer the cake to a wire rack and cool until barely warm, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Run a paring knife between the cake and the springform pan sides. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, at least 3 hours.

To unmold the cheesecake, removed the sides of the pan. Slide a thin metal spatula between the crust and the bottom of the pan to loosen, then slide the cake onto a serving plate. Let the cheesecake stand at room temperature about 30 minutes, then cut into wedges and serve. (Use a long, thin, sharp knife that has been run under hot water and then dried for slicing. Wipe the blade clean and rewarm between slices.)