Turtle Cheesecake

This is the recipe for a Turtle Cheesecake I made for my son & daughter-in-law's wedding dinner party.  It was really, really good.  I had made some homemade caramel for a different recipe which I drizzled on top of the cheesecake... along with some chocolate sauce.

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Photo thanks to mybakingaddition.com

Turtle Cheesecake

Serves 12

2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

14 ounces individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped

1 (5 ounce) can evaporated milk

1 cup chopped pecans

3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese

1/2 cup white sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 eggs

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter one 9 inch springform pan.

Toast the pecans at 350 degrees F for 6 minutes. Remove pecans and set aside. Leave oven at 350 degrees F. In a small saucepan, melt the unsalted butter.

Combine vanilla wafer crumbs with the melted butter then press into the bottom of the prepared springform pan. Place the pan onto a cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees F. Remove and allow to cool.

In a double boiler, or a bowl set over barely simmering water, melt the caramels in the evaporated milk. Stir until smooth. Pour this over the cooled crust. Sprinkle the nuts over the top.

In a bowl, combine the cheese, sugar, and vanilla and beat until smooth, scraping down the bowl several times. Add the eggs, one at a time and beat until smooth. Melt the chocolate chips in the double boiler and mix into the cheese mixture. Pour the batter over the caramel layer.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes or until barely set. Chill over night in the refrigerator before serving.

After removing from springform pan, you can drizzle caramel &/or chocolate sauce over the top & sprinkle on chopped or whole pecans.

Smothered with extra caramel sauce!

Chocolate Cherry Cola Gateaux

I compiled this information & pics from a couple of posts I came across.  I'm going to post more (soon hopefully)... including some recipes for the elements.  I'm going to experiment & see if I can replicate this delicious sounding & looking dessert.  Wish me luck!

Chocolate Chai Milkshake

I love chai... so when I saw this recipe I knew I had to try it.  Glad I did because it was delicious!!  Hope you enjoy it too.

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Chocolate Chai Milkshake

2 cups Milk

1 Whole Nutmeg or 1/2 tsp. Ground Nutmeg

1/4 tsp. Cardamom

1/2 tsp. Fennel Seed

1/2 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice

1/2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon

5 whole Black Peppercorns

2 pints Vanilla Ice Cream

1/4 cup, plus 2 Tbsp. Chocolate Syrup

In a saucepan on medium-low heat, steep the milk with the nutmeg, cardamom, fennel seed, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and black peppercorns until the milk is fragrant, about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally to break the milk film or "skin" on the top. 

Strain and discard the solids. Refrigerate until cold, about 30 minutes. 

In a blender add the ice cream, 1 cup strained milk and chocolate syrup.

Blend until smooth. Serve.

Makes 42 oz. 

Potato Flatbread

I will be trying this recipe again, WITH a good pizza crust & not with the Pillsbury pizza crust I used to try & save on time.  Other than the crust... this was really good.  I've seen Potato Pizzas on TV shows & thought it sounded really good.  This recipe calls it flatbread but it's the same as a pizza.

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This picture is from He Cooks, She Cooks & shows another similar version of a Potato Pizza.  I'm using this picture so that you may see what it should look more like with the correct crust.

This is mine... with the wrong crust. lol

Potato Flatbread

Prep:   30 mins   *   Start to Finish:   50 mins 

1 pound frozen pizza dough, thawed (or make your own fresh)

10 ounces red or white potatoes, scrubbed

1 shallot, peeled

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

3/4 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary or thyme

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Divide dough into 3 pieces. Stretch dough thinly, pressing the edges onto the counter so it doesn't spring back. Let it rest a few minutes, then transfer each piece to a parchment-lined baking sheet.

2. Using a mandolin or slicer, slice potatoes and shallot 1/16-inch thick. Spread a bit of the sliced shallot over each crust, then top with a single overlapping layer of potatoes.

3. Sprinkle with salt, herbs and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and bake 20 min, or until crust is crisp and deep brown. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 12 to 15 servings.

Note:  The Pillsbury Pizza Dough I used is not a good substitute for the frozen or fresh dough.  As you can see from the pictures... the crust doesn't end up with a good texture... it's crispy & dry like a cracker (not a good one) & started to burn before the potatoes were cooked.  Also... my hubby didn't use the Mandolin, which would have sliced the potatoes a lot thinner.  He didn't have the patience to slice them thinner with the knife either. lol  The potatoes should really be sliced a bit thinner than the ones in these pictures because they would cook faster & you won't have to worry about your bread burning or browning too much before your potatoes were done.

Bacon Crescent Appetizers

Tasty little treats for any occasion.

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Bacon Crescent Appetizer

time: 35 min   *   servings: 16 servings

8 oz. Cream Cheese, softened

8 slices Bacon, cooked, crumbled (I used a bag of precooked Oscar Meyer Real Bacon Bits)

1/3 c. grated Parmesan Cheese

1/4 c. finely chopped Onions

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh Parsley

1Tbsp. Milk

2 cans (8 oz. each) refrigerated Crescent Dinner Rolls

HEAT oven to 375°F.

MIX all ingredients except crescent dough.

SEPARATE each can of dough into 8 triangles & then spread each dough triangle with 2 generous teaspoons of cream cheese mixture.  Roll up, starting at short side of triangle & then cut them in half. Place, point-sides down, on baking sheet. 

BAKE 12 to 15 min. or until golden brown. Serve warm.