Turtle Cheesecake

     I was asked to make a dessert of some sort for a particularly picky eater.  What I really wanted to make were brownie cupcakes with mint frosting.  He doesn't like mint.  Then I thought of dark chocolate cupcakes with strawberry frosting.  He doesn't like frosting...weird I know.  I found a really yummy looking coconut caramel cookie recipe that I've been dying to try.  He doesn't like coconut.  Cue the turtle cheesecake.  Caramel?  Check.  Chocolate?  Check.  Cheesecake?  Check.  Whew.

     The recipe I found the other day sounded like it'd be really good.  I did tweak it a bit, but I'll put the original recipe and instructions on here with my changes.

Ingredients:

24 Oreos, finely crushed (about 2 cups)

6 Tbsp oleo, melted

1 pkg (14oz) caramels

1/2 cup milk

1 cup chopped pecans  *I skipped these...picky eaters :)*

3 pkg (8oz each) cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1 Tbsp vanilla

3 eggs

2 oz Baker's semi-sweet chocolate

     Heat your oven to 325°.  Reduce the temperature to 300° if using a dark pan.

     Mix crushed Oreos and melted oleo.  Press mixture into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan and up 2 inches of the side.  *I just put the Oreo mixture on the bottom of the pan.  Mistake.  Put it up the sides or the caramel will leak out and burn on the bottom of your oven....for a couple of days if you forget to clean it.  Whoops*

     Microwave caramels and milk on high for 3 minutes or until caramels are completely melted.  Stir after each minute.  Stir in pecans.  *I skipped these.*  Pour half of mixture onto Oreo crust.  * I poured some onto the crust and then swirled the rest of the half into the cheesecake batter.*  Refrigerate for 10 minutes.  Refrigerate remaining caramel mixture so you can use it later.

     Beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl until well blended.  Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low after each until just blended.  Pour over caramel layer in crust.

     Bake for 1 hour and 5 minutes, or until center is almost set.  *Mine baked for about 1 hour and 12 minutes.*  Run a knife around the edge to loosen cheesecake.  Cool before removing the rim.  Refrigerate 4 hours.

     Microwave reserved caramel mixture 1 min, stir.  Drizzle over cheesecake.  Melt chocolate as directed on package.  Drizzle over cheesecake.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes.  *Or if you're like me, sleep in because you set your alarm for PM not AM, run to the kitchen, dump the caramel on the cheesecake and spread with a spoon very quickly, microwave chocolate while trying to get ready to leave the house, pour into a bag with the corner cut out, drizzle chocolate on cheesecake while getting it all over your hands, and run out the door to your truck.  But don't speed, cuz that'd be bad ;)*

Looks pretty yummy to me :)

     This was delicious.  Caramel, chocolate, and cheesecake. Sooooo good.  Mmmm.  A bit messy, probably because I was rushed and didn't refrigerate the cheesecake after pouring caramel on it, but delicious none the less.  Enjoy!

Happy baking friends!

     -Katie

The Perfect Baked Potato

     Okay so I don't really have a recipe for this, but it's super simple so it totally doesn't need one.  First, preheat your oven to 425°.  Next, scrub your potatoes really well...nobody wants to eat dirt.  Now get all the frustration out that you may have stored up this week by stabbing the potatoes with a knife.  Make sure the holes are pretty deep.

     Get out some olive oil, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and a jelly roll pan.  Pour a *little* bit of olive oil on each potato.  Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and pepper.  Rub into the potato to coat the entire thing.  Hope ya don't mind getting your hands dirty ;)

     Place each of the potatoes on your jelly roll pan.  No need to grease it, you've already got plenty of olive oil on the spuds.

     Bake for 45 to 60 minutes.  No specific baking time, it depends on the size of the potatoes.  If you have ginormous ones, it'll take a little longer.  Just bake them until they are tender inside.  I always check them by poking them with a butter knife.  If it goes in easily, they're usually good!

     Yum yum yum!  They have a perfectly crisped skin and nice tender insides.  Delicious :)

Happy cooking friends!

     -Katie

Broccoli Cheese Soup

     Thanks to this weird, freakish weather we've been having in Michigan, it's been nice and chilly around here.  When I'm cold, nothing sounds better than soup.  And EVERYTHING is better with cheese, so I bring you broccoli cheese soup! :)  And boy is it yummy!

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, minced (or if you're lazy like me, 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder)

3 cups chicken broth

1 (16oz) pkg broccoli florets

2 1/2 cups milk

1/3 cup flour

1/4 tsp black pepper

8 oz Velveeta, cubed

     First, what you want to do is chop up your onion and garlic (if you chose cloves of garlic).  I did mine pretty small, but if you don't mind chunks of onion in your soup, you can do them a little bigger.

     Now heat a large saucepan with the olive oil in it over medium heat.  Add onion and garlic (only if you used garlic cloves, if you used powder, wait).  Sauté for about 3 minutes or until onion is tender.  The onion will be see-through when it's done.

     Add chicken broth, garlic powder (only if you didn't use whole cloves) and broccoli.  I had some huge pieces of broccoli in my bag, so I chopped them a bit smaller.  Again, if you don't mind large chunks in your soup, skip the extra chopping.  Bring your mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.  Reduce heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

     Combine milk and flour, stirring with a whisk until well blended.  Actually use a whisk, a spoon won't cut it!  Add milk mixture to broccoli mixture.  Cook 5 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring constantly.  Getting an arm workout in woot woot! :)

     Stir in pepper.  Remove from heat and add cheese cubes, stirring until cheese melts.  I switched stirring arms at this point, gotta work them both out!! ;)

not sure why this looks so weirdly colored, it's really not...

     Look at that cheesy goodness!! Yum :)  I love cheese, love it.  This soup is delicious. D. E. Licious.  Really.  I served mine with homemade bread, because as my great-grandma would say, "a meal's not complete unless there is bread and butter".  Mmmmm.

don't mind the squished down pieces...my 22 year old brother is a child

     I hope you enjoy!!!

Happy cooking friends!

     -Katie

Single Serve Chocolate Chip Cookie

     Today I had a craving for a warm, gooey, delicious chocolate chip cookie.  Unfortunately, there were no chocolate chip cookies to be found.  Insert sad-faced Katie.  I paced my kitchen trying to decide if it was worth it to make a whole batch of cookies for me to eat just one.  Nope, not worth it.  Back to the movie I was watching.

     But.

     That nagging craving for a cookie wouldn't go away.  So back to the kitchen I went and I started pulling ingredients out of the cupboard.  A little dash of this, a scoop of that, a couple drops of whatever that was in the bottle, a minute in the microwave, and TADA chocolate chip cookie in a cup!!  Delicious!  

mmmmmm nice and fluffy

     I'm telling you folks, it was so good I scraped the bottom of the cup as clean as I could.  Seriously.  You know how the bottles of A1 steak sauce always talk about how people do all kinds of crazy things to get the last drop?  I was almost one of those (probably nonexistent) people.  My cookie in a cup was so good.  Melty chocolate and a warm cookie, just for me?  Yes please :)

     Lucky for you, I have a very good memory when it comes to cooking and baking.   Not a whole lot else sticks in my pretty little head, but recipes, they're always bouncing around in there.

     What I used for my cookie in a cup:

1 Tbsp oleo, softened

1 Tbsp brown sugar

1 Tbsp sugar

tiny bit of salt

1 egg yolk

a couple drops of vanilla

1/4 cup flour

chocolate chips

     Just mix everything all together in your cup and pop it in the microwave for about a minute.  Mine went for 50 seconds and was perfect!

Happy baking friends!

     -Katie