Crazy Cooking Challenge Triple Lemon Cheesecake

Its time again for the Crazy Cooking Challenge. I cant believe that its already time again the months just seem to fly by. And by the time I realized what day it was I only had three days left to finish my challenge but I got it done and could not sit this one out. Its one of my family's favorite desserts. This month we were set out to find the best cheesecake and share it with the world :) I had so many to choose from and they all looked so good. I am a huge cheesecake fan and there are not many that I didn't want to try. I got this recipe from gratefulprayerthankfulheart. When I saw her cheesecake I knew it was the one. Not only do I love cheesecake but I love lemon and this one was one of the best cheesecakes I have ever had. It has amazing texture not to rich but not to fluffy. And the lemon is perfect. Not overpowering but enough to it that it stands out as the main flavor. Top this with some fresh berries or strawberry puree and you will also be in heaven right along with me lol. So here it is my Crazy Cooking Challenge recipe for August Triple Lemon Cheesecake. 

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs   

1 1/2T sugar

7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon lemon zest, finely grated
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons lemon juice, fresh squeezed
3 large eggs
1/2 cup lemon curd Chilled

 

1.Position rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, 

2.Butter the bottom and side of a 9" springform pan. Have ready a roasting pan. Put on a kettle of water to boil for the water bath.  

3.Stir together crumbs,1 1/2T Sugar and butter with a fork in a medium bowl until combined well. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom of the pan. Bake 8-10 minutes or until crust is set; let cool on a wire rack. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F. 

 

4.Process sugar and zest in a food processor until zest is finely ground.

5.In a medium bowl with an electric mixer, beat cream cheese beginning on low speed & increasing to medium-high, until light and fluffy.

6.Gradually add sugar mixture, scraping down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula, continue beating until smooth.

7.Add sour cream, lemon juice; beat until well blended. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

8.Wrap the outside of the springform pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil, then pour the filling into the pan; set it in the roasting pan. Place the roasting pan in the oven and carefully pour in enough boiling water into the roasting pan to reach halfway up the side of the springform pan.

9.Bake for 70-75 minutes or until the center is almost set but still slightly jiggly. DO NOT OVERBAKE ~ The cheesecake will firm as it cools. (Mine took 75)

10.Remove the roasting pan from the oven and let the cheesecake cool in the water bath for 15 minutes. Remove  from the bath; let it cool on a wire rack.

11.Remove the foil; refrigerate the cheesecake in its pan, loosely covered, for at least 8 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.

12.Run a table knife around the inside edge of the pan; remove the pan's side. Spread the lemon curd over the top of the cheesecake. Let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes.  Cut into wedges and serve.Top with whip cream and lemon if desired.

 

 

Garlic Chicken with Green Beans

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. rice wine
1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. sugar
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 cup onion, peeled, cut in 1/2-in. wedges
2 tbsp. garlic, minced
1 tsp. black-bean sauce
12 oz. green beans, trimmed, cut in 3-in. pieces
1 cup red bell pepper, large dice
hot cooked rice or noodles (for serving)

1.Slice chicken breasts into 1/4-in. strips; place in medium bowl.

2.Combine soy sauce, wine, sesame oil, cornstarch and sugar in small bowl; pour over chicken breast; toss to coat. Cover; refrigerate 20 minutes or until ready to cook.

3.Heat vegetable oil in wok (or large nonstick skillet) over high heat until quite hot. Add chicken; cook, stirring constantly, 3 minutes or until chicken begins to brown and is cooked through. Remove the cooked chicken from the wok and keep warm.

4.Return wok or skillet to high heat; add onion, garlic and black-bean sauce. Quickly stir in green beans and bell pepper. Add 1/4 cup water, cover, and cook 3 minutes or until vegetables are tender-crisp. 

5.Return chicken to wok; stir; toss over high heat until well mixed and heated through; about 2 minutes.

6.Place in serving dish; serve immediately with rice or noodles.

* We all really enjoyed this recipe it took me a while to find the black bean sauce but I finally found a garlic black bean sauce at an Asian market and it tasted great. Be sure to add it to this recipe. I think that if I made it again I would even add a little more to it. But other then that everyone liked it I give it a 4 1/2

Banana Banana Bread

1/2 cup of butter, softened
3/4 cup of brown sugar
2 eggs
2 1/3 cups of mashed overripe bananas (I used 4)
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups of flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh nutmeg, grated

1.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees then coat a 9×5 loaf pan with cooking spray.

2.In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the eggs, bananas, and vanilla then continue beating until well combined.
3.In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and fresh nutmeg together, mix well.
Add the flour mixture into the banana mixture and stir until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.

4.Bake for 55-60 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the bread cool in pan for 10 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack.

* I thought that this was a great basic banana bread recipe. It was a heavier banana bread then others I have tried but it had great flavor and my son loved it. I think that he ate half the loaf ha ha this is a good one and has plenty of banana flavor. I give it a 4 1/2  I got this recipe from fortheloveofcooking.net

Loaded Baked Potato Gnocchi

 
1 lb. gnocchi (made with potato)
5 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled

6 oz Shredded Cheddar cheese
6 oz Shredded Colby Jack Cheese
6 oz Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 (16 oz.) tub of Sour Cream
1 teaspoon onion powder

1 tablespoon of dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1.Preheat oven to 350 F.
2.On the stove-top cook gnocchi according to directions. (usually the package will tell you to boil the gnocchi in lightly salted water for 2-5 minutes). Drain the gnocchi and set aside.
3.Spray a medium sized casserole baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
4.Cook the bacon however you like. once the bacon is cooked and cooled, crumble the bacon.
5.In a large bowl,stir together the sour cream, parsley, onion powder and salt and pepper.

6.Add the cheese and mix well. Add in the bacon and mix well.

7.Once everything is mixed in, gently stir in the cooked gnocchi.

8.Spoon into prepared baking dish.

9.Sprinkle with a little more cheese if desired, and you could sprinkle with a little extra pepper.
10.Bake for 30 minutes.

 

* I made this for dinner last week and was not sure what to make with it so I figured because we are eating a spoon full of cheese and bacon we will have some fruit salad with it lol. But the spoon full of cheese and bacon was so good :) This is a great side and with be good with some grilled chicken I will do that next time I make it. Its not one you can have all the time considering its not the most healthy of side dishes but it is a good treat every now and then. I give it a 5

Re-post of my favorites from the past...

So I was looking over my blog the other day thinking there are so many recipes that I love from way back when I started my blog (almost 2years and over 500 recipes ago) that I thought that I would do a re post on all my most favorites back from 2010. The recipes that I have made many times and I think that you should also :) Or at least try once lol

So here they are.

                                                                       BREAKFAST

                                                                Monkey Bread Muffins

                                                Chocolate Covered Raisin Cinnamon Rolls
                                                          
                                                           DINNER OR LUNCH

                                                                Veggie Cheese Soup

                                                                    Chicken Roll Ups

                                                                  Swedish Meatballs

                                                              Alice Springs Chicken

                                                             Three Cheese Manicotti

                                                          Spinach and Artichoke Chicken

                                                                        Tamale Pie

                                                              Hamsters.. Mini Pot Pies

                                                   Shepherds Pie with Parmesan Potatos

                                                                        Tamale Pie

                                                                      Pizza Calzone

                                                                       Broccoli Pie

                                                            Chicken Cordon Bleu Sauce

                                                                  Chicken Taco Ring

                                                                      8 Spice Chicken


                                                         DESSERTS AND TREATS

                                                                  Angel Food Cake

                                                              Cinnamon Streusel Pizza

                                                         White Chocolate Haystacks

                                                White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

                                                          Cinnamon Sugar Almonds

                                                                   Chewy Caramel



                                                       SIDE DISH AND SALADS

                                                                  Sweet Corn Tomalito

                                                           Sub Sandwich Pasta Salad



* So there it is my collection of favorites from 2010. I am putting together my favorites for 2011 and hope to post that one soon.. Give some of these a try and let me know what you think :)

Outback Steakhouse Ranch Dressing Copycat

1 tsp hidden valley buttermilk ranch powder mix
1 cup mayo
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/8 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp garlic powder

1.Mix all together and cover in fridge at least 30 min before serving.

This recipe makes 1 1/2 cups


* I have never had outbacks ranch before and so I dont know how this compares to there dressing but it was a great ranch dressing and I will for sure make it again. I give it a 5