Peppermint Cheesecake Brownies

Confession: I don't even like peppermint, but when I saw these brownies in Cooking Light, I knew I had to make them. Unfortunately, I was about halfway through the holidays when I realized that I didn't want any more sweets around. So I decided to save them to make for an open house we were going to on New Year's Day. Sure enough, they were a big hit. Reviews of the recipe said that the peppermint flavor wasn't terribly pronounced, so I doubled the amount of extract. Even I liked these!

Peppermint Cheesecake Brownies
adapted from Cooking Light, December 2008

Ingredients

Cheesecake Batter:
1 8 oz block of 1/3 reduced fat cream cheese
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1 tbsp all-purpose flour

Brownie Batter:
4.5 oz all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
2 large egg whites
Cooking Spray

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. To prepare cheesecake batter, place cheese in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Add granulated sugar and peppermint extract; beat well. Add 1 egg and 1 egg white; beat well. Add 1 tablespoon flour; beat mixture just until blended.

3. To prepare brownie batter, weigh or lightly spoon 4.5 ounces (about 1 cup) flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine 4.5 ounces flour, cocoa, and salt in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine brown sugar, oil, buttermilk, vanilla, 2 egg whites, and 1 egg in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium-high speed until well blended. Add flour mixture to brown sugar mixture; beat at low speed just until blended.

4. Reserve 1/2 cup of brownie batter. Pour remaining batter into a 9-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray. Carefully pour cheesecake batter over top; spread evenly to edges. Dot cheesecake batter with reserved brownie batter. Swirl top two layers of batters together using the tip of a knife. Bake at 350° for 26 minutes or until top is set. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 213 (32% from fat)

Fat: 7.5g (sat 2.6g,mono 2.3g,poly 1.1g)

Protein: 4.4g

Carbohydrate: 32.3g

Fiber: 0.7g

Cholesterol: 37mg

Iron: 1.3mg

Sodium: 169mg

Calcium: 32mg

Another Viognier Meal

Remember the Becker Vineyards Viognier I waxed poetic about for an entire entry? Well, when we were in Austin for my half-brother's wedding at the beginning of December, Joe and I realized that, because my dad was driving back, we could buy a whole case of Viognier. So we did, on one condition specified by me: we have to treat drinking it like a special occasion.

After Christmas dinner, I made chicken stock from the carcass of our roast chicken, and since I had never made risotto using homemade chicken stock, I knew that's what some of it would be used for. Alongside spicy Italian chicken sausage from Trader Joe's and sauteed spinach, the wine completed a wonderful meal. Joe is responsible for the artistic presentation.

English Muffin Bread

Anyone who has looked in my parents' pantry knows that my dad is a collector of jams, jellies, and preserves. I don't think we've ever had to actively think about buying jams or preserves because there are always so many in the house. Growing up, my favorite way to enjoy the latest acquisition of apricot preserves or orange marmalade was on an English muffin.

When I saw this bread on Amber's Delectable Delights, I knew it would be a hit, especially for this past week when both Joe and I were off and slept in and made big breakfasts. I halved the recipe to only make one loaf, but I wish I had made both loaves, as I easily could've given the other loaf to my dad if we didn't eat it first.

Joe and I enjoyed slices of this bread equally as a base for a breakfast sandwich of ham, cheese, and egg and for spreading it with delicious apricot jam.



English Muffin Bread
source: Amber's Delectable Delights

Yield: 2 loaves

Ingredients

Cornmeal
6 cups all purpose flour
2 packages active dry yeast
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups milk
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt

Preparation

1. Grease two 8x4x2-inch loaf pans. Lightly sprinkle pans with enough cornmeal to coat bottom and sides; set pans aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl combine 3 cups of the flour, the yeast, and baking soda; set aside. In a medium saucepan heat and stir milk, water, sugar and, salt just until warm (120 to 130 degrees F). Using a wooden spoon, stir milk mixture into flour mixture. Stir in remaining flour.
3. Divide dough in half. Place dough in prepared pans. Sprinkle tops with cornmeal. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about 45 minutes).
4. Bake in a 400 degree oven about 25 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove bread from pans. Cool on wire racks.

South of the Border Skillet

This was originally called South of the Border Casserole, though you don't really bake it so I changed the name. Joe really like this a lot. In fact, he liked it so much that he asked to have the leftovers for dinner the next night. I think the fresh jalapeno adds a dimension to the dish that makes it different from similar dishes. I will definitely make this again. It's a one-pot dish, so it's great for weeknights.

South of the Border Skillet
source: Taste of Home Cooking

Ingredients
1 pound of lean ground beef
1 jalapeno, ribs and seeds removed from half, minced
1 large bell pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
28 ounce can of whole tomatoes (fire roasted tomatoes, if you can find them) (I used diced tomatoes.)
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons of cumin
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups sour cream (I used reduced fat.)
8 oz penne, ziti or any small pasta
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup cilantro, minced

In a large deep skillet, brown meat until no longer pink. Drain fat, if necessary. Add the olive oil, peppers, onions and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook on medium-high heat. Saute until softened, about 8-10 minutes. Add chili powder and cumin. Add the can of tomatoes, breaking up the whole tomatoes with a spoon, but still leaving big chunks. Add sour cream, stir until mixed. Add pasta. Cover and cook until pasta is al dente, about 25 minutes. Make sure to stir frequently so the pasta doesn't get stuck to the bottom. Serve with the cheddar cheese and cilantro sprinkled on top.

Cauliflower-Chickpea Tagine

First off, Happy New Year! 2008 was a crazy year for me, so I'm hoping 2009 will be a little calmer. If you're like most people, including me, you probably are wanting a break from the overindulgent foods associated with the holidays. This is a wonderful, flavorful dish that will keep you warm through January while still being healthy and full of vegetables. You don't have to eat salads to eat healthy!

I especially liked the way the raisins plumped up during the cooking. They added a hint of sweetness that contrasted with the spice of the cayenne pepper.

Cauliflower-Chickpea Tagine
source: Big City Cooking

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, thinly sliced

3 garlic cloves, slices

1 head of cauliflower, broken into florets

3 carrots, sliced thinly

1 15-oz can of chickpeas, drained (I used 2 cups of cooked dried chickpeas)

1 15-oz can of crushed tomatoes

1 cup vegetable broth

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp turmeric

1 1/2 tsps cumin

1/2 tsp cayenne

In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat, and sauté onions until translucent. Add garlic and sauté another minute. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, then lower to simmer. Cook covered for about an hour, or until all vegetables are soft. Serve over whole wheat couscous.