Chocolate Chip Cheese Cake

Oreo Cookie Crust

Two (2) cups of Oreo cookies

1/4 cup of butter

 

Cheese Filling

Three (3) 8oz cream cheese

One (1) can of sweetened condensed milk

Three (3) eggs

One (1) bag of mini chocolate chips (save 1/2 cup to sprinkle on top)

 

1. Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees.

2. Grease bottom and side of a 10-inch springform pan.

3. Make the Oreo cookie crust: in medium bowl combine cookies and butter, mix well.

With the back of spoon, press mixture to the bottom and halfway up the side of the prepared pan. Bake 8 minutes and remove to wire rack to cool.

4. Mix cheese filling: In large bowl use an electric mixer at high speed cream the cheese until light and fluffy.

5. Beat in the condensed milk and eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

6. Add in one bag of mini chocolate chips (save 1/2 cup to sprinkle on top).

7. Pour mixture into the sprinform pan. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top.

8. Bake 60 minutes. Turn off heat. Let cheesecake stand in oven 1 hour. Remove to wire rack to cool completely. Refrigerate 3 hours or overnight.

9. Before serving use a spatula and carefully loosen crust from side of pan. Remove side of springform pan. Cut cheesecake into wedges. Enjoy!

 

Toll House Bundt Cake

2 ¾ cup flour

2 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

1T vinegar or lemon juice

Milk

1 cup butter

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 T. vanilla

4 eggs

One 12-oz package Nestle Toll House Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mini-Morsels

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease and flour 10-inch fluted tube pan. 

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt.  Set aside. 

Place vinegar or lemon juice in one-cup liquid measure and fill with milk to 1-cup line.  Set aside. 

In large mixing bowl, combine butter, brown sugar and vanilla and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. 

Turn mixer to low.  Gradually add flour mixture, one third at a time, alternately with milk.  Remove bowl from mixer.  Gently fold in mini-morsels.  Pour into prepared pan. 

Bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes.  Loosen edges of cake with spatula and immediately invert on cooling rack.  Cool cake completely.  Dust top with powdered sugar.

Curried Chickpeas

You can make this in a slow cooker with dried chickpeas or on the stove top if you use canned chickpeas.

Ingredients:

- chickpeas (2 cups dry or three cans)

- 1 onion, finely chopped

- a clove or two of garlic, finely chopped

- 2 large tomatoes or a can of tomatoes

- 1 or 2 tablespoons of curry paste

1) If using dried chickpeas, put two cups of chickpeas plus 6 cups of water in the slow cooker and leave them for 4 - 6 hours.

2) On the stove top, saute an onion until translucent.

3) Add finely chopped garlic and two chopped tomatoes with their juice (or a can of tomatoes).

4) Add 1 - 2 tablespoons of curry paste (I use Patak's. It comes in a glass jar.)

5) Let that mixture cook together for 5 minutes. Then drain and add your chickpeas (canned or the nice soft ones from your cooker)

6) Cook on the stove top for 30 minutes or in your slow cooker for as long as you want. (Just make sure it does not get too dry.)

Bialystok Tsimmes with Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Prunes, and Apricots

3 pounds beef short ribs or chuck
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
3 medium onions sliced
2 T. vegetable oil
6 cups beef bouillon to cover
3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
5 large carrots, peeled and quartered
3 large white potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
¾ pound dried prunes, pitted
¾ pound dried apricots
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup apricot jam (optional)
Dash of nutmeg
½ t. cinnamon
Juice of 1 lemon
Peel and juice of 1 orange

Non-crock pot version:
1.Cut beef into 2-inch cubes.  Sprinkle meat with salt and pepper and
brown with sliced onions in oil.
2.Place meat, onions and juices in a 4-quart casserole and cover with
beef bouillon.  Bake in a pre-heated 350-degree oven, covered, for at
least two hours until very tender.  If desired, refrigerate overnight
and remove the congealed fat.
3.Combine remaining ingredients and add to meat.  Add water if too thick.
4.Bake for another hour or more until potatoes are done.
5.Bake uncovered for another 45 minutes to an hour to reduce liquid.

Crock pot version:
1.Leave beef whole or cut into large pieces that will fit into your
crock pot.  Sprinkle meat with salt and pepper and sear on both sides
in frying pan in oil.  Remove meat from pan and sauté onions in pan
until browned.
2.Place meat and onions in crock pot and cover with beef bouillon.
Cook on low at least 12 hours.  If desired, refrigerate overnight and
remove the congealed fat.
3.Combine remaining ingredients with liquid from crock pot and place
in bottom of crock pot with meat on top.  Continue cooking on low for
6-12 hours, as desired, until meat falls apart.
4.Remove liquid and boil to reduce by one-half.  Pour liquid over
meat and potato mixture.  Heat in 300 degree oven and serve.
Recipe from Jewish Cooking in America by Joan Nathan

Slow Cooked Bread Pudding

6 cups French bread cubes

1 package (6 oz) white chocolate baking bar or a handfull of white chocolate chips

1 cup fat-free egg product

3/4 cup warm water

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)

1 cup of sweet potato puree

Spray inside of 3- to 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Place bread cubes in slow cooker. Sprinkle with baking bar. In small bowl, mix remaining ingredients; pour over bread cubes and baking bar. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 3 hours 30 minutes to 4 hours or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Serve warm.

Sweet Potato Casserole

2 or 3 Large sweet potatoes peeled & sliced                         
1 or 2 cups shredded havarti cheese                            
2 tablespoons melted smart balance margarine                   
1 refrigerated pie crust                                       
Cooking spray for the pie pan                                  
Dash of salt                                                   

Peel & slice sweet potatoes into thin slices (use a food processor if you have one).  Spray non-stick cooking spray on a pie pan. Use one pie crust to line a pie pan.  Layer sliced sweet potatoes on the bottom of the pie crust.  Next lightly drizzle fat free margarine (like Smart Balance) on the sliced sweet potatoes.  Sprinkle shredded Havarti cheese (adjust amount of cheese to your liking).  Repeat the layers until the pie is filled.  Top the pie with a dash of salt. Use extra crust for decoration on the top.   Bake at 400’ for 40-45 minutes or until crust & cheese is a golden brown. 

Variations: Add a layer of sautéed chopped spinach (use frozen).  Sauté a box of frozen spinach in a teaspoon of fat free margarine or olive oil.  Add a ½ teaspoon of crushed garlic.  Drain all excess liquid from sautéed spinach.  Use spinach as an additional layer.

Serves 6

Fresh Tomato Sauce

20 ripe plum tomatoes sliced and seeded                        
1/3 cup olive oil                                              
1 clove mashed garlic                                          
Pinch crushed red pepper flake                                 
6-8 fresh basil leaves                                         
Pinch salt                   

In a pot put olive oil, garlic, salt, red pepper flakes, and 20 sliced & seeded tomatoes.  Cook over low heat for 1 hour and periodically mash tomatoes with a masher.  Add fresh basil leaves after one hour and cook on low for another 20-30 minutes.  You could also use 2 large cans of whole plum tomatoes instead of 20 fresh tomatoes.  If sauce if to tart, add a pinch of sugar.  Sauce is ready to serve after 1 1/2 hours, you can also cook on medium heat for 1 hour for a quicker serving time.
Serves: 4
Eat with pasta, pizza, or lasagna.