Cappuccino Cheesecake Brownies

Chocolate and cheesecake. Who could ask for a better combination then THAT?

Adapted from Canadian Living, Feb 2009

3oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/3 cup butter
3/4 sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Cheesecake:
1 cup softened cream cheese (brick style)
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp instant coffee granules
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp flour

In a double boiler, melt chocolate with butter. Let cool a bit. Whisk in sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder and salt, then set aside.

Cheesecake layer:
In a bowl with an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar and beat well. Beat in the egg. Dissolved the coffee granules in the vanilla and add to cream cheese mixture, continuing to beat until combined. Stir in flour.
Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line an 8 inch square baking pan with greased foil, leaving a 1/2 inch overhang on the sides. Remove 1/2 cup of brownie batter to a small bowl and set aside. Spread the remaining batter in the square baking pan. Spread the cheesecake batter over top. Next, drop the reserved brownie batter by the spoonful over top of the cheesecake batter. Run a knife through the batter to make it swirl.

Bake the brownies for about 30-35 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan, and then cover and transfer to the fridge and chill over night.

Makes about 20 small squares. Store wrapped in the fridge for about 3 days, or you could probably freeze them too!

Read more...

Chicken Noodle Soup

The last few days, Kevin and I have been sick with a cold and, what better to have then chicken soup?

I had found this recipe awhile ago, but tweaked it a bit to suit my own family. The results? Delicious, chunky, full of noodles chicken soup that was amazing with a biscuit. It's so easy to make, you'll be tempted to never have the canned version again.

1 chopped onion
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 stalks of celery, sliced
1 clove minced garlic
1/2 tsp thyme
salt and pepper to taste
bay leaf
5 cups (approximately-you can always add more) of good quality chicken broth
1 whole chicken breast, each 1/2 sliced into 3 pieces

Saute the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic in a bit of oil until tender. Add the thyme, salt and pepper, and cook 1 minute longer.

Stir in the chicken broth, the chicken pieces, and add the bay leaf. Bring to a boil and then turn the heat to low and allow to simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink inside (don't overcook or the chicken will be stringy and dry). Remove the chicken pieces and chop into bite sized chunks. Return to soup.

Cook about 1 cup of egg noodles in boiling water according to package directions and add to the soup bowls just before serving. Refrigerate separately. The broth will keep for about 3 days or you can store it in the freezer.

Makes about 4-5 servings.

Read more...

Menu Plan Monday

Wow! Feels like forever since I've been doing this, but after the holidays I needed a break from cooking.

What's up for this week?

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo-in my new crockpot that I just can't wait to try out! We'll round it out with rice and a salad. (will post the recipe if it turns out good)

Soup and Sandwich night-I'm making two soups this week (beef barley and home style chicken noodle), so we'll have the choice of soup and some tasty sandwiches to fill in the gaps. Hubs doesn't like soup, so he'll be doing a BLT.

Shrimp Scampi Pasta: Sort of my own creation...Shrimp, garlic, a bit of cream, yummy!

Ginger Orange Chicken Stirfry: another night where I throw a bunch of things together and see how it turns out. Served with rice, of course.

All recipes will be posted throughout the week if they are deemed worthy!

Read more...

Wishing You a Happy New Year!

Inspired by Bakearella. Cookie dough by Pillsbury ( I was too busy to make from scratch).

Read more...