~*~ Caramel Apple Cheesecake ~*~

Recipe has alot of steps set aside some time.

Crust: 2 cups all-purpose flour ~ 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar ~ 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
Cheesecake Filling: 3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened ~ 3/4 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons, divided ~ 3 large eggs ~ 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Apples: 3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped ~ 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon ~ 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Streusel Topping: 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar ~ 1 cup all-purpose flour ~ 1/2 cup quick cooking oats ~ 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened ~PLUS~ caramel topping (like you use on ice cream)
Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. STEP 1. In a medium bowl, combine flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter with a pastry blender (or 2 forks) until mixture is crumbly. Press evenly into a 9x13 baking pan lined with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake 15 minutes or until lightly browned. STEP 2. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with 3/4 cup sugar in an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth. Then add eggs, 1 at a time, and vanilla. Stir to combine. Pour over warm crust. STEP 3. In a small bowl, stir together chopped apples, remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Spoon evenly over cream cheese mixture. STEP 4. In a small bowl, combine your Streusel Topping ingredients. Make sure it is mixed thoroughly. If necessary use your clean hands to get it mixed completely. STEP 5. Sprinkle the Streusel Topping evening over the top of the apples and bake 40-45 minutes or until filling is set. STEP 6. Drizzle with the caramel (ice cream) topping. The amount you use is left up to you. Serve cold. ~ Chef ~

~ Thursday, September 29th, 2011 ~

Till Friday!

~ Chef ~

~ Caramel Apple Cake ~

If you like these ...

You will LOVE this cake.

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
3 eggs
3 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3 Fuji apples, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch pieces
2 teaspoons fresh minced ginger
2 teaspoons vanilla

Ingredients for the Glaze:
3/4 cup dark brown sugar, 3 Tbs. butter, 6 Tbs. heavy cream, 1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted (optional)

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine sugar and oil and beat well. Add eggs one at a time. Sift dry ingredients and stir into egg mixture. mix in apples, ginger and vanilla. Spray a bundt pan with spray then pour batter into the pan. Bake for 1 hour in a 350 degree oven. A toothpick inserted in the center of the cake should come out clean. Cool the cake for 15 minutes and then invert pan to remove cake. Now for the Glaze: Combine glaze ingredients and boil for 3 minutes. Drizzle glaze over cake spread any glaze that pools around the cake back over the cake.

Nothing left to do now but ENJOY!

~ Chef ~

~ National Chocolate Milk Day ~

No special day is needed for drinking chocolate milk. The BEST Chocolate Milk I have ever tasted is a brand in our area produced by Dean Foods. It is extremely difficult to find as the Purity Company buys up the shelf space in the stores. Guess you could say they are "afraid of the competition". Dean Foods recently introduced a new product called TruMoo which has no High Fructose Corn Syrup. I haven't tried it yet ... if you have let me know what you think. Drink Up! ~ Chef ~

~ Cracker Jack ~

How many of you remember Cracker Jack as a child? Like most things they aren't what they used to be. They have been around a long time. Frederick William Rueckheim and his brother Louis mass-produced an early version of Cracker Jack and sold it at the first Chicago World's Fair in 1893. At the time, it was a mixture of popcorn, molasses and peanuts and was called "Candied Popcorn and Peanuts". Rueckheim devised a way to keep the popcorn kernels separate in 1896. As each batch was mixed in a cement-mixer-like drum, a small quantity of oil was added — a closely-guarded trade secret. Before this change, the mixture had been difficult to handle as it stuck together in chunks. In 1896, the first lot of Cracker Jack was produced. It was named by an enthusiastic sampler who remarked, "That's crackerjack!" (meaning "of excellent quality"). In 1899, Henry Gottlieb Eckstein developed the "waxed sealed package" for freshness, known then as the "Eckstein Triple Proof Package," a dust, germ and moisture-proof paper package. In 1902, the company was re-organized as Rueckheim Bros. & Eckstein. "Take Me Out to the Ball Game", the song written by lyricist Jack Norworth and set to music by Albert Von Tilzer gave Cracker Jack free publicity when it was released in 1908 with the line "buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack!" Prizes were included in every box of Cracker Jack beginning in 1912. Mascots Sailor Jack and his dog, Bingo, were introduced in 1918 and registered as a trademark in 1919. Sailor Jack was modeled after Robert Rueckheim, grandson of F.W. Rueckheim, the German immigrant who invented the popcorn-peanuts-and-molasses snack, in 1872. Robert died of pneumonia shortly after his image appeared at the age of 8. The sailor boy image acquired such meaning for the founder of Cracker Jack that he had it carved on his tombstone, which can still be seen in St. Henry's Cemetery in Chicago. Sailor Jack's dog Bingo was based on a real-life dog named Russell, a stray dog adopted by Henry Eckstein in 1917 who demanded that the dog be used on the packaging. Russell died of old age in 1930. The Cracker Jack Company was purchased by Borden in 1964 after a bidding war between Borden and Frito-Lay. Borden sold the brand to Frito-Lay in 1997. In 2004, the New York Yankees baseball team replaced Cracker Jack with the milder, sweet butter toffee flavored Crunch 'n Munch at home games. After a public outcry, the club immediately switched back to Cracker Jack. Now for a recipe you can make at home.
* Use a heavy foil turkey (disposable) roasting pan for baking.
Ingredients:
3 quarts of popped corn
3 cups of unsalted nuts (red peanuts or your choice)
1 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of DARK Karo (corn syrup)
1/2 cup of butter
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda -plus- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
Directions: Combine popcorn and nuts in large foil turkey roasting pan. Place in a 250 degree oven to keep warm. Now prepare glaze by combining sugar, corn syrup, butter and salt in a large heavy pot. Stir constantly till at a boil over medium heat. Continue to boil 5 minutes without stirring. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla then baking soda. Remove roasting pan from oven and drizzle the glaze evenly over the corn mixture. Stir well with a metal spoon to coat evenly. Return to oven, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour. Cool and break apart. Store tighly covered. Makes about 4 quarts. ~ Chef ~

~*~ Almond Joy Cookies ~*~

Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla
4 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
5 cups chocolate chips
2 cups sweetened coconut
2 cups chopped almonds
Directions:
* Pre-heat oven to 375°F and lightly grease cookie sheets.
* Combine dry ingredients, set aside.
* In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars together. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, stir in the vanilla. Stir in the dry ingredients until well mixed then stir in the chocolate chips, coconut and almonds. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets.
* Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Yields: 6 dozen

~ Chef ~

~ Being Patient = Perfection! ~

I hear people talk all the time about cooking a roast and it being so tuff they couldn't eat it. The key ... slow cooking. This week I cooked a roast for 10 hours ... yes, 10 hours and not in a crock pot either. It was so tender it literally fell apart. Just goes to show you can NOT rush perfection.

I pulled the roast apart, made a brown gravy and served it on a simple slice of bread ... WOW PERFECTION if I say so myself! So be patient ... it will be worth it. ~ Chef ~