Green Chili Cheesecake/Mango Salsa

First, let me say: THIS PHOTO DOES NOT DO THIS RECIPE JUSTICE. This is an appetizer we made at a restaurant I worked at in Minnesota, the owner a true foodie. I could live on this stuff. It has it all.....creaminess, spiciness, crunchiness, and GORGEOUS color!!! It was a top-seller at the restaurant and makes such a beautiful presentation!

The recipe below is for a large 8-9" cake, but I cut the recipe in half and line 9 holes in a regular cupcake pan and fill them with the "dough." You would then have 9 individual cheesecakes (as shown above). These cheesecakes freeze beautifully, so you can make a bunch of them and freeze them, take them out the day before (or just a few hours before), and as long as you have some of this wonderful salsa and chips on hand, you've got yourself a wonderful appetizer.

GREEN CHILI CHEESECAKE

1 1/2 cups roasted poblano peppers (place poblanos on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil, broil on high, turn about 3 times until the entire pepper is blackened and blistered. Then, place in a gallon-sized ziplock bag and let steam so the skins will peel off easily. When I halved this recipe, I need 2-3 poblanos, depending on size, to get the 3/4 cup chopped peppers I needed. If you do the large cheesecake, you'll probably need about 5-6 peppers, depending on size)

1 1/2 cup sour cream

2 eggs

16 oz cream cheese, softened

2 Tbsp butter, softened

4 Tbsp chopped marinated jalapenos

1 Tbsp minced fresh dill leaves

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Mango Salsa (recipe below)

Blue Tortilla Chips

Roast and peel poblanos. Remove tops and seeds and finely chop.

In a food processor blend sour cream and eggs, add cream cheese and butter and blend until smooth. Transfer mixture to bow and stir in poblanos, jalapenos, cheeses, dill, and cilantro. Pour into a 8-9" springform pan lined with parchment paper and bake at 325 for about 25 minutes, until center is just set but will still "jiggle." Don't overbake.

Cool to room temp and serve or freeze/refrigerate. Top with Mango Salsa and serve with blue tortilla chips.

MANGO SALSA

(I cut the recipe in half so I could use the jarred Mango sections you can find in the produce department.....it is a jar of 20 oz mango slices and SO much easier than trying to use fresh mangoes)

20 oz jar mango slices

1 1/2 tsp minced garlic

1/4 chopped finely minced red onion

1/2 red pepper, chopped

1 Tbsp chopped cilantro

2 Tbsp rice vinegar

Stir all ingredients together.

NOTE: I'll be saving some of this salsa and serving it with a crock-pot chicken sometime next week. Stay tuned.

Chocolate Haystacks

I have always loved this candy. I LOVE crunchy coconut. And this recipe is so incredibly fast and easy. Oh, and delicious!

CHOCOLATE HAYSTACKS

1/2 package sweetened flaked coconut (3 1/2 oz)
1 extra large Symphony bar (regular chocolate, not with toffee and almonds)

Spread coconut on a plate and microwave on high, stirring every 30 seconds. Watch carefully to avoid burning (after about the second time, the coconut in the middle started to brown.....I took that coconut off the plate onto another plate, and then continued to microwave the remaining, unbrowned coconut). Continue until all coconut is golden brown. Let sit for 5 minutes or so to dry out completely and then it will become brittle (you can also toast coconut in the oven, but I've burned it too many times because I forget about it!)

Break apart the chocolate bar and place in a glass bowl. Microwave at 50% power, stirring every 30 seconds, until completely melted.

Pour the coconut into the chocolate and stir until completely coated. Using a spoon, drop balls of choc/coco onto a piece of waxed paper placed on a cookie sheet. Let dry (I put the tray on my back porch in cold temps and it set up pretty quickly).

5-Minute Marinara

This is a basic Marinara sauce to use for dipping. I'll be using it Sunday for some Mini Italian Egg Rolls I'll be using at our Super Bowl Party. It freezes wonderfully, so freeze any leftovers for future appetizers. Adjust any of the ingredients to your taste.

5-MINUTE MARINARA

1 Tbsp EVOO
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, ground in a mortar with pestle
1 Tbsp tomato paste
32 oz can crushed tomatoes
S&P
1 tsp Italian dried seasoning
1 handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Add the olive oil to a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and crushed pepper. When the pepper snaps and the garlic sizzles, add the tomato paste (do quickly, DON'T let the garlic burn), cook for a minute, then stir in the crushed tomatoes. Season the sauce with S&P and Italian seasoning. Cook for 5 minutes and stir in parsley.

Thick and Chewy Double-Chocolate Cookies

Here is the ultimate chocolate cookie. It's as close to fudge as you can come in a cookie. The recipe I have calls for semisweet chocolate chips, but I substituted some chopped up Hershey's Kisses I found over the holidays. I split the dough and put half Irish Cream and half Mint Truffle in each half. I can't decide which I like better.

THICK AND CHEWY DOUBLE-CHOCOLATE COOKIES

**Resist the urge to bake the cookies longer than indicated; they may appear underbaked at first but will firm up as they cool** Also, this recipe is a bit tedious and labor-intensive. The dough is very thick and heavy and there is no way you'll be able to scrape the bowl clean (maybe lick it!). Dividing the dough definitely made more work for me, just adding the chocolate chips the recipe calls for would make it a bit easier.

2 cups (10 oz) flour

1/2 cup (1 1/2 oz) baking cocoa

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

16 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped (the stuff in bars in the baking aisle. "Baker's" is the brand I usually find. NOTE: Each box is only 8 oz so you'll need two boxes to save yourself another trip to the grocery store 5 minutes after you start this recipe, like me!)

4 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

10 Tbsp (1 1/4 stick) butter, softened to room temperature

1 1/2 cups (10 1/2 oz) packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup (3 1/2 oz) granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (when I divided the dough, I added 4 oz unwrapped, chopped Hershey's kisses to each half of the dough. It was about 3/4 cup each)

Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside

Melt the chocolate in the microwave (50% power for 2 minutes, then stir and microwave in 20 second intervals until chocolate is melted-be careful not to overheat or chocolate will seize). In a small bowl, beat the eggs and vanilla lightly with a fork; set aside.

Beat the butter at medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 5 seconds. Beat in the sugars until combined, about 45 seconds; the mixture will look granular. Reduce the spped to low and gradually beat in the egg mixture until incorporated, about 45 seconds. Add the chocolate in a steady stream and beat until combined, about 40 seconds. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. With the mixer at low speed, add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Finally add the chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate). Do not overheat. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until the consistency is fudge-like, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, adjust oven racks to the upper- and lower-middle positions and preheat oven to 350. Line 2 sheets with parchment paper or silpat liners. Roll the dough into 1 1/2" balls (I weighed them at 20 grams each) and place them on the cookie sheets, spacing about 1 1/2" apart.

Bake until the edges of the cookies have just begun to set but the centers are still very soft, about 10-11 minutes, rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom halfway through the baking time (I baked at 6 minutes, turned pans and changed shelves). Cook the cookies on the sheets about 5 minutes or until set and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.

Made 4 dozen cookies.

Fish Tacos

I ran across this recipe for Grilled Fish Tacos with Chipotle Sauce last night on-line and it sounded good. It is, and so much faster and easier than I had expected. I wish this were a better photo. The taco recipe below served two. I served it with rice and Garlic Black Beans (saute 1 tsp minced garlic in oil or cooking spray. Add 1 can drained and rinsed black beans, 1/3 cup tomato juice or V8, 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp salt, and 2 Tbsp chopped cilantro. Heat throughout).

GRILLED FISH TACOS WITH CHIPOTLE SAUCE

1/2 lb cod or tilapia

1 Tbsp oil

Blackening sauce (1 Tbsp kosher salt, 1 Tbsp sugar, 1/2 Tbsp black pepper, 1 Tbsp paprika, 1/2 Tbsp oregano, 1/2 Tbsp cayenne {WAY too much for me, personally, I leave it out altogether}, 1 tsp chipotle powder {I used chili powder} 1/2 Tbsp garlic, 1/2 tsp dry mustard........or you can buy prepared blackening seasoning in the spice aisle)

1/2 head purple cabbage (I used 1/2 bag finely shredded cole slaw mix)

1/2 lime

1 green onion, finely sliced

2 small Romas, diced

6 corn tortillas

Chipotle yogurt (3/4 cup plain yogurt, 1 1/2 tsp chopped cilantro, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 chipotle pepper, finely minced, no seeds, 1/2 tsp adobo sauce)

Combine cabbage, green onion, and squeeze the lime to cover with juice. Toss to coat. Set aside.

Preheat grill.

Oil fish (I sprayed with cooking spray). Thinly coat both sides with blackening spice.

Grill on both sides until done.

Wrap tortillas in aluminum foil and warm in 275 oven for 10-15 minutes.

Slice fish into 1" pieces.

Assemble: Cabbage, fish, sauce, and tomatoes.

FINALLY!!!!! The Best Homemade Tomato Soup!!!!

Who among us did not grow up with Campbell's Tomato Soup as a staple? A comfort food. Harkening memories of our childhood and beyond?

Ever since becoming a foodie, I have been searching for a homemade tomato soup to rival Campbell's. Something I could call my own. Something homemade with ingredients you could pronounce. Years and years and years of trying to end up with oh-so-that'll-do results.

And then I found it. This date will go down in my foodie history: February 1, 2011. Finally, a homemade tomato soup which, THANK GOODNESS, I have leftovers! And as if it couldn't get any better.....this is a crock pot soup recipe that you can throw in in the morning and finish off at dinner time. I served this with Dilly Cabbage Potatoes (see below), but next time I will only serve it with a really good artisan bread. This soup stands on its own. Excuse me, I think it's time for leftovers.

TOMATO BASIL PARMESAN SOUP (from www.365daysofcrockpot.com)

28 oz diced tomatoes, with juice
1 cup finely diced celery
1 cup finely diced carrots
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup finely diced onions
1/2 bay leaf
1 tsp dried oregano or 1 Tbsp fresh oregano
1 Tbsp dried basil or 1/4 cup fresh basil
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
1 cup Parmesan cheese
2 cups half and half, warmed
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

In a large slow cooker, combine tomatoes, celery, carrots, chicken broth, onions, bay leaf, oregano, and basil (****IF USING FRESH OREGANO AND BASIL; IF USING DRIED OREGANO AND BASIL ADD THOSE TWO INGREDIENTS IN THE LAST HOUR OF COOK TIME). Cover and cook on low 5-7 hours (I left it for 7 hours) until flavors are blended and vegetables are soft.

About an hour before serving prepare a roux. Melt butter over low heat in a skillet and add flour, stirring consistently with a whisk for 5-7 minutes. Slowly stir in 1 cup hot soup from the crock pot. Add another 3 cups soup and stir until smooth.

Add all back into the slow cooker. Stir and add Parmesan cheese, warmed half and half, S&P. Cover and cook on low for another hour until ready to serve. Garnish with Parmesan and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Dilly Cabbage Potatoes

I ran across this recipe so many years ago (1999) on Better Homes & Gardens. This is such a delightful twist on twice-baked potatoes! So, so, so good!!! It is such an interesting meld of flavors. I do so hope you'll give this one a try, it is just so different and wonderful. I did serve it with a bit of low-fat sour cream on the side, but the flavors speak for themselves!

DILLY CABBAGE POTATOES (Makes 4 side-dish servings)

4 baking potatoes large (2 pounds)
3 cups cabbage shredded
1/2 cup onion chopped
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp dill weed, dried
2 Tbsp butter
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2-4 Tbsp milk
Sour Cream (optional)
Snipped Dill or Chives (Optional, for garnish)

Scrub potatoes, pat dry. Prick skins iwth a fork or knife. Bake at 450 for 45-60 minutes until done.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, cook cabbage and onion in oil for 5 minutes. Add water, soy sauce, and dill. Bring to boiling. Simmer, covered, about 10 minutes.

When potatoes are finished baking and set out long enough to handle, cut a slit lengthwise on the top of the potatoes. Using a spoon, gently scoop out pulp leaving 1/4" thick shell.

In a medium bowl, mash potato pulp. Stir in butter, lemon juice, S&P. Stir in cabbage mixture. Add milk to desired consistency. Spoon mixture into shells. Place potatoes in a shallow baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 425 for 15 minutes, until heated.