Crazy Craig's Carrot Cake Cheesecake

Cheesecake Factory Carrot Cake Cheesecake recipe

Brought by Jenn

Cheesecake:
16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoon flour
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
In large bowl of electric mixer, beat together cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in flour, eggs and vanilla extract until smooth. Set aside. Meanwhile prepare Carrot Cake.


Carrot Cake:
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ tsp. salt
1 (8 1/2 ounce) can crushed pineapple
    packed in juice, well-drained and
    juice reserved
1 cup grated carrots
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, plus more for edge of frosted cake.


In large bowl, combine oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla extract, blending thoroughly. Stir in flour, baking soda, cinnamon and dash of salt, mixing well. Stir in drained pineapple, carrots, and walnuts.
Spread half of carrot cake batter over bottom of greased & floured 9- or 9 1/2-inch springform pan. Pour cream cheese batter over carrot cake batter; top with large spoonfuls of remaining carrot cake batter. Do not marble with a knife. Bake in preheated 350 degrees F oven for 50 to 65 minutes or until cake is set – slightly jiggly in the middle, but set everywhere else. Cool to room temperature, then invert and refrigerate.


When cake is cold, prepare Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting.
Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting:
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon reserved pineapple juice
Dash of salt
In a bowl of electric mixer, combine cream cheese, butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract, reserved pineapple juice and dash of salt. Beat until smooth and of spreading consistency. Frost top and sides of cheesecake. Press chopped walnuts (1/2 cup?) into edges.  Refrigerate 3 to 4 hours before serving (it’s actually best the next day or later).

Chicken Bryan (Carrabba's)

Chicken Bryan (Carrabba's Italian Grill)
Brought by Jenn 

UPDATE: I posted the recipe I used, but then I found this recipe for Chicken Bryan, which is MUCH better.  Try this version.  It was delicious.

Caprese Salad

 (*note this is not actually my picture but it gives you the right idea!)

brought by Mary Pugh

Ingredients:

Dressing:  Wisk together in a bowl
3 T balsamic vinegar
1 garlic clove minced
2 tsp Dijon mustard
3/4 cup olive oil
1 T chopped fresh chives ( I used green onions)
Salt and Pepper to taste

1 pound fresh Mozzarella cheese sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 pound (about 4) tomatoes ( I used red and yellow) sliced 1/2 inch thick
1/4 cup chopped fresh Basil

Stack tomato/cheese/tomato on a plate then drizzle with dressing and top with chopped Basil

Quinoa Edamame Salad

Brought by Rachel

Family recipe

1/2 cup dry quinoa - cooked according to package

1/2 chopped red pepper

1/2 cup shelled edamame

1/8 diced green onion

1/4 cup Craisins

4 T sunflower seeds, roasted/no salt

Red Wine Vinaigrette Dressing

4 T olive oil

4 T red wine vinegar

2 tsp Dijon mustard

Pinch sugar

Salt and pepper to taste

Bajio's Green Chile Chicken Salad

Brought by Jamie

Recipe from My Recipe Garden

INGREDIENTS

2 Grilled Chicken Breasts

1 cup Green Chile Chutney (click on link) 

1 cup of Caramelized Onions

2 cups Fresh Pico De Gallo

1 cup Shredded Cheese (a mix of cheddar and jack cheese)

8 cups of Fresh Lettuce mix (a combination of red and green leaf is optimal)

Cilantro Lime Dressing

*

DIRECTIONS
For the chicken:

Marinate chicken breasts in 1 cup of lime juice and 1 cup oil, let stand for at least two hours in the refrigerator.

On a hot grill, grill the chicken with a bit of balsamic vinegar, until done and set aside to rest. Once the chicken has had time to cool, shred into small pieces.

For onion:

Slice 1 whole white onion into slices. In a medium saute pan, add 2 TBL spoons of oil and saute the onions until they are translucent.

Once the onions are done, add the shredded chicken and a cup of Green Chile Chutney, and saute all together until well heated.

Assembly:

On individual plates, pile with mixed greens, add a cup of Fresh Pico De Gallo. Add the warm chicken mixture and top with cheese and a cilantro lime dressing. Serve.

Quinoa Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

recipe from Heather Brown
brought by Becky Wilson

1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 bunch watercress, roughly chopped about 2 cups
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
1 large carrot, peeled and grated
5 radishes, cut into matchsticks or grated
1 roasted red pepper, diced

Lemon Vinaigrette
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil (I use a little less)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1. Add quinoa, salt and 1 1/2 cups water to a saucepan. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 13-15 minutes, until the water is absorbed. Turn off the heat and let the quinoa sit for 5 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.

2. In large serving bowl, combine the cooled quinoa, watercress, cucumber, carrot, radishes and red pepper.

3. To make the dressing, in a small bow, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients. Add to the quinoa and vegetables and toss gently to combine. If there is any salad left over, refresh it with a bit of lemon juice and olive oil and serve at room temperature.

5-Minute Artisan Bread, Pizza Crust, Rolls, Whatever

This is the recipe I always use for my pizza crust, and just about everything else!

5 Minute Artisan Bread (Boule)

(Jenn) from the book Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day (Hertzberg/Francios)

3 Cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 Tbsp. active dry yeast
3/4 Tbsp. salt
6 1/2 Cups flour

Also needed: baking stone, cooking spray, corn meal, broiling tray, and water

Dissolve yeast in water; add other ingredients and stir (do not knead). Let raise 2 hours. Use immediately or store in covered (not airtight) container in the refrigerator up to 14 days (I actually think it's best if used in the first 2-4 days, but it might be my yeast?).

On baking day: Spray a plate or pizza peel with nonstick cooking spray.  Sprinkle generously with cornmeal (this prevents sticking).  Sprinkle the top of the dough with flour so it’s easier to manage.  Pick up a 1-pound section of dough (size of a grapefruit) and form into a ball by tucking edges into the bottom.  Set on plate and slash dough with three parallel slits (or two criss-cross slits).  Let raise for 20-90 minutes (the longer raise the raise time, the more airy the bread will be; I prefer 20-30, but I experiment a lot).  20 minutes before baking, preheat oven, baking stone, and broiling tray to 450°. Transfer dough to hot stone; add 1 cup tap water to the broiling tray, and close oven door quickly to trap the steam. Bake 25-30 minutes.

This recipe makes 3-4 loaves.

The book Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day gives more detailed directions for making this and several other types of bread using the same dough.  I just keep a batch of this dough in my fridge at all times and use it several nights a week to make pizza, calzones, pitas, rolls, cinnamon rolls, etc.  I definitely recommend checking out the book from the library if you like the idea of having easy, hot bread several nights a week.  It has changed my life!

Here are a few hints for variations if you want to try other recipes before you get the book:

Baguettes/buns for sandwiches: Spray your plate with cooking spray and dust with flour (I use whole wheat).  Dust the top of your dough with flour; remove a section of dough and form it into a ball.  Then gently stretch the ball into a tube shape, about 2 inches in diameter.  Brush the dough with water and cut parallel diagonal slits.  Raise for 20-60 minutes.  Bake as directed above, preheating oven/stone/broiling tray and using the steam.  425º for 20-25 minutes.

Rolls: To do this, I just follow the steps above, but I make a bunch of little balls of dough instead of the one big one.  Then I let it raise 20-60 minutes and bake 15-20 minutes.

Focaccia: I do this on a cookie sheet rather than a stone.  Pull out a ball of dough and roll flat on a cookie sheet, about ¼ inch thick.  Spread with olive oil and top with garlic, rosemary, thyme, etc.  Bake at 425º for 15-20 minutes.  Sometimes I top this with cream cheese and sliced tomatoes, zucchini, and/or fresh basil and cook a little longer.    

Pizza: I have yet to figure out how to transfer a pizza dough with toppings to a hot stone (since I don't have a pizza peel), although it sounds like a cool idea.  So I always just take a ball of dough and roll it out onto the unheated stone (I spray it with cooking spray first) and then add toppings and bake.  It’s a delicious crust!  Usually about 425º for 15-20 minutes?

Calzones: I roll the dough flat, and fill with toppings while the stone and broiling tray preheat in the oven.  Then I wrap/tuck the calzone, transfer to the hot stone, and use the water in the broiling tray.  425º for 20-25 minutes.

Pitas: These turn out really yummy, although making them pretty takes some practice.  Preheat oven for 20 minutes at 500 with baking stone in oven.  The oven has to be nice and hot in order to produce a bread with a pocket inside, so don't rush the pre-heat.  Just before baking, cut off a golf-ball or very slightly larger piece of dough, and roll into a 1/8 inch thick circle, using flour as needed.  Try to make the dough uniform in thickness.  Do not slash the dough or it will not puff.  No rest/rise time is needed.  If you have a ventilation fan, turn it on because flour will smoke at this temperature, setting off your fire alarm every time.  Put the bread right onto the hot stone and bake for 5-7 minutes.  Repeat with remaining balls of dough.  It is easiest to bake 1 or 2 at a time.  Cut in half and open the pocket.  They are delicious stuffed with meat and sautéed onions/peppers, tomatoes/basil/mozzarella, or chicken salad.