Cheesecake....Need I say more???

I have this passion for cheesecakes that rival almost anything else. I can't bake a pie to save my soul but I can make cheesecakes until they're coming out....well we won't go into details here ;0).
This is one of the favorites my family loves, and I do because it has 3 kinds of chocolate in it! Yum, yum, yum...I don't make it very often and the first time you make it, the timeline seems to take forever. Cooking directions are the key to success and it takes quite a while. So whoever makes this, don't call me whining about how you had to stay up all night because the cake needed to be baked...forever!!! It's worth every bite...
Happy Eating!!

Chocolate Zebra Cheesecake

Makes 20 servings

Crust:
1 & 1/2 cups chocolate wafer crumbs (about 30 cookies, and I use choc grahams also)
3 Tbsp butter, melted
1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Filling:
4 - 8 oz packages of cream cheese, softened
1 & 1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
5 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 cup whipping cream
2 tsp vanilla
8 ounces semi-sweet or bitter sweet (my choice) chocolate
8 ounces vanilla flavored or white chocolate

Glaze:
1/2 cup whipping cream
4 ounces chocolate...semi-sweet, bitter or milk...your choice ;0)

To make Crust:

• Prepare crust early and pre-heat oven to 350. Grease or spray a 9 to 10 inch springform pan.
• In bowl, mix chocolate cookies and butter. (I use my food processor)
• Bake for 10 minutes. remove from oven
• sprinkle with chocolate chips and let stand until melted.
  
• spread chips over crust and let cool
  

To make filling:

• In large bowl...(KitchenAid Mixer babe!!) at medium speed, beat cream cheese until light and fluffy
• In small bowl, mix sugar, cornstarch and salt; gradually beat into cream cheese until blended
• With mixer at low speed, gradually beat in eggs, sour cream, whip cream, vanilla until well blended and smooth
• Divide batter evenly into two 4-8 cup bowls with pouring spouts (I usually leave half in the mixer bowl)
• In small saucepan over very low heat, melt 8 squares of chocolate
• in another pan, melt white chocolate. (this is the touchy one, you might use a glass bowl over the hot water and let it melt)
• Stir melted chocolate into one bowl and then stir white chocolate into the other. Mix each well.

To create "Zebra" design....

• Pour half of dark batter into springform pan.
  
• Hold white batter about 2 feet above pan, pour about half on top of dark batter directly into center. (poring from this height will push the dark batter towards the edges thus creating the "zebra" effect.
• Then do the same with the dark batter again...decreasing amounts each time for a total of 3 times. (I do the best I can, but it never gets to 3 times) End with white batter on top.
• Bake Cheesecake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Turn down to 225 and bake for 1 hour and 45 minutes.
  
• When cake is done baking, turn off oven and leave inside for another hour.
  ( I told you it took a long time)
• Remove cake from oven. run this-bladed knife or spatula around edge of cake to loosen from side of pan. Cook cake in pan on wire rack.
• Refridgerate cake for at least 6 hours, or until well chilled.

To make Glaze:

• About 1 hour before serving, in 1 quart saucepan over medium heat, warm whipping cream until small bubbles form around edges...do not boil!!
• Remove pan from burner and and chocolate and let set for a bit. Then stir with whip or spoon until smooth. Cool for about 10 minutes.
  
• Carefully remove cake from pan and place on plate. I then pour glaze in the center of cake and spread with spatula until it just flows over the sides.
  
• You can garnish with whip cream or I have used raspberry sauce and with it also. Yum.

• 
  

I'm not lost yet....

I've been really busy with those stupid picnic tables. Thought after the first on I'd call it a day and forget the other one but then I looked at it and said...why the hell not. Now if I could find something really good to sit on them when they're all done...like a nice cold drink, or a fat BBQ burger, weiners are good too. But after getting this recipe from a friend of Kellie's I thought sitting at my new "bitch red" tables would be a great idea along with some chips and Salsa...or anything else edible. And no Sharon...I don't eat many veggies but I have the rest covered ;0).

Margarita's.....by the gallon ;0)

This will mix well in one of those large beverage containers from Costco ;0)

2 bottles of Margarita Mix
2 containers of frozen limeade mix**
(add 3 to 4 cans of water to this)
1 bottle of Tequila
slice limes to add to it
Add lots of ice...stir it up and serve.

**If you prefer a more fruity drink, add strawberries to your glass or blend them and add to the mix. I would then use the strawberry/guava frozen mix instead of the limeade. Either way you have a winner.

Hint...I'm serving this at my party ;0)

And...some more cookies from the Roy Kitchen....

Double Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes

1 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup butter
1 egg
1/4 cup water
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups Quick oats
1 - 2 cups of choc chips

• Preheat oven
• Mix sugar, butter egg, water and vanilla
• stir in remaining ingredients
• use cookie scoop or rounded teaspoonfuls (12 to a sheet)
• Bake until almost an indentation remains when touched
• immediately remove from cookie sheet onto rack

Peanut Butter Cookies

Bake at 350 for 10 - 12 minutes

3/4 cup butter or marg
1 & 1/2 cup brown sugar
1 & 1/2 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 & 1/2 cup Peanut Butter
3 & 3/4 cup flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 & 3/4 tsp baking powder
1 & 3/4 tsp salt

Mix in order given and drop by scoop or spoonfuls. Flatten with fork dipped in sugar or flour. Carol Kent and I used this recipe for years until Peanut products were banned from the
school ;0(
Give the cookies a while to cool on the pan and then remove them to a rack or covered counter.

Happy Eating!!

Roy Cookie Recipes...yum

Been busy the past few days...when aren't I ever busy. Like the comment when someone asks you if you have a "real job" and you answer no...they then ask "what do you do with all your free time??" Hell, I don't know just eat, drink and bake! Acutally I've been known to do that.
I got all my recipes filed and even have the books (kind of) cleaned up. We're having a big 30th Anniversary bash next month and I've been weeding through all my recipes to find something spectacular to impress all the guests who are coming... I always keep going back to the original ones that everyone loves...Yep..and most of them are from the Roy file. So here's some goodies for all of you who ate at St Francis or your children came home from school and said Mrs Kent and Mrs Meeuwsen made the best cookies...actually they were left by the wonderful ladies who worked their butts off for the parish and most are gone now. I miss many of them and these recipes really bring back memories..Hope you enjoy them..this week is dedicated to all of them as I try and keep a daily blog for you...lets hope I can remember. Oh that's right, I'm old now too!!
Oh well, Happy Eating!!!!

Favorite Cookies

Bake at 350 for 10 to 12 minutes

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 cup marg/butter
3 eggs
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cream of tarter (or baking pwd)
3 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup nuts (optional)
1 12 oz bag chocolate chips (2 cups)

Mix ingredients in order given. (this is a perfect batch size for the KitchenAid mixer). Drop by spoon or scoop onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Let cool on rack and try to put into a container before they all disappear...or hide in freezer if you can.

I have used M&M's, raisins and almost anything you like. This recipe stands the test of time. We quadruple it when we made it for the school. When I do it for the Bazaar I double that batch. The country store gets a bit worried because they think we take away from their baked goods...Hey, everyone woman for herself I say!!!

I'm Baaaccckkk!!!

Yeah, yeah, yeah...I've been absent the past few days haven't I? It's hot and when the hormones get cranky so do I. I wondered if any of you noticed that about "older more experienced women".
I spent the morning out until just 2:30 today running and shopping and buying all the food we think we need for our joint birthday BBQ tomorrow. My grand nephew Luke and I share the same day and it's kinda fun to have a cute little partner like that to celebrate with. But...the kid doesn't like anything except "white cake and white ice cream". Oh!! Don't forget the chips! I remember those days when Kellie would eat only Ham and cheese sandwiches. Half for breakfast and half for lunch. She did eat a bit more for dinner but not much. Now she's one of my best food testers!!

Some of you noticed that I put a photo of my Aunt Ruby's Strawberry Cake on FB. I can't figure out how to get it on my blog but I'm workin' on it. I made it for the 4th and it was so rich I totally forgot that you didn't need to "double" the frosting recipe. But hey, for some of us we like to have plenty of frosting to cover our bloopers. It's a heavy dense cake so instead of two 9 inch pans you could probably cook it in a 9x13 or....a bundt pan for something different. It's up to you. I'm printing this just as she wrote it...I have the original card and will put it in my archives of recipes I have collected from family. So don't worry, I'll have more later for you...
Happy Eating!!!

Aunt Ruby's Strawberry Cake

Bake at 350 until done (30 to 35 minutes)

Combine:
1 package (3 oz) strawberry gelatin with 1/2 cup hot water until dissolved..set aside

Combine and beat until well blended..
1 package white cake mix
3/4 cup oil
4 eggs, beaten
2 Tbsp regular flour
2 tsp Baking powder
Add dissolved gelatin
Also add 1/2 package of frozen strawberries, thawed.
(she used the box from freezer section in store, I used about 1 cup from my freezer mashing them a bit)
Mix well and spoon into two round pans. Bake and let cool or racks.

Frosting:
Mix other half of strawberries, 1/2 cup butter and 1 box pwd sugar.

Frost cake when cool and enjoy. You sure won't need any ice cream with this one but it's up to you. ;0)

Toot-toot!!

Yes, the Baked Bean season is upon us now. Every 4th I volunteer to make them for the Meeuwsen annual BBQ. And so far nobody has turned me down. But then I think the rest of my sisters do quite well with them also but somehow it's kinda my thing now ;0). Oh well.

Note to the wives....when the main course is finished, sit far away from the guys as possible...if you know what I mean.

I got this recipe from my Uncle Bob years ago. We were at his house visiting for some reason. Besides being a great Dad he was a pretty good cook...at least I think so. Anyway he always had his home ready and welcome, and "I love you's" were the norm. We lost him unexpectedly this past March and I think of him all the time. He was one in a million. So to you my friends I give you with great love and affection ....this recipe from my special file...It's been tweaked a bit but nothing worth eating is ever made the same way twice. At least not in my house. ;0)
Happy Eating!!

Uncle Bob's Baked Beans

4 large cans of Van Camps Pork & Beans - drained of most of it's liquid

• I have used B&M beans, Bush's or whatever...just drain them also.
  

2 regular cans each...black beans & kidney beans - drained and rinsed

• You can use whatever kind of beans you prefer, this is what I use
  

1 pkg bacon - cut into pieces and browned a bit. (any kind is fine)
1 pound + of hamburger ( I do both of the meats together just until pink is gone)
Drain meat and mix into beans

• Vegetarians??? Leave the meat out. It's still good!!
  

1 onion - med or large, whatever you like
1/2 + cup ketchup, couple good squirts of mustard, salt, pepper and...about 1 cup of brown sugar. Some use molasses. I never have it on hand.

Mix all of above together and put into a 6 qt crockpot and crank it on high, then turn down when it's cooked through. Simmering doesn't hurt a thing baby....it only makes it better ;0)

I put this all together the day before (that's why I don't use raw bacon) and put in fridge.
Nuke it in the Microwave to get the chill off and it'll cook a bit faster
Then you can put it in the crock on high and it'll be ready to serve by noon or so.

Or...you can get that cast iron dutch oven out ( I have my grandmothers) and bake in the oven at 350 for an hour. Turn down on low and let it simmer. Either way they're a hit.

Note...if you bake in shallow pan with foil they will be dryer...so be sure to wrap tightly or if you like them "not so soupy" either way they're great!!!