Scream Cheese Brownies

So, the Giants won The World Series and if you lived around here that's a really big deal!!! This brownie was partially in honor of the big win and partially in honor of the fall season and mostly because it was my turn to bring snacks to an event.  This recipe was perfect because it calls for orange food coloring which is very fall-like AND one of the Giants' colors.  (For those of you who don't really follow baseball, like me, the San Francisco Giants wear orange and black, and sometimes the catcher wears orange-looking nail polish!)  SO this brownie is a delicious, multi-purpose dessert which could be made for whatever reason you can come up with or just because you're hungry!

The Ingredients

And, here comes the orange food coloring.

The batter layered in the pan. It's all Battered up! 
Sorry, I couldn't resist especially with this baseball theme going on here..=p

It's a swirling sensation!

I found this recipe on the blog The Girl Who Ate Everything.  Catchy title, huh?!?  You can find the recipe here.  I don't know much about The World Series or baseball in general, but I do know how to make the brownies to celebrate!  PS - Did you know that there's a reason why the catchers sometimes wear bright nail polish???  It's so the pitcher can see his signals in the San Francisco fog.  There's some useless information that might just help you on a game show one day!



Supreme Cheesecake

Would you like to know how this blog got started? I wasn't visited by the ghost of Cooking Past that showed me all of my horrible baking mistakes or told me how this world would be a terrible place without my scrumptious desserts. The world would still be fine without my desserts. It was sort of a random idea that popped into my mother's head as a good way to get me to write more. Well it's worked AND it's been fun along the way!

Wanna know a secret? This recipe calls for walnuts and cinnamon which makes it uniquely different from other cheesecakes... in a good way!!!

I got to bake it in a real cheesecake pan, not one of those 9x9 squares. 
Cheesecake is a sophisticated dessert and it needs a proper pan!

Vanilla?
Vanilla is just a bit too plain for me so I swirled in some strawberry flavoring.

I had some tough competition for dessert that day (a store-bought cheesecake sampler), but tough competition is always welcome!

My Mom's handy-dandy egg separator that she got at a craft fair. I think it likes me!

Some of our guests on Sunday trying out the cheesecake.  They're smiling - that's a good sign!

Notice the band aid.  I got a  bunch of cuts on my
hand trying to make some chocolate curls that probably won't be on the blog anytime soon!

It seems there are a lot of "mini" versions of things out there like mini cheesecakes, mini pancakes, and Mini Mouse.

Adapted from Better Homes and Garden"s Cheesecake Supreme.

 Prep Time: 15-20 min 

 Bake Time 35-45min

CHEESECAKE SUPREME
1-1/2 cups crushed graham crackers
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
1/2 cup butter, melted
3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup milk
2 eggs and 1 yolk
1/2 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel or 1/4 tsp lemon juice (optional)
(I swirled in most (6oz.) of an 8oz. container of Yoplait Strawberry yogurt, and it tasted really good!

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. For crust, in a bowl combine crushed graham crackers, walnuts and, if desired, the cinnamon. Stir in melted butter. Press the crumb mixture onto the bottom and about 2 inches up the sides of an 8- or 9-inch springform pan; set aside.

2. For filling, in a large mixing bowl beat cream cheese, the 1 cup sugar, the flour, and vanilla with an electric mixer until combined. Stir in milk until smooth. Stir in eggs and, if desired, lemon peel.

3. Pour filling into crust-lined pan. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes for an 8-inch pan, 35 to 40 minutes for a 9-inch pan, or until a 2-1/2-inch area around the outside edge appears set when gently shaken.

4. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Using a small sharp knife, loosen the crust from sides of pan; cool for 30 minutes. Remove the sides of the pan; cool cheesecake completely on rack. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours before serving. Makes 12 servings.



Oh, and if you haven't noticed yet, my blogging schedule is really weird. You see it goes like this: finish school and anything else I have to do and then post; therefore I haven't had much time for blogging, but I'm working on it!  Pleeeease cut me some slack, I'm in high school now! =0  

Anyway, it's almost a week later and all of the homemade cheesecake is gone and we've got like 4 pieces left of the store bought...stuff.                                    

GB2- God Bless, Go Bake!!!

( BTW, the Jets lost their first preseason game...the team probably just needed some cheesecake. Hey! I've still got 4 pieces of that store bought stuff. =) )

Raspberry Cheesecake Bars

It looks like this recipe needs some taste testing. =)

You know sometimes too much of a good thing...isn't a good thing.  Like when you're at a potluck in front of an array of desserts like People Chow, brownies, cake, and these wonderful Raspberry Cheesecake Bars and you just can't decide which one to eat. You want to try them all but you don't want to stuff yourself!  So that's when it's great to be the "baking apprentice" because then instead of pigging out you can just say you're "taste-testing" for your blog. We bakers have to make sure there are no loose eggshells or any other unidentified objects in there.  Then after "taste-testing" you can pass on the leftovers to your Dad because he'll usually eat anything.

Sorry, no ingredient picture this time, just some flour.

BTW, there is a biiiig difference between jam and jelly. (At least I think there is, I might have to do some research on that one or have a talk with my Grandma.)
(Jelly is the most fun though, because jam is always, well...in a jam.)
jk

Before...

and after. 
(Someone in my family got a hold of these before I could get a picture of the whole pan.)

Tweaks, Twists, and Tips...
I didn't have any raspberry jam, so I decided to use strawberry jam and fresh raspberries mashed up and it tasted fine. I would suggest blending the filling, otherwise you get little chunks of cream cheese in the bars.

And you can find this delicious recipe right here!

GB2- God Bless, Go Bake!!!

Red, White, and Blue Parfaits

Do you know that part of you, you know the adventurous part, ready to do anything at any time? The part that wants to jump out of an airplane or go skydiving...OR...that adventurous part that wants to make a parfait. Trust me it was exciting!

The Ingredients

We're on a roll here (no pun intended).

Plan B: I have no blueberry preserves in the house, so I mix up some stuff, and hope for a miracle.

This right here is a small miracle. When I'm in a rush (and hungry), I usually delete food items that I don't like and throw in what I do like into the recipe. The Results: Iffy.

This recipe was found in a Woman's Day magazine.
I used cream cheese instead of ricotta cheese.  It was a little strange, but I got used to the taste.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
3 Tbsp. blueberry preserves
1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, thawed
1/4 cup graham crackers crumbs
3 blueberries (garnish, optional)

Directions:
1. Combine cheese, sugar and vanilla in a small bowl. Spoon 1 Tbsp, preserves, 2 Tbsp. blueberries, half of the cheese mixture and 2 Tbsp. graham cracker crumbs into a parfait glass.
2. Repeat layers. Top with remaining preserves and blueberries.


I don't know about you guys, but I'd rather make this than go jump out of a plane, or I'd rather be a baker that tells the occasional punny/funny joke than go skydiving. 


In case you haven't noticed yet, I haven't posted anything in a week. =0 But I do have a very good excuse. I'm on a week(ish) long road trip and attended a wedding which was absolutely gorgeous, not to mention the scrumptious dessert at the reception!!! 

GB2 - God Bless, Go Bake!

Snickerdoodle Surprise

Could someone please tell me what "snickerdoodle" means? Or who came up with the word?  Because it's a very catchy name. Does it mean a Snickers bar and a doodle? Or what about a snick and then a er with a doodle. Is that what it means???  No, it means a warm delicious cinnamon cookie and in this recipe, it comes with a cream cheese surprise inside!

The Ingredients

See the difference between the two bowls.

Never underestimate the power of eggs in a recipe.  It can turn your
dough into a lovely ball of fluff.

Come Luke Skywalker to the darkside...I have cream cheese.

And this is the surprise part of it.

Now wrap the surprise in the sugar, so it looks nice and pretty.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
11/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Filling:

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla

Instructions:

1. Make the cream cheese filling by mixing the cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar and 2 tsp vanilla. I used the electric hand mixer for this.
2. Cover the cream cheese mixture and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add about HALF of the flour, the 1 cup sugar, eggs, vanilla, baking soda, and cream of tartar.
4. Beat till thoroughly combined. Beat in remaining flour. Cover and chill 1 hour.
5. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Combine the 2 Tbsp. sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls in sugar-cinnamon mixture. Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in a 375 degrees oven for 10-11 minutes or till edges are golden. Cool cookies on a wire wrack. ( Makes 36-48 cookies)

Since we didn't actually find out what the meaning of snickerdoodle was, let's just call it a warm little sugary cookie, and in this case, with a dash of cream cheese inside. The cream cheese was definitely a new thing for me, especially wrapping the dough around it.  That took some practice. You know, come to think of it I can hardly wrap presents either, which is why we have those lovely gift bags to make use of!

This is Gracerdoodle signing off...
Why weren't my parents this creative when naming me? =/

(My editor/mother just added these last 2 lines.)
(facepalm)
And now my "punny" Dad just said, "Maybe Snickerdoodle stands for
a doodler with a sense of humor."
(double facepalm)

GB2- God Bless, Go BAKE!!!

Mini Cheesecake

I've had this little song stuck in my head for a really long time and figured the best way to get it out was to share it with you. I know it's cheesy but here it is...

Grace the Baker!
Can she bake it?
Grace the Baker!
Yes she Can!

For those of you who don't know, it goes along with the "Bob the Builder" theme song.  That used to be one of my favorite shows when I was little! Alright now that the song is out of my head let's bake!

The Ingredients

Got Milk?

If you're going to crack the egg one-handed, make sure not to drop the eggshells....or you could just edit it out. =)

A teaspoon of VANILLA will make it all better,
not sugar Mary Poppins. (facepalm)

I am going to make a strawberry cupcake, for better or for worse!

I love all of my creations!

The new phenomenona - Cupcake Glasses!
Going once, going twice, eh... they've gone extinct.

Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook - "Cheesecake Supreme."

Ingredients:

1 box of Nilla wafers (11oz.)

48 cupcake liners

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

3 8-oz. packages cream cheese, softened

1 cup of sugar

2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

1 egg yolk

1 container of strawberry or raspberry yogurt (optional)

1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl combine cream cheese, sugar, flour, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer till fluffy. Add eggs and yolk all at once, beating on low speed till just combined. Stir in milk.

2. (Optional) In a separate bowl pour desired amount of batter into bowl. Add your desired ingredient (yogurt, chocolate chips, Oreo crumbs etc.) and mix in. Pour into cupcake liner and bake.

3. Place batter in cupcake tins, filling almost to the top. Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes, or until tops are golden. Garnish with fruit, or chocolate syrup.

There are lots of easier versions of this recipe, but I just found my favorite cheesecake recipe and modified it a bit, so I guess that means this is my first adaptation! In the past I've tried modifying recipes a bit, but they didn't really turn out very well... like my cinnamon eggs. But thankfully the changes and additions I made this time around worked out deliciously. You see, anything I make I eat, whether it tastes good or not. 

GB2- God Bless, Go Bake!!! 

Black Bottoms

We ran out of cupcake liners, so my Mom 
dug through the Christmas box and found these.

      This was the very first recipe that I got from a magazine and actually made. I was so proud as I pulled it out of the oven and presented to my family a warm, gooey, chocolaty cupcake. The only problem was only 4/5 of the people in my family ate it... someday I'm gonna take Luke to a science lab and get his taste buds redone because he doesn't know what he's missing out on!!! Oh well, for now I will keep making recipes even if my brother doesn't decide to eat them. =)

The Ingredients

Time to multitask!  Photographing, stirring, and dumping the chocolate - ALL AT ONCE!

My cupcakes are ALWAYS half full, never half empty. =)

 I have very disobedient cream cheese. I tell it to spread out and it just plops.

The only obedient one.

Ta Daaa!!!

     I found this when I was looking through one of my Mom's old Woman's Day magazines for a school project. The recipe can be found here.
   
WARNING: This does not contain anything of value to your physical health! I wish I could take credit for that "warning" but I got it from this blog. =)

GB2- God Bless, Go BAKE!!!