Sicilian style Cannoli Cheese cake

ingredients

1 1/2 c, graham cracker crumbs 2 Tbsp sugar 1/4 c butter, melted

FILLING 3 tubs ricotta cheese 1/2 c all purpose flour 1 1/2 c granulated sugar 1 Tbsp vanilla extract 2 tsp freshly grated orange peel 7 eggs, lightly beaten 1/3 c miniature chocolate chips or shelled pistachios for garnish if desired Whip cream if desired

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Wrap all sides and bottom of a 9” spring form pan securely
with a double layer thickness of aluminum foil. Combine all of the crust ingredients
together and press evenly across the bottom and 1/2” up the sides of the pan. Bake
for 10 minutes; allow to cool before filling.

In a large bowl beat Ricotta Cheese and granulated sugar until smooth. Beat in flour,
vanilla and orange peel. Add beaten eggs one at a time and blend on low speed only
until incorporated (do not over mix).
Carefully pour into prepared pan and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Place in a
large baking pan and add 1” of hot water to the pan. Bake for 75 minutes or until
center is almost set. Carefully remove pan from oven and lift out spring form pan
and place on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Remove aluminum foil; run a sharp knife around edge of pan to loosen; allow to
cool an additional hour and remove side of pan. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Garnish with candied oranges or pistachios if desired.

Ingredients

2 large oranges, 1/4 inch of top and bottom cut off 4 cups sugar, divided 3 cups water

Preparation

Cut peel on each orange into 4 vertical segments. Remove each segment
(including white pith) in 1 piece. Cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips. Cook in large pot
of boiling water 15 minutes; drain, rinse, and drain again. Bring 3 cups sugar and 3 cups water to boil in medium saucepan over medium
heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add peel. Return to boil. Reduce heat; simmer until
peel is very soft, about 45 minutes. Drain. Toss peel and 1 cup sugar on rimmed baking sheet, separating strips. Lift peel
from sugar; transfer to sheet of foil. Let stand until coating is dry, 1 to 2 days.
DO AHEAD: Wrap and freeze up to 2 months.

Deb’s Stuffed Mushrooms

1 package of fresh white whole mushrooms
1 clove of garlic
Fresh chopped spinach leaves
Breadcrumbs
Pecorino Romano cheese
Salt and pepper
Dried Parsley
Garlic powder

Wash and dry mushrooms.
Remove stems and chop for filling

Sauté garlic and mushroom stems in olive oil, add a handful of fresh spinach leaves. Let cool.

Mix the cooked stems and spinach in a bowl with breadcrumbs, cheese, and remaining ingredients. Add some olive oil and mix together.

Place mushrooms in a casserole dish, stem side up.  Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper.

Stuff mushrooms and add more grated cheese and olive oil on top.

Bake at 375 degrees about 15 minutes. Increase oven to 425 degrees until mushrooms start to brown on top.

Dave’s Poached Chicken Breasts

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Bay leaves
Thyme
Cloves of garlic
Salt and pepper

Bring to a boil and simmer for 14 minutes. Comes out juicy. Serve over salad.

Pulled Chicken from Petunia

Slow-Cookin' Pulled Chicken
PER SERVING (1/2 cup): 149 calories, 1g fat, 462mg sodium, 10g carbs, <0 --="" .5g="" 22.5g="" 9g="" fiber="" nbsp="" protein="" span="" sugars="">PointsPlus® value 3*
This shredded BBQ chicken is FANTASTIC over salads, piled onto light buns, stuffed inside high-fiber tortillas with (rinsed) cole slaw, or eaten all by itself. Yummmmmm!
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb. raw boneless skinless lean chicken breasts, halved
1 cup canned tomato sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. brown sugar (not packed)
2 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. cider vinegar
2 tsp. garlic powder
Optional: red pepper flakes, to taste
Directions:
Place all ingredients except the chicken in the crock pot. Stir until mixed. Add chicken and coat well with the sauce.Cover and cook on high for 3 - 4 hours OR on low for 7 - 8 hours, until chicken is fully cooked.
Remove all the chicken and place it in a bowl. Shred each piece using two forks -- one to hold the chicken in place and the other to scrape across the meat and shred it. Return the shredded chicken to the crock pot, and mix well with the sauce. If you're serving a group, keep the crock pot on its lowest setting, so the chicken stays warm. If you like, season to taste with red pepper flakes. Eat up!

MAKES 7 SERVINGS

1 2 3 Cake

 1-2-3 Cake. You need 2 boxes of cake mix. 1 can be any flavor you prefer, but the other MUST be Angel Food cake mix. Mix them together (shake them in a big ziploc bag or stir them together in a big bowl). Then simply store the mixture in an airtight container until you get the urge for dessert. Then just put 3 tablespoons of the dry mixture in a big coffee mug and stir in 2 tablespoons of water. Microwave it for one minute and you will have a single...

Pesto from Ina Garten

• 1/2 cup walnuts toasted


• 3 tablespoons chopped garlic (9 cloves)
• 5 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups good olive oil
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions

Watch how to make this recipe.

Place the walnuts, pignolis, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for 15 seconds. Add the basil leaves, salt, and pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is thoroughly pureed. Add the Parmesan and puree for a minute. Use right away or store the pesto in the refrigerator or freezer with a thin film of olive oil on top.

Leave nuts out and add separately. They made the pesto dark. 

Loaded Baked Potato Soup from Clayton

Serves 6

1 pound bacon, roughly chopped
 1 medium yellow onion, diced
 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
 3/4 cup diced celery
 4 large Russet potatoes, peeled and diced
 4 medium red potatoes, diced
 1/4 cup flour
 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
 Coarse salt, freshly ground pepper, to taste
 4 cups heavy whipping cream
 Optional garnishes: chopped chives, bacon bits, sour cream, shredded
cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese
 In a 6- to 8-quart stockpot over medium heat, fry bacon until crisp.
Remove bacon and drain on paper towels, reserving half for garnish. In
bacon fat, cook onions, carrots, and celery until the onions are
translucent. Add potatoes and cook for 4 minutes, stirring
occasionally.
Whisk in flour and stir constantly over low heat until the flour is
cooked and the mixture has thickened slightly, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Add chicken stock and half of the bacon. Season with salt and pepper.
Over medium-high heat, bring the soup to a simmer and cook for 25
minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Mash some of the potatoes for
thicker, creamier texture. Add whipping cream and simmer for 5
minutes.
Adjust thickness by adding water or stock. Soup should have a creamy
consistency.
Season to taste, and garnish with toppings.

Cooks’ notes: Soak diced potatoes in cold water until ready to use to
keep them from turning brown. To make bacon easier to chop, lightly
freeze.