Gooey Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

It's been a busy Fall at the Gibbons house with no signs of slowing down until maybe Thanksgiving!  And although I didn't get all of the 'Summer' recipes up that I wanted to post, I can at least make a better effort with some Fall Favorites :-)

These pumpkin cheesecake bars came from a recipe I got from a co-worker, who got them from her uncle, I think.  The first time I made them it was a 'blind' dessert--meaning the very first time I made them, I made them to serve them to others!  Which I wouldn't normally do, but I needed a Fall dessert for Bobby's 1st Annual Surgery Fall Fiesta.  For reference, the 'Fall' dessert was this, and the 'Fiesta' dessert was keylime pie.  They were a huge hit last year, and we made them again at the end of September for the 2nd Annual Surgery Fall Fiesta.  This year I served them with homemade whipped cream (on the side), but they are great on their own too.

And the best part is...you can make them ahead of time!  They might actually be better on Day 2, after they've chilled.  While I'm personally not a huge fan of pumpkin, my favorite part of these is the crumbly crust--delicious!

Gooey Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

• 1 (16oz) pkg pound cake mix
• 3 eggs
• 2 Tbs butter, softened
• 4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 8oz cream cheese, softened
• 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
• 16oz can pumpkin

Pre-heat the oven to 350.  In a large bowl combine the cake mix, 1 egg, butter, and 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice until crumbly.  I don't use my mixer for this, I usually combine it by hand with a large fork because I've noticed if I use a whisk, it gets all stuck in the middle.

Press the crust into the bottom of a PAMed 15x10 jelly roll pan, or I use a 9x13 cake pan.  

Using my mixer, in another bowl, I beat the cream cheese until it's fluffy.  Gradually beat in the sweetened condensed milk, then beat in the remaining 2 eggs, pumpkin, and remaining 2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice.  Mix well and pour evenly over the crust.

Bake 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick (or similar tool) comes out clean when you test it.  Let it cool (I give it about an hour on a wire wrack), then chill covered in the fridge.  When cool, you can top with whipped cream or cool whip--or leave alone--and serve!

Anne's Whipped Cream  (no photo today, sorry!)

• 1.5 cups whipping cream
• 5 Tbs. powdered sugar

Using electric mixer, beat whipping cream until frothy.  Add sugar, while continuing to beat the cream. Continue until the cream has reached your desired level of 'firm'.  Takes just a few minutes, and fresh is always best!

Slow-Cooker Ropa Vieja (Cuban-style beef)

Happy Labor Day!

It's been a quiet summer in my kitchen because it's been a crazy summer around the rest of the Gibbons house.  Lots of travel for me + lots of work for Bobby = take out, airport dining, hospital food (which actually is pretty decent), and meals-for-one.  And my meals-for-one are pretty uncreative.  When Bobby's on call, and IF I'm home (big 'IF' these past few months) I shamefully admit to rotating dinners between Chipotle, Panera, and spaghetti or spaghetti squash with EVOO, garlic, tomatoes and parmesan or mozzarella.  Nothing too fancy!

*Side Note* I'm really into spaghetti squash these days.  If you're not sure how to make it, just take a sharp knife and poke some holes into it in a couple of places, put down 2 paper towels in the microwave, and do 5 minutes on high, flip it on the other side, and 5 more minutes on high.  I strongly recommend waiting a few minutes for it to cool before taking it out, or using an Ove Glove of some sort.  Then cut the squash down the middle, scoop out the seeds, and take a fork to the 'meat' of the squash.  Substitute as cooked pasta!  Brilliant!

But anyway--we're ready to settle into Fall around here--Bobby's been in the ICU all summer and moving to a General service tomorrow (yay!) and I have three travel-free weeks this month!  So I promise some good Fall recipes coming your way (and maybe some lingering summer ones that got delayed).  

Also, based on feedback received from a recent email blast/rant (Tales from the Middle Seat:  A Travel B!tch's Guide to Not Being An Idiot at 35,000 ft) that most people enjoyed--or pretended to--I'm contemplating a humor/opinion blog to share things like Middle Seat, and other similar [essays? short stories? notes? not sure].  I'm a little gun-shy to try the double-blog route again.  But sound off in the comments if you're in support and I'll think about it.  Who wouldn't love an extra dose of pointed and usually sarcastic Anne Wit? Or you can comment if you'd like to read Tales from the Middle Seat and I'll email it to you.

OR you can just read the recipe below :-) Which is why you clicked this link in the first place, right?!  OK so Ropa Vieja is my very favorite-favorite-favorite Cuban dish.  Love it.  So I was beside myself with glee when Real Simple emailed me this recipe for my slow cooker!  You know I love a good slow cooker recipe and this one is awesome.  And it makes a ton so you'll have lots of leftovers!

Slow-Cooker Ropa Vieja

• 28oz can diced tomatoes (No Salt Added in this house)
• 2 red bell peppers, sliced long-wise, 1/4-1/2in thick
• 2/3 onion, sliced
• 2 tsp dried oregano (I probably use more)
• 1 tsp cumin (again...I probably use more)
• 1-2 lbs flank steak, cut crosswise into thirds
• 1-2 cups rice (I used Basmati because it's delicious)
• 1 avocado to garnish
• Handfull cilantro to garnish

In your slow cooker, combine the tomatoes, peppers, onion and spices.  Place the steak pieces into the slow cooker and kind of 'nestle' them in--maybe turn them over in the tomato mixture a little bit, or try to make sure they're partially covered by it.  Slow cook on high for 4-5 hours or low 7-8.  I always do low if I can--just makes the meat more tender.  

About 25-30 minutes before serving, make the rice, slice an avocado and prep your cilantro.  Then right before serving, use two forks to shred the meat and mix well with the tomato mixture.  I serve rice, then meat, then garnish.  So good!

Lemon Pie

There were plenty of things I could have and should have been doing this weekend. There were plenty of things we planned on and talked about doing.  What did we actually do?  Sit in front of the couch and watch every minute of the Olympics on the DVR.  We are huge Olympics nerds.  We even watched all the cycling.  So I figure, while I am parked on the couch, I could at the very least post a new recipe in between swimming finals.  Here we go:

Make no mistake--this is the best lemon pie.  Ever.  I think Bobby's already had me make this 3 times this summer!  He says he prefers it, even to key lime pie, which--if you know Bobby--is fairly shocking.  But it really is delicious.  It's pretty simple, so I don't encourage cutting any corners, because it's not a complicated recipe--and I think hand squeezing the lemon juice, doing homemade whipped cream, and a homemade graham cracker crust...that's what makes the pie!

And I promise it isn't tough--because if it was tough, I wouldn't do it :-)

Anne's Best Lemon Pie Ever

• 1 and 1/4 c graham cracker crumbs (I use the Reduced Fat Honey Maid--the only 'corner' I cut)
• 2 and a 1/2 Tbs powdered sugar
• 4 Tbs butter, melted
• 6 egg yolks
• 2 (14 oz) cans sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup fresh lemon juice (~5 lemons)
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 2 Tbs powdered sugar

Pre-heat oven to 350.

Use a food processor or blender to crumble the graham crackers into crumbs.  Inside the box of graham crackers they'll be divided into three little packets.  You'll use a whole packet and then 2-3 crackers from a second packet.  Processing them takes seconds, and it's easier to press into a crust if the crumbs are really fine.  In a medium sized bowl, mix the crumbs with the 2.5Tbs powdered sugar.  Add the melted butter until well blended, and then press the mixture into the bottom and the sides of a 9in pie plate. Try to press the crumbs into an even amount--something I'm still struggling with perfecting.  I usually pour them all in the middle and then work them up the sides of the pie plate, taking care not to make the edges too thick.

Bake the crust for 10 minutes, and then cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes.While baking and cooling the crust, whisk together the egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk, and lemon juice.  As mentioned, you cannot beat fresh squeezed lemon juice.  It takes a while to get a cup--one lemon makes about 1/4c juice, and I like to get a 5th lemon just to be safe and if I don't use it, I garnish with it.  Use a wire mesh strainer to get rid of lemon seeds and any pulp that accumulates.  

Pour pie filling into the crust after it's cooled, and bake  at 350 for 15 minutes. Afterwards, cool on a wire rack for an hour, before covering and placing in the fridge for  4 hours to chill.  Honestly if you can chill it closer to 8, that is significantly better. 

Right before serving, use an electric mixer (yay KitchenAid!) and the wire-whisk attachment to make the whipped cream.  Beat the whipping cream on high speed until foamy.  Gradually add the remaining 2Tbs powdered sugar.  Stop beating when the whipped cream has 'soft peaks'--but I like it a little more firm, so I beat mine until it's reasonably sold (as seen above).  Garnish--if desired--and serve!  Soooo yummy!

Mexicali Crab Cakes

Crab cakes are great any time of year--but they're especially great as a light summer dinner.  My original recipe for crab cakes is here, and it has kind of an Asian-flavor twist to it.  This recipe I found in my Cooking Light cookbook and was absolutely shocked I hadn't made them before!  And we absolutely loved them--I can't wait to make them again.

One of the best things about making crab cakes is that they sound really fancy, but really, they take hardly any time at all.  You mix all ingredients in a bowl, form cakes, and bake them--usually all in under a half hour.  As far as I can tell, there's only one secret to crab cakes--and that's high quality canned crab.  My mom always said to buy the most expensive cans of crab in the store.  I follow that advice every time and it never disappoints!  So while this dinner is quick, easy, tasty, and makes you look good--note that it's not the cheapest.  But quality crab is worth it :-)

Mexicali Crab Cakes

• 1.5 Tbs margarine or butter
• 1/4 c finely chopped celery
• 1/4 c finely chopped red bell pepper
• 1 finely chopped and seeded jalepeno
• 1/4 c mayo (although we recently learned you can easily substitute fat free greek yogurt, plain, just as well and it's much healthier than mayo)
• 1 tsp chopped fresh cilantro or parsley if preferred (but being totally honest I think I used dried and it was fine!)
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 garlic salt or garlic powder
• a few cranks of the pepper mill
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup Panko or other breadcrumbs
• 1/4 chopped green onions
• 1 lb (about 2-3 cans) lump crab meat
• 1 can whole-kernal corn

OK I know that looks like a lot of ingredients, but don't let that deter you.

Pre-heat your oven to 450.  Melt the margarine/butter in a small skillet over med-high heat, and add celery, bell pepper, and jalepeno.  Saute for about 3 minutes or until tender.

In a medium to large mixing bowl, mix your mayo or yogurt with the cilantro, dijon, garlic salt, pepper and egg.  Add in the celery mixture, Panko, green onions, crab, and corn--stirring until well mixed.  Hand-form about 8-10 small cakes, or 6 large ones as shown above.  As an option, you could also dredge the cakes in crushed cornflakes if you wanted a crispy exterior.  Place on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.  After 15 minutes, carefully flip the cakes, and bake an additional 6 minutes on the other side.

The recipe recommends serving with a cocktail sauce or salsa...I used sweet chili sauce because I'm obsessed with sweet chili sauce and think it should be on most things.  Serve with whatever works for you!

Black Bean Burgers

OK, OK I'm a little late in the burger post, since most people probably did their burger-grilling yesterday.  But it's summer, which means you never really put the grill away--and these vegetarian burgers can actually be baked as well.  Just giving you all some options!

Bobby and I love all kinds of burgers--beef, bison, turkey, salmon, and our new favorite--black bean burgers.  Oddly enough, Bobby picked up this recipe at our gym--the little Orlando Health Wellness Center.  Every month they post a featured recipe--and Bobby brought this one home one day.  It's a little spicy--but a lot of the spice could easily be omitted too.

So if you didn't get your burger-fill over the July 4th holiday, give these a try soon!  

And on a side note--we had a laid back 4th (which I guess is just kind of what happens when it's mid-week).  Bobby was on call in the ICU overnight on the 3rd so he napped most of the day, and then later he grilled some chimichurri-marinated chicken tenders, and we paired that with chips and homemade guacamole, watermelon, and lemon bars.  Putting in a plug for some past blog oldies-but-goodies.

Black Bean Burgers

• 1 16oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed

• 1/2 green bell pepper, cut into 2in pieces

• 1/2 onion, cut into wedges

• 3 cloves of garlic, peeled

• 1 egg

• 1 Tbs chili powder

• 1 Tbs cumin

• 1 tsp Thai Chili Sauce or hot sauce

• 1/2 cup bread crumbs (we use Panko)

If you're grilling outdoors, pre-heat your grill on high and lightly oil a sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil.  If you're baking, pre-heat the oven to 375 and lightly PAM a baking sheet.

In a medium bowl, mash the black beans with a fork (or a potato masher, in my case) until they're thick and pasty.

Then, in a food processor (or blender if you don't have one--or you could hand-chop if you were really committed), process the bell pepper, onion and garlic.  Stir that mixture into the beans.

In a small bowl, stir together the egg, chili powder, cumin, and chili sauce--and then add to the bean mixture.  Mix in Panko or bread crumbs until the mixture is sticky and holds together pretty well.  Divide it into four patties.

If grilling, place patties on foil and grill about 8 minutes on each side.  If baking, place patties on the baking sheet and bake them for about 10 minutes on each side.

As you can see from the photo, we like to have these with whole wheat buns, fresh spinach leaves, a slice of tomato, and a tick topping of hummus (we prefer the Publix-brand roasted red pepper hummus for added flavor).  With the hummus, you really don't need to add any cheese.  If you do want cheese--I'd omit the hummus and add a slice of pepper jack.  Or you could do a regular hummus and some crumbled feta.  Just some ideas to keep it interesting!

Slow-Cooker Red Wine and Mushroom Risotto

Now, if you linked here from Facbeook, you'll notice I did not include a picture of this in the link.  And that's because this is not the most photogenic of dinners!  Believe me, after you've been smelling this cook for hours in the slow cooker, it will look delicious when it's ready.  But I am posting a photo on the page, just so you know if it turns out 'right'. 

I'm hoping this post will actually offer me a little inspiration.  Coming back from a busy weekend away, I'm feeling a little lethargic today (Tropical Storm Debby isn't helping with a total lack of motivation).  I feel like I want to cook something...but have no idea what!  Yes, even people who love to cook have these days.  So I thought a blog post might give me some ideas!

This recipe is from Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker cookbook, and it quickly became one of our favorites!  We eat it regularly as a main dish, I made it for a little holiday gathering with some Junior League pals and it had good reviews, and I made it as a side dish with my mother-in-law and her friends who were visiting.  So it's very versatile, and very easy!  Because of the red wine, it can take on a little bit of a pink hue.

Slow-Cooker Red Wine and Mushroom Risotto

• 1/4 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 3 Tbs butter
• 1 to 1.5 cups Arborio rice
• 1-2 containers baby portobello mushrooms, quartered
• 1/2 cup full-bodied red wine
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth (we use low-sodium organic)
• Parmesan cheese to taste
• Salt to taste

In a medium to large saute pan, melt 2 Tbs butter.  Add onion, garlic and mushrooms and cook until soft (about 2-3 minutes).  Now you could get pre-sliced mushrooms, but I recommend getting the mini ones whole, and then quartering them (or halving the smaller ones) because I think it preserves more flavor that way.  Once the onion, garlic, and mushrooms are soft, add the Arborio rice and stir for 1-2 minutes--just coating the grains.  You may add more butter at this time to make sure all the grains are coated.

I have flexible amounts of rice and mushrooms listed because if you're making as a main dish for a few people, you'll want closer to 1.5 to 2 cups of rice, and 2 containers of mushrooms.  Or if you just want leftovers.  If a side dish, or just a one-time meal for two people, stick to 1 c rice and 1 container mushrooms.  If making a larger batch, I'd add in some more wine--closer to 1 cup--just for good measure :-)

PAM your slow-cooker, and then scrape the mixture into it once all the grains are coated.  Add in the broth and wine (and optional salt if you want it), and mix thoroughly in the slow-cooker.  Then cover, and cook on HIGH for 2 hours, or until all the liquid is absorbed, but the rice is still moist.  If the rice has dried out a little too much, stir in some melted butter (another Tbs or 2).  Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve immediately.  It reheats really well too!  And when I made for a gathering, I made it ahead of time and then kept warm by moving to my serving dish and keeping on a low temperature in my oven while guests arrived.

You could also consider topping with shaved or grated Asiago--but Bobby and I both prefer Parmesan.

Chicken and Pasta Caesar Salad

I think it's entirely possible that Bobby married me for access to my mother's Caesar salad recipe.  And key lime pie.  But more on pie later.

This recipe is a slight derivation from her original Caesar recipe, in that I've added ingredients to make this version a 'meal salad' instead of a 'side salad'.  It's basically something I made up to combine her delicious salad with one of my favorite dishes at Amerigo's (is Amerigo's still around even?  We had one in Louisville for a while but it closed!  That would be a shame because Amerigo's was delicious!)

And don't worry, there's no anchovies.

Chicken and Pasta Caesar Salad

• 1-2 cloves garlic, crushed

• 1/2 c (ish...) of EVOO

• Several handfuls of romaine lettuce or enough to fill the bowl (or spinach...we use spinach for pretty much everything)

• 1 egg yolk

• 1/4 c lemon juice

• 1 handful shredded parmesan cheese

• 1 package chicken tenders, grilled and chopped

• 1 1/2 c shell pasta, cooked

• 2-3 Tbs of jarred pesto OR another 2-3 Tbs of EVO and a few dashes of dried basil flakes

• Salt and pepper to taste

• Croutons if desired

I'll start out by apologizing for the lack of exact ingredients!  I think I've just made my mom's Caesear salad so often I completely eyeball everything.

In a large salad bowl, add crushed garlic to the bottom.  Pour EVOO on top of the garlic--enough so that it coats most, if not all, of the bottom of your salad bowl.  And a few sprinkles of salt (we use no-salt seasoning) and pepper.  Let that sit while you grill the chicken tenders and boil the pasta.  We use a George Forman grill for chicken tenders usually, but you could also chop and cook in a skillet with a little EVOO if you don't have a Forman grill.  Or bake them if you have more time...but who has that?

When the pasta is done, drain it and let it cool in the colander for a little while.  Same with the chicken--let it cool for a while before chopping.  

Add lettuce or spinach to the salad bowl.  Top with parmesan and croutons.  Then add chopped chicken.  Once the pasta has cooled a little bit, move it to a small mixing bowl and combine with jarred pesto.  If you don't have pesto, you can add a few Tbs of EVOO and some dried basil flakes and it turns out great.  Basically you just want to get a little something on the pasta so it isn't dried out when you add it to the salad.  Add pasta to the bowl.

Place egg yolk in a small bowl and discard the shell and egg white.  Add 1/4 (ish...) cup of lemon juice (I typically go with fresh squeezed if you've got some lemons around) and whisk together quickly with yolk.  My mom calls this process 'coddling' I think.  She has assured me through the years that combining the yolk with lemon juice somehow, sort of...cooks it.  I've been eating her Caesar salad my whole life, so I'll get on board and assure you it's totally fine!  And really, it's not like we don't all eat cookie dough ya know?  All the same...my pregnant friends should probably not make this dish :-)

Once the egg and lemon juice are well whisked, pour on top of salad.  Mix thoroughly and serve immediately.  It's insanely good.