Grandma's Apple Crisp

There are 100 things I love about Fall but at the top of the list is the smell of apple crisp baking in the oven.  I mean come on, who doesn't love the smell of baked apples, caramelized sugar and cinnamon?  This particular recipe is my favorite apple crisp recipe and came from my grandma Lois Hjelmeng, I've doubled the ingredients for a 9x13 pan instead of her smaller one because trust me when I say a small pan is NOT enough.

Ingredients

• 1 Cup butter - Softened
• 1 1/2 Cups flour
• 2 Cups sugar
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon (more or less to taste, original recipe has about half)
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg (optional and not part of grandma's original recipe)
• About 2 quarts apples
• You can use any type of apple that you like but I recommend something crisp and a little tart or it gets too sweet with the topping.  Red delicious is not as good but I've used Pink Lady, Honey Crisp and Jonagold are all good.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Peel and cut apples into small pieces (about 1x1 inch).
3. Butter bottom of 9x13 pan and fill about 3/4 full with apples.  Sprinkle with half of cinnamon and set aside.
4. Using fork mix together butter, flour, sugar and other half of cinnamon until crumbled.
5. Pour crumbles over apples and spread evenly.
6. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes or until topping is crispy and golden brown.
7. Remove from oven and let set for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

Don't forget how much better this warm and topped with ice cream.

Chicken Quesadilla Casserole

 

My Chicken Quesadilla Casserole is one of Matt's favorites and is very simple to make.  The recipe itself is kind of my own concoction based on a couple of different recipes and just putting together the things that Matt and I like best and it makes a lot so not having to cook for a couple extra days is a definite bonus for me.  Every other quesadilla casserole that I have seen recipes for are nothing like this.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!



Ingredients

• 4 Boneless chicken breasts (Can use less chicken or if you feel like de-boning, just use chicken legs, thighs or whatever else you have)
• 2 chicken bullion cubes
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 cups uncooked minute rice
• 1/2 cup fresh cut cilantro (set 2 tbsp. aside)
• 6-8 large flour tortilla shells
• 24 oz. Tostitos Chunky Salsa-Medium flavor (Or use your favorite salsa)
• 19 oz. Las Palmas Green Chile Sauce (Any green chile sauce works just make sure it's about this amount)
• 24 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
• Pinch salt and pepper

Directions

1. Cut chicken into small pieces and cook in frying pan with 1 tbsp. olive oil, bullion cubes and a pinch of salt and pepper and 1 tbsp. of the fresh cilantro for flavoring.
2. Cook minute rice according to package directions.  Adding 1 tbsp olive oil and fresh cut cilantro to water before adding rice.  Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl combined salsa and green chile sauce.  Set aside.
4. Using fingertips spread remaining 1 tbsp. olive oil in bottom of 9x13 casserole dish (can use cake pan instead of casserole dish)
5. Layer 2 tortilla shells on bottom of dish.  Cut a third shell to fill in the missing spots.  It's okay if the overlap in the middle.
6. Layer over top of shells in following order: 1/2 of rice, 1/2 salsa/green chile, 1/2 chicken, 1/3 cheese.
7. Create second layer: Shells, second 1/2 of rice, 1/2 of remaining salsa (1/4 total remains as unused), 1/2 chicken, 1/3 cheese.
8. Create third layer: Shells, remaining 1/3 cheese.  Sprinkle remaining 1 tbsp cilantro over top.
9. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes or until top cheese layer is melted and browning slightly on the edges.
10. Cut and serve with sour cream on the side and top by drizzling with remaining salsa/chile sauce or your favorite hot sauce.

Substitutions or Variations

• Add black beans and/or corn to salsa/chile sauce.
• Substitute chicken with: Ground beef, steak, shredded beef, shredded chicken, shredded pork, shrimp or a combination of any that you like.
• Add chopped peppers and onions to one layer.  Can saute with chicken or put in fresh.
• Serve with a side or topped with guacamole.
• Serve with a side of fresh made salsa and chips.
• Add olives...but I wouldn't recommend it.  Blech! Yuck, olives!
• To make it spicier use hot salsa and chile sauce instead of medium.
• Use corn tortilla shells.

Cheesecake Supreme

I don't think there is a dessert I like more than cheesecake and this is my favorite recipe because I can make so many different variations of it and there are endless possibilities for toppings.  It's a very simple recipe and you can make a single 9" cheesecake, 2 1/2 dozen cupcakes or about 6 dozen minicakes.  

These directions are going to be for a single 9" spring-form pan cheesecake and there is another post for substitutions for cupcakes, minicakes, various topping ideas and flavor substitutions.  Hope you enjoy this as much as my friends and family does when I make it.

Filling

• 3 8oz packages cream cheese (Philadelphia recommended)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup milk (whatever milk you have on hand is fine, we drink skim so that is what I use)
• 2 tbsp. flour
• 3 eggs

Crust

• 2 packages graham crackers (crushed)
• 1/2 cup butter (melted)
• 1/3 cup sugar

Directions - Crust

1. Mix graham crackers, melted butter and sugar in medium size bowl until crackers are well coated in butter.
2. Press graham crackers evenly into bottom of spring pan and slightly up sides of pan.
3. Place pan in oven and preheat oven to 350.  As soon as oven reaches temperature remove pan from oven and set to the side to cool.  This will slightly set the crust and help prevent it from crumbling apart when you cut the cake later on.

Directions - Filling

1. With electric mixer beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth.
2. Add vanilla, milk and flour until well blended.
3. Mix in slightly beaten eggs on lowest speed of mixer.  Scrape sides of bowl often until all ingredients are blended together well.  Batter will be very running after eggs are added and there should be no chunks of cream cheese left.
4. Pour batter into spring pan over crust.
5. Place a oven safe pan or dish on the bottom rack of the oven and fill 1/4 full of water.  The water in the oven will help to keep the cheese cake from drying out while baking.
6. Place cheesecake in oven on the second rack.  Bake for approximately 45 minutes or until sides are stable and center giggles slightly when you bump the sides of the pan.
7. Remove from oven and place on cooling rack for 2-3 hours.  Then carefully move knife around edges of pan so cake will not stick when you release the spring.  Release spring and remove ring from cheesecake.
8. Refrigerate 4-6 hours.

You can either serve the cake on the bottom of the spring pan or you can transfer to a platter.  In order to transfer to a platter you will need to flip the cheesecake twice so the crust will still be on the bottom.  Place a piece of wax paper lightly over the top of the cake then place a large place upside down over cake.  Flip cake and carefully remove bottom of pan from cake crust.  Place your platter upside down over crust and flip over so cake is showing.  Carefully remove wax paper.  

Leave plain or add your desired toppings, serve and enjoy! 

See Cheesecake Supreme Toppings and Substitutions post for ideas for individual or mini-cakes and tons of topping and substitution ideas.

Cheesecake Supreme Toppings and Substitutions

This post has tons of substitutions, alteration and topping ideas for you to change up the original Cheesecake Supreme recipe any way you and your family like it best.  Hope you have as much fun changing the recipe and trying new things as I do.

VARIATIONS
Chocolate Chip Mint Variation

 

• Follow Supreme Cheesecake recipe with only the following substitutions.
• Use 1 package Oreo cookies instead of graham crackers for crust.  Remove filling from cookies before crushing.  Optional - Drizzle fudge over the crust before adding the batter for an even richer flavor.
• Substitute vanilla with 1 1/2 tsp. mint flavoring.
• Add 5-10 drops green food coloring (optional) after eggs have been added.
• Add 1 cup mini chocolate chips to batter after eggs have been added.
• After cooling and placing on serving platter sprinkle with 1 cup mini chocolate chips and drizzle fudge over top.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Variation

• Follow Supreme Cheesecake directions except for these substitutions.
• Substitute either 1 package Original Chips Ahoy cookies or 1 package Oreo cookies without cream filling for crust.
• Mix filling same way as other recipe.
• In a small bowl mix together 1/4 cup softened butter, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 Tbsp water, 1 tsp vanilla, 1/2 cup flour until well combined.  Stir in 1 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips.
• After pouring cake batter into pan spoon 1 tbsp cookie dough balls into batter evenly.  Make sure that batter is covering dough before baking.
• After cake has cooled and is on platter sprinkle 1 cup mini chocolate chips on top.  Before serving top with Whip Cream or drizzle chocolate over top.

CUP-CHEESE-CAKES
Makes about 2 1/2 dozen

• Filling
• Use Supreme Cheesecake recipe or either of the variations listed above.
• Crust - You have a couple of different options for your crust.  My family and I prefer the home made crust to the cookie crust, but to each their own.
• Home Made Crust - Use Supreme Cheesecake recipe for crust or either of the variations listed above.
• After lining cupcake pan with liners spoon about 1 tbsp into each holder.
• Using small glass or fingertips press crushed crackers into bottom of each liner.
•  Cookie Crust - This is definelty the easiest way to do the crust.  Plus you can plan your toppings to match the crust and have even more fun.
• Pick up a couple of packages of any soft cookie like Chips Ahoy Chewy or Chips Ahoy Gooey or even Chips Ahoy Brownie Filled.
• Drop 1 cookie into each of the liners.
• Using fingertips or bottom of cup press cookie down evenly into liner.

• Fill each liner about 2/3 full.  About 1/4 cup.
• Bake for 20 minutes at 350.
• Cool in cupcake pan for 1 hour before removing
• Add your toppings and serve!!!!!

MINI CUP-CHEESE-CAKES
Makes about 5 - 6 dozen

• Filling
• Use Supreme Cheesecake recipe or either of the variations listed above.  But really, you could pretty much use any filling and just put it in the mini pan if you wanted to.
• Crust - There are several options for the crust on a mini cake.

1. No Crust - Because these cakes are so small if you use a cookie crust of some kind it pulls the moisture from the cake into it and dries the cake out.  I've found that with mini cheesecakes I actually prefer them without a crust.
2. Home Made Crust - Make the graham cracker crust or variation crusts same as in their recipes.  Spoon about 1/2 tbsp into each liner and gently press down into liner evenly.
3. Cookie Crust - Take the easy way out and just drop a cookie into the bottom of each cup.  The Mini Chips Ahoy and the Mini Oreos fit perfectly into the bottom of the liners.

• Fill each cup about 2/3 full.  About 1 tbsp.
• Bake at 12-14 minutes at 350.
• Remove from oven and cool for 30 minutes before removing from pan.
• Add your toppings and enjoy!!!!

Toppings
There are so many toppings that you can put on the cupcakes, mini cakes or even the plain cake and bringing a tray with 50 different cheesecakes to a family dinner or potluck is so much fun.  I've never done it before but you could also set up a "Topping's Bar" with all your favorites.  Mix and match your favorites and dress up the bland or boring because there is something for everyone...

• Candy Bars - If you freeze them first they break apart easier.  I find it best to smash them with a hammer so I get lots of crumbly pieces.  KitKat, Snickers, Reeses Peanut Butter Cup, York Peppermint Patti, Twix, Milky Way, Butterfinger, 3 Muskateers, Heath, M&Ms, Mounds, Almond Joy, 100 Grand...and the list goes on and on.
• Fresh Fruit - Strawberries, Blueberries, Blackberries, Raspberries, Kiwi, Grapes, Peaches
• Canned Fruit - Nice to use sometimes because you get the sugary sauce with it.  Apples, Cherries, Blueberries, Strawberries.
• Sauces and Syrups - I use icecream toppings a lot for these.  I've also bought the gourmet syrups at specialty shops.  Caramel, Hot Fudge, Chocolate, Raspberry, Strawberry, Blueberry.
• Extras - Pecans, Walnuts, Sea Salt, Cookies (whole or crumbled), Whip Cream, Cinnamon, Almond Slivers, Chocolate (or other flavored) Chips, Peanut Butter, Andes Mints, Candy Canes, Sprinkles, Pretzels
• Combination Ideas
• Fudge with crushed walnuts
• Caramel with crushed pecans
• Snickers with caramel drizzle
• Fudge with crushed Kit Kat
• Almond Joy with Fudge Drizzle
• Fresh strawberries with chocolate sauce drizzle

Have fun and enjoy your cheesecakes and all of your variations!!!!!  If you find any others please leave comments for me, I'm always looking for more ideas.