Cream Cheese Brownies

These little bars taste as lovely as they look. I did not have enough unsweetend chocolate on hand, so I successfully swapped 3 Tbsp of cocoa and 1 Tbsp oil, butter, or shortening for every ounce of unsweetened baking chocolate you are substituting. The cream cheese brownies were easy to assemble, I do hope you get a chance to try them!

Cream Cheese Brownies (from Joy of Baking)

Brownie Layer:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped (see note above)
1 1/4 cups granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Cream Cheese Layer:
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/3 cup granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg

Cream Cheese Brownies: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and place the rack in the center of the oven. Have ready a 9 x 9 inch square baking pan that has been lined with aluminum foil across the bottom and up two opposite sides of the pan.

In a stainless steel (heatproof) bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the butter and chocolate. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar and vanilla extract. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well (with a wooden spoon) after each addition. Stir in the flour and salt and beat, with a wooden spoon, until the batter is smooth and glossy and comes away from the sides of the pan (about one minute). Remove 1/2 cup of the brownie batter and set it aside. Place the remainder of the brownie batter evenly onto the bottom of the prepared pan.

Then, in the bowl of your food processor (or with a hand mixer), process the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar, vanilla, and egg and process just until creamy and smooth. Spread the cream cheese filling evenly over the brownie layer. Spoon small dollops of the reserved brownie batter evenly on top of the cream cheese filling. Then with a table knife or wooden skewer, swirl the two batters without mixing them.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes or until the brownies start to pull away from the sides of the pan and the edges of the brownies are just beginning to brown (for me I think I baked these close to 40 minutes, while upping the oven temperature to 350 degrees for the last few minutes.) Either way keep an eye on your oven and your bars and remove them when they match the description of finished product.

Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Refrigerate the brownies until they are firm enough to cut into squares (at least two hours). Once chilled, remove the brownies from the pan by lifting with the ends of the foil and transfer to a cutting board. It is a good idea to have a damp cloth nearby to wipe your knife between cuts.

These brownies can be stored in the refrigerator for several days.

Tuscan Mac and Cheese Bake

I have been searching for more ways to incorporate more whole grain pasta into our everyday meals, I usually have to sneak it in to boot. My husband is a little leary when it comes to whole grain pasta (I kind of am also also I sheepishly admit.) However, this was a hit! I fessed up as we were finishing up to what kind of pasta it was (to secretly prove a point :) and he was all for it. I used the Barilla Plus Penne. A serving has 17g of protein, 360mg of Omega-3, and 7g of fiber. All of this wrapped up in a tasty and easy lunch, this cannot be beat!

Tuscan Mac and Cheese Bake (from My Kitchen Cafe)

12 oz precooked smoked chicken or turkey sausage, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 1/2 cups uncooked whole grain penne
8 oz cream cheese, cubed and softened
1 generous cup of shredded mozzarella cheese (I had about 1/2 cup mozzarella left at home, as well as a cheddar monterey jack blend, so I used a mixture of the two which worked just fine)
1 1/2 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 Tbsp flour
1 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tomato, seeded and roughly chopped
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook pasta according to package directions. In a large bowl, combine the sausage, cooked pasta, cream cheese, and mozzarella cheese. In a small separate bowl, combine the flour and spices together.

In a medium saucepan melt the butter, then whisk in the flour and spices. Allow the butter mixture to cook without browning for about 30 seconds, the flour-y texture and flavor should cook out of it. Slowly add the milk while whisking/stirring, and continue to cook and stir constantly until milk mixture thickens, about 5-6 minutes.

When the mixture has thickened, slowly pour the mixture over the pasta mixture and stir to combine.

Pour into an 8"x8" lightly greased baking dish and tightly wrap with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle the tomatoes and Parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered for 10 more minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Potato Gratin

Potato Gratin (From Every Day Food, Martha Stewart)

1 clove garlic, smashed
butter, room temperature, for baking dish
about 6 medium sized Russet potatoes, peeled and sliced very thin**
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
salt and fresh ground pepper
ground nutmeg

**Potatoes are slices easily using a mandoline, the slicing blade on a food processor, the slicing side of a box grater..or some good ol' patience and some good knife skills!

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Rub an 8"x8" baking dish with garlic and then the butter, layer potatoes in dish, overlapping slightly.

In a medium saucepan, combine cream 1 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper and a pinch of nutmeg; bring to a simmer. Pour enough of the cream mixture into the dish just enough to cover the potatoes. Cover the dish with foil.

Bake in a preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender. Remove the foil and continue to bake for another 35-40 minutes until the top is golden brown and bubbly.

Let rest 15 minutes before serving and enjoy!

Toasted Sesame Dip

This is an idea I got from a friend of mine, Jen. At first I thought, I don't know about this...soy sauce, cream cheese, I don't know but I'll try it. It was delicous, perfect for a party! She picked up this idea from another friend, whom I'm sure got it from another friend and so on and so on. I googled this of course and there are "official" recipes for this, but because in the beginning I did not know of them, I am not going to reference them here, just my good friend Jen and her delicous dip!

Toasted Sesame Dip

1 brick low-fat cream cheese (neufchatel)

1/4 cup soy sauce

2-3 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Crackers for dipping, such as Ritz or Triscuits

Directions

Unwrap the cream cheese and using a toothpick or fork, prick holes into the cream cheese all over, you really want to let the soysauce soak up into the cheese. In a container or a Ziplock bag (I opted to use the bag,) place the cheese and soy sauce and let 'marinate' for several hours in the refridgerator. Once complete, remove from 'marinade.' *Tip, if you opt to use the Ziplock method, move to the kitchen sink and using scissors, snip a little corner off , and the soy sauce will drain out easily, making an easy transfer to a serving plate. Crust the brick with the toasted sesame seeds and serve.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread

In the quest for all things pumpkin related-this has been my favorite pumpkin bread so far. The delicious bread we enjoy each fall, now has a delicious swirl of cream cheese, makes this even better. These days there are pumpkin lattes, pumpkin bars, pumpkin pie, pumpkin ale, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin soup-I could go on and on, but enjoy this versatile fall fruit at it's finest.

Note: I had some left over pumpkin cream cheese from the local bagel shop so I opted to use that instead.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread (from Joy of Baking)

Cream Cheese Filling:
8 ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour

Pumpkin Bread:
1 cup) pecans or walnuts
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 large eggs
2 cups granulated white sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 - 15 ounce can pure pumpkin
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350° F and place rack in the center of the oven. Butter and lightly flour two - 9 by 5 x 3 inch loaf pans. Set aside.

To toast nuts: Place the nuts on a baking sheet and bake for about 8 - 10 minutes or until brown and fragrant. Cool completely and then chop coarsely. Set aside.

Cream Cheese Filling: In your food processor or with a hand mixer, process the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar and process just until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, processing just until incorporated. Do not over process. Stir in the flour. Set aside.

Pumpkin Bread: In a large bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.

In another large bowl, whisk the eggs until lightly beaten. Add the sugar and melted butter and whisk until blended. Whisk or stir in the pumpkin, milk, vanilla extract, and nuts.

Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and stir just until the ingredients are combined. (A few streaks of flour is fine.) Do not over mix as it will make the bread tough.

Divide the batter in half. Take one half and divide it evenly between the two prepared pans. Divide the cream cheese filling in half and place each half of filling on top the two pans of batter, smoothing the tops. Top with the remaining half of batter. Bake the breads for about 50 - 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Place pans on a wire rack and let cool for about 10 minutes before removing breads from pans. Can serve warm, cold, or at room temperature. Store leftovers in the refrigerator or else freeze for later use.