Swirled Pumpkin-Bourbon Cheesecake Bars

I, along with many others, are going pumpkin crazy this year, I just can’t get enough! I know this season will fly by like it always does so we have to make the most of it right? I had some left over pumpkin cream cheese in the ‘fridge so I ought to put it to good use, and why not a cheesecake bar?

Swirled Pumpkin–Bourbon Cheesecake Squares (Source Kelsey’s Apple A Day)

For crust:

about 20 gingersnaps, broken into large pieces

1/4 c. granulated sugar

3 TBSP butter, melted

1 TBSP bourbon

Cheesecake Filling:

11 oz. low-fat cream cheese, at room temperature (I used a mixture of pumpkin cream cheese and low-fat cream cheese)

1/4 c. low-fat sour cream

1/3 c. granulated sugar

1 TBSP all-purpose flour

1 large egg

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 c. pumpkin puree

1 TBSP (packed) dark brown sugar

3 TBSP bourbon

Preheat oven to 325 F. Line the bottom and sides of a 9x9x2 in. square pan with foil. Spray the foil with non-stick cooking spray.

To make the crust: Process the gingersnaps in a food processor until very finely chopped. You should have one cup of crumbs. Combine crumbs, sugar, butter, and bourbon. Pat into an even layer in the bottom of the pan. Bake for 7 minutes. Cool on a rack.

To make the filling: Beat the cream cheese, sour cream, granulated sugar, and flour in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add egg, vanilla, and bourbon and beat until smooth.

Scoop 3/4 c. of the cream cheese mixture into a medium bowl and stir in pumpkin puree and brown sugar. Spoon the plain cream cheese mixture evenly over the crumb layer in the pan. Dollop pumpkin mixture on top and swirl with a fork to make a decorative design.

Bake for 28-32 minutes, or until firm in the middle when gently shaken. Cool in the pan for one hour. Chill thoroughly. To serve, lift cheesecake and foil from pan. Cut into squares.

Stout Braised Beef Short Ribs

I had come across this recipe a while ago and had never had a chance to try it, for various reasons. But I was waiting for a nice cool fall afternoon to try this and boy was it beautiful outside today. This paired with a day of football made for a great Sunday!

Before today, I had never worked with beef short-ribs before. I finally found them at the store but they were boneless…hmm. I was hoping for the bone-in version, but I picked up two packages and thought I was set. But I happened to stop at another grocery store and they carried the bone in version. So I picked up a package of those and within this dish I was set to do a taste comparison. That being mentioned I know that bone-in cuts of meat will ALWAYS offer up more flavor to the dish versus the boneless cuts. As I expected the bone-in variety was way more tender and tasty, but the boneless cuts were ok also.

These hearty beef short ribs are slow-cooked in stout, a dark beer that originated in the British Isles. It is made with dark-roasted barley, which lends a rich, deep color and bittersweet flavor to the beer. I served mine with mashed potatoes and carrots, vary the sides to fit what you prefer.

Stout-Braised Short Ribs (from William Sonoma)

3 lb. beef short ribs (bone in preferred)
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
3 Tbs. canola oil
2 yellow onions, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery stalks, diced
6 garlic cloves, sliced
2 cups stout (such as Guiness Beer)
8 fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs (optional)

Season the short ribs generously on all sides with salt and pepper. In a large fry pan over medium-high heat, warm the oil until almost smoking. Working in batches (do not overcrowd), brown the ribs on all sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a slow cooker.

In the same pan over medium heat, cook the onions, carrots, celery and garlic, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to the slow cooker and add the stout. Cover and cook according to the manufacturer's instructions until the meat is very tender, on low for about 6 hours.

Transfer the ribs to a large bowl and cover with aluminum foil. Skim the fat off the sauce. Using an immersion blender, puree the sauce until smooth. (I used a food processor, however works for you best)

Transfer the ribs to individual bowls. Spoon the sauce on top and garnish each serving with a parsley sprig. Serve immediately.

Smoky Macaroni and Cheese

The first time I made this I was in love, the addition of a nice smoky Gouda was the perfect touch. Then, how can you improve on perfection, you can't right? Well you can, add a nice smoky bacon! That's how! Oh word, now she did it. Whether you try the bacon or not, it's our favorite mac-n-cheese (sorry Kraft.)

A few macaroni facts taken from Wiki: Did you know that Kraft first introduced Macaroni and Cheese as Kraft Dinner in 1937 due to the rationing of milk and dairy products and decreased meat availability. Also, singer Kurt Cobain, who suffered from a rare stomach disorder, stipulated in Nirvana's tour rider that his diet consisted only of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese. Maybe Kurt would like this mac-n-cheese recipe? We could only hope!

Smoked Macaroni and Cheese (From William-Sonoma)

4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 1/2 cups milk
1 Tbs. tomato paste
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 cups shredded smoked Gouda cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Pinch of cayenne pepper
4 oz. crustless country-style bread
2 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
1 lb. rigatoni, cooked until al dente and drained

**Diced and cooked bacon if using, amount is up to you :)

Preheat an oven to 375°F. Butter a large rectangular baking dish.

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the 4 Tbs. butter. Add the flour and cook, stirring frequently, about 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk and cook, stirring frequently, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the tomato paste. Add 1 1/2 cups of each cheese and stir until melted. Season with salt, black pepper and cayenne.

Tear the bread into crumbs. In a small bowl, stir together the bread crumbs and the 2 Tbs. melted butter and season with salt. In a large bowl, combine the pasta and the cheese sauce (and bacon if using,) then pour into the prepared baking dish.

Top with the remaining cheeses and the buttered bread crumbs. Bake until the cheeses are golden and bubbly, about 40 minutes (mine only took about 20-25 minutes.) If the top becomes too dark, cover with aluminum foil. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Serves 8 to 10.

Wild Rice Soup

There are few things that will warm your little tummy up on a chilly day like creamy chicken wild rice soup. Here in Minnesota we go crazy for it! The original recipe calls for sherry, but..I don't have any sherry, what is sherry? Why can you only buy sherry by the jug it seems? A local merchant once told me that any recipe that calls for sherry can easily be substituted with a dry white wine, I actually use a sauvignon blanc, nothing fancy. But if you do have sherry stocked in your cupboards, dig it out and use it!


Wild Rice Soup (From Lunds and Byerly's)

6 tablespoons margarine or butter
1 tablespoon minced onion
1/2 cup flour
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups cooked wild rice
1/2 cup finely grated carrots
1/3 cup minced ham (can also use chicken or turkey)
3 tablespoons chopped slivered almonds
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup half and half
2 tablespoons dry white wine
snipped fresh parsley or chives

In large saucepan, melt margarine; saute onion until tender. Blend in flour; gradually add broth. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil; boil and stir 1 minute.

Stir in rice, carrots, ham, almonds and salt; simmer about 5 minutes. Blend in half and half and white wine; heat to serving temperature. Garnish with snipped parsley or chives.
Amount: 6 cups.

Tip: One-half cup uncooked wild rice=1 1/2 to 2 cups, cooked. If you can, use MN Wild Rice and keep it real!

Bourbon Spiced Pumpkin Bars

I thought I had pumpkin bars down, I have a recipe that each fall my husband requests time and time again. Don’t get me wrong it’s a fine recipe. Then I stumbled upon these little gems! These pumpkin bars did what any good bar recipe should do and that is 2 things: make your house smell yummy and make tummies happy-simple right?

Bourbon Spiced Pumpkin Bars (Adapted from Good Things Catered)

1 c. plus 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c. white sugar
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree, drained on a paper towel lined fine strainer
1 egg
2 Tbsp bourbon
1 tsp vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Frosting (I used the already prepared kind from the supermarket, but if you prefer the homemade version more power to you!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line and prepare an 8x8 baking pan. (I used a glass 8x8 baking dish so I simply sprayed mine with a little baking spray)

In medium bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, spices, and salt. Whisk to combine thoroughly and set aside.

In bowl, add egg, sugars, oil, and pumpkin until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. I used a hand mixer, but a stand mixer will work great also. Add bourbon, vanilla and mix to combine.
Hand stir flour mixture into pumpkin mixture until just barely combined.

Spread evenly into prepared pan. Place in oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

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.

Tomato Basil Soup

This is the time of year to start turning to soups for a light lunch, or maybe paired with a nice grilled cheese sandwich for dinner. Either way, they are a tasty combination!

San Marzano tomatoes are considered one of the best tomatoes varietals for sauce making, they have fewer seeds, thicker skins, and they are also more sweet and less acidic. Italy is very particular as to which tomatoes are considered San Marzano Tomatoes and we reap the rewards of their hard work. Thank you Italy.

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup (From Barefoot Contessa/Food Network)

3 pounds ripe plum/roma tomatoes, cut in half
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 (28-ounce) canned plum tomatoes, with their juice
4 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 quart chicken stock

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Toss together the tomatoes, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread the tomatoes in 1 layer on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes.

In an 8-quart stockpot over medium heat, saute the onions and garlic with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the butter, and red pepper flakes for 10 minutes, until the onions start to brown. Add the canned tomatoes, basil, thyme, and chicken stock. Add the oven-roasted tomatoes, including the liquid on the baking sheet. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes. Pass through a food mill fitted with the coarsest blade (or a food processor or a blender.) Taste for seasonings. Serve hot.

**Optional for a creamy tomato basil soup, add a cup of half and half or heavy cream at the end.