White Cheddar Mashers

For most of my life I saw mashed potatoes strictly as an accompaniment to gravy.  They were only there so that I didn't have to drink the gravy straight from the gravy train.  Then I tried these and I find myself eating the leftovers straight out of the dish.  No adornments needed.  I also find myself hiding them in the back of the fridge so that no one else will see them and I'll get them all to myself, but that's another issue all together.  

Adapted from the Common Grill Cookbook

Ingredients

2 lbs. Idaho potatoes, peeled

1/4 lb. white cheddar cheese, grated

2 T melted butter

2 t seasoning salt

1/2 t white pepper

1/2 cup half-and-half

1/4 cup sour cream

Instructions

Cook potatoes in boiling water until soft, approximately 30 minutes.  Drain and transfer to large mixing bowl and slowly mash potatoes (use a masher, NOT electric beaters), add remaining ingredients and beat until well blended. 

Tropical Green Beans

I could eat these all day. 

Ingredients

4 T olive oil

1 lb fresh green beans, cleaned, cut, and dried

1 small yellow onion

6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1/2 t salt

2 T balsamic vinegar

1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, diced

2 t toasted pine nuts

freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Brush a large baking dish with 2 T of olive oil.  Put green beans, onion, and garlic in the dish, drizle with remaining oil and sprinkle with salt.  Bake for 25 minutes, stirring beans at least 3 times.  When tender, remove beans from oven and transfer to bowl.  Immediately drizzle with vinegar.  Add tomatoes, pine nuts and pepper, to taste, and toss. 

Double Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake

Janie's back folks!  Check out this beautiful cheesecake.  If there was ever any question, your Valentine will be yours after getting a taste of this.  

Cake can be completed up to one week ahead.  Cover and refrigerate.

Serves 12

Crust

1 1/2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs

1/2 stick butter, melted

Filling

3 bricks (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

2 T cornstarch

3 large eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

2 t vanilla extract

1 cup (6 oz) milk-chocolate chips, melted and cooled

1 cup canned 100% pure pumpkin

1 t pumpkin pie spice

1 cup (6 oz) semisweet chocolate chips, melted and cooled

Chocolate glaze

3 oz bittersweet baking chocolate

2 T butter

1 T light corn syrup

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350.  Coat an 8-inch spring-form pan with nonstick spray.  Have ready a roasting pan larger than the spring-form pan.
2. Crust: Put crumbs in a small bowl; stir in butter until evenly moistened.  Press firmly over bottom of pan.  Bake 8-10 minutes until set.  Cool on rack.  Wrap outside of pan with heavy duty foil.  reduce oven temperature to 300.  
3. Filling: Beat cream cheese, sugar and cornstarch in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until smooth, scraping sides of bowl several times with a rubber spatula.  Beat in eggs, one at a time, just until blended.  Beat in sour cream and vanilla to combine.  Divide batter evenly between 3 medium bowls.  Stir melted milk chocolate into one bowl; pour into crust in an even layer.  Whisk pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice into another bowl.  Carefully spoon over chocolate layer to cover, then gently smooth into an even layer with an offset spatula (take care that batters don't run together).  Stir semisweet chocolate into remaining batter.  Carefully spoon over pumpkin layer; spread carefully as above.  
4. Set spring-form pan in center of roasting pan.  Place roasting pan in oven rack and add boiling water to come halfway up sides of spring-form pan.
5. Bake 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours until set, but center still jiggles slightly when shaken. 
6. Turn off oven (leave door closed); let cake cool in oven 1 hour (if cake hasn't pulled away from sides of pan, carefully run a thin knife around edge of pan to release cake).  Remove foil.  Cool cake in pan on a wire rack.  Cover; refrigerate at least four hours, overnight, or up to one week. 
7. Chocolate Glaze: Stir ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth.  Remove from heat; cool slightly. 
8. Remove pan sides; place cake on serving plate.  Spread glaze over top to edge (some may drip down side of cake).  Refrigerate until glaze sets.

Chocolate Mint Bundt Cake

I've had this recipe bookmarked for a long time from The Sisters' Cafe and I finally got to try it when Abram made it for me for my birthday.  It is fantastic.  And dare I say even better the next day for breakfast?  

Meal Rotation Recomendations

All right, all right.  I promise I haven't been eating fast food for the past 3 months.  I've been trying out everyone else's food blog recipes.  So here are four of my favorites.  And by favorites I mean I've made these each at least twice since I discovered them and they're officially on the meal rotation.

Chile Verde

Greek Chicken

Ham and Pasta Skillet Dinner

Sweet and Sour Chicken

And coming soon, a Valentine's menu for you and yo' lu-vah...  

Chili Verde

Love this stuff.  It comes from The Sister's Cafe.  I recommend frying corn tortillas in canola oil and filling them with the shredded pork, sour cream, monterey jack cheese, cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice.  

Greek Chicken

I just realized I don't have a photo for this one, but rather than make you wait until the next time I make it, I'll just give it to you and hope you trust my recommendation.

I love any recipe that uses chicken thighs because they're so tender and juicy (not to mention cheap).  I also happen to love any recipe that uses sun dried tomatoes, so it's no wonder I love this baby.  Tomatoes aren't exactly in season right now, so I've just been throwing in a can of fire roasted diced tomatoes in place of the roma tomatoes and I think it tastes great.  I serve it over couscous which is a great combo.  

If you never cook couscous you don't know what you're missing out on.  Probably the easiest side dish known to man.  Pick some up the next time you're at the store.