Cream Cheese Stuffed Carrot Cake with Orange Glaze

Cream Cheese Stuffed Carrot Cake with Orange Glaze

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups peeled and grated carrots*

Dry Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed 1 cup pecans, finely chopped (I use my food processor) 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon allspice 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Wet ingredients

4 large eggs 3/4 cup vegetable oil 1/2 cup vanilla Greek yogurt (regular or lowfat) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 teaspoons orange extract

Cream Cheese Filling

8 oz. cream cheese, softened 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1 large egg 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 3 tablespoons all purpose flour

Orange Cream Cheese Glaze

4 oz. cream cheese, softened 2 tablespoons butter, softened 2 tablespoons orange juice 2 teaspoons lemon juice 1 teaspoon orange extract 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Optional Decorative Garnishes

roasted pecans, roughly chopped orange zest

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Butter and flour a 10” bundt cake pan (or use nonstick-spray with flour in it). Set aside.**

To make the Cream Cheese Filling, beat the cream cheese and sugar until light and creamy. Beat in remaining Filling Ingredients until smooth. Set Aside.

In a large bowl, mix all of the Dry Ingredients together. In a separate bowl, gently whisk eggs then stir in remaining Wet Ingredients just until combined. Don't overmix.

Stir Wet Ingredients into Dry Ingredients just until moistened, then stir in 2 1/2 cups grated carrots until evenly combined (I use my clean hands to stir in the carrots).

Spoon 3 cups batter into prepared bundt cake pan. Spoon Cream Cheese Filling over batter and gently smooth, but do not touch the sides of the pan. Top with remaining batter.

Bake at 350F degrees for 45 minutes, cover with foil then reduce heat to 325 and bake an additional 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

To make the Orange Cream Cheese Glaze, using an electric mixer, cream together all of the Glaze ingredients EXCEPT the powdered sugar on medium speed for 1-2 minutes or until completely smooth. Add sifted powdered sugar and beat until very smooth, scraping down sides as needed. Place the frosting in the refrigerator for 5 to 10 minutes before using.

When cake has cooled, drizzle Glaze over cake or individual servings, whisking in additional orange juice/milk if Glaze has become too thick upon standing. Store in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.

Notes

*To easily shred carrots, use the grater on your food processor. If you don't have the grater blade, you can also finely chop in your food processor. **When "flouring" my pan, I use cocoa powder instead of flour because the cake is brown. ***Your cream cheese layer may not be as thick as the picture all the way around - I chose the thickest slice smile emoticon

Chicken Parmesan baked penne

Chicken Parmesan baked Penne.

Ingredients:

Serving Size: 6-8

- 1 pound ziti *can substitute with penne*
- 2 chicken breasts
- 25 oz tomato sauce
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup basil
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Boil pasta for 10 minutes, then drain. Dice chicken breasts and cook thoroughly. Add tomato sauce, then add cooked pasta and mix until the pasta is coated with sauce.

Pour half of the pasta into a greased 11x7-inch or 9x13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with 1 cup of mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup of parmesan, 1/8th cup of basil. Layer the remaining half of the pasta evenly on top. Sprinkle evenly with the remaining cheese and basil.

Bake for 20 minutes, remove and sprinkle immediately with additional Parmesan cheese and fresh basil. Serve warm and enjoy!

Spaghetti Bolognese

Spaghetti Bolognese.

Ingredients:

olive oil 6 rashers higher-welfare dry-cured smoked streaky bacon , sliced 1cm thick 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary , leaves picked and finely chopped 2 cloves of garlic , peeled and finely sliced 1 onion , peeled and finely chopped 500 g quality British beef mince 200 ml beef or veg stock 1 x 280 g jar of sun-dried tomatoes 2 x 400 g tins of plum tomatoes 500 g dried spaghetti Parmesan cheese extra virgin olive oil

Method:

Preheat your oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4. Put a casserole pan on a medium heat, add a splash of olive oil then cook the bacon, rosemary, garlic and onion for about 5 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft. Add the mince and break apart any lumps with a wooden spoon. Let it cook for a couple of minutes until starting to brown then pour in the stock.

Let that bubble away while you drain and blitz the sun-dried tomatoes in a food processor. Add them to the mince with the tinned tomatoes. Stir well and break the plum tomatoes apart a little. Cover with a lid then cook in the hot oven for 1 hour. Remove the lid after 30 minutes, and if it looks a little dry, add a splash of water to help it along.

About 10 minutes before the time is up, cook the spaghetti according to packet instructions. Drain, reserving a mugful of cooking water, then return the spaghetti to the hot pan with a few spoons of Bolognese, a good grating of Parmesan and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Mix it about to coat the spaghetti and to stop it becoming claggy, loosening with a splash of cooking water if needed. Divide the spaghetti between your plates or bowls, add a good spoonful of Bolognese to each one then shave over a little Parmesan before serving. Enjoy!

GARLIC PARMESAN CHEESE BOMBS

GARLIC PARMESAN CHEESE BOMBS

SERVES: 4 (makes 12 Cheese Bombs)

INGREDIENTS

1 can refrigerated biscuits (like the ones by Pillsbury - I used their Texas-style biscuits) 3 mozzarella cheese sticks, cut into 4 pieces each (so you have 12 total) 4 tablespoons butter 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning 1 tablespoon parmesan cheese

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 and grease a baking sheet. Separate each biscuit. Place one piece of cheese in the center of each biscuit, pinch the sides around the cheese so it is completely encased by the biscuit dough. Place seam-side down on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes until golden. Melt butter. Stir in garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and parmesan cheese. When biscuits are done baking, brush butter mixture over each biscuit. Serve warm.

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs.

Ingredients:

Cut low moisture mozzarella cheese into 3/4 inch cubes cubes. Store in refrigerator while preparing the meat.

In a large mixing bowl combine: 1 pound ground beef 1 pound hot Italian sausage 1/2 tsp garlic powder 2 tsp salt 1 tsp black pepper 1 cup bread crumbs 1/4 cup parmesan cheese 2 eggs 1/2 cup whole milk 1/2 cup chopped parsley

Method:

Roll golf ball sized balls with the meat mixture. Squish mozzarella cube into the center and pull the edges of the meat ball around it until it’s a new ball again.

Arrange meatballs in slow cooker and cover in tomato sauce.

Cook on high for 2 to 2.5 hours.

Enjoy!

Philly Cheese Steak Cups.

Philly Cheese Steak Cups

Ingredients:

1 green pepper, chopped 1/2 medium onion, chopped 1 cup mushroom, chopped 1 lb rib eye steak, thinly sliced olive oil 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 garlic powder 1/4 ground pepper 1/3 cup milk 1/3 cup heavy cream 1 package puff pastry, thawed 1/2 cup provolone cheese, grated

Method:

Sautè chopped pepper and onions in a skillet over medium heat for 5 mins. Add mushrooms and cook another 5 minutes. Set aside.

In another skillet, cook the sliced rib eye (the meat will cook in it’s own fat so no oil necessary!)

Once meat is cooked through, add the pepper mixture, and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste.

Add cream and milk. Bring to a light boil, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens. Remove from heat.

Cut thawed pastry dough into 3-4 inch squares and place in a greased muffin tray.

Fill with 1/4 cup cheesesteak mix and bake for 10-12 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Take out of oven and cover with shredded parmesan cheese.

Bake again until cheese has melted. Serve and enjoy!

Pizza Pinwheels

Pizza Pinwheels.

Ingredients:

1 17.6-ounce package puff pastry, thawed to room temperature ½ cup marinara 3 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese ½ pound sliced pepperoni

Method:

Preheat the oven to 400º F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and set aside. Roll out one sheet of the puff pastry on a floured surface, using a rolling pin to make it slightly larger. Top with half the marinara, half the pepperoni, and 1 cup of the mozzarella. Starting at one of the narrow ends of the rectangle, roll the dough into a tight log, pressing down to seal. Slice into 1-inch pieces and place on the baking sheet, leaving 2 inches between each pinwheel. Repeat with the remaining sheet of puff pastry, marinara, pepperoni, and 1 cup mozzarella to make more pinwheels. Sprinkle each pinwheel with the remaining cheese. Bake the pinwheels until they are golden brown and the puff pastry is cooked through, 18 to 22 minutes. Serve hot.

Watermelon and Feta Salad

Watermelon and Feta Salad.

Ingredients:

1 small red onion 4 limes 1.5 kilograms watermelon (sweet and ripe) 250 grams feta cheese 1 bunch fresh flat leaf parsley 1 bunch fresh mint (chopped) 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 100 grams pitted black olives black pepper

Method:

Peel and halve the red onion and cut into very fine half-moons and put in a small bowl to steep with the lime juice, to bring out the transparent pinkness in the onions and diminish their rasp. Two limes' worth should do it, but you can find the fruits disappointingly dried up and barren when you cut them in half, in which case add more. Remove the rind and pips from the watermelon, and cut into approximately 4cm / 1½ inch triangular chunks. Cut the feta into similar sized pieces and put them both into a large, wide shallow bowl. Tear off sprigs of parsley so that it is used like a salad leaf, rather than a garnish, and add to the bowl along with the chopped mint. Tip the now glowingly puce onions, along with their pink juices over the salad in the bowl, add the oil and olives, then using your hands toss the salad very gently so that the feta and melon don't lose their shape. Add a good grinding of black pepper and taste to see whether the dressing needs more lime.

Baked Sambousa

Baked Sambousa.

(Healthy version)

Ingredients:

3 cups whole wheat flour

1 egg

1/4 cup olive oil

pinch of salt

1 cup water

Method:

Mix everthing together and knead well.

Fill with filling of your choice, then brush with egg and milk. Sprinkle with sesame and flax seeds.

Bake till golden  brown.

Baked samosa (with Plain Flour)

Dough:

1 and 3/4 cup flour 1/4 cup semolina(fine) 125 grm butter 1/4 tsp salt 3/4 cup chilled water

Mix all the ingredients well. You might not need all the water. Knead well and cover with plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour. Then roll out thinly and fill with filling of ur choice. Bake for 30 mins or until golden brown.

Cheese Samosa

Cheese Sambousa.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup crumbled French feta (less salt) 1/2 cup crumbled white cheese Handful of parsley chopped finely 5-6 sprigs of thyme 1 tbsp chopped dill leaves

Method:

Mix all ingredients together n fill up the samosas leaves/ dough . Fry or bake. Enjoy!!

Baked Cheesecake Recipe

Baked Cheesecake Recipe:

INGREDIENTS FOR THE BASE:

75g/3oz digestive biscuits

40g/1½oz butter

25g/1oz sugar

FOR THE FILLING:

50g/2oz butter, softened

175g/6oz caster sugar

450g/1lb cream cheese (full fat soft cheese)

25g/1oz plain flour
1 lemon, juice and finely grated rind
3 eggs, separated
150ml/5fl oz double cream, lightly whipped

FOR THE TOPPING:

150ml/5fl oz double cream, whipped

450g/1lb mixed fruits (blueberries, raspberries, red currants) or bag of frozen fruits.
a little icing sugar (optional)

Method: 

 Lightly grease a 23cm/9inch loose-bottomed round cake tin. Cut a strip of non-stick baking parchment to fit around the sides of the tin, fold the bottom edge of the strip up by about 2.5cm/1inch creasing it firmly, then open out the fold and cut slanting lines into this narrow strip at intervals. Fit this into the greased tin with the snipped edge in the base of the tin and put a circle of non-stick baking parchment on top. Preheat the oven to 160C/325F/Gas 3. Put the digestive biscuits into a polythene bag and crush the biscuits with a rolling pin. Melt the butter in a medium pan; add the crushed biscuits and sugar. Mix well, spread over the base of the tin and press firmly with the back of a metal spoon. Leave in a cool place to set whilst mixing the cheesecake. For the cheesecake, measure the butter, sugar, cheese, flour, lemon rind and juice and egg yolks into a large bowl and beat well until smooth. Fold the lightly whipped double cream into the mixture using a plastic spatula or large metal spoon. Whisk the egg whites with a hand held electric mixer until stiff but not dry and fold into the mixture. Pour on to the biscuit base and gently level the surface with a plastic spatula. Bake in the preheated oven for about 1/1¼ hours or until set. Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake inside for a further one hour to cool. Run a small palette knife around the edge of the tin to loosen the cheesecake then push the base up through the cake tin. Remove the side paper and put the cheesecake on to a serving plate. Spread the lightly whipped cream in the dip of the cheesecake and scatter the fruits haphazardly on top. Lightly dust with icing sugar if wished

Enjoy!