White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

So ever since I got this springform pan for Christmas I've been on a cheesecake craze! Which is not a good thing because I think I've gained about 5 pounds since making these recipes! Danny and I can get through a cheesecake like it's nobody's business! Haha! And have I got a great new version for you today!! I've been in love with the Cheesecake Factory's White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cheesecake since the first time I dined there. I did a whole bunch of searching to find out how people were creating something similar and after a lot of recipe research and combining, this one pretty much nailed it. I have a few tips below that you can use to help make yours even better. Everyone will be astonished that you made this on your own so take the extra time and whip one of these up to actually share with others (unlike us, who just hoard the whole darn thing for ourselves!) :)

COPYCAT CHEESECAKE FACTORY WHITE CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY CHEESECAKE

What you need for the cheesecake:

1½ cups chocolate cookie crumbs (or 20 crumbled Oreo cookies -filling removed)-I recommend using the Oreos...I didn't like the chocolate cookie I used as much and think this is the best route to go.
1/3 cup margarine, melted
½ cup seedless raspberry jam
¼ cup water
4- 8 oz pkgs cream cheese (softened)
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
5 eggs
4 oz white chocolate, chopped into chunks- I would actually cut them even smaller- more like slivers of chocolate

You will also need a large pan or oven-safe skillet filled with about 1/2 inch of water to put into the oven while it preheats. This will be your water bath.

To make the cheesecake:

1. Prepare your water bath pan and preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

2. Combine the raspberry jam with ¼ cup water in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 1 1/2 minutes on high in your microwave and stir until all combined. If you used a seeded variety, you can now strain out the seeds.

3. If your cookies are not already smashed, mash them in a large Ziploc bag until crumbs form. (Or use a food processor.) 

4. Measure 1 1/2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs, into a medium bowl. Mix in 1/3 cup melted margarine.

5. Using your fingers or the bottom of a flat cup, press the crumb mixture flat into the bottom of the pan and about 2/3 up the side. (You can line with parchment paper but I did not and did not have any problems with this).

6. Wrap a large piece of foil around the bottom of the pan to keep the cheesecake in the water bath.

7. Put the crust in your fridge or freezer until the filling is done.

8.Using an electric mixer, combine the softened cream cheese with the sugar, sour cream, and vanilla.

Mix for a couple minutes or until the ingredients are smooth and creamy, being sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

9. Whisk the eggs in a separate bowl and then add them to the cream cheese mixture.

Blend the mixture just enough to integrate the eggs.
10. Remove the crust from the freezer and sprinkle 4 oz of white chocolate chunks onto the bottom of the crust.

11. Pour half of the cream cheese filling into the crust. Drizzle the raspberry filling mixture over the entire surface of the filling.

12. Use a butter knife to swirl the raspberry into the cream cheese (it doesn’t look super pretty but that’s okay- it still tastes great!) Pour the other half of the filling into the crust.

13. Carefully place the cheesecake into the water bath in the oven.
14. Bake for 12 minutes at 475 degrees F, then turn the oven down to 350 degrees F and bake for 50 to 60 minutes more. The top of the cheesecake should turn a light brown or tan color.

15. Remove the cheesecake from the oven to cool.
When the cheesecake is cool, you can remove it from the spring form pan, transfer to a plate and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Or, you can just leave it in the pan and remove it when you’re ready to serve.

16. For extra garnish, sprinkle the top with shaved white chocolate and/or whipped cream.

ENJOY!

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

This soup can brighten any dreary, cold winters day. It will also warm up your kitchen and your belly! I first had this soup at Panera a while back and I loved it! So of course, I went on a search for a copy cat recipe that I could try. I've made this about 4 times now so I've got the recipe down pretty good. It even won our tailgate's soup/chili cookoff last year! I couldn't believe that every last drop of this soup went. It's creamy, thick and hearty so you could have it all alone or with a grilled cheese to feel even more warm and gooey! If you want a thick soup, I would follow the recipe listed below pretty closely. If you use much more liquid, it can get pretty thin but do whatever suits your family's taste buds!


COPYCAT PANERA CREAMY CHICKEN WITH WILD RICE SOUP

What you need for the soup:
About 3 cups chicken broth
2 chicken breasts (boneless, cooked and cubed-you can always get a rotisserie and just cut it up)
1 (6 ounce) package long grain and wild rice blend, quick cooking version (You will use the seasoning packet so be sure to save it)

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup butter (12 tbsp)
1 cup carrot, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup onion, diced (I use one medium)
1 cup cremini mushrooms 
About 3 cups light cream (I use 1.5 cups heavy cream and 1 cup skim or 1% milk)

To make the soup:
1. I always start by cooking my chicken first that way it’s out of the way.

 

2. Prepare rice according to package directions except DO NOT use the seasoning mix. You could also substitute chicken broth for the water for added flavor.

 

3. While your rice is cooking, cut up your veggies (I always buy the mushrooms and carrots already cut so all I have to prepare is the celery and onion).

4. Once rice is done, add your cooked chicken to the pot and 2-3 cups of your broth. (I normally start light with 2 cups as you can always add more later.) Leave this pot off (no heat) but covered while you cook your veggies.

 

5. In a small bowl, combine pepper and flour. Set aside.  

6. In a large pot over medium heat, melt your butter. Add carrots, celery, mushrooms and onion and sautee for about 5 minutes. Stir in the contents of seasoning packet, and continue cooking your vegetables until softened, about 5-10 minutes more.

 

7. Now, add in your seasoned flour while stirring constantly to form a roux (a golden, thick mixture of the butter and flour). Continue stirring and cooking the roux for 3-4 minutes until it is nice and thick.

This is the 'roux' after about 5 minutes cooking.

8. Slowly whisk in cream (and/or milk), a little at a time, until fully incorporated and smooth. Cook until thickened, about 5 minutes.

Remember I only used 2.5 cups of 'cream'.

9. Take your broth, rice and chicken pot and stir it into the cream mixture until it’s all well incorporated. If it’s too thick, add more broth. (The original recipe called for 6 cups but we like our soup thick so I never use that much. I actually didn't add any more than the original 2 cups to this particular batch.)

10. Bring soup to a boil and then simmer for about 10 minutes to mix all your flavors. The soup really does thicken as it cooks; if you want, add more broth. Or, if you save it for later in the week to re-heat you can add more chicken stock at that point, too!

It really thickens up after cooking!

Serve with bread or a grilled cheese for an extra yummy meal!! ENJOY!

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Hello and Happy Monday! I meant to post this over the weekend but I wasn't feeling quite as on top of my game as I would have liked. I think all the travel last week got to me more than I had hoped. Oh well, I had some time to recover and am feeling better- ready for another busy week back in the office. I have made this dip probably a dozen times and it's a HUGE hit- everyone always asks for the recipe so I figured it was probably about time to blog it. I originally had this at my friends Krista's house and asked for the recipe right away...over time I've adapted it a bit (the garlic, Alfredo sauce and types of cheese) but have pretty much come back to the same variation listed below. Please give this a try- it's SO easy and a definite crowd-pleaser. You can even prepare this a day or two in advance, pop it in the fridge and then just pull it out to bake when you're ready.

What you need for the dip:
2 cloves of garlic (I used one big one)
1 (10 oz) package of frozen chopped spinach (thawed)
1 (14 oz) can of quartered artichokes, drained
10 oz of Alfredo sauce (I usually use the Classico light as I don't think you can tell and it saves a few calories)
1/2 of an 8 oz package of cream cheese (softened)
1 heaping cup shredded mozzarella cheese (I even go up to 1.5 sometimes!)
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (plus a little extra for topping)

To make the dip:
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a small casserole dish with non stick cooking spray.
2.Place garlic in a small piece of foil- leave skins in tact. Bake in the preheated oven 15-20 minutes, until soft. 

3. In the meantime, drain your artichokes and chop into bite size pieces.

4. Now, spend some time draining your thawed spinach. This can take a while but be patient because you don't want watery spinach in your dip. I use paper towels and push down several times into a colander until I feel it's pretty dry.

5. Once your garlic is roasted, remove from heat and let cool. When it's cool enough to touch, squeeze softened garlic from skins into the bottom of your casserole dish. Spread it around with the back of a spoon. 

6. In a large bowl, mix your spinach, artichoke hearts, Alfredo sauce, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, and cream cheese. 

All mixed up!

7. Transfer to your casserole dish and top with a little extra Parmesan cheese.
8. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, or until cheeses are melted and bubbly. Serve warm with tortilla or pita chips! I often transfer mine into a small crock pot so we can keep it warm while we munch!

Before baking...

and after!

ENJOY!

Cookie Pops

Happy Valentine's Day Everybody!! Whether you have a special someone in your life or not, who doesn't love a yummy Valentine's Day treat?! Plus, y'all know that pink is by far the best color ever and this is a great holiday to play that up! These treats are not only SUPER easy but you can decorate them any way you like- with the kids as a fun activity or on your own as a surprise for those you love. These can also be adapted for any holiday- just switch out your food coloring and sprinkles. These are FUN so get festive and start baking!

What you need for the cookie pops: 
1 Package (16 oz) Pillsbury refrigerated sugar cookies (the ready to bake kind)
24 popsicle sticks or cake-pop sticks
Frosting (I used my fluffcream version but you could just use a store bought container- just be sure it's light enough that you can dye it with food coloring)
Red food coloring
Assorted candies, decorating sprinkles, nonpareils

Here are the sticks I used and the cookie dough.

These are the toppings I used- sprinkles M&Ms, etc.

To make the cookie pops: 

1. Heat your oven to 350 degrees F. On an ungreased cookie sheet, place cookie dough pieces 2 inches apart. Press a cake pop stick about 1-inch into the side of each piece of dough.It's okay to overlap the sticks so you can fit them on the sheet.

2. Bake according to package directions- about 12-16 minutes- until edges are light golden brown. Cool them on the pan for 2 minutes; then transfer to a wire rack until completely cool.

3. In the meantime, split your frosting into two bowls. I kept one bowl white and put red food coloring into the other bowl until I had the pink color I desired.

4. Once the cookies are cool, spread frosting on one side of each cookie and then decorate with candies and sprinkles. Pretty AND delicious!!

To get the heart effect, I just put some of each frosting color into a ziploc bag and cut a small hole at the tip to draw. 

Danny took an old piece of wood and drilled holes in it for the pops. I just used some old pink ribbon to wrap around it for decoration! Festive!

ENJOY!

Cinnamon Cupcakes

Hello everyone! I was really busy in the kitchen this past week but I'm saving some of the recipes to blog with you while I'm traveling this week. Since I will not be able to bake as much, blogging should help get me through! I actually made these sweet treats for Danny's office last week and he helped me out in the kitchen! I was SO excited because I got to go out to lunch with Danny and his boss on Thursday- what a delight! It was so nice to meet her and learn more about Danny's office. On the way back from lunch they invited me up to meet everyone so I was really glad to have some goodies to share. I think they were a hit-I even ate one myself which I admit was super tasty! So I'm excited to share this recipe with you- especially because it's not difficult at all! Since it's been a while since my original fluffcream frosting post, I thought I'd go ahead and throw a refresher of that in here, too.

What you need for the cake:

1 package (18.25 ounces) yellow cake mix
1 package (4-serving size) vanilla instant pudding mix
1 cup water
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
4 eggs
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 
What you need for the frosting:

1 lb box of powdered sugar

1 8 oz package of cream cheese (softened)

1 stick of butter (softened)

1 12oz jar of marshmallow fluff

To make the cakes:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. 

2. Lightly grease or line 24 muffin cups with paper baking cups and set aside.

3. Put your cake mix, pudding mix, water, butter, eggs, cinnamon and vanilla in large bowl and beat with electric mixer on low speed until it is just moistened. 4. Scrape the sides of the bowl if needed then turn up the mixer and beat for 2 minutes more until really light and fluffy.

5. Spoon the batter into your prepared muffin cups, filling each cup about 2/3 full.

6. Bake 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cupcake comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. 

Now you can prepare your frosting:
1. Beat your softened cream cheese with the butter until combined.
2. Next, beat in the marshmallow fluff until evenly mixed.
3. Mix in your powdered sugar one cup at a time until you've reached your desired consistency- it will be pretty thick!

Frost your cooled cupcakes as you wish- pretty and delicious!

ENJOY!!

And our cutie pie sleeping while we baked!
(Although he should be in the bed- silly guy!)