Key Lime Cheesecake

This is my favorite cheesecake of all time!  It sounds a little weird, but it is fabulous and very easy to make.  I like to serve it with fresh strawberries.  It is very rich, creamy, and tangy.  You can buy key lime juice by the bottle in most grocery stores.  I do not recommend squeezing your own juice from lots of itty bitty keylimes, but feel free if you are feeling ambitious.

You will want to bake this cake at least 1 day before you plan to eat it.  It needs to cool in the oven for at least one hour, then go into the fridge to cool completely.  Resist the urge to open the oven while the cake is baking or cooling.  Be sure to put a baking sheet under your springform pan while the cake is baking to catch any dripping butter.  This recipe does not call for a water bath, but you can try using one if you like.

Key Lime Cheesecake

Crust
1 1/2 C. graham cracker crumbs
1/2 C. sugar
1/2 C. melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix all ingredients together and press into the bottom of a 9 or 10 inch springform pan.  Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.

Filling
2 lb. softened cream cheese (Philadelphia cream cheese tastes best)
2 C. sugar
6 room temperature eggs
1 cup butter, melted
2 T. vanilla
2 T. flour
1/4 C. key lime juice
2-3 drops each of yellow and green food coloring (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Add cream cheese and sugar to work bowl of mixer and cream together well.  Add eggs and butter, mix until blended.  Add remaining ingredients and mix until well blended and creamy.  This takes about 5 minutes.  **Optional step**  Add 2-3 drops of green and yellow food coloring to make a nice key lime color.

Pour filling mixture into cooked crust.  Bake at 325 for 30 minutes.  Reduce heat to 250 degrees and continue to bake for 1 hour, then turn off the oven and allow the cake to cool with the oven door shut for at least one hour.

Topping
2 C. sour cream
1/4 C. sugar

Mix together and smooth over the top of cooled cake.  Put in fridge and cool for at least 24 hours, or freeze at this point.  To serve, run a knife around the sides of the pan and remove.  Cut cake with a knife that has been dipped in very hot water, and run hot water over knife between each cut.  You can decorate the cake with sliced kiwi and strawberries, and serve with sliced sweetened strawberries.

Becky's Beef Stroganoff

This was a dinner staple at my house when I was growing up.  My brothers and I loved it!  I don't think my mom ever made it exactly the same way twice, but this recipe is a good starting point.  This is a lighter version of the classic recipe.

Becky's Beef Stroganoff

2 lbs. sirloin steak, thinly sliced
1 tsp. olive oil
1 lb. sliced mushrooms
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 can Campbell's Healthy Request cream of mushroom soup
1/2 C. beef stock
1 tsp. Lawry's seasoned salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
4 T. ketchup
2 T. Worcestershire sauce
6 drops Tabasco sauce
1 C. light sour cream

Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Add oil, steak, mushrooms, onion, and salt.  Cook until meat is no longer pink and onions are translucent.  Stir in soup, stock, and all remaining ingredients except for sour cream.  This can be done up to 2 days ahead of time.  Before serving,  heat thoroughly and stir in sour cream.  Serve over rice or egg noodles.

Moo Moo's Pralines

Moo Moo's pralines are divine.  She once gave Leia and me a praline making lesson at Aunt Jean's house on Horseshoe Bay.  Apparently, finding the appropriate hardware (an 8 cup glass pyrex measuring cup) in Marble Falls was quite the adventure.

This recipe makes lots of pralines.  Scoop them out onto waxed paper (you can give it a quick spray with pam for some added stickiness insurance.)  Work quickly--they set up fast.

Moo Moo's Pralines

1 cup white sugar

1-cup brown sugar

½ cup water

½ cup white karo

Dash salt

Mix and micro on high for 4 minutes

Take out and stir

Return and cook 7 minutes and 41 seconds (this is Moo Moo's exact time suggestion based on her own microwave, but your microwave might vary)

Remove and add

 2-½ cups frozen pecans

½ stick frozen oleo (margarine)

1 ½ t. vanilla

Scoop by small spoonfuls onto greased waxed paper.  Allow to set up until firm, then store in an airtight container.  Will store well for a week or two, if they last that long!

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Cream Cheese Pound Cake...mmmmm.  The cake is really good, but the batter is the most delicious batter on the face of the earth.  My mom made this cake often when I was little, and my brothers and I always waited eagerly to get a spoonful of batter.  Incidentally, it is not advisable to eat raw batter, but I don't care! This cake is wonderful all by itself, but I prefer to enjoy it with fresh strawberries and whipped cream.

Cream Cheese Pound Cake


1 8-oz. package of cream cheese
1 stick butter
3 sticks margarine
3 C. sugar
1 t. salt
2 T. vanilla
6 eggs
3 C. flour

PReheat oven to 325 degrees.  Cream together cream cheese, butter, margarine and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add salt, vanilla and eggs and continue to beat at medium speed.  Add flour a spoonful at a time until just blended.  Do not over beat.  Pour into a greased and floured bundt pan.  Bake for 1 1/2 hours.  Do not open the oven door during baking.  Remove and let cool before turning out onto a plate.  This cake will keep well for up to a week, or may be frozen for up to 6 months.

Chicken Masa Soup

I first had this soup in a wonderful restaurant somewhere north of Dallas.  I can't remember the name, but it was good!  My mom and I searched and created a simpler version to make at home. Don't be daunted by the long ingredient list; this soup comes together much more easily than it looks.  You can usually find powdered Masa in the mexican section of the grocery store  (it is called Maseca).  Do not substitute corn flour or corn meal. 
This soup is served in a unique way.  You scoop the "garnish" into a soup bowl (I like to use a measuring cup to make it look nice and rounded), and then pour the creamy soup around it and sprinkle cilantro and tortilla strips on top.  It looks beautiful, and it tastes fantastic!  I plan to make this soup next week--I will be sure to add some photos when I do.

Chicken Masa Soup

Soup Base

3 tb Canola oil

1 lg Carrot - peeled and chopped

2 sm Onions - peeled and chopped

2 Stalks of celery - chopped

6 Cloves of garlic - peeled and chopped

2 Bay leaves

1 ts Black peppercorns

1 ts White peppercorns

1 ts Coriander seeds

1 ts Cumin seeds

12 oz Mexican beer

12 c Chicken stock (or broth)

1 lg Red bell pepper

1 lg Yellow bell pepper

1 lg Poblano pepper

8 oz Masa (1-1/2 cups)

6 oz Jalapeno jack cheese, shredded

2 ts Cornstarch

2 ts Water

2 c Heavy cream

2Fresh limes, juice of

Cayenne pepper to taste

Black pepper to taste

Salt to taste

Garnish

1 bunch Cilantro (optional)

¾ c Cooked black beans

Corn tortillas

2 rotisserie Chickens, shredded

Roasted corn or 2 cans corn

Chopped scallions

Red, yellow, and poblano pepers diced (from above)

In a large pot saute in oil carrot, onions, celery and garlic until medium brown. Add bay leaves, peppercorns, coriander, and cumin seeds. Saute until toasted. Deglaze with beer. Add chicken stock. Bring to a boil and simmer. Add pepper scraps from dicing red, yellow and poblano peppers (no seeds or membranes) to stock.  Retain diced peppers for garnish. Simmer for 1 hour. Strain vegetables and spices out of stock, leaving only liquid. Put stock in a large pot and return to heat. Whip in masa and jalapeno jack cheese. Thicken slightly with cornstarch and water mixture. Add cream. Season with lime juice, cayenne pepper, black pepper and salt. (steep cilantro for 10 minutes if desired) Cut tortillas into strips and fry or bake until crisp. Warm black beans, chicken, corn, scallions, diced red, yellow, and poblano peppers. Serve soup in bowl, add garnish and top with crisp tortillas (makes 8 servings)

Mr. Moo's Cinnamon Raisin French Toast

This is a favorite breakfast at our house.  Moo likes to "help" me make it, mostly by pretending to stir things in bowls on the kitchen floor.  It makes 2 pieces of french toast.  Moo has one, and I have the other.  Yum!

Mr. Moo's Cinnamon Raisin French Toast

1 egg
1 T. milk
1 t. sugar (you can also use honey or agave nectar)
A few drops vanilla extract
Generous pinch of cinnamon
2 slices cinnamon raisin bread

Using a fork, whisk together egg, milk, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon.  Pour into a shallow dish.  Dunk the bread, one piece at a time, being sure to coat both sides well.  I like to use a fork to puncture the bread a few times to help the egg mixture soak in.  Heat a skillet to medium, spray with Pam, and carefully place bread onto skillet.  Cook until golden brown on one side, flip, and cook until golden brown on other side.  Serve with maple syrup and fruit, if desired.

Sweet Hot Pickles

These are so yummy with barbecue or pulled pork sandwiches.  They take about a week, so plan ahead!

Sweet-hot Pickles

1-gallon whole Kosher dill pickles, drained

2 cups reserved pickle juice

Four-pound bag of sugar or 8 cups

1 small bottle Tabasco

10 cloves garlic

Slice pickles into 1/4 inch slices, Return to the jar.  Add the remaining ingredients.  Store in the refrigerator for 10 days before serving.  Turn in the refrigerator every other day.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

I first attempted a recipe similar to this during college.  I was surprised by how simple, delicious, and inexpensive it was to feed a big crowd.  This recipe is delicious with either homemade or store bought barbecue sauce, and sweet-hot pickles.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

                                                                                

35 to 40 mini sandwiches

1 Pork Butt Roast

Rub for Pork:

8 T. Chile powder or regular Chile powder

4 T. brown sugar

2 T. Lawry’s season Salt

1 T. Cumin

Combine all ingredients and rub on the meat that has been dried with a paper towel.  Cover well.

Wrap roast in foil and place in the oven at 250 degrees for 6 to 7 hours.  The meat will be very tender and can be shredded or pulled with 2 forks at that time.