Margherita Pie

See it here.

I first saw this recipe on Lauren's blog, and knew I'd be making it soon. C'mon, it includes my favorite flavors of tomato, mozzarella, and basil, so how could I not? It was very similar to a tomato pie I had made last summer, and this didn't fail to impress. When my somewhat hard to please husband says, "This is a keeper!", I know it's a great recipe. When my almost 3 year old devours an adult sized serving, I know it's a great recipe. Clearly, this is a great recipe.

I did cheat, using a store bought crust. I hope you can forgive me. ;)

Margherita Pie
Adapted from: Pies, Pies & More Pies by Viola Goren

Pastry dough:
2 c all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 tsp salt
1-1/4 sticks unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces
1 large egg or 2 large egg yolks
3 tbsp cold heavy whipping cream, milk or water

Filling:
8-10 slices mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
1/4 lb whole cherry tomatoes
1/2 c heavy whipping cream
3 tbsp sour cream
2 large eggs
1-1/2 tsp minced garlic
10-12 fresh basil leaves, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Prepare pastry in an electric mixer or food processor. Mix flour, salt and butter just until texture resembles bread crumbs. Add egg and cream, and mix just until dough forms. Shape into a thick disc, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out chilled dough to about 1/4″ thick and cut into a 12″ round. Wrap dough loosely around rolling pin and transfer to 10″ pie plate. Trim edges and freeze for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line chilled pie shell with parchment paper or aluminum foil and fill with raw beans or pie weights. Bake until crust is dry and lightly golden, about 15 minutes. Remove paper and beans and bake until crust is golden and baked through, 10-15 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

Increase heat to 375 degrees F and assemble pie. Arrange mozzarella in baked pie shell and top with cherry tomatoes. In a medium bowl, mix together cream, sour cream, eggs, garlic, basil, salt and pepper. Pour cream mixture into shell and bake until filling sets, about 40 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and let cool. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Pasta with Tomatoes and Peas

See it here

I had a plan to make something else this night, but when we were getting home from something at 5:30, and I saw the other thing took almost an hour to make, I went to the fastest thing on my meal plan. Winner winner, chicken dinner!! Giada to the rescue.

I thought this was a really tasty meal, although my husband didn't give it exceedingly high marks. I think I could have used a little more pasta water in the final product, plus I used a whole can of tomato paste instead of 1. measuring, 2. wasting whatever was left in the can (as an aside, I really need to check out those tubes of tomato paste).

This made a great deal of leftovers, which were really good the next day. I didn't try to freeze the leftovers, but will definitely do that next time.

Asian Chicken Wrap

From So Easy by Ellie Krieger, page 83

I had a hard time figuring out what would make this wrap "Asian," but the addition of sesame oil to the homemade dressing did exactly that. It was absolutely delicious, and so simple. Ellie means for this wrap to be a lunch meal, but we had it for dinner. I couldn't find Napa cabbage in the store (which is strange because I'm pretty sure it's in season right now), so I used romaine lettuce. In addition, I asked in the store where I could find wraps, and was directed to the Mexican aisle. So, I used burrito wraps that we already had.

These were delicious, and were awesome as leftovers too. Great to put in a lunch to take to work!

Ingredients:

Servings:
4 4

4

Servings Size

• 
  

• 3 tablespoons plain greek-style nonfat yogurt
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise (I prefer Hellmans)
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon thai-style chili sauce (I use Sriracha)**omitted**
• 12 nappa cabbage leaves, white center ribs removed**I used romaine**
• 4 whole wheat wraps (about 9 inch in diameter)
• 4 cooked chicken breast halves, sliced into 1/2 inch thick slices (about 5 ounces each)
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips

Directions:

Prep Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 15 mins

1. 1 Make the sauce first, by combining the yogurt, mayo, brown sugar, soy sauce, mustard, sesame oil and chili sauce and stir until well blended.
2. 2 To make each wrap, place 2 cabbage leaves on 1 wrap, then layer with a quarter of the chicken and peppers.
3. 3 Drizzle with 2 T. of the sauce.
4. 4 Top with an additional cabbage leaf.
5. 5 Roll the wrap and serve or wrap in some foil to go!

Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/asian-chicken-wrap-424351#ixzz1EEPyjc26

CORN AND ZUCCHINI QUESADILLAS WITH CHARRED TOMATO-BASIL SALSA

When I say Zucchini, you say delicious. Zucchini!
...

Not your first thought, and it really isn't mine either. But my little sous chef, on the other hand, couldn't (wouldn't) stop grabbing the slices from the cutting board for a little taste. I guess there are worse ways for him to spoil his dinner!

But, they didn't, and he ended up eating about half of his full size quesadilla. He loved it! We both did too, although M asked for no Zucchini in his. Instead, he put the salsa inside his quesadilla instead of on the side; brilliant, I said, and did the same.

In the future, I will put the cheese on both sides so it gets melty and glues everything together. It made it a little difficult to get out of the pan neatly (and pick up the wedges) without having done that.

I used a shredded Colby Jack cheese this go around, but would probably use something with a little more kick for my own dilla in the future--perhaps the suggested Pepper Jack would be a good choice. It was good this way, but I think it would be even better with the extra spice.

It uses leftovers from the burgers we made a few nights ago, but the tomatoes can also be substituted with a can of fire roasted diced tomatoes.

Recipe online here.

CORN AND ZUCCHINI QUESADILLAS WITH CHARRED TOMATO-BASIL SALSA

A great dish for the vegetarians in the crowd. Sauteing corn brings out its natural sweetness and the golden corn pairs beautifully with the cheeses, zucchini and chilies. Plus, the salsa has a delightfully deep tomato flavor thanks to the reserved charred tomatoes.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10-15 minutes

• 2 cups frozen corn, thawed
• 2 reserved charred tomatoes, diced (or 1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes)
• 2 tablespoons minced red onion
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Cooking spray
• 4 burrito-size flour tortillas
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese
• 2 small zucchini, cut crosswise into 1/8-inch thick rounds
• 4-ounce can minced green chilies, drained

1. Place corn in a large non-stick skillet and set pan over medium-high heat. Cook 6 minutes, until corn is golden brown on all sides, shaking the pan frequently to prevent burning. Set aside.
2. Meanwhile, to make the salsa, in a medium bowl, combine charred tomatoes, onion, basil, lime juice, and cumin. Mix well and season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
3. Coat a stop-top griddle or large skillet with cooking spray and preheat to medium-high.
4. Arrange tortillas on a flat surface. Top half (one side) of tortillas with both shredded cheeses, zucchini, reserved corn, and green chilies. Fold over un-topped side, making a half moon. Place quesadillas on hot pan and cook 2 to 3 minutes per side, until tortillas are golden brown and cheese melts. Serve quesadillas with salsa on the side.

Serves 4

Ice cream sundae brownies

I first saw this recipe when my friend Lauren told me about it. I then caught it on Picky Palate (she's the creator!) and her pictures definitely made me have to make it.

So, I made it today, since I had some time alone with my 3 year old and needed something to entertain him (ahem, US). We baked brownies. YUM!

I was somewhat surprised that these didn't have any of the flavor of the ice cream I chose (Blue Bunny's Birthday Party). Don't get me wrong; these were great! I wonder, though, how they would taste with a different flavor of ice cream--black cherry, peanut butter, etc. I don't really like mint chocolate chip ice cream, but I wonder how that would taste here?

Ice Cream Sundae Brownies

1 box Brownie Mix

2 eggs

1/2 Cup canola or vegetable oil

Heaping 1/2 Cup of your favorite Ice Cream (I used Ben and Jerry’s Phish Food)

1 1/2 Cups chocolate chips

1/4 Cup hot fudge topping (chilled)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl mix the brownie mix, 2 eggs and oil until combined…and thick. I did NOT add the water. Scoop in ice cream, chocolate chips and hot fudge; mix until combined. Pour into a foil lined 9×13 inch baking dish that’s been GENEROUSLY sprayed with cooking spray. More is better here Bake for 40-50 minutes or until toothpick comes clean from center.

2. Let cool completely. Remove foil from baking dish, cut into squares and serve.

12 brownies

Thai Chicken in Puff Pastry

When I think of Thai food, I generally think of spice, but it also involves a lot of peanut flavors. Robin's interpretation goes with this side of Thai food--peanutty and sweet! A creamy peanut butter sauce is combined with pineapples and ground chicken, and baked inside puff pastry.

I know what you're thinking to yourself, "Ew. That looks gross." It came out of the oven looking great, but when I took it off the pan, it broke apart and as a result, was a pile of mush on the plate. I know they say presentation is a big part of enjoying a meal, but I enjoyed this one nonetheless. BAJ's response was, "I don't DISlike it, but it's kind of weird too." (Thanks, honey). Our almost 3 year old enjoyed it too.

This one had me using the leftovers from the chicken burgers I made the other night. This one took longer than that one, I think, but it was still fairly easy to make! It was my first time using puff pastry, and it came out great.

Corn Tortilla Soup with Chicken and Lime

Recipe found here.

I have to tell you that I'm LOVING Robin Miller's method of making a lot of something with the intent of using the leftovers in another meal. It worked great in this case; in fact, the chicken wasn't that great the first time around--stringy and tough--but the additional simmering provided for this soup made the chicken much better, and even in some bites, quite good.
I made this using the leftover chicken I made along with Chicken with Sweet Tomato Pine Nut Sauce. This was definitely an easy and tasty soup, but was really not that satisfying for a whole meal.

Unfortunately, we didn't try the meal EXACTLY as written. I ran out of lime juice, so probably got 1T at most. It was still good without that addition, but it would probably have had greater flavor with it

.

CORN TORTILLA SOUP WITH CHICKEN AND LIME
Serves 4
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped scallions (green and white parts)
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 reserved cooked chicken breast halves, cubed (or 4 cups cubed cooked chicken)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups frozen corn
4-ounce can minced green chilies, drained
2 bay leaves
2-3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups crumbled tortilla chips
Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or stock pot over medium-high heat. Add scallions, celery and garlic and cook 3 minutes, until soft. Add chicken and oregano and cook 1 minute, until oregano is fragrant. Add tomatoes, broth, corn, chilies, and bay leaves and bring to a simmer. Simmer 10 minutes. Remove bay leaves and add lime juice and cilantro. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls and top with crushed chips.

CHICKEN BURGERS WITH GUACAMOLE, CHEDDAR AND CHARRED TOMATOES

Another Robin Rescues Dinner recipe. This was a really tasty burger, but since I'm so new to grilling things, I still have a lot to learn. My burger patties really need to be flatter, and frankly, thinner too (although Robin suggested making them 1" thick!) Found the recipe online here (you can also see what Robin suggests for the extra tomatoes... the book has a recipe as well for what to do with the extra burgers).

These came out pretty well. I was the only one who actually ATE the guacamole, although A wanted it but didn't eat it. I wasn't that happy with how it turned out; next time I will be sure to use red onion instead of yellow, and I might even add a few other items that typical guac uses like jalapenos.

Also, we did these on the regular grill, which I think added a nice flavor. In the future, we will probably slice the tomatoes before grilling, then put the slices on the burger, instead of Robin's method. Also, a slice of cheddar cheese would have worked much better than the shredded.

So, another keeper from Robin. YAY, ROBIN!

• Cooking spray
• 2 pounds ground chicken I used ground turkey
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 ripe avocado, pitted and flesh removed from skin
• 2 tablespoons minced white onion
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 4 ripe beefsteak tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 4 hamburger buns, toasted if desired

1. Coat a stove-top grill pan, griddle or large skillet with cooking spray and preheat to medium-high.
2. In a large bowl, combine ground chicken, cilantro, bread crumbs, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Mix well and shape mixture into eight patties, each about 1-inch thick. Place burgers on hot pan and arrange tomato halves, flesh-side down, alongside burgers. Cook burgers and tomatoes 3 minutes per side, until burgers are cooked through and tomatoes are charred. Top burgers with cheddar cheese, cover with foil and cook 1 minute, until cheese melts.
3. Meanwhile, to make the guacamole, in a small bowl, combine avocado, onion, lime juice, and garlic powder. Mix well with a fork, slightly smashing avocado into small pieces. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Chop all charred tomatoes into small pieces. Serve four burgers on hamburger buns with half of the charred tomatoes and all of the guacamole. Reserve remaining tomatoes for the salsa. Refrigerate extra chicken burgers and tomatoes up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or in the microwave on the defrost setting before using.

Serves 4 (with leftover tomatoes)

Sesame Pasta Chicken Salad

We were invited to a pool party, and asked to bring a dish to share. I really wasn't sure what I should make, given the expected very warm temperatures, and chose to go with something nice, light, and summery. To allrecipes I went, where I found a whole section devoted to potluck recipes.

I found this one there, and it was extra highly rated, so I figured I'd give it a go.

I made it basically as written, although added in some diced tomatoes. This was a really tasty dish. The chicken could easily be omitted, but it was really good with it. I had sent my husband to the store for some chicken, suggesting Perdue's Shortcuts. He told me he picked up the Italian style, not knowing what I needed, but it was still good. I ended up making a really large bowlful and came home with almost nothing left. Score!

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 1 (16 ounce) package bow tie pasta
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup light soy sauce
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3 cups shredded, cooked chicken breast meat
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/3 cup chopped green onion

Directions

1. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add sesame seeds, and cook stirring frequently until lightly toasted. Remove from heat, and set aside.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente. Drain pasta, and rinse under cold water until cool. Transfer to a large bowl.
3. In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine vegetable oil, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, sesame seeds, ginger, and pepper. Shake well.
4. Pour sesame dressing over pasta, and toss to coat evenly. Gently mix in chicken, cilantro, and green onions.

Grilled Pizza

I've never had grilled pizza before. We had guests last night, and I suggested we give it a go. They had never heard of it before at all, and I'm not really sure how I even came across the idea. But boy, what an idea it is.

I did a lot of research on how to grill pizza, but in the end, just followed the directions on the package of pizza dough--yes, I was short on time and focused on getting the house in order for our guests, and chose to buy the dough at the grocery store rather than make it from scratch.

So, here's what I did:
Dust your dough lightly with flour, cut in half (for 1 personal pizza; about 6"). Stretch it into a circle, rub or brush olive oil onto one side of the dough. Preheat the grill to medium (following the directions here... the dough got seriously black following this method, but came out AWESOME on the next batch, which we cooked on low). Place the dough, oiled side down, on the grill grates, brush top with oil, and cook until bubbly like a ready to flip pancake.

Remove from grill, flip onto a plate (cooked side up, this becomes the part you top).

Make your pizza. I chose to top mine in the margherita style. Mmmm. I put a thin layer of marinara sauce, thinly sliced plum tomatoes, thinly sliced ball mozzarella, and fresh basil. Mmmm, it was perfect. The research I did warned that all toppings must be ready to go, since the dough cook so fast. So, if you're using meat, make sure it's cooked through BEFORE topping. You want everything chopped and ready to top when you get to the grill.

Now cook the newly oiled side until the cheese is melty.

I may now sell my pizza stone, because there's no way the pizza in the oven can compare to grilled pizza. REALLY, it's that good. (Since this is my first season grilling, I don't know how realistic it is to grill year round for us).

Chicken with Sweet Tomato-Pine Nut Sauce

Continuing to cook my way through Robin Rescues Dinner, I made this chicken meal. Yet again, Robin suggests making extra chicken breasts, which will be used in another recipe. I found the recipe online here. I have yet to make the recipe from the leftovers, Corn Tortilla Soup with Chicken and Lime, but the original meal was pretty tasty. I was a little surprised to like it because I'm not a huge sun dried tomatoes fan, and M is not a huge pine nut fan, but we did both enjoy this. I served with roasted potatoes (McCain's frozen--they're delicious and some frozen veggies I had (I think it was a red pepper, corn, broccoli mix).

The chicken I had was kinda icky, which made our enjoyment a little less, but that's no fault of the recipe--I was tough; hard to cut, hard to chew. We got Little Man to try it, but after chewing his piece for something like 10 minutes, we let him spit it out. Poor kid really did try (anything for his after dinner tv time...sigh), and said he liked it, but who really knows.

So, this is a keeper in our house, provided I can find better chicken breasts.

Serves 4 (with leftovers)
Cooking spray
8 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 5 ounces each) (please have these already in a baking dish)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon salt-free garlic and herb seasoning
1/4 cup pine nuts
8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 cup oil-packed sundried tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, chopped (please chop for demo)
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (I will chop during demo)
Preheat oven to 400ºF. Coat a shallow baking dish with cooking spray.
Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper and place in prepared baking dish. Season the top of chicken with garlic and herb seasoning. Set aside.
Place pine nuts in a small dry skillet and set pan over medium heat. Cook 3 minutes, until golden brown, shaking the pan frequently. Transfer nuts to a blender and add tomato sauce, sundried tomatoes, garlic, and Parmesan cheese. Process until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon tomato mixture over four of the chicken breast halves. Bake chicken 25 to 30 minutes, until cooked through. Top the tomato-topped chicken with basil just before serving. Reserve remaining chicken for soup. Refrigerate remaining chicken up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or in the microwave on the defrost setting before using.

Fried Tomatoes

I don't know if I ever made fried tomatoes, having usually made a baked version. Tonight, though, I wanted something different. Something comforting. Something FRIED. This really fit the bill, and was delicious. It was much like the way my mom makes her fried tomatoes; I just need to figure out how she makes her sauce that goes along with them.

So, if you're looking for a great meal, this is it! Perfect for the summer!


Adapted from Simply Recipes.

Ingredients

3 medium, firm green tomatoes
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup milk
2 beaten eggs
2/3 cup fine dry bread crumbs or cornmeal
1/2t garlic powder
1/2t parsley
1T Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Method

1 Cut unpeeled tomatoes into 1/2 inch slices. Sprinkle slices with salt and pepper. Let tomato slices stand for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, combine bread crumbs, garlic powder, parsley, and Parmesan. Place flour, milk, eggs, and bread crumb mixture in separate shallow dishes.

2 Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a skillet on medium heat. Dip tomato slices in milk, then flour, then eggs, then bread crumb mixture. In the skillet, fry half of the coated tomato slices at a time, for 4-6 minutes on each side or until brown. As you cook the rest of the tomatoes, add olive oil as needed. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Goes great with mashed taters!

Continuing to work my way through Robin Miller's cookbook, Robin Rescues Dinner, and I made Veracruz Chicken (pg 129). I thought it was very tasty, but BAJ wasn't thrilled with it. He ate it, but wasn't impressed. I also enjoyed my leftovers for this one, which were even better than on day one. Finally, I made lots of extra chicken, which we used in chicken enchiladas.

So, this wasn't a keeper in our house, although I assure you that it's really tasty and something to try!

Spanish Sausage and Vegetable Kebabs, Take 2

I decided that, with the arrival of our brand new grill, it was time to try out Robin Miller's taken on kebabs again (We tried it previously on the Foreman with lackluster results). It was my very first time grilling! I think the photo came out beautifully, if I do say so myself!

I thought they were much better with the addition of char from the grill, but M still wasn't impressed. I'm now inspired, though, and want to make kebabs all the time!

I followed this one close to exactly as written, from Robin Rescues Dinner.

Pan Seared Tilapia with Roasted Red Pepper Broth

No win from Robin Rescues Dinner with this one. I found another blogger who posted the recipe here.

Perhaps my sauce was too thin, as I tried to make modifications from the recipe I had (for 8 fillets) to the recipe I wanted (for 2 fillets). The flavor, however, wasn't really that great. The orzo salad that accompanies the recipe was just so so. Not a keeper for us. Unfortunately, so far, we've really only liked our tilapia one way--smothered in junk that's bad for us!

Nonetheless, I still love this cookbook!

Pan Fried Chicken Enchiladas with Spinach and Cheese

Another recipe from Robin Rescues Dinner. This recipe uses leftover chicken breast to make fantastic enchiladas. BAJ made this one, and raved about it! Surprisingly, The Boy wouldn't eat it, considering how much he likes "cheese roll ups," aka cheese quesadillas. Not only was the meal tasty, and was fast enough to make, but it also got us eating a little spinach, which BAJ doesn't so much like. In fact, he raved about this one, knowing full well what was in it!

You can find the recipe here

• 4 cups cubed or shredded cooked chicken I took Robin's advice of using from a previous meal--just salt and pepper the breasts, place on a roasting pan, and bake 25-30 min @ 400)
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend or cheddar cheese
• 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well-drained
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 4 8-inch flour tortillas
• 1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
• 1 cup prepared salsa

In a large bowl, combine chicken, sour cream, cheese, spinach and spices. Mix well. Spoon the chicken mixture onto the center of each tortilla. Roll up the tortilla halfway, fold in the sides and finish rolling up.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add enchiladas and cook for 2 minutes per side, until golden brown. Reduce heat to medium-low, tent with foil and cook for 5 more minutes or until cheese melts.
Serve the enchiladas with salsa spooned over the top.
Serves 4.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09364/1024384-483.stm#ixzz0qhAGL0pL

Shrimp Pomodoro Over Angel Hair

Sorry for the worse than normal photography... having flash issues on my camera!

Another win from Robin Miller's Robin Rescues Dinner. Best of all, we ALL enjoyed this one--I really didn't expect my almost 3 year old to eat the shrimp, but he loved it. The sauce is very sweet, which could account for his enjoyment of it. It was fairly easy to put together, and it's a keeper in this house.

If you haven't checked out Robin Rescues Dinner, you should! It's got great recipes and best of all, she shows you how to make just a little bit extra of this or that to use in another meal.

Peanut Butter Cheesecake Minis

I made this for a Memorial Day BBQ we went to. I was planning to make my typical Key Lime Cheesecakes, but wanted to mix it up a little bit. I know I've made something similar using a different recipe, but can't find it.

Anyway, this was pretty good. It was really easy, which is nice, and it got the seal of approval from MH, who is considered a cheesecake expert in these parts (although I am now the cheesecake baker in the family...weird how that happens).

I had enough from the listed ingredients to make 18 mini cheesecakes.

Ingredients

Crust:

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
• 12 bite-size peanut butter cups I used both milk and dark chocolate Reese's
  

Filling:

• 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature Neufchatel~
  
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or almond extract
• 2 eggs

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place a paper cupcake liner in each cup of a standard muffin pan.

To make crust, in a bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter until crumbs are moistened. Press crust into bottom of each muffin cup. Put 1 peanut butter cup into the center of each crust.

Beat cream cheese with a handheld electric mixer until fluffy. Add sugar, flour, and vanilla, beating well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Spoon cream cheese mixture over peanut butter cups and graham cracker crusts. Bake until just set, about 20 minutes. Allow to cool completely before serving.