Individual Pavlovas with Cream Cheese Whipped Cream and Raspberry Sauce

I made these for Corey's luncheon. They are fun cuz they're pretty and different! They are named after Anna Pavlova, a russian ballerina. Primarily eaten in Australia and New Zealand. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 tsp cornstarch

6 large egg whites

1/4 + 1/8 tsp cream of tartar

1 pinch salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

Fresh mint, for garnish(optional)

Raspberry Sauce

3 Tbsp sugar

2 1/4 tsp cornstarch

18 oz fresh raspberries (frozen would work too)

1/3 cup water

Cream Cheese Whipped Cream

8 oz cream cheese

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 Tbsp granulated sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. In a mixing bowl, whisk together sugar and cornstarch. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip egg whites with cream of tartar and salt on medium speed until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes. Increase speed to medium high and slowly add in sugar mixture, then increase speed to high and whip until stiff glossy peaks form, about 5 minutes, adding in vanilla during last minute of mixing.

Spoon and dollop meringue into 3 to 4 inch circles onto parchment paper lined baking sheets then use the back of the spoon to create slight dips in their centers. Bake in preheated oven 60 minutes, then leave in oven with door closed, turn off oven and allow to rest in oven 45 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

To assemble, top meringues with cream cheese whipped cream then raspberry sauce and garnish with mint. Assemble just before serving.

For the raspberry sauce:

In a medium saucepan, whisk together sugar and cornstarch. Stir in 1/3 cup water. Add half of the raspberries, then cook mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly until mixture has thickened. Remove from heat and cool completely. Stir in remaining raspberries. Store in refrigerator in an airtight container.

For the cream cheese whipped cream:

In a mixing bowl whip heavy cream until soft peaks form then add sugar and vanilla and whip until nearly stiff peaks form. In a separate mixing bowl, whip cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add cream cheese to whipped cream mixture and whip until stiff peaks form. Store in refrigerator.

From cooking classy

Roasted Cauliflower White Cheddar Soup

This soup was really delicious and a perfect fall meal. I served it with Pillsbury French Bread in the can. Yum!

Ingredients

1 large head cauliflower(2-2 1/2 lbs.), cored and chopped into small, bite size pieces

1 1/2 Tbsp. EVOO

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 Tbsp. butter

1 cup finely chopped yellow onion

3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 clove garlic, minced

3 cups milk

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish

1 tsp chopped fresh thyme(or a slightly heaping 1/4 tsp dried)

1 bay leaf

1/4 tsp granulated sugar

4 oz shredded sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded(1 cup), plus more for serving if desired

1 oz finely grated parmesan cheese (slightly packed 1/4 cup)

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place cauliflower on baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and toss to evenly coat, then spread into an even layer and season lightly with salt and pepper. Bake in preheated oven 20 minutes, or until golden. Remove from oven and set aside.

In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add in onion and saute until tender, about 4-5 minutes. Add in flour and cook, stirring constantly 1 1/2 minutes, adding in garlic during last 30 seconds of cooking. While whisking, slowly pour in milk, followed by chicken broth and cream. Add in parsley, thyme, bay leaf, sugar, roasted cauliflower and season soup with salt and pepper to taste (I used 1 tsp salt but this may vary depending on how much salt you added to your cauliflower and how much salt you prefer). Bring to a boil, stirring frequently and allow to cook until thickened slightly. Puree 3 cups of the soup in a blender(being careful as your working with hot liquids) and return to soup in pot. Remove from heat and stir in sharp white cheddar and parmesan cheese. Serve warm garnished with additional shredded white cheddar, parsley and serve with fresh bread or croutons if desired.

From cooking classy

Raspberry French Toast Rollups with Cream Cheese Dipping Sauce

Ingredients

• 16 - 20 slices sandwich bread (I used the long square shape loaf)
• 1/2 cup raspberry jam
• 1/2 pint fresh raspberries
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg
• 2 Tbsp butter, melted
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
Dipping Sauce
• 3 oz cream cheese, softened
• 3 oz butter, softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 - 2 Tbsp milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Stack bread into stacks of 4 slices, then trim crusts from bread. Working with one piece of bread at a time, use a rolling pin to flatten bread to about 1/2 it's original size. Evenly spread 1 tsp raspberry jam just onto one half of the bread, then align a row of raspberries over jam. Roll bread to opposite end and set aside, seem side down. Repeat with remaining slices of bread.
• To a blender add eggs, milk, vanilla, flour, baking powder and nutmeg. Cover and blend on low speed 10 - 15 seconds until well blended. Pour into a bowl and dip roll ups into egg mixture, allowing to rest several seconds to absorb liquid. Make sure to seal the ends of rollups after dipping in egg mixture. Mine ended up leaking a lot of the jam out during cooking. I think sealing the ends would help solve this problem! Transfer to a lightly greased baking sheet 
• 
• Bake in preheated oven 9 minutes, then remove from oven. Brush tops lightly with melted butter than rotate french toast roll ups to opposite side and brush lightly with melted butter (bottoms should now be upright). Return to oven to bake 8 - 12 minutes longer until cooked through.
• In a small bowl whisk together granulated sugar and cinnamon. Once french toast roll ups are cool enough to handle, immediately dip and roll in cinnamon sugar mixture to evenly coat. Serve warm with cream cheese dipping sauce.
• For the cream cheese dipping sauce:
• In a mixing bowl, using and electric hand mixer, whip together cream cheese and butter until smooth and fluffy. Add in powdered sugar, milk and vanilla and whip until well blended and fluffy. Store in refrigerator.
• 
• Recipe Source: Cooking Classy, inspired by Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice

Pumpkin better than sex cake

Getting excited for fall with these yummy pumpkin recipes!

Ingredients

• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 14 oz pumpkin puree (NOT PUMPKIN PIE FILLING)
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
• 8 oz. tub cool whip
• 1/2 bag Heath Bits
• Caramel Sundae Sauce

Instructions

1. Mix together the cake mix, the pumpkin puree (DO NOT add the other ingredients on the cake mix box), and the pumpkin pie spice until a batter forms. Using the 14 oz. can of pumpkin puree will yield a thicker batter. You can add up to 1 cup more pumpkin if you'd like a thinner batter (which will yield a slightly fluffier cake).
2. Pour batter into a well greased 9x9 (9x13 if you added more pumpkin) baking dish. Bake at 350º for 35-45 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
3. Let cool completely after baking. Using the bottom of a wooden spoon, poke holes all over the top of the cake.
4. Pour the sweetened condensed milk over the cake, aiming to fill the holes. Refrigerate for 60 minutes or until the sweetened condensed milk has soaked into the cake.
5. Spread the cool whip over top of cake. Sprinkle on the heath bits, and drizzle caramel over top (just to your liking). Refrigerate for 3-4 hours, or overnight (best).

Notes

DO NOT USE PUMPKIN PIE FILLING. YOU MUST USE PUMPKIN PUREE IF YOU WANT THE CAKE TO BAKE CORRECTLY. The cake mix + pumpkin puree version of pumpkin cake may not be for everyone. I like it just fine, especially when it's soaked in SCM and caramel. But if you're not sure about it, feel free to substitute your own pumpkin cake recipe as the cake base. DO NOT mix together the pumpkin, cake mix, and the other ingredients on the back of the cake mix box!!!! ONLY mix the cake mix and the pumpkin puree. You must let the sweetened condensed milk soak in all the way. Letting it sit overnight will yield best results. Use the bottom of a wooden mixing spoon to poke the holes in the cake-- it's just the right size.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie

You Will Need:

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 (9 inch) prepared pie crust (or Graham cracker crust, whichever you prefer)

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 pinch ground cloves

1 pinch ground nutmeg

1/2 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees 

In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Blend in eggs one at a time. Remove 1 cup of batter and spread into bottom of crust; set aside.

Add pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg to the remaining batter and stir gently until well blended. Carefully spread over the batter in the crust.

Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until center is almost set. Allow to cool, then refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Cover with whipped topping before serving.

Loaded Chicken & Potatoes

Ingredients: 1 lb boneless chicken breasts, cubed (1″)
6-8 medium skin on red potatoes, cut in 1/2″ cubes
1/3 c olive oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp paprika
2 Tbsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp hot sauce (more if you like it HOT) Topping: 2 c fiesta blend cheese
1 c crumbled bacon
1 c diced green onion
How to Make: 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9X13″ baking dish with cooking spray. 2. In a large bowl, mix together the olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and hot sauce. Add the cubed potatoes and chicken and stir to coat. Carefully scoop the potatoes and chicken into the prepared baking dish.. 3. Bake the potatoes and chicken for 55-60 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes, until cooked through, crispy, and browned on the outside. While the potatoes are cooking, fry your bacon (about half a pound). 4. Once the potatoes and chicken are fully cooked, remove from the oven. Top the cooked potatoes with the the cheese, bacon, and green onion. Return the casserole to the oven and bake for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve With: extra hot sauce and/or ranch dressing or sour cream!

Mexican Lasagna

From Cooking Classy

Mexican Lasagna

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour

Yield: About 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked and shredded*
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 1/3 cups fire roasted salsa, divided, recipe follows
• 1 (4 oz) can diced green chiles
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 8 (6-inch) white corn tortillas, cut into quarters**
• 1 cup fresh corn (or frozen and thawed)
• 4 oz finely shredded Monterey Jack cheese (1 cup)
• 4 oz finely shredded Cheddar cheese (1 cup)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl blend together sour cream, 1 cup salsa, green chiles, cilantro, chili powder, paprika, cumin, onion powder, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Fold in shredded chicken. Spray an 11 by 7-inch baking dish with cooking spray and spread 1/3 cup salsa evenly in bottom of dish. Layer 15 tortilla quarters evenly over salsa, slightly overlapping each other (the flat cut sides of tortillas should be facing the rim of dish and rounded sides facing inward). Spread 1/2 of the chicken mixture evenly over tortilla layer the sprinkle 1/2 cup corn evenly over chicken mixture layer. Spread 1/2 cup Monterey Jack and 1/2 cup Cheddar evenly over corn layer, the repeat this process once more (tortillas (you'll have 2 quarters left over), chicken mixture, corn, cheeses. Tent with foil and bake in preheated oven 40 minutes, then remove foil and bake 20 minutes longer. Remove from oven and allow to rest 5 minutes then cut and serve with fresh tomatoes, avocados (or guacamole), additional sour cream, fresh cilantro, lime juice and hot sauce as desired.
• *I cooked the chicken in chicken broth in the slow cooker.
• **Don't use flour tortillas, corn is a must for this. Also look for some that are fairly stiff and sturdy, not delicate and flimsy.
• Recipe Source: Adapted lightly from Food Network

• Fire Roasted Salsa

  Prep Time: 5 minutes

  Ingredients

  • 1 (14 oz) can diced fire roasted tomatoes, drained
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1/3 yellow onion, diced into chunks (about 1/3 cup)
  • 1 Tbsp cilantro
  • 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
  • 1 small jalepano, sliced into 4 pieces (seeded if desired for less heat)
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  Directions

  • Add all ingredients to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator until ready to use.
  • 
    
    

Delicious!!!