Arbuz's Kitchen

 photo credit: http://www.pauladeen.com

original recipe: http://www.pauladeen.com/recipes/recipe_view/cheesy_shrimp_dip/

Ingredients:

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the red bell pepper and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the shrimp and green onions and cook until the shrimp are pink and firm, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the sour cream, cheeses, and mayonnaise. Add the salt and pepper, to taste. Spoon the mixture into a 2-quart baking dish. Bake until lightly browned and bubbly, 30 to 35 minutes. Serve with assorted crackers.

 photo credit: http://nancycreative.com

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place your loaf on the sheet.

Slice your round loaf of bread vertically into 3/4″ to 1″ thick slices–but do not slice all the way through to the bottom! (You should end up with about 10 or 11 “slices,” giving you 9 or 10 “slits” to stuff with cheese, meat, and roasted peppers).

In medium bowl, combine olive oil, oregano, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, and minced garlic, stirring to mix well. Using a pastry brush, brush both sides of all the bread “slices” generously with this olive oil mixture.

In assembly-line fashion, make 14 “piles” with each slice of cheese, topped with a thin slice of deli meat, then topped with a roasted red pepper slice or two (you could also add or substitute some chopped olives, artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, sliced mushrooms, etc. with or in place of the red pepper).

Bend each cheese slice “pile” as if you were going to fold it in half, and fit down in between your bread slices. Because several of the end slices are narrower, one “pile” is enough to fill them up. The wider middle slices will require two “piles” stuffed in between them. For the other slices, I stuffed one-and-a-half of the cheese “piles” in between them. If this sounds confusing, all you really need to remember is to stuff the bread slices with your piles of cheese and other goodies till your loaf is well-stuffed!

Bake your stuffed loaf on the baking sheet at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted. Remove from oven, and serve while warm! You can just pull the slices apart as you’re eating it, or cut them with a knife.

 photo credit: http://www.culinaryconcoctionsbypeabody.com

Butter (or spray) a baking sheet; set aside.

Combine half of the flour with yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl; add warm water (110F) and oil; beat on medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth, 3 to 4 minutes.

Stir in garlic and as much of the remaining flour as needed to make a stiff dough.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead 4 or 5 times or until smooth and elastic. Divide dough into fourths; shape each portion into a ball then divide each ball into 10 portions. Shape each portion into an 6-inch stick. Brush 1 stick with water and twist it with another stick, pressing at the top and the bottom. Arrange the twists on a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining sticks.

Place twists 2-inches apart on baking sheet. Brush the twists with olive oil and sprinkle cheese on top. Cover and let rise in a warm place for about 50 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Bake until lightly browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve warm.

 photo credit: http://www.fatgirltrappedinaskinnybody.com

Ingredients:

For the crust:

For the filling:

For the ganache:

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

To make the crust, combine the graham crackers and melted butter in a bowl until moistened. Pour into a 9-inch springform pan. With your hands, press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan and about 1-inch up the sides. Bake for 8 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

Raise the oven temperature to 450 degrees F.

To make the filling, cream the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Reduce the speed of the mixer to medium and add the eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well. Scrape down the bowl and beater, as necessary. With the mixer on low, add the sour cream, and vanilla. Fold in the chocolate chips. Pour into the cooled crust.

Bake for 15 minutes. Turn the oven temperature down to 225 degrees and bake for another 1 hour and 15 minutes (DO NOT open the oven door when you lower the temperature. Trust you oven, and KNOW that your cheesecake is not burning after 15 minutes). Turn the oven off and open the door wide. The cake will not be completely set in the center. Allow the cake to sit in the oven with the door open for 30 minutes. Take the cake out of the oven and allow it to sit at room temperature for another 2 to 3 hours, until completely cooled. Wrap and refrigerate overnight.

*Lowering the temperature and letting it cook for a little longer allows it to cook all the way through without browning it or making too many cracks in the top. Turning off the oven and letting the cake sit inside with the door cracked is a great trick to continue cooking it, but it won’t brown or burn.

Remove the cake from the springform pan by carefully running a hot knife around the outside of the cake. Leave the cake on the bottom of the springform pan for serving.

To make the topping, heat the heavy cream and chocolate chips in a double boiler over low heat. Once the chocolate has melted and is stirred in, remove the bowl from the heat and let it cool. Allow it too cool to room temperature. It will thicken as it cools. But you will still be able to pour it onto the cheesecake. Carefully pour the ganache into the middle of the cheesecake and spread it to the outside, leaving about 1/4 of an inch space from the edge. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Ingredients:

Cake:

*To make this healthier, you can reduce the sugars to 3/4 cup each and the butter to 1 cup. The cake won’t be quite as moist as it should be, but will still taste good.

Cream Cheese Glaze:

Instructions:

 photo by http://www.othersideoffifty.com

original recipe: http://www.othersideoffifty.com/2010/11/pumpkin-toffee-cheesecake-treats-for-co.html

Ingredients:

CRUST

CHEESECAKE

TOPPING

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9" springform pan with cooking spray and place on baking sheet.

FOR CRUST: Combine cookie crumbs and butter in small bowl. Press onto bottom and 1-inch up side of 9-inch springform pan. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes (do not allow to brown). Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes.

FOR CHEESECAKE: Beat cream cheese and brown sugar in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add pumpkin, evaporated milk, cream, eggs, cornstarch and cinnamon; beat well. Pour into crust. Bake for 60 to 65 minutes or until edge is set but center still moves slightly. Remove from oven.

FOR TOPPING: Combine sour cream, granulated sugar, cinnamon and vanilla extract in small bowl; mix well. Spread over warm cheesecake. Sprinkle with milk chocolate toffee pieces. Bake for an additional 8-10 minutes. Cool for 10-15 minutes in pan on wire rack. Gently run a thin knife between cheesecake and pan and allow to cool completely. Cover cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Remove side of springform pan. Drizzle with caramel topping before serving.

original recipe: http://www.dashrecipes.com/recipes/cookbook/o/oreo-cheesecake-bites.html

Ingredients:

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 325°F. Line 13x9-inch baking pan with foil, with ends extending over sides. Finely crush 24 cookies. Melt 1/4 cup butter; mix with crumbs. Press onto bottom of prepared pan.

2. Beat cream cheese and sugar with mixer until blended. Add sour cream and vanilla; mix well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each just until blended. Chop remaining cookies. Gently stir into batter; pour over crust.

3. Babke 45 min. or until center is almost set. Cool. Meanwhile, microwave chocolate and remaining butter in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1 min.; stir until smooth. Cool slightly; spread over top of cheesecake. Refrigerate 4 hours. Use foil handles to lift cheesecake from pan before cutting to serve.

Cook's Note:

How to make mess-free cookie crumbs: Crushing cookies into crumbs can be a messy task. To keep the mess to a minimum, place the whole cookies in a resealable plastic bag. Flatten bag to remove excess air, then seal bag. Crush the cookies into crumbs by rolling a rolling pin across the bag until the crumbs are as fine as you need.

How to neatly cut dessert bars: When cutting creamy-textured desserts, such as cheesecake, carefully wipe off the knife blade between cuts with a clean damp towel. This prevents the creamy filling from building up on the blade, ensuring clean cuts that leave the edges intact.

original recipe: http://ohmyveggies.com/recipe-vegetable-baked-ziti/

Ingredients:

Instructions:

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray or oil mister.

- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add zucchini and mushrooms and cook until softened and liquid has boiled off, about 7 minutes more. Remove from heat.

- Add pasta, marinara sauce, and ricotta to skillet with vegetables. Stir until well combined.

- Pour pasta mixture into baking dish. Top with cheese. Bake for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley before serving, if desired.