Holiday Recipes

I made this for thanksgiving and it was amazing. I used pieces of a turkey breast though (because that's what my husband bought me) and didn't use the butter on it. The gravy is awesome too.

https://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/crockpot-turkey-breast-video/

Ricotta Cheesecake

You'll need a 9-inch springform pan; the pan MUST be 3 inches tall. Mine
is a great nonstick model with a dark finish, made by Kaiser. You'll
also need a food processor, preferably one with a large capacity.

*Crust:*
1-3/4 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

*For Crust:*
Butter the sides (only the sides) of the pan (do this even if the pan is
nonstick). In medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Stir
to blend well. Add melted butter and mix in thoroughly.

Using the back of a clean spoon or your fingertips, press about
two-thirds of the crust mixture onto the buttered sides of the pan. Make
sure the crust goes up to the top of the pan. Compact the remaining
crust mixture evenly onto the pan bottom. Try not to have the crust too
thick where the pan bottom and sides meet. Chill crust till needed.

*Filling:*
32 ounces part-skim ricotta cheese
8 ounces cream cheese, /softened/
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 eggs, graded "large", plus 3 egg yolks
Grated rind of 2 large lemons
(zest only ? no white pith)
1 Tbsp. freshly-squeezed, strained lemon juice
1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

*For Filling:*
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Open the ricotta; if there is any excess
liquid on top of the cheese, pour it off. In workbowl of large capacity
food processor fitted with steel blade, combine ricotta, /softened/
cream cheese, marmalade, sugar, flour, and the 2 eggs (reserve the
yolks). Cover; process at high speed for 20 seconds. Scrape down
workbowl. Process 20 seconds longer. scrape down workbowl once more, and
process 20 seconds for a third time. If the egg yolks have not been added already, add
them now, one at a time, processing about 10 seconds after each
addition. Scrape the filling into a large bowl.

Stir in lemon zest, then lemon juice. (When juice is added, slight
curdling might appear to take place, but just stir the juice in and it
should vanish.) Finally, stir in the chips.

Pour the filling over a spatula or large spoon into the chilled crust.
The pan will be very full. Carefully place cheesecake on center rack of
preheated oven. Place foil "tray" on lower rack and close oven door.

Bake in preheated oven for about 70 to 75 minutes, turning pan back to
front once about halfway during baking. When turning the pan, if any air
bubbles have caused the top to swell up in an area, prick them with a
toothpick. When done, outer edges of cheesecake will be slightly risen
and may appear to have a few small cracks in them, but center will still
be quivery if pan is shaken or tapped very gently. Remove to cooling rack.

Allow cheesecake to cool at room temperature, out of drafts, for 2-1/2
to 3 hours. Carefully loosen sides of cake from pan; remove springform
sides (leave bottom of pan on for now, even if you've used the
foil-covered cardboard circle on the bottom). Chill cheesecake for at
least 3 hours. If you used the foil-covered cardboard circle, now is the
time to run a thin-bladed plastic spatula between the bottom of the
circle and the pan bottom. Remove pan bottom and return cheesecake to
refrigerator. Cover cheesecake tightly when cold. Allow to chill at
least overnight before serving.

Optional:
Cover the top of the cheesecake with pureed cherry pie filling.

Stuffed Mushrooms!

Ingredients: Button mushroom caps, cream cheese, package of fresh chives, bacon bits, and butter. That's it!

Instructions: Pull the stems out of the mushrooms so they are like little bowl shapes. Mince the chives and mix in a bowl with the cream cheese. Fill the mushroom caps with the mixture. Dip them upside down in bacon bits so they cover the top (cream cheese side). Now melt the butter in a bowl. Arrange stuffed mushrooms on a baking sheet, and use a turkey baster to drench each shroom in butter. Now bake in the oven until the mushrooms are cooked and the cream cheese is soft and the bacon bits are crispy, and eat 'em up with some toothpicks! You can line them on a paper towel-covered plate.

I'd have to ask my mom the specific temp and cook time, but if I had to guess, I'd say 30 minutes at 350? If that is totally wrong I'll reply to this, but if I were to make them right now, I'd probably just eyeball it.

We have these every Xmas Eve and they are sooo good. Itadakimasu! Love, Kitty 🐱‍🏍

Anyone else tried the spring hill beef from Teague Premium Beef? I ordered a few cuts recently and they’re some of the best grain finished beef I’ve had from a local spring hill meat market. Super juicy, perfectly trimmed, and you can really taste the quality that comes from a dedicated farm in Spring Hill.