Cinnabun Cheesecake

** Recipe from The Cookin' Chemist **

For the crust:
* 1 1/2 c. cinnamon graham crackers, crushed
* 1/4 c. butter, melted
* 2 Tbl. brown sugar

Filling:
* 3 pkg. cream cheese, room temperature
* 1 c. sugar
* 1/2 c. whipping cream
* 4 Lg. eggs
* 2 tsp. vanilla extract
* 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
* 1 c. coarsely crumbled cinnamon graham crackers
* 1 tsp. cinnamon mixed with 1/4 c. sugar* caramel sundae topping

Heat oven to 325. Spray a 9" springform pan with non-stick spray. For crust: mix the graham crumbs, butter & sugar in a bowl & press into bottom of the pan.   In the bowl of a mixer, beat cream cheese, 1 c. of sugar, & whipping cream until smooth. Stop to scrape bowl with a spatula often. Mix 3-4 min. until very smooth. Mix in eggs, flour, & vanilla and continue to beat until smooth for another 3 min.  Pour about 1/3 of filling on top of prepared crust. Layer a handful of crushed graham crackers & sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Repeat with another layer of filling & crackers. You may have to spoon the filling over the crackers & spread it carefully to cover the previous layer. Top with the last 1/3 of filling & a final topping of crackers and cinnamon-sugar.  Bake 45-55 min. or until cheesecake only jiggles slightly in the middle when shook (possibly closer to an hour - just keep checking on it and add a few minutes at a time). Do not take cheesecake out of the oven. Turn oven off & crack door slightly. Allow cake to cool in this manner for 1 hr. Remove & allow to cool further to room temp. Refrigerate for at least 6 hrs. or overnight before serving.

Strawberry Summer Cake

** Recipe from smitten kitchen **

* 6 Tbl. unsalted butter, at room temp, plus extra for pie plate
* 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
* 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
* 1/2 tsp. table salt
* 1 c. plus 2 Tbl. sugar
* 1 large egg
* 1/2 c. milk
* 1 tsp. vanilla extract
* 1 lb. strawberries, hulled & halved

Heat oven to 350.  Butter a 10" pie pan or 9" deep-dish pie pan.  (This cake does not work in a standard 9" pie pan; it will overflow.  Cake would work, however, in a 9- or 10" springform or cake pan. The 10" would make a thinner cake than pictured.)
Whisk flour, baking powder & salt together in a small bowl. In a larger bowl, beat butter & 1 c. sugar until pale & fluffy with mixer, about 3 min. Mix in egg, milk & vanilla until just combined. Add dry mixture gradually, mixing until just smooth.  Pour into prepared pie plate. Arrange strawberries, cut side down, on top of batter, as closely as possible in a single layer (might have to overlap a few to get them all in). Sprinkle remaining 2 Tbl. sugar over berries.  Bake 10 min. then reduce oven temperature to 325 & bake until golden brown and a tester comes out free of wet batter, about 50 - 60 min. (Gooey strawberries on the tester are a given.) Let cool in pan on a rack. Cut into wedges. Serve with lightly whipped cream.

Frozen Strawberry "Shortcake"

** Recipe from Kraft **

* 2 lb. fresh strawberries, hulled, divided

* 1/2 c. sour cream

* 1/2 c. sugar

* 1 pkg.  (12 oz.) Hawaiian rolls

* 1-1/2 c. thawed whipped topping

SLICE 4 berries; refrigerate until ready to use. Blend remaining berries, sour cream & sugar in blender until smooth. Cut each roll horizontally into 3 layers.  POUR 1/4 of berry mixture into med. freezerproof bowl; cover with layer of bread, pressing gently into berry mixture. Repeat both layers until all of bread and berry mixture is used, ending with berry mixture; cover.  FREEZE 4 hrs. or until firm. Unmold (see tip below) onto plate just before serving. Frost with whipped topping. Top with reserved sliced berries. Serve immediately.  

** Tip:  Remove dessert from freezer. Let stand at room temperature 5 min. before unmolding dessert. Or, dip bowl quickly in hot water to loosen dessert from side of bowl before unmolding.

Chicken Lo Mein

** Recipe from The Sisters Cafe **

* 1 –  1 1/2 lbs. chicken breast, sliced very thinly
Marinade:
* 1 Tbl. soy sauce
* 1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch
Sauce:
* 2 Tbl. oyster sauce
* 2 tsp. soy sauce
* 4 Tbl. beef broth
* 1 Tbl. granulated sugar
* 8 oz. linguine, prepared to al dente
* 1 tsp. sesame oil
* 1/4 c. canola oil
* 1 clove garlic, chopped
* 1 lg. carrot, chopped into 1/2" pieces
* 1/2 c. chopped cabbage
* 1 c. sliced mushrooms
* 1-2 c. bean sprouts
* 3 green onions, sliced in 1" segments, white & green parts
    
Combine marinade ingredients w/ chicken & allow to sit for 20 min.  While marinating, prepare the remaining ingredients.  In a small bowl, combine oyster sauce, soy sauce, beef broth, and sugar. Set aside.  Boil noodles as per package instructions.  Drain noodles & toss with the sesame oil.  Heat a wok (or large, deep frying pan) over med-high heat. Add 1/4 c. of oil. Add chicken. Stir fry chicken until cooked – about 5 min.  Remove from wok & set aside.  Add another 1 Tbl. of oil to wok if needed. When oil is hot, add garlic. Stir-fry until garlic browns, then add carrots. Stir-fry about 1 min, then add cabbage & mushrooms.  Cook 2 more min. Add noodles, bean sprouts & green onions and cook about 2 more min.  Add sauce to wok. Return chicken to pan. Mix everything together & serve hot.

** Recipe from Annie's Eats **

For the crust:
* 1 large egg yolk
* 1 Tbl. heavy cream
* ½ tsp. vanilla extract
* 1 ¼ c. all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the work surface
* 2/3 c. confectioners’ sugar
* ¼ tsp. salt
* 8 Tbl. cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes

For the ganache:
* 2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
* ¼ c. heavy cream
* 1 Tbl. unsalted butter, at room temperature

For the filling:
* 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
* ½ c. confectioners’ sugar, sifted
* ½ tsp. vanilla extract
* 2 Tbl. milk or cream

For topping:
* Fresh strawberries, sliced (approximately 12 oz.)
* Melted bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, for drizzling (optional)

To make the tart shell, whisk together the egg yolk, cream & vanilla in a sm. bowl; set aside. Place flour, sugar, & salt in food processor.  Process briefly to combine.  Scatter butter pieces over flour mixture; process to cut butter into the flour until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 15 - 1 sec. pulses.  With machine running, add egg mixture & process until dough just comes together, about 12 secs.  Turn dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap & press into a 6" disc.  Wrap in plastic wrap & refrigerate at least 1 hr. or up to 48 hrs.  Remove dough from refrigerator.  (If refrigerated for more than an hr, let stand at room temp. until malleable.)  Unwrap & roll dough out on a lightly floured surface to a 13" round.  Transfer dough to a 9" tart pan.  Mold dough to sides of tart pan & remove excess off top.  Set dough-lined tart pan on large plate & freeze 30 min.  Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to middle position.  Preheat oven to 375.  Set dough-lined tart pan on baking sheet, press a 12" square of foil into frozen shell & over edge, and fill with pie weights.  Bake 30 min, rotating halfway through baking time.  Remove from oven & carefully remove foil and weights.  Continue to bake until deep golden brown, 5-8 min. longer.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool.  For ganache:  place chocolate in a heatproof bowl.  Bring cream to a simmer in a sm. saucepan.  Remove from heat & pour over chocolate.  Let sit 1-2 min. to melt the chocolate.  Whisk together until a smooth ganache forms.  If there are still bits of unmelted chocolate, microwave in 10 sec. intervals, whisking in between, until ganache is completely smooth.  Whisk in butter.  Spread ganache in a thin even layer over bottom of cooled tart shell.  Allow ganache to set before proceeding.  For filling: beat together cream cheese & powdered sugar, on med-high, until smooth.  Blend in vanilla & milk or cream.  Spread cream cheese mixture over cooled ganache in tart shell.  Starting from the outside & working toward the center, place sliced strawberries in concentric circles slightly overlapping each other.  Gently press berries into cream cheese mixture to help keep them in place.  Drizzle with melted chocolate, if desired.  Chill until ready to serve.

Lemon Dream Squares

 

** Recipe from Kraft **

* 35 vanilla wafers, crushed (about 1-1/4 cups)

* 1/4 c.  butter, melted

* 2 c. frozen vanilla yogurt, softened

* 1 pkg.  (3 oz.) lemon flavor gelatin

* 2 c. thawed whipped topping

* 2-1/4 c.  mixed fresh berries (sliced strawberries, raspberries, blueberries)

MIX wafer crumbs & butter; press onto bottom of plastic wrap-lined 8" square pan.   Freeze until ready to use.  BEAT yogurt and dry gelatin mix in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Add whipped topping; mix well. Spoon over crust.  FREEZE 4 hrs. Use plastic wrap to remove dessert from pan before cutting to serve. Top with berries. 

** Substitute vanilla ice cream for frozen yogurt, and or graham cracker crumbs for vanilla wafers!

Grilled Fish Tacos

** Recipe from Blog Chef **

* 1 lb. tilapia fillets
* Salt & black pepper (to taste)
Marinade-
* 1 c. white onion
* ¼ c. cilantro (chopped)
* ¼ c. olive oil
* 3 Tbl. lime juice
* 3 Tbl. orange juice
* 2 garlic cloves (minced)
* 1 tsp. oregano
Lime Sour Cream Sauce-
* 1 c. sour cream
* 2 Tbl. lime juice
Tacos-
* corn tortillas
* 1 c. onion (diced)
* ½ c. cilantro (chopped)
* 2 avocados (peeled, pitted, and diced)
* ½ sm. head of cabbage (thinly sliced)
* salsa verde

In a med. bowl combine marinade ingredients; mix well. Sprinkle fish fillets on both sides with salt and pepper to taste. Spread half of the marinade mixture onto the bottom of a large casserole dish. Arrange fish fillets on top of the marinade. Spoon the remaining marinade over the top of the fish fillets. Cover & refrigerate for 30 min. After 30 min, turn the fish fillets over, cover, & marinade for 30 min. longer.  In a small bowl whisk together sour cream & 2 Tbl. lime juice. Cover & set aside. Brush the grill grates with olive oil or spray with cooking spray. Heat the grill to med-high heat. Place fish fillets onto the grill & cook for 3-5 min. per side or until the fish is fully cooked. Remove fish from the grill. Place corn tortillas onto the grill and grill for about 10 sec. per side.  Chop cooked fish fillets. To assemble tacos- place some of the chopped fish onto each tortilla. Top with lime sour cream sauce, cilantro, onion, avocados, cabbage, & salsa verde.
(Makes 4 Servings)