Recipe: Bruschetta Chicken Bake

Serves 6
Prep time: 10 minutes; 40 minutes total

INGREDIENTS

• 1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 package (6 oz.) Stove Top Stuffing Mix for Chicken
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
• 1 cup Kraft Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

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PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place tomatoes with liquid in medium bowl. Add garlic and stuffing mix and 1/2 cup water; stir just until stuffing mix is moistened. Set aside.

Place chicken in 13 x 9 inch baking dish; sprinkle with basil and cheese. Top with stuffing mixture.

Bake 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Recipe: Cheesecake

INGREDIENTS

Crust:

• 1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 5 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:

• 24 ounces (three blocks) cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 eggs

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Note: to prevent the cheesecake from cracking at the top, before putting in the oven, place the cheesecake on a baking sheet filled with hot water (called a water bath). Cover the bottom half of the pan with aluminum foil to prevent the water from seeping in. Allow 15 more minutes of baking time if using a water bath.

PREPARATION

Crust:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Adjust oven rack to middle position. In a medium-size bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs with the sugar and butter. Mix well and place in the bottom and sides of an 8-inch springform cake pan. Make sure to press against the sides and bottom of the pan. Place into oven and bake for 10 minutes. Let cool.

Filling:
Prepare the filling by beating cream cheese. Mix in sugar and vanilla while beating until well blended. Add in eggs and combine. Pour mixture into prepared crust. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate overnight.

ENJOY!

Cheesecake

I had made this cheesecake some months ago and it didn't come out as I thought it should have. It was sunken in and that's not how a cheesecake should look like. It tasted great though, not overly sweet.

Of course, I had to try again and change a few things to make it come out right. I chose to use a water bath (explanation of what it is in above post) because the top of the cake was cracking. And problem solved! It turned out beautifully and tasted even better! Hope you try it at home, it's super easy to make. The bad part is waiting to eat it.

I forgot to mention this is a recipe from Paula Deen over at the Food Network. There's a video of this recipe on the Food Network website, just enter "Chocolate-Topped Cheesecake" on the search box.

Recipe: NY Style Crumb Cake

Makes one 8-inch square cake

INGREDIENTS

Crumb topping:

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
  
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 3/4 cups cake flour

Cake:

• 1 1/4 cups cake flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces and softened
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup buttermilk, room temperature
• Confectioner's (powdered) sugar, for dusting

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Note: Be sure not to press the crumbs into the batter, but rather, let them just rest on top. This cake can be served warm or at room temperature. To store, wrap at room temperature.

PREPARATION

For the topping: Whisk sugars, cinnamon, salt, and butter in medium bowl to combine. Add flour and stir with rubber spatula or wooden spoon until mixture resembles thick, cohesive dough; set aside to cool to room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes.

For the cake: Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Cut 16-inch length parchment paper or aluminum foil and fold lengthwise to 7-inch width. Spray 8-inch square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and fit parchment into dish, pushing it into corners and up sides; allow excess to overhang edges of dish.

Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat the butter into the flour mixture, one piece at a time, about 30 seconds. Continue to beat the mixture until it resembles moist crumbs, 1 to 3 minutes.

Beat in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla until combined, about 30 seconds. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat the batter until smooth and fluffy, about 1 minute.

Give the batter a final stir with a rubber spatula to make sure it is thoroughly combined. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and gently tap the pan on the counter to settle the batter. Break apart the crumb topping mixture into large pea-sized pieces and sprinkle it in an even layer over the batter, beginning at the edges and working toward the center.

Bake the cake until the crumbs are golden and a toothpick inserted inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 35 to 40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking.

Let the cake cool slightly in the pan, about 30 minutes. If desired, remove the cake from the pan using the foil, then dust with sifted confectioner's sugar before serving.

ENJOY!