Candy Corn Cheesecake

So, I have recently discovered Pinterest which is kind of a way to collaborate anything you find online. I came across an awesome looking Candy Corn Cheesecake on Pinterest via this website. I decided I had to at least try to make it!

I did not, however, have a checkerboard cake pan, so the Mr. made some imitation circles out of foil.  They worked well enough, and this is the end result.  Oh, also, I only used one batch of cheesecake recipe instead of two, so it's also a little short.

 

I'm definitely not a pro at cake making, but I thought the idea was cute, at least.

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It turned out better than I thought it would, at least while we were in the process of making it.  I'm not that even huge of a fan of candy corn, but I think it's cute. Is that weird?? Oh well!

Hope everyone's having a lovely Tuesday.

Baked Breaded Eggplant with Marinara

Baked Breaded Eggplant with Marinara

The ingredients and instructions might look daunting, but it's really easy to make! As long as you can slide, dredge, dunk, and spray, you'll be able to make this. I usually enjoy this as the 'main course' of the meal, and two stacks of three eggplant slices are plenty filling for me. This could also be a side dish, too. Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 large eggplant  (or 2 medium eggplants)
1 c. egg substitute (or 2-3 eggs)
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 c. crumbs
2 c. Parmesan cheese
2 c. mozzarella cheese
2 c. marinara sauce (or any other tomato/pasta sauce)

*For breadcrumbs, I use whatever I have on hand and pulverize it using a food processor.  Sometimes I'll make breadcrumbs from toast in the food processor.  This time, I used a combination of leftover Cheerios, Club crackers, and graham crackers which were left over from this recipe.

Preparation
Heat the oven to 400* F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.

Instructions

1. Wash the eggplant, trim the ends off, and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices.
2. Whisk together the egg, oregano, basil, garlic powder, black pepper, and 1 c. of Parmesan cheese in a shallow dish.
3. Dredge each eggplant slice through the egg mixture (making sure it is entirely coated) and then through the crumbs, pressing down to make sure the crumbs get all over every part of the slice.  Place on the baking sheet.
4. Repeat steps 4 and 5 until all the slices have been coated with crumbs. Spray the top sides of the eggplant slices with a coat of cooking spray.
5. Bake for 20 minutes then flip the slices over. Coat the new "top" sides with a layer of cooking spray and bake for 20 more minutes.
6. Take the baking sheets out of the oven. Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan on each slice and bake for two more minutes, or until the cheese melts.
7. To serve, put one eggplant slice on a plate, top with marinara, and add mozzarella. Repeat the process with two more slices stacked on top of the first slice.  

Egg mixture, crumbs, and a happy eggplant

ready to go!

baking in the oven

prepared and ready to enjoy. yum!

I used two eggplants, which made plenty of leftovers for just the Mr. and I. I store the eggplant slices just as they are straight out of the oven. Don't put the marinara and mozzarella on until right before you serve it. It seems to keep it's freshness best if the leftovers are made that way, instead of assembled and then stored.

Also, I tried to put this recipe up on this website so that it could be formatted better, but I'm not sure if I have the hang of posting recipes yet. If anyone has any tips on how to get Google's recipe search to integrate with recipes on blogger, I'd be more than happy to hear how that works!

Pizza from Ingredients :P

I was initially going to write 'Pizza from Scratch' for my title, but I didn't really scratch it out, and ingredients are what I used to make the pizza...so that makes sense, right? hardy-har-har-har.

The first thing I did was prepare the tomatoes for the oven, since I wanted them to cook at a really low heat for quite a long time. {Ideally, I was trying to follow Nigella's 'Moonblush Tomatoes' recipe here, and you're supposed to cook them overnight.Unfortunately, I rarely plan ahead so I just kind of altered the duration and temperature.}  I also must have forgotten to take a picture after I added half a chopped red onion to this cookie sheet.  The recipe version doesn't add the red onion, but I wanted more of a baked, onion-y spice to the sauce. This went in the oven while I prepared the rest of the pizza.  This becomes the pizza sauce.

Then I made a basic pizza dough {following this recipe}, let it sit, saved half, flung it around/rolled it out (which I managed to do without a rolling pin!), added pesto, added the pizza sauce from the oven, and added chopped green peppers.  I meant to put mushrooms on the pizza, but had used two pints in a soup instead of just one.  Oops!  This was just as tasty, anyway.

Next, I sprinkled mozzarella cheese and spices on top and then stuck it in the oven!

 We cut it up, and it was time to dig in!  {Notice in the picture that we ate a few pieces right away before I remembered to take a picture before it was all gone.}  At least I get points for remembering.

Baked Crabby Rangoon

By: nat
Published: April 29, 2011
This is essentially the recipe that the Mr. and I have settled on when we want crab rangoon without having to go to a restaurant. Also, instead of its customary fried cousin, our version is baked.  It's pretty fun to make, and you can vary the sizes and amount of filling in the wrapper, if you want (that'll change the nutrition and cost information).  They go double-duty and work as an appetizer and a snack. Enjoy!

Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min

Ingredients:
Low-fat cream cheese: 8 oz
Imitation crab, stick or flake: 4 oz
Wonton wrappers: 1 Package
Optional: Cayenne, hot sauce
Note: You may use egg roll wrappers if you can't find wonton wrappers, since there's not a big difference- just cut them into a smaller square size so your baked crabby rangoons don't turn out enormous.  Wonton wrappers are 3 1/2" by 3 1/2".

Directions:

1. Combine cream cheese and imitation crab in a food processor until mostly smooth. Add cayenne and/or hot sauce if desired, and blend further.
2. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the mixture onto the center of a wonton wrapper.
3. Folding the wonton: Bring opposite corners together to make a triangle. Fold the two symmetrical corners towards the middle. Fold the top down. (It should look somewhat like an envelope.)
4. Place the wontons on a baking sheet, folded side down.
5. Bake for about 10 minutes at 350* F or until under side is lightly golden. Flip them over and bake for another 5 minutes or until the under-side is lightly golden as well.
6. Let cool 2 minutes before serving.

Nutrition Information

Yield: 40 crabby rangoons
Serving size: 2 crabby rangoons

Calories per serving: 75 calories

Fat per serving: 2g
Sodium per serving: 197mg
Protein per serving: 3g

For more detailed nutrition facts, click here

Cost Effectiveness
{2.50} Block of 8oz cream cheese
{3.00} 8 oz Imitation crab, used half -
{3.00} Egg roll wrappers- usually about the same price as wonton wrappers


$8.50 = Cost for the whole batch
$0.43 = Cost for each serving of two crabby rangoon