Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake

This is one of the first cheesecakes I ever tried to make and it is still a favorite.  It looks beautiful served with a few extra cherries on top. 

Crust
2 cups Oreo cookie crumbs
3 Tbls. butter, melted

Filling
4 8-oz. packages cream cheese, softened
3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 can cherry pie filling

Glaze
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 325 degrees.  In a medium bowl, combine crust ingredients and mix well.  Press into the bottom and up the sides of a 10 inch springform pan.  In a large bowl, beat cream cheese on medium speed until smooth.  Add one egg at a time, beating well after each one.  Beat in sugar and almond extract until very smooth.  Add 1/2 cup whipping cream, beat well again.  Spoon about 3 cups of the cream cheese mixture into the crust, spreading evenly.  Carefully drop by spoonfuls, 1 cup of the pie filling, evenly over the cream cheese layer.  Spoon remaining cream cheese mixture evenly over pie filling and smooth out carefully.  Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes or until center is set and not jiggly.  Cool on a rack 1 hour.  Heat 1/2 cup whipping cream to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly so it doesn't burn.  Once boiling, remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips until melted.  Line a cookie sheet with wax paper. Remove the sides of the springform pan and place the cheesecake on the cookie sheet.  Spread chocolate topping over cheesecake and let it run down the sides.  Refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving.  Top each slice with a spoonful of the remaining pie filling.

Swiss Vegetable Medley

This is a great dish if you are getting tired of green bean casserole.  It is hearty, creamy, cheesy, and delicious.

1 bag 16 oz. frozen California blend veggies, thawed and drained well
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup shredded swiss cheese
1/3 cup sour cream
black pepper
french fried onions

Combine veggies, soup, 1/2 cup of the cheese, sour cream, and 1/2 the can of french fried onions.
Grease an 8x8 baking dish and put veggie mixture in.  Bake covered for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.  Take cover off and put on remaining cheese and onions.  Bake uncovered for 5 more minutes, until cheese melts. 

You can double all the ingredients for a 9x13 serving.

Banana Bread

Tim loves banana bread.  I am kind of indifferent to it, but I like to make him happy, so I make it every so often.  This is my favorite recipe and make 3 loaves.  Eat one now, and put two in the freezer for later.  Or just eat all three now!

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup mashed bananas
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup walnuts (optional)

Cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs and beat well.  Add bananas, milk and lemon juice.  Sift dry ingredients and add the the butter mixture.  Fold in nuts.  Bake in well greased loaf pans for 1 hour at 350 degrees.

Spinich Turkey Burgers

This is my favorite burger.  It has great flavor, is nice and juicy, and is really healthy too.

• 2 teaspoons olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus some for drizzling
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1 box or bag, 5 ounces, fresh spinach
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano, lightly crushed in the palm
• 8-10 thin slices mozzarella cheese (I use almond mozzarella)
• 1 1/3 pounds ground turkey breast,
• 1 tablespoon grill seasoning (recommended: Montreal Salt-Free Steak Seasoning by McCormick)

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. To one side, add a little olive oil, add the chopped garlic and chopped red onion and cook 5 minutes. Transfer the onions and garlic to a bowl to cool. Return pan to heat. Add olive oil to pan and then add fresh spinach without stems. Cook over medium heat until spinach wilts about 3-5 minutes. Add the spinach to the bowl with cool onions and garlic and season with 1 teaspoon of oregano. Add in ground turkey, grill seasoning and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. Mix and form into 8 small to medium patties, 1-inch thick. Raise heat on pan to medium-high. Add patties and cook 6 min on each side. Or you can grill on an indoor grill for 5 minutes. Add mozzarella slices to top of patties and melt them for 1-2 minutes.