Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff

This is a crock pot recipe I thought up in my head one day, but based on a recipe my mother-in-law gave me. Most beef Stroganoff recipes call for the incorporation of sour cream....which is fine when you're cooking for a shorter time on a stove top. However, since this was to be cooking all day, using sour cream might not have worked too well, since there was a risk it might break down & separate. So instead, I chose to substitute cream cheese into that role.  I loooove crock pot recipes - they can be prepped the night before and plugged in the next morning on your way out the door to go to work. Then when you come home after a long day, voilá! The house smells amazing, and you have a home-cooked meal waiting for you without having to do hardly a thing.  Win-win!  :)

A few things to note about this recipe -

1. I have a 5-qt crock pot, so I can't really make small recipes if they're going to be cooking in the slow cooker all day, or else I risk damaging my appliance.  So this is a big recipe.  But...the good news is, you can cut this recipe in half, especially if you have a smaller pot, like 4 quarts.
2. If you don't like mushrooms, you can skip them, but you'll need to compensate for the liquid, since the mushrooms add a good portion of the moisture in this recipe.  I suggest adding 2 more cups of beef broth to make up for it.
3. You can find beef stew meat in nearly any meat case in any grocery store.  They're usually the scraps of meat left over from other, higher-quality cuts.  If trimmed properly, and then cooked in this manner (read: all day), you won't be able to tell the difference between the scraps and the prime rib.  ;)
4. The layer order you see in the pictures is different than what I recommend below.  This is because when I made this dish, I mistakenly put the noodles on top.  Then as the day wore on and the mushrooms released their liquid and cooked down, the noodles remained on top, floating above it all. So they stayed rather stiff and never really got cooked until my husband was kind enough to stir the whole pot for me.  He moved the noodles down to the bottom and gave it a chance to soak up the juices.  So that's why I recommend putting them at or near the bottom of the pot, rather than how I show it. (Do as I say, not as I do...)  ;)
5. I should have broken up the cream cheese into smaller chunks when I made this recipe, as it would have melted and incorporated better into the sauce.  So in my pictures you will see a solid block of cream cheese.  Don't do that...cut it up and spread throughout the pot.  You'll be glad later, when you have to stir the whole thing into itself.
6. If you want to make this recipe gluten-free, make sure you use the Lea & Perrins brand of Worcestershire sauce, as it is labeled as definitely GF.  Then substitute the flat egg noddles with your choice of GF pasta.
7. Using pre-cut veggies will help cut down on your prep time.  Take advantage of these items, unless you REALLY like cutting up your own vegetables.  ;)

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Ingredients:
2 lbs (approximately) Beef Stew meat
1 C diced onions, white or yellow
2-3 cloves garlic, finely diced
2 C (16 oz) sliced white mushrooms
52 oz (two 26-oz containers) beef stock
1 C water
16 oz (2 bricks) low fat cream cheese, cut into cubes
2 packages brown gravy mix
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce (for GF, use Lea & Perrins brand)
2-3 Tbsp garlic powder
2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1-2 Tbsp coarse Kosher salt (or to taste)
1 bag flat egg noodles (GF noodles can be substituted)

Directions:
Trim meat to get rid of any excessive fat.  (Don't cut all of it away; a small amount is necessary for flavor, but most of it can be thrown out.)  Cut meat so that they're as evenly-sized as possible; 1-in cubes or less.  If your crock pot is not the kind that can go from stove top to base, then brown beef in a deep fry pan.  To brown: heat pan on high until it is as hot as possible.  Add beef and season with salt, garlic powder, and black pepper.  (If needed, add a tablespoon of canola oil to keep beef from sticking to the pan.)

Stir quickly and vigorously so that it sears and browns on the outside but does not cook all the way through.  When most of the pink is no longer visible, remove from heat and set aside to cool for a few minutes.

Add water to the bottom of the crock pot, then lay down noodles.  Place meat over the top of the noodles, then add garlic, onions, cubed cream cheese, gravy mix, and finally mushrooms.  Add Worcestershire sauce. Pour beef broth evenly over contents of entire pot.

Cover, then set temperature to high and let cook for 8-10 hours, stirring once after 5-6 hours.  When ready to serve, turn heat off and stir well, so that sauce is evenly incorporated.  Ladle onto plates and garnish with herbs, such as parsley.

Makes 10-12 servings

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GBAdams
01/18/2013

Pumpkin Cheesecake Puffy Cups

Here's something which I made very recently for a bake sale we were having at work, and the popularity of which took me completely by surprise. I originally made these in the form of galettes (round, flat pastries with a cheesecake center), but the super-puffiness of the galette with cheesecake at its heart was a little too flaky for my liking, so I decided to try an alternative presentation.  I liked it this way much better -- not only was it more compact, so the pastry dough didn't get as dry and overly-flaky, but the look is quite unique, which always appeals to me. ;) Since puff pastry can be found in the freezer section and does not necessarily have to be made from scratch (you can try to do it yourself, if you've got the time & patience...and I have neither), you'll have to set it out to thaw well in advance.  But believe me when I say that you will look like a genius or a culinary master if you've never used puff pastry before and use it for this recipe.  People will be so impressed with you!  ;)  The pre-made pastry makes this a super-easy recipe, and one that can be made in parts, the first part well ahead of time.  (Especially handy when dealing with lack of time during the day of a big event in your life!)  In my opinion, the hardest part of this whole process was removing the puffs from the muffin tins without completely destroying the pastry if it gets stuck to the sides of the muffin well.  Also, it is worth noting that you will need to use large/jumbo muffin tins, not small ones, containing 6 muffin wells.  The smaller muffin tins simply will not be big enough in this case.

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Ingredients:
1 8-oz brick softened cream cheese (can be reduced fat)
1 stick butter, softened to room temperature
½ C sugar
⅓ C brown sugar
½ can (about 7 oz) mashed pumpkin
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 Tbsp flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
3 puff pastry sheets
Decorative sugar and extra pumpkin pie spice for garnish
Powdered sugar

Directions:
Take puff pastry out of freezer and place on counter at least 1 hour ahead of any other preparation so it can thaw and soften up.  With a stand mixer, cream butter, sugars, salt, and vanilla together.  Add cream cheese and beat until well-incorporated.  Add mashed pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice and flour.  Continue beating until well-blended, scraping down sides of bowl and beater as needed.  Pour mixture into an air-tight container and place in refrigerator to chill. (Can be made up to 3 days in advance.)

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Spray the individual wells of two muffin trays with cooking spray.  Lay puff pastry sheets out on parchment paper laid out on a flat surface.

Take a pizza cutter or knife and divide sheet into 4 even squares.  

Take each square and place into muffin cups. Corners hanging out are OK.  

Liberally sprinkle pumpkin pie spice over puff pastry dough.  Take cheesecake mixture out of the fridge, and using a small scoop (½ oz), drop a generous scoopful into each well.  When finished, sprinkle decorative sugar over the edges of each pastry.

Stick muffin trays into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until edges are puffed up and are golden brown. Remove from oven. (Cheese centers will puff up during baking, but then completely collapse once removed from the heat, just FYI.)

When completely cooled, remove puffs from muffin tins and generously sprinkle with powdered sugar.  Serve.  Can be stored overnight without refrigeration for one night.

Makes 1 dozen cups.

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GBAdams
12/12/2012

Roasted Butternut Squash & Bacon Soup

Roasted Butternut Squash & Bacon Soup

This is a soup that took me 2 tries to get it right.  My first attempt was below pathetic--the soup was watery and thin, and it was definitely not pureed enough.  I also was highly dissatisfied with the flavor.  When I posted about this on Facebook, many of my friends offered their suggestions, one of which was adding cream cheese to the soup, something I admit I hadn't even considered.  I shelved that suggestion to the back of my mind for the next time I would try to make this soup.  After catching a cooking show where they roasted an acorn squash with shallots and garlic inside, I was inspired to try again. So here is a record of that second attempt.  It turned out way BEYOND my expectations.  Let's just say the way my house smelled while the squash was roasting was nothing compared to how well this soup turned out.  I loved how the roasting brought out the sweetness of the butternut squash without adding any sugar whatsoever to the mix.  And, need I say it, the bacon improved the recipe on the whole to a level I could not have imagined.  Bacon really does make everything better! LOL. I hope you enjoy this soup as much as me & my family did...

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Ingredients:
1 whole butternut squash
8 slices of thick-cut bacon
8-10 whole, peeled cloves of garlic (do not chop)
4-5 peeled shallots
2-3 Tbsp olive oil (I prefer the light-tasting variety to extra-virgin)
4 C Chicken broth
1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese (can use reduced-fat)
1-2 Tbsp kosher salt, depending on taste
1 tsp coarse ground black pepper
1/2 C shredded cheese for garnish, such as swiss or gruyere
Chopped parsley, also for garnish (can be dried)

Squash, bacon, shallots and garlic, ready for the oven

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°F. Roughly dice bacon slices; set aside.  Slice shallots and set those aside.  Peel & chop de-seeded butternut squash into small, roughly 1-in cubes. Make sure cubes are somewhat equal in size so they roast evenly.  In a large bowl, combine squash, bacon, garlic and shallots. Add olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. When entire mixture is seasoned, pour and evenly distribute onto large, flat, shallow pan, such as a 1/2 jelly roll sheet.  Roast in the oven for 45 minutes, or until the squash has started to brown on the edges and the bacon has mostly crisped up. Remove from oven.  Set aside a few browned shallots rings and bacon bits to reserve as garnish for serving and let the rest cool.

In a large saucepot, bring chicken broth up to a simmer on medium-high to high heat. While broth is heating up, place entire contents of roasting pan into a food processor and purée until all the pieces have been puréed relatively well.  (There might still be little bacon bits visibly floating throughout purée; this is ok.)

Roasted squash mixture, puréed in a food processor.

Add purée to chicken broth and stir well; a whisk is recommended.  Lower heat to medium and add cream cheese.  Whisk further until cream cheese is well incorporated. Remove from heat.

Ladel soup into bowls.  Garnish with crisped shallots & bacon; can add shredded cheese as well.

Makes 4-6 servings

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GBAdams
12/09/2012

Pumpkin Caramel Cheesecake

I started this dessert with a basic New York-style cheesecake recipe, and modified it to incorporate mashed pumpkin & pumpkin pie spices. Sort of a regular pumpkin pie, made all the more decadent by the addition of cream cheese.  I think it turned out decently...although next time around I won't use as much caramel sauce. (I used the entire jar on my cake; for the recipe that follows, I reduced it by half.)

I've seen other recipes for pumpkin cheesecakes, but nothing like this one.  It's a relatively simple mixture, and there's no bourbon or whiskey incorporated like others I've seen out there. (Although that may be something I experiment with in the future!)  Try it...I hope you enjoy it like my Thanksgiving guests all did!  :)

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Ingredients:
Crust - 
1¼ C graham crackers (2 packages of a 14.4-oz box)
6 Tbsp melted butter or margarine
¼ C sugar
½ t salt

Filling - 
2 lbs cream cheese (4 - 8oz packages)
4 eggs, slightly beaten
½ C sugar
½ C packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp flour
½ t salt
2 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice
1¼ Tbsp lemon juice
½ can cooked, mashed pumpkin (7-8 oz)
1 C (8 oz) caramel topping for ice cream (such as Mrs. Richardson's or Smuckers)
pinch gourmet sea salt (optional)

Will need a 9" or 10" springform cake pan.

Directions:
In a food processor, crumble up graham crackers until they have been reduced to very fine crumbs.  (Can also be done using a gallon ziploc and a rolling pin.)  The finer the crumbs, the more even your crust will be.  Add sugar, salt and melted butter.  Mix until butter is well-blended in the crumbs.  Press mixture into the bottom of a springform pan; try to make the bottom as packed in and even as possible.  Place in refrigerator to firm up.

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Beat cream cheese in a mixer until smooth.  In the meantime, combine beaten eggs, sugars, salt, pumpkin pie spice, lemon juice and mashed pumpkin.  Mix well.  Add to cream cheese slowly.  Sides of bowl and beater blades will have to be scraped, as the cream cheese is denser and stickier than the liquid mixture.  Once the entire thing is well-blended (meaning there aren't a lot of cream cheese clumps visible), pour into chilled springform pan. Place pan onto a cookie sheet and bake for 1½ hours.  Cheesecake is done when top has cracked and center has solidified (i.e. is no longer "jiggly").  Remove and cool completely, 2-3 hours.

When cheesecake is cooled, use a butter knife to loosen cake from the sides of the springform pan.  Release cake from pan and place onto serving plate.  Spoon 1 C caramel topping onto top of cheesecake and spread evenly over the top, alowing it to spill over the sides a little.  (Sauce might need to be warmed up for a few seconds [30-60] in the microwave in order for it to reach spreadable viscosity.)  Optional sea salt can be sparsely sprinkled over top of sauce.  Slice cake and serve.

Makes 12 servings.

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GBAdams
11/25/2011

5-Minute No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake

Here's a recipe for those of you who are severely time-constrained but have to come up with a dish or dessert, like for a potluck.  It is unbelievably easy and quick to make, and will probably be a hit at the dinner table or whatever event you might bring it to.  ;) 

I made this up on a whim last night without having had the benefit of a prior recipe as a starting point....so I'm relieved to say it turned out pretty good!  ;)  I have tried to see if there's another recipe out there just like it, but so far I've had no luck in finding one, which is surprising considering I'm using pre-made cheesecake filling.  You'd think there'd be a ton of recipes out there for this filling, but not so much that I've found.  (If you do find one, let me know, would you??)

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Ingredients:
1 tub Cheesecake Filling
½ can pumpkin (about 7-8 oz)
1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice
1 pre-made graham cracker pie crust

Directions:
Take out pre-made pie crust & remove the plastic lid.  Set aside.  In a bowl, empty tub of cream cheese filling.  Add canned pumpkin and the tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice.  Fold in and mix well. Pour into pie crust. Ready to serve as is, or you can cover and chill for serving later.

Makes 8 servings.

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GBAdams
11/02/2011