I made this for Christmas at my in-laws this year and it was a big hit!  I have heard multiple times that making cheesecake is really difficult, but this recipe from the Joy of Baking website was not hard, did not take that long and tasted FABULOUS!  Try it, I dare you!

Serves about 12-14 people

You will need:
For the Cranberry Swirls (and sauce for serving):
1 - 12 ounce bag of fresh or frozen cranberries 
1/2 cup  sugar
2 cups water
zest of one lemon or orange

For the Crust:
2 cups of graham crackers, finely crushed (I used blender to crush them)
2 Tbs sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

For the Cheesecake Filling:
3 - 8 ounces packages of cream cheese at room temperature 
1 cup  sugar
1 Tbs flour
4 eggs, room temperature
1 Tbs heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla

To make:
First make your cranberry sauce, you will use this for the swirls and the sauce to serve the cake with.  In a medium sized saucepan, place cranberries, sugar, and water. Then, over medium-high heat, cook the ingredients until boiling, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat to medium low and gently boil the filling, stirring often to prevent the filling from burning, until it becomes thick and syrupy and reduced to about 2 cups. This takes about 20-30 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in the zest, and let cool completely before using. (I am not a fan of chunks in my cheesecake so I put this sauce into the blender after it cooled a bit and pureed it until it was smooth and delicious - I highly recommend doing this to get rid of any cranberry chunks). Set the sauce in the fridge while you work on everything else. 

Now for the crust...grease a 9 inch round spring form pan and line the bottom with parchment (you don't HAVE to do this but it makes for easier clean up and serving!) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place the oven rack in the center of the oven.

In a medium sized bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom and about 1 inch up the sides of the springform pan. Cover and refrigerate while you make the filling.

Now for the money maker...in the bowl of your electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, sugar, and flour. Beat on medium speed until smooth (about 2 minutes), scraping down the bowl as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well (about 30 seconds) after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the cream and vanilla extract and beat until incorporated. 

Remove the crust from the refrigerator and pour half the cheesecake filling into the pan.  

Take one-half cup of the cranberry sauce you made and place spoonfuls over the cheesecake batter and then swirl gently with a knife. 

Top with the remaining cheesecake batter. Spoon another one-half cup of the cranberry filling over the cheesecake batter and swirl gently with a knife. (The extra cranberry sauce is saved to drizzle over the cake when serving). Depending on your pan, your cake make leak or drip, so either place it on a bed of foil or on a thin baking sheet and place in the oven.

Bake for 15 minutes and then lower the oven temperature to 250 degrees F  and continue to bake for another 60 to 70 minutes or until firm and only the center of the cheesecake looks a little wet and wobbly. Remove from oven and carefully run a knife or spatula around the inside edge of pan to loosen the cheesecake (helps prevent the surface from cracking as it cools).

Let the cake cool before covering with plastic wrap and refrigerating.  This cheesecake tastes best after being refrigerated at least eight hours or overnight.  Now kick back, relax and bask in the benefits of your baking talents!     

This apple pie is a real crowd pleaser - it's super caramely and rich and is pretty awesome when made with my favorite pie crust!  

Once again, my pictures are never great - so just trust me on this one - it's DELICIOUS!!

First things first - make your pie crust and chill it for at least 2 hours.

What you will need for the filling:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3 Tbs flour
1 Tbs cinnamon (I like a lot of cinnamon, you can add anywhere from 1 to 3 teaspoons)
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup water
8 granny smith apples (or other baking apple varieties such as Roma or Cortland)

1 pie crust recipe
1 egg yolk
1 Tbs of cream or 1/2 & 1/2 (for brushing on the crust)

To make the filling:
Peel and cut your apples into 1/2 inch slices.


Melt butter in a medium sauce pan, stir in flour to form a paste.  Add sugars and water and bring to a boil.  Simmer for 5 minutes.  Stir in cinnamon and remove from heat.

Lightly grease or butter your pie pan.  Roll out your first disc of dough and shape into your pie pan.  Fill the dough with your apples, making a peak.  

Pour the filling liquid over the apples.

Roll out your second disc of dough and place on top.  Before placing on top you can use a cookie cutter to make a shape in the dough for decoration.  If you do not do this you will need to cut slices in the top of the pie before baking for the steam to escape.

Mix the egg yolk with the Tbs of cream and brush over top of the pie (you will have extra).

Bake the pie at 425F for 15 min, then 350 for 35-45 minutes, until golden brown and bubbling.  If your crust begins to darken before the time is up, wrap or cover the pie in foil and continue to bake, so the crust does not burn.

Ok, ok, so I should have posted this BEFORE Thanksgiving, but I got caught up in the busy-ness of the holiday and didn't get around to it.  The good news is that this pie crust is AWESOME and you can make it for any pie (Christmas is coming, tra la, tra la!).

Please keep in mind I am a terrible photographer and the pictures really don't do the deliciousness justice.  If anyone makes this and take a better picture I will gladly swap it out!

You will need (this makes enough for one covered pie like in the picture):
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 Tbs sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter, chilled/cold and cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1/2 cup (8 Tbs)  all-veggie shortening (such as Crisco)
6-8 Tbs ice water

To make the dough:
Cut your butter into 1/4 inch cubes and keep in the fridge until you need it.  Mix flour, salt and sugar in a food processor (if you don't have a food processor like me, just mix it in a bowl).  Scatter the butter cubes over the flour mixture and toss to coat each cube of butter with flour.  If you are using a food processor, do about 5 1-second pulses to cut butter into the flour.  If you are not using a food processor, use a pastry cutter or fork to break apart the butter pieces into the flour.

Now begin to add the shortening, 1 Tbs at a time, cutting into the flour mixture just like you did with the butter.  After all the shortening is added, you should have a crumbly mixture with lumps no bigger than a pea.  

Fill a measuring cup or glass with ice and water.  If you are using a food processor, take your dough out and put it into a mixing bowl.  Add 6 Tbs of the ice water to the dough.  Using a rubber spatula, press down on the dough, using a folding motion, until the water makes the dough stick together.  Use up to 2 more Tbs of ice water if your dough is not sticking together. 

Separate the dough into two equal pieces, sprinkle with flour and wrap in seran/plastic wrap.  Refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours before rolling out.  I like to make my dough the day before I make the actual pie so it's really cold and easy to work with.

After your dough is chilled - use the Apple Pie recipe to make your pie and ENJOY!!

I have half of a cow in my freezer, (literally- well it IS butchered) but I've been slowly chipping away at it and one of my favorite meals so far is this beef stew.  I guess it's kinda like a stroganoff, but whatever it is, it's real good.  Yes, it does take a while to cook, but if you plan ahead, it can be a delicious end to your day.

4 servings

1.5 lbs stew beef
1 Tbs oil
1 med-lg onion chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
3 garlic cloves minced
1 cup red wine
2-3 cups stock
3 carrots, chopped (1 inch chunks)
8 oz. mushrooms
s+p
2 Tbs butter
2-3 Tbs flour (depending on how thick you prefer the broth)
1 Tbs fresh thyme or 1.5 tsp dried
Serve over pasta or mashed potatoes (look at my pasta recipe if
interested in making it from scratch)

Heat oil in large oven-safe heavy bottom pot over medium high heat.  I use my cast iron stock pot. (If you dont have something like this you can transfer it into a crock pot and cook on low).  Brown the stew beef pieces in small batches so you don't crowd the pan, so they are nicely browned on all sides (dont move them or stir them- just let them brown then turn them over). 

Transfer the cooked pieces to a bowl until all pieces are done.  This might take roughly 15 minutes.

After all meat is browned and in a separate bowl, add onion and celery to the pot and turn heat down to medium (if your stew beef is very lean, you may need to add another Tbsp oil prior to adding onion/celery).  Cook onion and celery until softened and starting to brown, then add garlic and cook for additional minute or so.  

Add red wine to this and stir to de-glaze the pot.  Then add the beef back into pot along with stock (I used chicken stock because this was all I had, but I figure you should use beef stock :) - water would probably do fine as well, but it will not be as flavorful).  Next, add the thyme and bring to a simmer.  

Cover the pot and place in the oven at 225 degrees for about 5 hours.  Again, if you do not have an oven-safe pot you can put this in a crock pot on low for the same amount of time.  This gets the beef super tender and delicious!  

After 5 hours, add in the carrots and mushrooms (really any combination of vegetables would work- butternut squash or green beans would be good too) and continue to cook for 1 hour, covered.  

10 minutes prior to eating, melt the butter in the microwave and whisk in the flour until smooth.  Stir this into your stew to thicken, and season with salt and pepper.  Put it back into the oven to cook for the remaining 10 minutes.  Serve stew over noodles or mashed potatoes.  Yum!

I bought two sugar pumpkins from a farm the other day (we were there doing what any Michigander would be doing in the Fall - playing in a corn maze) and I made Miranda's absolutely wonderful pumpkin cupcakes and still had half of the pumpkin puree left so I made pumpkin cookies for a Halloween party.  They were super moist and cake-like and the chocolate drizzle was surprisingly a great compliment to the pumpkin flavor.  I hope you enjoy!  

You will need:
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1-15oz. can pumpkin puree, OR two cups of homemade pumpkin puree
3/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips


Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375F. In a small bowl, mix together all your spices (these spices combined make "pumpkin pie spice," which you could use instead, if you have it).  I am obsessed with my 1/8 teaspoon, it is so stinkin' tiny and adorable. Don't judge me for my hot pink nails, they were part of my Halloween costume!

In a separate, larger bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin-pie spice, and salt; set aside. (You can see the toasted pumpkin seeds I was snacking on while cooking...I roasted them at 350 for an hour with a little olive oil, salt and cumin - tasty!)

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until they are light and fluffy.  Add the egg and beat until smooth. Turn your mixer to low speed and alternately add flour mixture and pumpkin puree (add a little flour, then a little pumpkin and keep going until it's all been added.)  Keep in mind these cookies are cake-like, so don't over mix them!

Use a tablespoon to scoop dough and place on a cookie sheet (space them about 1.5 inches apart).  Bake them for 8 minutes then rotate the pan, then bake for 8 minutes more (or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.)

After taking your cookies out of the oven, transfer them to a wire rack or a sheet of foil.  

While they are cooling, start melting your chocolate.  To do this, you boil a small pot of water, and place a heat safe bowl inside that pot of water.  Put your chocolate chips in the heat safe bowl and stir until they are melted.  The key to melting chocolate is to remove it from the heat when the chocolate is smooth and shiny looking, if it starts to look dull and dry, then you are overcooking it.  

Wait a few minutes after removing the chocolate from the heat.  Then use a spatula to put the chocolate into a plastic baggy.  Cut a small hole by snipping one of the bottom corners of the baggy (you are making a make-shift icing bag).  

Squeeze the chocolate out of the hole you cut and decorate the cookies however you would like.  I just did a simple zig-zag.  

To set the chocolate, place the cookies in the fridge for about 10-20 minutes.  Remove and enjoy!

I am all ready trying to get ready to host my first Thanksgiving this year and am trying to make as much as possible ahead of time so I am not freaking out on the actual day.  One of my two go-to canning books, "Complete Book of Home Preserving" had a recipe for homemade cranberry sauce, so I thought I would give it a try.  The sauce turned out so delicious, a lot sweet and a little tart.  I am so excited to use homemade sauce on Thanksgiving rather than the regular old jelly mold from a store bought can!

What you'll need:
4 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
1 3/4 cups water
2 cups granulated sugar
Zest of one orange

Directions:
If you are canning, follow your normal routine to prepare your jars, water bath and lids.  

In a large sauce pan, combine the cranberries and water.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Cover and continue to boil over medium heat until the skins on the cranberries burst.  Add orange zest.  

Remove from heat and cool for about 5 minutes.  Working in batches, transfer the cranberries, zest and water to your food processor or blender and puree until smooth.  

Return the mixture to the saucepan and add sugar.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.  Increase heat to high and boil hard until the sauce thickens to coat a cold, metal spoon.  (If you put a cold, metal spoon in the sauce the sauce should slowly fall off the spoon in large pieces/chunks - this is how you know it's thick enough).  

Save in your fridge, freeze or can the cranberry sauce.  

I have made this cake 3 times all ready this season and am making it again this weekend because it is that good!  Try it out before apple-picking season is over and enjoy!

Ingredients:
3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
1 1/4 cup oil
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups diced apples (peeled and cored, about 3 apples)

Directions:
Pre-heat the oven to 350F.  Grease either a 13x9 inch baking pan, or 2 round cake pans, whichever you prefer.  Whisk together the dry ingredients in a bowl.  In a separate bowl, mix together the wet ingredients and then add the apples.  Pour the wet mixture over the dry and stir to combine.  Batter will be rather thick.  

Pour into baking pan or cake pans, whichever you are using, and cook for 50-55 minutes.  

To serve, I like to top with powdered sugar (sprinkled over top through a sifter) and whip cream.  Mmm!!

I have searched high and low for a butternut squash soup recipe that I like and have come up empty, so here is my version of a couple recipes mixed together.  It's sweet and savory, and really fills you up for a meal.  I served it with a Three Cheese Grilled Cheese Sandwich and I hope you like it!

Serves approx 8

What you'll need:
4 Tbs unsalted butter
1 medium-large shallots
1 large butternut squash
1 large can of chicken stock/broth
Water
2 tsp salt
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 Tbs brown sugar
1/4-1/2 tsp nutmeg

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to broil.  Cut the squash in half longways and scrape out the seeds and pulp, set aside.  Put the squash face down on a baking sheet and put in broiler until skinned is browned and squash is soft to the touch.

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium-low heat until foaming.  Dice the shallot and cook, stirring, until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the squash scrapings and seeds, and cook for about 5 minutes.  Add the chicken broth and then fill the chicken broth can halfway with water and add to the pot.  Add 2 tsp of salt and bring the mixture to a boil over high heat.  Keep boiling, covered, until the squash is done. 

When the squash is down, take out of the oven and cool for a few minutes. Peel off the skin and throw away. cut up the squash into chunks. 

Take the pot of liquid and strain out the pulp/seeds/onion and save the liquid. Return the liquid to the pot and add the chunks of squash.  Boil until the squash is a little softer and water soaked, about ten minutes.  Transfer the liquid and squash mixture to your blender and puree until smooth.  Return the pureed soup to the pot and add the brown sugar, cream, and nutmeg.  I added the sugar a little at a time until I found the right amount (for me, 1 Tablespoon).  I did the same with the nutmeg and found that I like it best with a 1/2 teaspoon. 

If you only have 2 people eating like me, you can save this in your fridge for leftovers or freeze for later in the season when squash is harder to come by. 

I served this soup with grilled cheese and semolina croutons and it was perfect for the chilly Fall day we were having!