Chocolate Amaretto Cheesecake

This recipe is from a Philadelphia Cream Cheese box. I think it must be a Kraft idea, because it is actually one of those kind of recipes that is basic with different sets of ingredients for you to make your favourite kind of cheesecake. They call this one Chocolate Lover’s Cheesecake, but I always think of it as Chocolate Amaretto or Chocolate Almond.

Base
1¼ cups chocolate crumbs
¼ cup melted butter

Filling
3 pkgs (250 g each) softened cream cheese
¾ cup sugar until smooth
3 eggs
6 squares semi-sweet chocolate (melted and cooled)*
¼ cup Amaretto liqueur

Topping
Enough melted chocolate to drizzle over top
Toasted almonds

Combine chocolate crumbs with melted butter. Press on bottom of 9 in. springform pan.

Beat softened cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, and mix until just blended. Stir in semi-sweet chocolate (melted and cooled) and Amaretto liqueur.

Bake at 350°F for 45-50 min. or until centre is almost set. Cool completely, then refrigerate 3 hr or overnight.

Add the finishing touch – drizzle melted chocolate and top with toasted almonds.

*Note: I usually use about 6 oz melted semisweet chocolate chips because that is what we usually have in the house at all times rather than buying the squares of chocolate. It still turns out nice.

My cake always cracks, but after I drizzle chocolate and add the almonds (and sometimes I drizzle more chocolate on top of the almonds) you can’t really tell until you are cutting into it.

Mom's Spareribs

This recipe is one that I got from my Mother-in-Law. The (almost) first time I had these was before we were dating. His mother was bringing spareribs when she came to visit, and he invited me, not thinking that I had mentioned I didn’t care for pork. Somehow he hadn’t made the connection that spareribs is pig meat. We joke about it now, and I eat these ones. Partly because we have children, so I eat everything, and partly because we use beef sausages, so I have the choice to eat beef instead of pork if I want to.

Sauce:
2 medium onions
3 Tablespoons vinegar
1½ Tablespoon Worchestershire
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
Approximately ¾ cup lemon juice
1 cup + chili sauce/ketchup
Optional: 1 can of tomatoes, 1 can mushrooms with juice, celery

Cook ribs in roaster with water and cover (to steam) approximately 1 hour at 350° (to get rid of fat). Turn over part way through (can put frozen ribs in). Drain fat. Cut into smaller pieces.
Cook sauce approximately 20 minutes until onion is cooked. Use whatever ingredients are on hand and feel free to substitute where necessary. Pour sauce over ribs and bake 350° for an hour or so.
If adding pork sausage, cook with ribs initially to drain fat. If beef sausages, add with sauce and cook.
If thicker sauce is desired, add cornstarch.

We usually use a large family pack of ribs, or a couple of smaller packages as well as a family pack of sausages. I don't think the type matters, although our family prefers the ribs that have bones rather than just the cartilage, and as I mentioned, we usually use beef sausages instead of pork.

Brownies

This has become my ultimate favourite brownie recipe. It is found in a family recipe book that was collected and compiled in 1991 and was submitted by my Auntie Susan. What I especially like is how quickly you can make up the batter, so it is that much sooner to be able to enjoy eating the brownies!

½ cup butter or margarine, melted (1 cup)
1 egg (2)
1 cup brown sugar (2 cups)
3 Tablespoons cocoa (6 Tablespoons)
½ cup nuts or coconut, optional (1 cup)
¾ cup flour (1½ cups)
½ teaspoon baking powder (1 teaspoon)
½ teaspoon vanilla (1 teaspoon)

Mix melted butter and sugar; beat in egg, then remaining ingredients. Pour into pan and bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until done.

The recipe doesn’t specify what size pan, but I use a square pan (about 8 x 8 or 9 x 9). The amounts in brackets are doubled, and I bake this in my 9 x 12 pan. If I make this for a church lunch, I double the doubled amounts and bake the brownies in a Costco pizza pan (approximately 12 x 17).

Plumi Moos

(Dried Fruit Soup)
This recipe is from The Mennonite Treasury of Recipes. Since we have joined the Orthodox Church, it has become a Lenten staple in our house. I use mostly prunes, raisins and dried apricots, and add other dried fruits, such as apples, mangos, and berries for variety. This dish has elicited many positive comments when brought for potlucks and can be a main dish or dessert.

4 quarts water
3 cups mixed dried fruit (I use 4 cups)
1 package cherry jello
4 Tablespoons cornstarch
1½ cups sugar

Cook fruit in water until very well done. Mix cornstarch and sugar with enough water to make a thin paste. Let it cook a few minutes to take away the starchy taste. Remove from stove and add cherry jello powder.

I have stopped adding sugar as dried fruit bought from the store often already has sugar added to it.

Ruehrei

(Chopped-up Pancakes or Scrambled Eggs)
This is a Mennonite dish that I always loved to eat at Grandma’s place. We called it “Chopped-up Pancakes” but in The Mennonite Treasury of Recipes it is referred to as “Scrambled Eggs.” Grandpa would eat it with white sugar and pancake syrup, but we just use syrup. This particular recipe is what my Grandma told me over the phone. It is my ‘oh-my-goodness-we-have-to-eat-in-twenty-minutes’ supper.

2-4 eggs
1½ cup milk
½ - 1 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour
2-4 Tablespoons butter

Mix together all ingredients except butter. Make sure batter is not too thick. Melt butter in bottom of heavy fry pan until just turning brown. Pour batter into pan. Let cook until bottom of batter is turning brown then ‘flip’ and ‘cut’ into smaller pieces. The batter will be quite runny. Keep cooking, flipping and cutting until all the batter is cooked.

I tend to use more eggs than less, and I double the above recipe to serve our family of 4 for supper (therefore using 8 eggs). When I double the recipe, I put only half the batter into the pan. It is much easier to cook that way.
To ease my conscience, I try to serve it with cut up apples and oranges, too.

Lemonade

This drink is really nice on a hot day. I first had lemonade make like this at a friend’s house. She had given me the measurements at that time; however, I failed to write them down. This summer, through trial and error, these are the amounts our family likes. Feel free to adjust to your family’s taste.

1½ cups lemon juice
1½ cups sugar
3 litres cold water

Mix together. Serve well chilled and/or over ice.

Curried Meatloaf

Growing up our family ate a lot of ground beef recipes. I still like hamburger meals, and this version of meat loaf is quite tastey, especially with the curry sauce. I have modified this recipe from Quick & Easy Microwaving Ground Beef. I have never liked to cook meals in the microwave, so any recipes I have used from this book are cooked on the stove or in the oven.

Meatloaf:
1½ pounds ground beef
1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple
½ cup unseasoned dry bread crumbs
2 large eggs
¼ cup chopped green pepper
¼ cup chopped onion
1½ teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne

Topping:
1/3 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
¼ teaspoon curry powder

Combine meatloaf ingredients. Shape into loaf pan. Bake at 350°F until done (if I remember correctly, it takes about 45 minutes, depending on the size of your loaf pan). Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Combine topping ingredients and serve with sliced meatloaf.

*Ensure that the meat is cooked thoroughly through the center of the loaf.

Cheese Fondue

I love Kraft's What's Cooking magazine. I started getting it in Fall 2001 which is where this recipe comes from. What I especially like is they give you a basic recipe and then alternate ingredients to add. I am only going to post the way we typically make the fondue for my birthday. This is the first course of my 3-course birthday supper. Remember, if you drop your bread into the pot, you have to kiss the person next to you!
TIP: If grating cheese in advance, you can add a little flour and mix it in to keep the cheese from sticking together.

1¼ cups apple juice
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon dry mustard
2 Tablespoons cornstarch

Sour dough bread, cut into cubes
Various vegetables such as mushroom, broccoli and cauliflower, cut into spear-sized pieces

Toss cheese, dry mustard and cornstarch in a bowl (the cornstarch and dry mustard will keep the cheese from sticking together). Boil apple juice in large, heavy saucepan. Reduce heat to medium. Add handfuls of tossed cheese to apple juice stirring constantly until melted and smooth. Stir until it bubbles. Remove from heat and pour into fondue pot. Serve with bread and vegetables.

Hint: If you put the fondue pot in a pie plate of water over the flame, the cheese will not burn to the bottom of the pot.

Meatball Hot Pot (Broth Fondue)

The second course in our 3-course fondue meal we have for my birthday each year. While it takes a while for this course to cook, it is well worth the wait, and visiting with friends makes the time pass pleasantly. This recipe is found in Better Homes and Gardens After Work Cook Book.

½ pound ground beef
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
24 ¼-inch cubes sharp natural Cheddar cheese (1½ ounces) (or try other cheeses that you like)

3 to 4 cups beef broth
fresh mushrooms, halved
green pepper, cut in 1-inch cubes
broccoli and cauliflower, cut into bite-sized pieces
carrots, sliced
any other vegetable you like cooked that can be speared on a fondue fork

Creamy Avocado Sauce
Soy-Lime Sauce
Bottled barbecue sauce
Dijon-style mustard

Combine ground beef, salt, and pepper. Shape meat around cheese cubes, forming 24 meatballs.

Heat broth until boiling and then transfer to fondue pot over burner. (I make one package of onion soup to use for the broth).

Cook meatballs and vegetables in broth until done (approximately 3 to 5 minutes). Dip in sauce.

Creamy Avocado Sauce: combine one 7¾-ounce can frozen avocodo dip, thawed; ½ cup sour cream; 2 teaspoons lemon juice; ¼ teaspoon salt; and a dash bottled hot pepper sauce. Makes 1 1/3 cups.

Soy-Lime Sauce: Combine ¼ cup soy sauce, 2 tablespoons lime juice, and dash ground ginger. Makes 1/3 cup.

We have never tried the avocado sauce, and we do not make as much soy-lime sauce as the recipe indicates as it is not one of the more popular choices for dip among us or our friends.

Chocolate Fondue

This is a wonderful dessert dish and the final course of our 3-course fondue meal that we always have for my birthday. This recipe was originally found by us in Kraft's What's Cooking magazine, Winter 2002 issue. It has been modified slightly to our tastes/ingredients. TIP: to prevent chocolate from burning to fondue pot, put pot in pie plate with water and then put over heat.


8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
1/3 cup whipping cream
3 Tablespoons Amaretto or Kirsch (or liqueur of your choice)

Melt chocolate and whipping cream over hot water (or in microwave. If using microwave, make sure you do not overcook chocolate or it will burn). Blend until smooth. Stir in liqueur (or an additional 3 Tb cream). Transfer to fondue pot. Serve with fresh fruit, cookies, and/or cake (pound or sponge work well).