Black Tie Cheesecake

My visiting teacher Jamie made this for us after we had Jane. It's quite amazing! It tasted and looked like she bought it at a fancy store. She said her sister makes it for her after each baby. She's sure that it makes her milk creamier :)

BOTTOM LAYER
ordinary cake mix (devil's food)

SECOND LAYER
1 teaspoon knox unflavored gelatin
1 tablespoon cold water
2 tablespoons boiling water
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
4 ounces cream cheese, cubed
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar

THIRD LAYER
3 egg yolks
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon knox unflavored gelatin
1 3/4 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

FOURTH LAYER
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter
18 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions: Prep Time: 1 hr Total Time: 3 hrs1

BOTTOM LAYER (cake)
Bake according to directions on box using round pans, then cool. Once cooled, cut cake in half (or as
much as desired), then use half as one layer. Place at the bottom of a cheesecake pan. Press it with your
fingers and flatten the cake a little. This is the bottom layer out of four.

SECOND LAYER (the chocolate mousse)
Melt chocolate and cream cheese together. Let cool. Soften gelatin with cold water for 1 minute, then
add boiling water, stir until dissolved and clear. Let this cool while you start whipping the heavy cream
and sugar. As cream starts to thicken, add gelatin. Continue to whip until stiff peaks form. Add 1/4 of the
cream to the chocolate mixture and mix thoroughly. Then fold this into the remaining cream. Once you
have it completed, spread this chocolate mousse onto the cake and refrigerate

THIRD LAYER (the custard)
Beat egg yolks until pale. Add sugar, flour, and gelatin, then beat until mixed. Bring cream and vanilla
extract to a boil. Add a small amount of cream to egg mixture while stirring. Gradually add until all of the
cream has been added and then pour entire mixture through a strainer into the pan. Continue to cook
until custard begins to thicken. Cool slightly, then pour on top of the chocolate mousse layer and freeze
while getting the fourth layer ready

FOURTH LAYER (the icing)
Bring butter and cream to a boil, pour over chocolate and let sit for 5 minutes. Stir until smooth. Let cool
until it starts to thicken. Remove cake from freezer, remove the cheesecake pan collar, then pour some
of the icing and use a spatula to spread it evenly across the top and sides of the cake. While this is still
wet, put chocolate chips onto the side of the cake. Refrigerate. Be sure to see the picture. Delicious!

Bridget's Honey Lime Enchiladas

Yeah, these may be fattening, but they're worth it!!! (I got this recipe from Haylee's food blog.)

6 Tbs. honey
5 Tbs. lime juice (1 large lime)
1/2 Tbs. chili powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 pd. chicken (3 small breasts) (I used 2 c. cooked)

6 flour tortillas (maybe more?)
1 pd. monetary jack cheese (shredded) (3 c total)
16 oz. green enchilada sauce
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Mix first four ingredients and toss with shredded chicken. Marinate for at least 1/2 hour (I didn't). Pour 1/2 cup enchilada sauce on bottom of 9x13 baking pan. Fill flour tortillas with chicken and shredded cheese. Mix remaining sauce with cream and leftover marinade (if any). Pour sauce on top of enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 min until brown and crispy on top. Enjoy!

Missy's Chicken and Dumplings

1 onion

2 T. butter (I used 1 Tbs olive oil)

1 can cream of chicken

1 can cream of mushroom

2 cups milk

1 c water (her recipe doesn't call for, but I like it a little thinner)

1 1/2 c. frozen peas

1 1/2 c. carrot pieces

3 cups cooked, chopped chicken breasts

1 c. chopped celery (optional) or

½-1 c. corn

Dumplings:

1 1/2 c. flour

1 T baking powder

1/2 t. salt

3/4 c. milk

3 T. melted butter (I used 1 T butter, 1 ½ T olive oil)

1 c. grated cheddar cheese

Saute onion in butter, add soups, milk, and water. Mix well and add vegetables. Bring to bubble on medium heat. Add chicken. Let simmer while you make dumpling batter.

Drop dumpling batter on bubbling stew by rounded tablespoon. Cover tightly. Don't lift cover. Simmer 15 minutes.

Whoopie Pies (from Family Fun magazine)

"No one is certain who invented the whoopie pie, folks in both Pennsylvania Amish country and Maine have claimed it. As for the name, one theory is that it comes from children saying "whoopie!" upon finding the moist, chocolaty sweets in their lunch pails. Your kids can experience the same glee after baking their own - and with pink tinted-filling, the pies will elicit cries of joy on Valentine's Day."

• CAKES
• 2 cups flour
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup softened butter

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• FILLING
• ½ cup softened butter
• 1½ cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 cup marshmallow crème
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Red food coloring (optional)

1.Heat the oven to 350°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. (or spray)

2.In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In a glass measuring cup or small bowl, stir together the buttermilk and vanilla extract.

3.In a large bowl with a hand mixer set at medium speed, beat the butter and sugar until evenly blended, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the egg, increase the speed to high, and beat until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute more.

4.Pour half the fl our mixture into the butter-sugar mixture, and beat at medium speed until combined. Add the buttermilk mixture and continue beating until just blended. Add the remaining fl our mixture and beat again.

5.Use a cookie scoop or spoon to place a heaping tablespoon of batter on a prepared cookie sheet. Add more mounds of batter, evenly spacing them, until there are nine on each sheet. Slightly flatten each mound with a spoon.

6.Bake the cakes one sheet at a time for 10 minutes (they should be moist and spongy). Let them cool on the sheet for 2 minutes, then carefully transfer them to a rack to cool completely. Reline the sheets and scoop, shape, and bake the remaining batter.

7.Using an electric mixer at medium-high speed, beat all the filling ingredients except the coloring in a medium bowl until evenly blended, about 2 minutes. If you want to give the filling a Valentine hue, fold in drops of red food coloring until the desired tint is reached.

8.To make each pie, spoon and spread a heaping tablespoon of the filling onto the bottom of a cake, then gently press another cake on top.

These are really yummy! We made them twice because they were so good. (And because we ended up giving half of them away because Jane came)

Molasses Pancakes

1 1/2 c milk,
1 egg
2 T oil
1 1/2 T molasses

1 t baking powder
1 1/2 t soda
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 c whole wheat flour

Mix milk, egg, oil, and molasses together in one bowl. Stir dry ingredients together in a second bowl. Add dry ingredients to liquid mix and blend. Bake pancakes on griddle.