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Showing posts with label Dessert. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dessert. Show all posts
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Going Beyond the Crockpot!
There are a lot of interesting things we do around here, and cooking with a crockpot is only one of them. We've expanded our blogging to a new site that includes written and video posts about cooking, gardening, beekeeping, chickens, wild edible plants, and more! Hop on over and check out what we've been up to!
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Apple Peanut Crumble..... for breakfast!
We've Moved!
You can see this post on our new site by clicking this link:
Visit us at our new site! www.FlannelAcres.com
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Cheesecake Mission Impossible?
I'm sorry it's been a while since I've added anything on my blog, but I promise you I've been working hard on it! I wanted to make something I never thought would be possible with a crockpot -- cheesecake. I've only made the Jell-o brand 'No Bake' cheesecakes in the past, never a real, baked cheesecake. My excuse has been that I don't have a springform pan. However, that didn't stop me and my crockpot this time.
I did some looking around for recipes, bought some ingredients, and got to work. The first attempt tasted good, but the texture was grainy like it had cottage cheese in it. Hrmphh. With the second attempt, I beat the heck out of the batter with two different mixers in the hopes of getting the lumps out, but no luck. It was not only lumpy again but the flavor was worse than the first! Arrrghhh!
Okay, time to get serious. I did a little research on solving the lumpy batter issue and also changed a couple ingredients to improve texture and flavor. And by jove, I think I've got it. Ladies and gentlemen.....Crockpot Cheesecake.
Mix together graham cracker crumbs, 1-2 TBS sugar, and melted butter. Press into the bottom and partway up the sides of the pan. (I used a 9"x4" bread pan)
Turn your crockpot on high, place two canning rings in the bottom (or a trivet), and pour 2 cups warm water in the bottom, or enough water to come to the tops of the rings.
In a mixing bowl, combine softened cream cheese, sugar, and flour. Mix until smooth. Add vanilla, eggs, and cream, mixing between each addition. Pour batter into pan and place into crockpot. Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 1/2 hours. (The picture to the left is one of my lumpy batters. If you follow my directions, it'll be nice and smooooooth -- no lumps.)
I did some looking around for recipes, bought some ingredients, and got to work. The first attempt tasted good, but the texture was grainy like it had cottage cheese in it. Hrmphh. With the second attempt, I beat the heck out of the batter with two different mixers in the hopes of getting the lumps out, but no luck. It was not only lumpy again but the flavor was worse than the first! Arrrghhh!
Okay, time to get serious. I did a little research on solving the lumpy batter issue and also changed a couple ingredients to improve texture and flavor. And by jove, I think I've got it. Ladies and gentlemen.....Crockpot Cheesecake.
Crockpot Cheesecake
Crust:
1 heaping cup graham cracker crumbs
1-2 Tablespoons sugar
4 Tablespoons melted butter
Filling:
2 8oz. containers cream cheese spread (at room temperature)
1 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
Mix together graham cracker crumbs, 1-2 TBS sugar, and melted butter. Press into the bottom and partway up the sides of the pan. (I used a 9"x4" bread pan)
Turn your crockpot on high, place two canning rings in the bottom (or a trivet), and pour 2 cups warm water in the bottom, or enough water to come to the tops of the rings.
In a mixing bowl, combine softened cream cheese, sugar, and flour. Mix until smooth. Add vanilla, eggs, and cream, mixing between each addition. Pour batter into pan and place into crockpot. Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 1/2 hours. (The picture to the left is one of my lumpy batters. If you follow my directions, it'll be nice and smooooooth -- no lumps.)
IMPORTANT:
When the 2 1/2 hours is done, turn the crockpot off and let it set in the crockpot
for about 1 hour -- don't lift the lid!
Next, take the cheesecake out of the crockpot and place it in the fridge to cool for
at least 12 hours. Slice and enjoy!
Extra tidbits:
- The bread pan is the only pan I have that will fit into my largest crockpot, but if you have something different that works -- either metal or ceramic -- go for it. I didn't grease the pan, and had no trouble getting slices out when serving.
- My cheesecakes rose above the top of the pan, sometimes dribbling over a little, and then they fell down in the middle when completely cooled. I don't know if this is a normal thing to happen or not, but it doesn't affect the taste.
- The crockpot lid can accumulate condensation, but it didn't seem to drip into the cheesecake. If it does with yours, place a towel over the crockpot before putting the lid on.
- Refrigerating the cheesecake for 12 hours as opposed to just 3-4 hours really made a difference. The texture and flavor didn't seem right if we ate it too soon, but it was delicious if we waited until the next morning to taste it. Cheesecake for breakfast? Sure, why not?!
Visit us at our new site! www.FlannelAcres.com
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Dump Cake
There's nothing like hot food on a cold winter day. Today at our house we had meatball soup for supper (using the 'Make Ahead Meatballs' mentioned in a previous post) and blueberry dump cake for dessert. This recipe is another VERY easy one that I recommend making with kiddos. It's a hard one to mess up, and it's so yummy when it's done!
Crockpot Dump Cake
1 can pie filling (whichever kind you like best)
1 box yellow cake mix
1/2 cup butter, melted
1. Dump the pie filling into the crockpot.
2. In a separate bowl, mix together the cake mix and butter. Dump mixture over pie filling. (Cake mix will be sort of crumbly, so distribute evenly with a spoon.)
3. Cook on LOW for about 4 hours. Enjoy warm or cool!
TIP: If you use apple pie filling, stir in a little ground cinnamon. If using peach or cherry, add a few drops of almond extract.
Crockpot Dump Cake
1 can pie filling (whichever kind you like best)
1 box yellow cake mix
1/2 cup butter, melted
1. Dump the pie filling into the crockpot.
2. In a separate bowl, mix together the cake mix and butter. Dump mixture over pie filling. (Cake mix will be sort of crumbly, so distribute evenly with a spoon.)
3. Cook on LOW for about 4 hours. Enjoy warm or cool!
TIP: If you use apple pie filling, stir in a little ground cinnamon. If using peach or cherry, add a few drops of almond extract.
Visit us at our new site! www.FlannelAcres.com
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Homemade Carmel -- Happy New Year!
We've Moved!
You can see this post on our new site by clicking this link:
Visit us at our new site! www.FlannelAcres.com
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Hot Fruit Salad -- Merry Christmas!
I know it's been a while since I've posted. I was holding out for some venison so I could do some nice recipes with that, but hubby and I haven't seen ANY deer this year. So, here we are on Christmas day, and I am making hot fruit salad to go with the big meal. If you like warm applesauce, you'll probably love this recipe.
Hot Fruit Salad
1 29oz. can sliced peaches, drained
1 15oz. can mandarin oranges, drained
1 15oz. can apricot halves, drained (cut into smaller pieces)
2 20oz. cans pineapple chunks, drained
1 21oz. can cherry pie filling
1 quart chunky applesauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
Combine all ingredients and heat in crockpot on LOW for 3-4 hours or until hot. You can easily substitute fruits and adjust the amounts if you do your own canning. This would also be good with raisins or cranberries, and maybe some candied nuts sprinkled on top.
I wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Hot Fruit Salad
1 29oz. can sliced peaches, drained
1 15oz. can mandarin oranges, drained
1 15oz. can apricot halves, drained (cut into smaller pieces)
2 20oz. cans pineapple chunks, drained
1 21oz. can cherry pie filling
1 quart chunky applesauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
Combine all ingredients and heat in crockpot on LOW for 3-4 hours or until hot. You can easily substitute fruits and adjust the amounts if you do your own canning. This would also be good with raisins or cranberries, and maybe some candied nuts sprinkled on top.
I wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Visit us at our new site! www.FlannelAcres.com
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Pumpkin Pie & Spiced Shortbread
Thanksgiving is right around the corner, so I couldn't help but get in the holiday mood with DESSERT. And I believe the dessert of the month is probably pumpkin pie. Can it really be done in a crockpot? Of course!
I experimented with three batches and I'll share the best recipe with you, which happens to be a combination of different recipes. Making pumpkin pie in a crockpot is easy, and for those of us who can do without the crust, there's no CRUST! For those of you who do enjoy the crust, I'm including a really yummy recipe for spiced shortbread, which goes great with my pumpkin pie -- on the side, dipped in, or crumbled over the top.
Crockpot pumpkin pie can be served hot if you like it that way. Or, while it's still hot, you can transfer it to pie plates (or whatever pretty dishes you like), smooth it out, let it cool, and serve it later. If you are garnishing with shortbread, do so right before serving.
With all the recipes I tried, there was a little bit of liquid separation that happened during cooking, but it's easily remedied by a gentle stir after the cooking time is done. Please note: this recipe makes the equivalent of two regular size pies. You will need to use a 3-quart crockpot or larger. If that's too much pie for you, cut the recipe in half. But then again, who's ever heard of too much pie??
Crockpot Pumpkin Pie
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1 (29oz.) can of pumpkin
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk biscuit mix or Bisquick (add a 1/4 - 1/2 cup extra if you like your pie really firm)
1 teaspoon salt
1 TBS pumpkin pie spice*
2 (12oz.) cans evaporated milk
(*if you don't have pumpkin pie spice, you can use 2 tsp. ground cinnamon, 1 tsp. ground
ginger, and 1/2 tsp. ground cloves)
1. Grease the inside of the crockpot with cooking spray or butter.
2. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl, and pour into crockpot.
3. Cook on LOW for about 5 hours, or until temperature in center is 160 degrees F.
4. Garnish with whipped cream and spiced shortbread. Enjoy!
Spiced Shortbread
(from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook)
1 1/4 cups flour
3 TBS brown sugar
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup butter
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
1. Combine all ingredients. Mix until it comes together and forms a ball. (patience!)
2. Knead dough until smooth and no longer crumbly. Roll out to 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick, and cut into desired shapes.
3. Carefully place cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for about 25 minutes. The bottoms will just start to brown, and centers should be set. Cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack and let cool.
I experimented with three batches and I'll share the best recipe with you, which happens to be a combination of different recipes. Making pumpkin pie in a crockpot is easy, and for those of us who can do without the crust, there's no CRUST! For those of you who do enjoy the crust, I'm including a really yummy recipe for spiced shortbread, which goes great with my pumpkin pie -- on the side, dipped in, or crumbled over the top.
Crockpot pumpkin pie can be served hot if you like it that way. Or, while it's still hot, you can transfer it to pie plates (or whatever pretty dishes you like), smooth it out, let it cool, and serve it later. If you are garnishing with shortbread, do so right before serving.
With all the recipes I tried, there was a little bit of liquid separation that happened during cooking, but it's easily remedied by a gentle stir after the cooking time is done. Please note: this recipe makes the equivalent of two regular size pies. You will need to use a 3-quart crockpot or larger. If that's too much pie for you, cut the recipe in half. But then again, who's ever heard of too much pie??
Crockpot Pumpkin Pie
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1 (29oz.) can of pumpkin
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk biscuit mix or Bisquick (add a 1/4 - 1/2 cup extra if you like your pie really firm)
1 teaspoon salt
1 TBS pumpkin pie spice*
2 (12oz.) cans evaporated milk
(*if you don't have pumpkin pie spice, you can use 2 tsp. ground cinnamon, 1 tsp. ground
ginger, and 1/2 tsp. ground cloves)
1. Grease the inside of the crockpot with cooking spray or butter.
2. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl, and pour into crockpot.
3. Cook on LOW for about 5 hours, or until temperature in center is 160 degrees F.
4. Garnish with whipped cream and spiced shortbread. Enjoy!
Spiced Shortbread
(from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook)
1 1/4 cups flour
3 TBS brown sugar
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup butter
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
1. Combine all ingredients. Mix until it comes together and forms a ball. (patience!)
2. Knead dough until smooth and no longer crumbly. Roll out to 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick, and cut into desired shapes.
3. Carefully place cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for about 25 minutes. The bottoms will just start to brown, and centers should be set. Cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack and let cool.
Visit us at our new site! www.FlannelAcres.com
Monday, October 31, 2011
Crockpot on Vacation!
We've Moved!
You can see this post on our new site by clicking this link:
http://flannelacres.com/2013/11/16/crockpot-on-vacation/
http://flannelacres.com/2013/11/16/crockpot-on-vacation/
Visit us at our new site! www.FlannelAcres.com
Friday, October 21, 2011
Pumpkin Bread Pudding
I'm starting this off with a concoction! I was wanting to make bread pudding for breakfast, but while looking for a recipe I also came across a recipe for pumpkin pudding. I compared the two and made my own recipe for pumpkin bread pudding. It turned out pretty good and got good reviews from those of us who actually like pumpkin pie and can eat it without any toppings. ('D' said he wouldn't like it unless it had whipped cream on it, and 'A' didn't like it at all, but he doesn't like pumpkin pie either.) I admit the recipe doesn't have a 'wow factor' that makes me drool just thinking about it, and maybe some Cool Whip would do that for me (it always does). You could also make a traditional bread pudding sauce to put over it. The recipe could probably be adjusted and tweaked to make it a little better, and if I get around to doing that, I'll let you know what happens.
Pumpkin Bread Pudding
10 slices of bread
1 15oz. can of pumpkin
1 cup milk
3/4 cup sugar
4 eggs
2 TBS melted butter
1 TBS pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp. vanilla
(add some nuts or raisins if you like them)
1. Let the bread sit out to get stale, or put it in a warm (but off) oven for a while until it's a little crispy but still soft on the inside. Cut it into cubes or rip it into pieces (depending on your mood). Put the bread pieces in a greased crockpot.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients and pour over bread pieces. Stir gently to coat.
3. Cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or until center temperature reaches 160 degrees F.
I used store-bought white bread (bleck!), but I think it would probably be even better with homemade bread or cinnamon raisin bread. I put this all together late at night and turned on my crockpot at 11pm. It was ready for my husband to eat at 5am.
Try this recipe sometime and tell me what you think. If you tweak it, please share!
Pumpkin Bread Pudding
10 slices of bread
1 15oz. can of pumpkin
1 cup milk
3/4 cup sugar
4 eggs
2 TBS melted butter
1 TBS pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp. vanilla
(add some nuts or raisins if you like them)
1. Let the bread sit out to get stale, or put it in a warm (but off) oven for a while until it's a little crispy but still soft on the inside. Cut it into cubes or rip it into pieces (depending on your mood). Put the bread pieces in a greased crockpot.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients and pour over bread pieces. Stir gently to coat.
3. Cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or until center temperature reaches 160 degrees F.
I used store-bought white bread (bleck!), but I think it would probably be even better with homemade bread or cinnamon raisin bread. I put this all together late at night and turned on my crockpot at 11pm. It was ready for my husband to eat at 5am.
Try this recipe sometime and tell me what you think. If you tweak it, please share!
Visit us at our new site! www.FlannelAcres.com
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