LEMON-ROASTED GARLIC HUMMUS

Hummus made in a food processor is smooth and creamy, so I'm not understanding why this photo makes it look like a bowl of oatmeal with roasted garlic on top. You're just going to have to take my word for it: this is good stuff. Now that I've taken the leap and am making my own hummus, I'm amazed that I never did it before. I can make hummus whenever I want. It's not a big deal at all. It makes up so quickly -- just throw everything in the food processor, hit the pulse button and zip, it's done. And you can add whatever you want to it to develop your own flavor preferences.

Lemon-Roasted Garlic Hummus
INGREDIENTS: 1 head garlic
1 15 or 16-oz. can chickpeas, drained
1/4 cup tahini
3 Tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp. ground cumin (I use whole seeds and crush them in a mortar and pestle)
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. sea salt
2 dashes of cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

DIRECTIONS: Place garlic head on glass pie pan (or on tinfoil or other small baking surface) and bake at 350F for about 25 minutes, till head feels soft when squeezed. Remove from oven and let cool about 1/2 hour before using.
Pull off cloves from head and slit with small sharp knife to remove the roasted clove. (Most directions say to squeeze the roasted garlic out, but I find this to be way too time consuming. It's easier to just slit the skin -- it separates easily from the clove and you can just remove the clove in one piece.) Place all cloves in work bowl of food processor along with remaining ingredients. Pulse for a minute or two, or till everything is nice and smooth and creamy. You can make this as thin or thick as you like it. For a thick hummus, add the lemon juice after you have pulsed everything else, starting with 1 Tbsp. until you achieve desired thickness. For a thinner hummus, add drained liquid from chickpeas, water or additional olive oil until mixture is as thin as you like it. If you like a hotter hummus, add more cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper. See how easy? Now just enjoy it with crackers, pita bread or veggies.

MORE CHOCOLATE TURTLE CHEESECAKE PHOTOS

My son, David, made a chocolate turtle cheesecake Saturday -- see my previous post for recipe. He made another one yesterday for his wife Mandy to take into work today. Above photos are the cake he sent in with Mandy. I think he's getting the hang of it. Do you think he's a chip off the old block? He wants to open a bakery some day, but I'm going to have to tell him the pecans are upside down.

CHOCOLATE TURTLE CHEESECAKE

My son, David, made this amazing cheesecake from an allrecipes.com recipe he adapted.  Dave has made numerous chocolate turtle cheesecakes in an effort to duplicate the cheesecake that is being sold in a Greensboro, NC bakery. The Greensboro bakery uses a brownie crust. Dave has used graham cracker crusts and chocolate wafer crusts before. After making this recipe, he decided he likes the vanilla wafer crust the best with all the chocolate and caramel that's going on in this recipe. The only ingredient change he made to this recipe was to add chocolate ganache, chopped pecans and a caramel drizzle to the finished cheesecake to really make it decadent (like it wasn't decadent enough?). He gives this recipe his hearty endorsement, and says he likes it better than the bakery cheesecake. He has some tips, printed with the recipe below, to help you along as you make this outstanding dessert.

Chocolate Turtle Cheesecake

Crust: 2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

Turtle: 14-oz. package individually wrapped caramels

5-oz. can evaporated milk

1 cup chopped pecans + 1/2 cup chopped pecans for topping

Filling:  2 (8-oz) pkgs. cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup white sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 eggs (Dave recommends organic free-range eggs)

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Chocolate Ganache: 1-1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

3 oz. evaporated milk or heavy cream

Caramel Drizzle: 12-oz. pkg. caramel bits

4 oz. evaporated milk

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, mix together the cookie crumbs and melted butter. Press into bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. (Dave says to put this in the freezer while you are making the caramel sauce; this will keep the crust from separating when you pour the caramel sauce over the crust.)

In a heavy saucepan over low heat, melt the caramels with the evaporated milk. Heat and stir frequently until smooth. Pour caramel sauce into crust, and top with pecans. (Dave says to put this back into the freezer while you are making the filling; same reasoning as above.)

In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla; beat well until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Melt the chocolate, and blend into cream cheese mixture. Pour chocolate batter over pecans. (Dave did not follow these instructions; instead he creamed the cheese well till it was smooth and fluffy; then he added the sugar and beat for another 3-4 minutes till sugar was well dissolved. THEN he added the vanilla and briefly combined. He next melted the chocolate by heating it in the microwave for about a minute on high and added the hot chocolate to the cream cheese mixture. THEN he added the eggs and beat on low speed till combined. He poured this chocolate mixture over the pecans.)

Bake 40-50 minutes, or until filling is set. Loosen cake from the edges of pan, but do not remove rim until cooled to prevent the top from cracking. Thoroughly cool cheesecake before refrigerating. Chill in refrigerator for 4 hours, or overnight.

When cheesecake is thoroughly chilled, prepare ganache by microwaving the chips and 3 oz. milk together on high about 1 minute. Add more milk or cream if needed to make a soft ganache. Stir till well combined and spread over cheesecake.

Make caramel drizzle: Microwave 12 oz. pkg. caramel bits with 4 oz. evaporated milk on high till bits are soft and can be stirred, about 1 minute. Stir till well combined. Drizzle over top of cheesecake. (Dave said he bought squeeze bottles in Wal-Mart for under $1 that are perfect for drizzling. He pours the hot sauce into the bottle, caps it, then just lets it drip over the cake. Be careful not to squeeze or it could explode in your face. The hot sauce forms a vacuum. Just let it drip over the cake.) Sprinkle with 1/2 cup chopped nuts.

CHOCOLATE CHAI LATTE CAKE WITH AMARETTO CREAM

Since I'm not baking desserts until my hips recover from chocolate onslaught, here's a recipe that I submitted to betterrecipes.com for their 2007 annual best recipe contest. It didn't win, but it was given 5 stars, their highest rating, and here's the comment they have posted on their website: "Chai latte and chocolate chips give this moist chocolate cake a distinctive flavor -- serve with a marscapone[sic] and amaretto cream sauce."

Chocolate Chai Latte Cake with Amaretto Cream

INGREDIENTS: Cake: 1 18.25 oz. pkg. devil's food cake mix
1 small pkg. chocolate instant pudding mix
1 cup lite sour cream
1/2 cup brewed black tea, steeped for about 10 minutes
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
1/3 cup chai latte mix
1-1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Topping:
8 oz. mascarpone or cream cheese, room temperature
1-1/4 cups cold fat-free half and half
1/4 cup amaretto liqueur
1 small pkg. vanilla instant pudding mix
1/4 cup confectioner's (10X) sugar
8 oz. very cold heavy whipping cream

DIRECTIONS: Cake: Preheat oven to 350F. Have all ingredients at room temperature. Grease and flour a bundt pan, or spray with flour-added nonstick cooking spray. Combine all cake ingredients except chocolate chips in large mixing bowl. Mix according to package instructions. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into bundt pan and bake for 36-40 minutes, or till toothpick inserted in center of cake returns almost clean. Cool cake in pan for 10-15 minutes,, then invert onto wire rack to completely cool.
Topping: Place room temperature mascarpone in medium chilled bowl and beat till creamy. Add half and half and amaretto and beat till well combined. Sprinkle pudding mix and 10X sugar on top and beat with electric mixer for 2 minutes; refrigerate. In separate small chilled bowl, beat heavy cream until stiff. Fold into pudding mixture on slow speed with mixer or by hand with spatula or wire whip. Serve slices of cake with topping.

ISLANDS IN THE STREAM -- NO MORE COOKIES

Yesterday was a good day. We're adding an island to the front corner of our property to help screen the traffic. The landscaper arrived early with two men, and I had 9 big fat warm-from-the-oven-chocolate chip cookies waiting for them. I'm ashamed to say how wonderful I felt when they raved over my cookies -- it never hurts when chocolate chip cookies are warm with soft chips. As he was chomping down on his second cookie, my landscaper told me that he went to culinary school in New England, and we started to talk serious food. He wants to open a restaurant in New Bern when he gets enough money saved. After listening to his creative food ideas, I told him he could count on me to come. His men finished digging the outline of the bed and went to their next job. Reluctantly, we ended our conversation.

We had topsoil delivered. Our two neighbors/friends joined with Guy and me and we shoveled and raked, moving the mounds of topsoil to create a slightly built-up island. Walking past our property was a gentleman we see walking every day. I jokingly called out to him that if he needed more exercise we had an extra shovel. Bless him, he joined us. We learned he's a retired marine and he lives in our development. With five shovels going, we finished the dirty work before the rains came. Guy set up a fence to keep the dirt out of the street, and even after heavy downpours last night, the topsoil was where it was supposed to be when we got up this morning.

I was out early this morning for blood work and dropped off more cookies to a neighbor on the way back. There's no recipe to post today -- I'm now on my way to art class to deliver the last of the cookies. My freezer is empty of cookies. I'm sad, but my hips are glad. I hope to have a recipe for you soon, stay tuned.

WINNING RECIPE

The March issue of Better Homes & Gardens magazine is out, and my name is listed as an honor roll winner. My recipe is not in the magazine. Instead, the honor roll winners get their recipes published in their cookbooks. I don't have a photo of this dish, but I did make it twice before I sent the recipe in, and I thought it was pretty good. The category the recipe was entered under was "Frozen Fruits to the Rescue." BH&G tweaked my recipe a bit (they used chipotle chile peppers in adobo sauce, and my recipe called for chipotle chile powder; and they added orange juice to the blueberry sauce). Their version is below:

Blueberry Pepper Sauce with Chipotle Chile Chicken
Nonstick cooking spray
1 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 Tbsp. honey
1-1/2 tsp. dried oregano, crushed
1 tsp. finely chopped chipotle chile pepper in adobo sauce
1/2 tsp. salt
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 Tbsp. butter
2/3 cup chopped sweet onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 16-oz. pkg. frozen unsweetened blueberries
1/2 cup orange juice
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Coat a 13x9x2-inch baking pan with cooking spray; set aside. In a small bowl, stir together melted butter, honey, 1 tsp. of the oregano, the chipotle pepper, and salt. Brush both sides of chicken with chipotle mixture. Arrange chicken in prepared pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until done (170F).

2. Meanwhile, heat remaining butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook and stir for 4 minutes or until tender. Stir in blueberries, orange juice, vinegar, remaining 1/2 tsp. oregano and black pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Boil gently, uncovered, for 12 minutes or until thickened but still saucy, stirring occasionally.

3. To serve, transfer chicken to serving platter or plates. Spoon blueberry sauce over chicken. Makes 4 servings.

BH&G PRIZE-TESTED RECIPES MIXED-BERRY TARTLETS, adapted

The Better Homes & Gardens Prize Tested Recipe $400 winner for the month of March for Frozen Fruits to the Rescue Category is Mixed-Berry Tartlets. This is the recipe that beat out my Blueberry-Pepper Sauce with Chipotle Chile Chicken recipe. The photo in the magazine shows the fruit still plumped up and looking quite fresh, even though it had supposedly been baked in the tartlet shell. Recommended baking time was 20 minutes. At 20 minutes, my tartlets were not cooked. The pastry shells were still half raw and the fruit wasn't even hot. They needed a full 40 minutes, at which time the fruit was cooked but deflated and didn't look so pretty; but thanks to the topping and a mint sprig, the tartlet was presentable at dessert time. When the tartlets cooled, I had trouble getting them out of my nonstick pan that I had sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Only 3 shells came out intact; therefore, I would recommend that you do use the store-bought pie crusts which are sturdier and will stand up better (I used my own pie crust which is flakier and a little more fragile).

I thought the recipe needed more sugar. Tasting the fruit tartlet by itself, it was not sweet enough, and I usually undersweeten fruit desserts. However, when the topping was added, it was perfect. I didn't use the lemon curd-heavy cream topping in the original recipe, since I didn't have any lemon curd on hand and didn't feel like making any. I'll give both recipes below so you can make whichever you want. We had this dessert Sunday night with friends. Our menu started with chicken soup, then salad and that wonderful lasagna I made recently and stashed in the freezer, and finally this dessert which we all thought was a winner, even if it did beat me.

BH&G Prize-Tested Recipes Mixed-Berry Tartlets, adapted

INGREDIENTS
1 15-OZ. pkg. rolled refrigerated unbaked pie crusts (2)
Non-stick cooking spray
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 12-oz. pkg. frozen mixed berries
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/3 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup purchased lemon curd
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla
Mint sprigs (optional)

Judy's Orange-Cream Topping:
3/4 cup very cold fat-free half and half
1-1/2 tsp. Triple Sec liqueur
1/4 tsp. orange extract
2 tsp. orange zest
1/2 pkg. instant French Vanilla pudding mix
1 cup frozen and thawed nonfat or lite whipped topping

PREPARATION: 1. Let pie crusts stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 400F. Lightly coat 12 2-1/2" muffin cups with cooking spray. For pastry shells, unroll pie crusts. Use a 4" round cutter to cut 6 rounds from each crust. (I used the pastic top of a storage container that measured just slightly more than 4".) Press rounds into prepared muffin cups, pleating to fit.

2. For tartlet filling, in a medium bowl, combine the 2 Tbsp. sugar and the cornstarch; stir in berries and lemon juice. Spoon berry mixture into pastry shells. Bake for 20 minutes or until pastry is golden. (Mine took 40 minutes to cook pastry and fruit.) Cool in muffin cups on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Carefully remove tartlets from muffin cups; cool completely on wire rack.

3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine whipping cream, lemon curd, 1 tsp. sugar and vanilla; beat with wire whisk or with electric mixer on medium speed until cream mixture mounds and is fluffy. Spoon on tarts. Garnish each tartlet with a mint sprig.

To make Judy's orange-cream topping, pour half and half into medium narrow bowl. Add Triple Sec, orange extract, orange zest, and pudding mix and beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes or till mixture starts to thicken and is well blended. Fold in 1 cup whipped topping. Refrigerate till serving time.

Note: I halved BH&G's recipe to make 6 tartlets. I used all my topping on the 6 tartlets. Depending on how much topping you want, if you make 12 tartlets, you might want to double the topping.