I'M STILL ALIVE AND WELL AND WILL BE BACK SOON.

Please don't get the blog police out for me. I'm still alive and well, but the past few weeks have been filled with family and medical/dental issues and, most of all, major computer problems. I'm on my third computer in a month, after having lost ALL my files and photos while reformatting. The new OS, Vista, is not compatible with all software yet, so it's been one nightmare after another with hours upon hours being spent with tech support. I have a ton of recipes in a folder and most of the photos to go with them, but haven't even touched them. Some of the recipes lost their photos.

I promise I'll be back soon, hopefully next week. In the meantime, have a wonderful Memorial Day, in the sun, I hope. (Is there a sun? Haven't seen one lately.)

JUNIOR'S CHEESECAKE WITH SHORTBREAD CASHEW CRUST

Junior's cheesecake, had been on my mind, ever since I got creative with my first one. This time, I fully intended to follow the original recipe to a "T"; but, true to my nature, made some changes at the last minute. Instead of the sponge cake base that Junior's is known for, I tried a shortbread-cashew crust, which turned out unbelievably good. Of course, you can use the Keebler shortbread cookies, but they have ingredients listed that I don't want to eat. Real shortbread is considerably more expensive, but the ingredient list is a lot shorter -- just flour, butter, sugar and salt. Since this cheesecake calls for only one flavoring (vanilla), go for the best. I used Nielsen-Massey vanilla paste (Williams Sonoma), and you can see the vanilla bean specks in the cheesecake if you look closely. (By the way, this cheesecake was made almost two months ago. )

Good Morning America posted the recipe for Junior's Famous No. 1 Cheesecake. It's from the cookbook, "Welcome to Junior's! Remembering Brooklyn With Recipes and Memories from Its Favorite Restaurant." The directions implicity state that you should use regular cream cheese, not light. Hrmpph. I hate it when people tell me what I can't do. Sure, it's going to be better if you use full fat cream cheese. But that doesn't mean you can't make a good cheesecake with Neufchatel cheese. Just to prove my point, that's what I did. I reduced the heavy cream by 1/4 cup to allow for the extra liquid in the Neufchatel cheese.

The final verdict is in: The buttery, nutty crust on this cheesecake is the bomb (and the extra fat in it more than makes up for what was saved by using light cream cheese and less heavy cream). The cheesecake is excellent with its mild yet full vanilla flavoring and firm creaminess, and is now in a neck-to-neck race with my all-time favorite, Lindy's. (I see a throwdown coming.)
I hope you're not one of those people that's afraid to make a cheesecake, because they are amazingly forgiving. My son made cheesecakes many times before he realized he was overbaking them. And he thoroughly enjoyed every overbaked cheesecake. He's finally learned how to tell when a cheesecake is done: watch it through the oven window. Watch it puff up around the edges. But don't let it puff up all the way to the center. It should jiggle and look undone when you turn off the heat. See, this is what I love about the Lindy's recipe. It's baked at a high temp, then you turn the oven way down, so the cheesecake cools gradually. It never cracks and it's smooth as butter when you eat it. Most cheesecakes are baked at the wrong temperature, causing cracking.

I was all set to enjoy eating this cheesecake. Before I could indulge, though, my neighbor came to the door asking if she could buy a dessert from me for company she was expecting. What could I do? I gave her the cheesecake. Thankfully, I had made a little 4" cake for Guy and me. So at least I got to taste it, but it was barely a few mouthfuls. Drizzled in butterscotch-caramel sauce that perfectly complemented the vanilla cheesecake and its divine shortbread-cashew crust, I was in heaven, albeit for a very brief moment.

Junior's Cheesecake with Shortbread-Cashew Crust
Cheesecake adapted from GMA recipes and Junior's, NYC
Crust: Judy's Kitchen
Rating: Cheesecake: 9.5 out of 10
Crust: 10 out of 10

INGREDIENTS:
CRUST: 1 pkg. (5.3 oz or 150g) Walkers pure butter shortbread (about 1-1/4 cups crushed)
1/3 cup salted cashews
1/4 cup white whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. coriander
3 Tbsp. melted Smart Balance 50/50 butter blend

Preheat oven to 350F. In work bowl of food processor, place all ingredients except SB and pulse several times until everything is reduced to crumbs. Drizzle in the melted SB and continue to pulse till mixture is evenly moistened. Press mixture into a 9" springform pan that's been wrapped in two thicknesses of aluminum foil (or, as I did, divide between an 8" springform pan and a 4-1/2" springform pan, also wrapped in foil). Bake about 10 minutes (the small pan will be done in about 8 minutes). Cool thoroughly while preparing cheesecake filling.

CHEESECAKE FILLING: 4 (8-oz) pkgs. cream cheese (I used Neufchatel)
1-2/3 cups sugar
1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract (the best you can afford)
2 extra-large eggs (or 2-1/2 large)
1/4 cup cornstarch
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream (reduce to 1/2 if using Neufchatel)

Wipe out the work bowl with a damp paper towel. Place 1 pkg. of cream cheese and the sugar in the bowl and pulse till well combined. Add the other blocks of cream cheese, one at a time, and pulse well after each addition. Scrape down sides after each. Be sure the mixture is completely smooth, creamy and well mixed. Add the eggs, one at a time, and just pulse briefly after each. Add the cornstarch and cream, pulsing just till combined and smooth with no lumps. Butter the exposed sides of each pan. Spoon about 1 cup of batter into the small pan and spoon the rest into the 8" pan.

Set out a large, shallow pan filled with very hot water and place both pans in the water. Set in the oven and bake the small pan about 30 minutes, and the larger pan about 50 minutes, till the outside edges have puffed up but the centers are still quite jiggly. Transfer to a warm place, free of drafts, to thoroughly cool before transferring to a wire rack in a cooler place. Refrigerate overnight to "cure" the flavors. Serve with caramel sauce and chopped salted cashews. (Recommended: Smucker's Special Recipe Butterscotch-Caramel Sauce).

You may want to check out my other spectacular vanilla cheesecake from Food & Wine Magazine.

THE NEW YORK TIMES "BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES," ADAPTED

I'm always up for a new chocolate chip cookie -- how about you? This recipe uses a little less butter along with some nut paste (hazelnut paste, peanut butter, etc.) Since I still have a bag of almond meal in the freezer, I thought I would use that for the nut paste.

I used Nestle Chocolatiers, 62% cacao bittersweet chocolate chips.  They are exquisite in this cookie, enhanced by a teaspoon of my "coffee essence*."

The cookies are big, fat, tender and flavorful. They are NOT crispy on the edges --and the crumb is too tight and dense to call it cakey, but it's not chewy and it's not the typical chocolate chip cookie crumb.  I think the almond meal drew too much moisture out of the other ingredients. I also used Ultragrain (30% whole wheat) flour, which may have affected the texture, even though it's not supposed to.

Not to worry. They're all gone. It was those 62% cacao chocolate chips. Who could resist them? I will try making these again with paste, not meal and regular all-purpose flour and report back to you. For now, while these were not the best, they were very, very enjoyable....burp.

"The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies"

Adapted from The New York Times

Rating: 8 out of 10

INGREDIENTS: 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 cup sugar (I used 1/2 cup sugar + 1 Tbsp. Stevia)

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup unsweetened hazelnut paste, peanut butter, or other nut butter (I used 1/4 cup almond meal)

2 large eggs

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 tsp. coffee essence*(my addition)

2-1/3 cups flour (I used Ultragrain, which is 30% whole wheat)

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. sea salt

12 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I used Nestle Chocolatier Bittersweet chocolate chips)

1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional) (I used toasted chopped walnuts)

Heat oven to 375F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. In bowl of electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter & sugars. (Note: I always make cookies by hand. The mixer has a way ofoverheating the dough, causing the cookies to rise in the oven, then fall when they cool. Mixing by hand ensures the cookie will stay fat after cooling.) Add nut paste, beating till smooth.  Beat in eggs, vanilla and coffee essence, scraping down the bowl as needed.

In another bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Gradually add dry ingredients to butter mixture using low speed until the dough comes together. Stir in chocolate and nuts. Drop heaping tablespoons of dough 2" apart onto prepared cookie sheets, flattening them slightly by hand. Bake till lightly browned and toothpick returns with just a few crumbs after being inserted near center. Cool completely on wire rack. Yield: 4 dozen

(Note: I used my big ice cream scoop for 6 cookies, and my small ice cream scoop for 12 cookies. I preferred the big cookies -- they were more scone-like.)

*Coffee Essence: Combine equal parts of coffee brandy and instant coffee. Refrigerate till used. Use this as a flavoring in chocolate chip cookies, chocolate cakes and brownies and see the chocolate flavor come alive!

CROCKPOT CHICKEN AND MUSHROOMS

This recipe, from About.com Southern Food, was rated 5 stars. Since I don't use my crockpot nearly enough, I thought I would give it a try. Having dinner taken care of early in the day is definitely a plus for the crockpot. And Guy loved it. But I thought it came up short of my current fave. Don't get me wrong, this was enjoyable. But it kind of reminded me of a 1960's casserole dish. Not that there's anything wrong with that either, but I just can't give it a top rating, even with the changes I made to "beef" it up a bit. Would I make it again? You bet, especially if I needed to throw things in a crockpot so I didn't have to worry about dinner later. That's what the crockpot is for, after all.

Crockpot Chicken and Mushrooms
Adapted from About.com Southern Food
Rating: 7.5 out of 10

INGREDIENTS:
4 Tbsp. olive oil, divided use
3-4 chicken breasts, skin off, bone in
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced or grated
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/8 tsp. ground red pepper
salt and pepper to taste
3 fresh thyme sprigs
1/4 cup drinking quality dry white wine
2 Tbsp. flour
1/4 cup fat-free half and half
hot cooked noodles
2 Tbsp. Smart Balance buttery spread
1/2 pkg. frozen peas
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

In a large skillet, heat 2 Tbsp. oil; brown chicken on all sides; transfer to crockpot. Add 1 Tbsp. SB to skillet; add onion; saute till transparent. Add garlic; saute 30 seconds; transfer to crockpot. Add 1 Tbsp. SB to skillet, add mushrooms; saute till starting to brown. Stir in soup, peppers, salt, thyme sprigs and wine, and let the mixture bubble up. Spoon over chicken in crockpot. Cover, cook on high for 5 hours. Transfer chicken to cutting board and let it cool a bit. Stir flour into H&H; stir into sauce to thicken. Taste to adjust seasonings, adding more salt and pepper if needed.

Tear or cut chicken into pieces; discard bones. Put chicken back into crockpot; reduce heat to low.

Cook noodles according to package directions. Two minutes before pasta is done, add peas. Drain; return to pot with SB and parsley. Keep warm. Yield: 4 servings

BRANSON GREAT AMERICAN PIE SHOW RECIPES

You can see some videos and get all the finalist recipes at the Pie Show official website.

One of the judges of the Pie Show, Emily, also has a food blog, where you can read her comments on the pies and see her photos. If you click on the pie title(s), it will take you to the Taste of Home website and the recipe. Emily was kind enough to visit my blog to tell me she wants to make my pie and that it was one of her favorites.

You can also go right to the Taste of Home website for all the recipes.

Let me know if you have trouble with any of the links.

CHOCOLATE-HAZELNUT CHEESECAKES FOR 2

Sometimes kitchen experiments don't work out. We've all had disasters in baking. But when our creative efforts produce something worthy of our praise, it's a glorious day. And the day I made these chocolate-hazelnut cheesecakes was a glorious day!
I love the challenge of working with ingredients at hand and trying to make them into something delicious. A can of mixed salted nuts which yielded exactly enough hazelnuts for this small dessert, a block of Neufchatel cheese, heavy cream, Greek yogurt, hazelnut liqueur and imagination were the components of a memorable dessert.

I carried the chocolate hazelnut theme all the way through: from the chocolate-hazelnut crust to the chocolate-hazelnut filling to the chocolate-hazelnut creme fraiche, this dessert has the milk-chocolate hazelnut taste in every bite. It doesn't taste like Nutella. But it is definitely hazelnut and definitely chocolate. And most definitely delicious. If you have the ingredients and two (4-1/2") springform pans, you are all set for a taste adventure.

Chocolate-Hazelnut Cheesecakes for 2

Source: Judy's Kitchen

Rating: 9 out of 10

INGREDIENTS:

Non-stick cooking spray
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. salted hazelnuts, skin on, divided use
1/4 cup white whole wheat flour
2-1/2 Tbsp. + 1/3 cup sugar, divided use
1 Tbsp. cocoa, divided use
2 Tbsp. melted unsalted butter
1 Tbsp. hazelnut liqueur, divided use
1 (8-oz.) pkg. Neufchatel cheese, softened
1 large egg
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. heavy whipping cream

1 Tbsp. non-fat vanilla flavored Greek yogurt

1/2 oz. melted bittersweet chocolate, 60-70% cacao

For crust, heat oven to 325F. Spray two (4-1/2") springform pans with non-stick cooking spray; set aside. In work bowl of food processor, pulse hazelnuts, just till coarsely chopped. Reserve 2 Tbsp. for topping. Add flour, 2-1/2 Tbsp. sugar, and 1-1/2 tsp. cocoa to work bowl, and pulse till nuts are finely ground and ingredients are well mixed together. Add melted butter and 1 tsp. liqueur and pulse again till well blended. Press mixture onto bottom of pans. Bake 7-8 minutes, or just till set and beginning to brown. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

For filling, wipe work bowl clean with damp paper towel. Pulse 1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese with remaining 1-1/2 tsp. cocoa and remaining 1/3 cup sugar till well blended and smooth; scrape down sides. Add egg, and pulse briefly, just to combine. Scrape down sides. Add vanilla, sour cream, remaining 2 tsp. liqueur, and melted chocolate; pulse briefly to combine. Scrape sides and bottom with spatula, making sure there are no lumps and all ingredients are distributed well. Pour carefully into cooled crust. Bake at 325F about 25-30 minutes, or till sides are puffed and set but center is still jiggly. Place cheesecake in a closed area (such as a microwave oven) free of drafts for one hour while it cools and continues to cook. Transfer to wire rack to finish cooling. Refrigerate 3 hours or overnight.

Serve plain or with chocolate hazelnut creme fraiche: In small bowl, combine 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream, 2 tsp. cocoa, and 1-1/2 Tbsp. 10X sugar. Beat till stiff. Slowly beat in 1 Tbsp. vanilla Greek yogurt and 1 tsp. hazelnut liqueur. Serve over cheesecake and sprinkle remaining 2 Tbsp. chopped hazelnuts over top.

THE BRANSON GREAT AMERICAN PIE SHOW

I'm back from Branson, and I didn't win. Here are the 4 top pies:

1. Sour Cream Peach Pie -$2,500 + 4 days, 3 nights in Branson for 2.
2. Mixed Nut and Fig Pie - $1,000
3. Dreamy Creamy Peanut Butter Pie - $500
4. Vermont Maple Oatmeal Pie - $250

Of course I'm disappointed, as are the other 8 contestants who did not win prize money. What we did win was the trip to Branson, including airfare and meals, a signed copy of Al Roker's best-selling Grilling Cookbook, an apron with Taste of Home Cooking School on it, free entry into the Taste of Home Cooking School, a gift bag, free tickets to Branson shows of our choice on Friday and Saturday evenings, and a Finalist Medal. They told us there were 1200 entries for this pie contest, and we had the top 12 recipes.

Taste of Home has never had an on-site pie baking contest before, and they are hoping to make this an annual event in Branson with the Branson Chamber of Commerce. I'm sure it will get better every year. For this first time, there were a lot of mixups, inconsistencies, errors and last-minute switches. Needless to say, the contestants were in a state of confusion.

My recipe was the only one using a food processor. Each station had a KA mixer, but I needed a food processor. Unfortunately, they didn't have one, so they tried to borrow one. It was a GE and it was from about 30 years ago. That was problem #1. The processor had a chute coming out the side and when I put the almonds in, they went all over the floor. We did finally solve that problem, then the next problem was the microplane grater. They brought me a coarse grater that had dull blades (yes they do get dull). Then they brought me a regular fine grater. Neither of these was able to extract any zest out of the limes. Finally, they brought me a microplane fine grater. There was no oven thermometer to check the calibration of the ovens (which were off by 10 degrees I later found out). My recipe called for a 1-1/2 quart pot, and they gave me a 4-quart pot. I needed a hand mixer, and, again, they gave me a borrowed one about 30 years old. It had vents in the top -- seen any of those lately? It was filthy dirty. When I started to beat the topping with it, oil and lint spewed out of the vents into my topping. The TOH rep told me not to worry about it, no one would know. The pie plate they provided was a straight edged deep dish pie plate, and I needed a standard fluted edge. They finally brought me disposable pie plates, which I didn't want to use but had no choice. The TOH reps came around to all the cooking stations and repeatedly told us not to worry about presentation. We were supposed to finish our pies, then cut them into pieces for the 10 judges. At the last minute, they told us to put the pies on a presentation table so the judges could see them before they were cut. We were marked on presentation. But the real kiss of death was my placement in the judging. They put me first. Never go first or last. The first pie is always scored low because the judges haven't seen any of the others yet. By the time they get to the last pie, they're all filled up with nuts, berries, etc. and can't even taste the last one. I knew when they put me first it was over.

Contests are luck of the draw. And I drew all the short straws on this one. But I learned a lot. Next time (if there is a next time), I'll be sure to bring ALL my own equipment. But the placement in the judging is something that cannot be controlled. My hubby told me to keep submitting this pie, because it's a winner. And when he tells me that, it spurs me on, because he is not a dessert eater. He really loves this pie.

It was a fun time in Branson. I met some wonderful people that I would love to see again (several have submitted recipes to the Pillsbury Bake -Off Contest and just might be there next year.) The Chamber provided "Velcro Buddies" for each of the finalists. They stuck to us like velcro and took care of all our last-minute needs. My Velcro buddy, Kitty, was wonderfully kind, thoughtful and delightful to be with. She introduced me to Janet Lennon, took me to the Landing (an outdoor mall), and to the Branson Five and Ten Cent store, and just made sure that I was ok. All in all, it was a fun time and a great learning experience that I'll never forget.