Favorite Things: Electric Chafer

My Mom bought me 2 electric chafers as early Christmas gifts and I fell in love with them! They keep food HOT without the worry of a lit sterno. I would definitely recommend them for anyone entertaining at home.

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Sweet Potato Cheesecake

Servings: 10 – 12

Prep Time: 90 minutes

Cook Time: 60 minutes

Things you’ll need:

9 inch Springform Pan

Mixer

Ingredients:

Sweet Potato Filling

1 small sweet potato

2 tbsp butter

¼ cup sugar

½ tsp nutmeg

½ tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg

Crust

2 cups cookie or graham cracker crumbs

1 tbsp sugar

3 tbsp melted butter

Cheesecake Filling:

2  8oz Cream Cheese softened

1 14oz can of Sweetened Condensed Milk

2 eggs

2 tsp  Pure Vanilla Extract

1 tsp Lemon Extract

Place sweet potato in a large sauce pan and cover with water

Boil over medium high heat for about 45 minutes or until a spoon easily pierces the skin

Remove potato from water and wrap in 3 or 4 paper towels.

Squeeze potato to get as much water out of it as possible

Remove potato’s skin and place in large mixing bowl.

Mix on high stopping ever minute to remove and strings from mixer paddle

Mix in butter. Then mix in the next 5 ingredients. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 325˚

In a medium bowl mix cookie crumbs and sugar. Then stir in butter. The mixture should be crumbly.

Press into bottom and up 1 inch on the sides of a 9 inch springform pan.

Place in oven and bake crust for 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and wrap bottom of pan with aluminum foil. Place pan on a cookie sheet and set aside.

In a large bowl beat cream cheese until smooth

Add condensed milk to bowl and blend until smooth

Add in eggs, vanilla and lemons extract and beat until smooth

Pour 1/3 of cream cheese mixture into hot crust

Layer with sweet potato mixture

Top with remaining cream cheese mixture

With a butter knife place in cheesecake being careful not to touch crust. With knife make swirls to create a marble effect.

Bake for 1 hour.

Remove from oven and let cool completely.

Refrigerate for 6 – 8 hours

Beef Wellington

Typically Beef Wellington is a combination of beef tenderloin, foie gras & duxelles pate' & prosciutto wrapped and baked in pastry. That’s just a fancy way to say a prime cut of beef with a duck or goose liver and mushroom pate with ham. Since I am grossed out, for lack of a better term, by liver of any kind I have chosen to substitute foie gras pate' with a mixture of pesto mashed potatoes.

Ingredients

2 – 6 to 8 oz Filet Mignon, 1 ½ to 2 inches thick

½ cup Worcestershire

½ cup Cabernet

2 tbsp olive oil

1 ½ cups mashed potatoes mixed with ½ cup pesto, cooled

4 slices Prosciutto

4  sheets puff pastry or Phyllo Dough

1 egg, beaten mixed with ¼ cup water

Salt & Pepper

Place steak in a shallow baking dish

Mix Worcestershire with cabernet and pour over steak. Cover and refrigerate for a ½ hour.

Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.

Sear steaks on both sides until brown. Brush with mustard and set aside

Place a 10 x 10 piece of plastic wrap on counter top layer with 2 slices of Prosciutto, ½ of potato mixture, and 1 filet

Roll up ingredients until beef is completely covered.

Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a ½ hour.

Repeat for second filet.

On a lightly floured surface, unroll 2 sheets of pastry on a floured surface.  Place steak roll in center. Brush all uncovered areas of dough with egg wash. Fold dough over steak roll.

Grease and flour a shallow baking dish. Place wellington seam side down.

Baste top of pastry with egg wash and refrigerate for a ½ hour.

Remove from fridge and bake for a ½ hour or until a golden brown, for a steak cooked medium.

7UP POUND CAKE

When I was about 13 I remember going to Peoples Gas with my Mom and noticing that near the exit there were various pamphlets about this & that. But one read Soul Food Recipes. I brought it home and tried every recipe. There were many that needed a little extra something here and there. But this recipe is PERFECT. It never disappoints. 

Serves: 15 - 20

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (Do NOT use margarine)

3 cups sugar

5 large eggs

3 cups sifted flour

3/4 cup 7up (room temperature and unopened)

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 tsp pure lemon extract

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees
• Butter and flour a 9 inch bundt pan
• In a large bowl beat butter and gradually add sugar
• Scrape down sides of bowl
• Beat again until well mixed
• Beat in one egg at a time
• Alternately beat in flour and 7up, beginning and ending with flour. Scape down sides of bowl before each addition
• Add extracts and stir
• Pour in to pan
• Bake for 1 hour & 20 minutes 
• Remove from oven and let stand for about 20 minutes
• Turn onto cake plate
• Serve ice cream, and fresh berries.

ENJOY!!!!

Deep Dish Pizza with Chicken Sausage

Serving Size: 1 slice

Number of Servings: 8

Prep time: 1 1/2 hours

Cook Time: 30 minutes

11/2 cups warm water (about 110 degrees F)

1 (1/4-ounce) packages active dry yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup semolina flour

1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp unsalted butter melted

1 tbsp olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

8 oz fresh mozzarella cut into ¼ inch thick circles

             1 lb Chicken Sausage partially cooked (see my recipe)

             Diced onions, bell pepper, and or sliced mushrooms, optional

             12 oz shredded mozzarella

             1 tbsp Italian seasoning

              2 cups of your favorite marinara or see my recipe for homemade marinara

              Grated Parmesan (optional)

              Red Pepper Flakes (optional)

In a large bowl, combine the water, yeast, and sugar and stir to combine. Let sit until the mixture is foamy, about 5 minutes.

With a fork, mix in 2 ½ cups of the flour, the semolina & salt. Then, with a fork, mix in butter until mixture is smooth and sticky.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead about until smooth but still slightly tacky, 3 to 5 minutes. Oil a large mixing bowl with the remaining 2 teaspoons oil.

Place the dough in the bowl and turn to oil all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set in a warm, draft-free place until nearly doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Preheat oven to 475˚

With Rolling pin, roll dough to a thickness of ½ inch and a diameter of 14 inches.

Oil a springform pan with olive oil on the bottom & up the sides 2 inches

Place dough in pan. Baste bottom with egg white

Layer fresh mozzarella

Layer partially cooked chicken sausage

Top with vegetables, optional

Sprinkle shredded cheese evenly

Sprinkle with Italian Seasoning

Ladle 2 cups of marinara over cheese

Bake for about ½ hour or until crust is golden brown and a thermometer reads 165˚.

Remove from over and let sit for 10 minutes prior to slicing

Serve with Parmesan and red pepper flakes and a salad made of fresh greens

Marinara aka Gravy

Yield: 4 cups

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time:  1 ½ hours

1 cup thinly sliced mushrooms

1 cup dry white wine

2 tbsp Olive oil

1 large yellow onion, diced

1 bell pepper, diced

20 large tomatoes, with skin & seeds removed, coarsely chopped

1, 14-16oz can of tomato sauce

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp parsley

½ tsp paprika

2 Bay Leaves

Sea Salt

Black Pepper

1 cup Parmesan Cheese

1 cup Fresh Basil leaves

Place mushrooms in a small bowl. Pour in wine and set aside for about 20 minutes.

Preheat olive oil over medium heat in a large sauté pan with 4 inch high sides (or a French skillet).

Add onion, & bell pepper to pan. Sauté for 4 minutes

Pour mushrooms and wine into pan and sauté another 2 or 3 minutes.

Add tomatoes to pan with the next 9 ingredients and stir. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Add parmesan & fresh basil. Stir and simmer for another 20 minutes

Suggestions:

Use gravy in Lasagna or any other pasta dishes.

TO FREEZE- Let gravy cool completely. Separate into 4, 8 oz portions. (I use sandwich bags) and place individual bags into a 1 gallon freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months

DIPS - Mix ¼ cup gravy with 8 oz sour cream. Serve with fresh vegetables, warm pita bread or tortilla chips

OR

Mix ¼ cup gravy with 8 oz melted cheese.

Homemade Chicken Sausage

The great thing about homemade sausage is that you can put whatever you like in it. Do you like it sweet, spicy, with vegetables, cheese, fruit? Throw it into your sausage!  I prefer a combination of flavors. My favorite thing to make with this recipe is my version of Chicago deep dish pizza.

Yield: 1 ¼ pound of sausage/  8 – 2.5 oz patties

Prep Time: 8 hours

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

1 lb Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs

2 tbsp Fennel

1 tbsp of each of the following: Garlic Powder, Paprika, Chili Powder, minced onion, minced celery, minced bell pepper

1 tsp of each of the following: nutmeg, sage, oregano, thyme, salt, black pepper, cumin

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

1 cup fresh basil leaves

3 tbsp maple syrup

¼ cup Olive Oil

1 cup Asiago cheese

In a food processor place 2 pieces of chicken & pulse until ground. Repeat until all chicken is ground. Set aside.

Process basil and stir into ground chicken.

In a medium bowl, whisk oil, syrup & all seasonings together. Add mixture to chicken & stir.

Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours

Form into patties. Separate each patty with waxed paper.

Refrigerate for up to a week or freeze for up to 3 months.

Preheat a large pan over medium low heat. Spray with nonstick cooking spray. Cook patties about 5 minutes on each side.

Look for my Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza recipe!!!!