Pumpkin Coconut Cheesecake Bars with a Coconut Pecan Crust

The title is a mouthful.  The bars are an even more delightful mouthful.  Decadent and silky.  Not overly sweet.  In my mind it brought together the best of Indian cuisine and Southern comfort food.  Spicy, warm, sweet and silken. 

The inspiration from this came from a Facebook conversation with a friend on Christmas Eve.  I needed to bake something.  ANYTHING.  I've been slammed with work from three shows.  That, coupled with the usual Holiday chaos has left me with precious little time to cook, let alone enjoy it.

My friend suggested pie.  After a quick perusal of my pantry I discovered pumpkin puree, coconut milk, pecans and flaked coconut.  Back around  Thanksgiving I had thought about making pumpkin cheesecake bars.  The discovery of the coconut milk teased for a twist...

Cobbled together from recipes at Taste of Home, Alida's Kitchen, and Alaska from Scratch

yields 12 servings

The Ingredients:
For the crust:
1 cup flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup toasted pecans, finely crushed
5 Tbsp butter, softened
1/3 cup flaked coconut
1/2 tsp ginger

for the filling and topping:
11 ounces light cream cheese
1/3 cup light sour cream
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
6 oz coconut milk
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp ginger


The Process:
for the crust: 
Preheat the oven to 350

In a large bowl, combine flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the pecans, coconut and ginger.  Reserve about 3/4 cup of the mixture for the topping.

Firmly press the remaining mixture into the bottom and slightly up the sides of a greased 8 inch square baking pan.  Bake for 12- 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

for the filling:
Lower to the oven temperature to 325

In a large bowl cream together the cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, corn starch and vanilla until smooth.  Add eggs, and beat on low until combined.  Stir in the coconut milk.

Pour 3/4 cup of the filling into a small bowl. Whisk in the pumpkin, brown sugar and ginger.

Pour the coconut filling over the cooled pecan crust.  Gently dollop the pumpkin filling  over the top.  

Smooth into an even layer, or if desired, gently swirl the pumpkin into the coconut with the tip of a knife for a marbled effect.  Sprinkle with reserved crust.

Bake the bars fro 35-40 minutes or until the filling is mostly set, but still slightly jiggly in the center.  Cool to cool to room temperature.  Refrigerate for at least two hours or preferably over night.

Cinnamon Raisin Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce

Bread pudding may be Ross' kryptonite.  When we go out to eat, we usually forgo dessert, either for economy or due to a full belly.  However, if bread pudding is on the menu, all bets are off.

I like mine a little more custard-y.  Ross prefers his a little more bread-y.  Either way, dot it with a generous helping of fruit--whether it be diced or fresh--and a healthy splash of booze of some sort and we are in heaven.

This version is buttery and rich--not too custard-y, but certainly not dry.  Feel free to change up the breads and fruits.  Sourdough and peach?  Oooo...maybe next time...

adapted from recipes from 1001 Recipes (edited by Martha Day), Paula Dean, Chef Point Cafe

serves 8 to 10

The Ingredients:
for the pudding:
1 lb loaf of cinnamon raisin bread, day old and cubed
2 apples, peeled, cored and diced
3 eggs
2 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp bourbon
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided
1/3 cup brown sugar

for the sauce:
1 cup of sugar
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup bourbon

The Process:
Preheat the oven to 350.

Generously butter a 9 x 13 baking dish using 1 Tbsp butter.  Toss the cubed bread with the diced apples.  Add the bread to the prepared dish.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, sugar, bourbon and vanilla.  Pour the egg mixture over the bread.  Gently press the bread down into the mixture to make sure it is soaked. Allow to rest for ten minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the remaining butter and brown sugar until it resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.

Cover the bread mixture with aluminum foil. Place the covered baking dish in a deep pan. Pour water into the deep pan until it comes about halfway up the covered baking dish. Bake for 1 hour.  Uncover, dot with brown sugar mixture and bake an additional 15 minutes. Serve warm with sauce.

for the sauce:
Whisk together the granulated sugar, butter, egg, and vanilla in a saucepan over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved.  Add bourbon and simmer for about 10 minutes. Drizzle over warm pudding, reserving the rest on the side.

Seafood Paella

A very merry Christmas to all!  Ross and I are alone today...basking in each others presence on this chilly glorious Christmas Day.  So we splurged on a bounty of fresh seafood.  Paella for two...

adapted from 365 Main Courses Edited by Jenni Fleetwood

Serves 2 generously

The Ingredients:
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1 small yellow onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 oz Spanish chorizo
5-6 oz fresh squid, cleaned
1 small red pepper
2 Roma tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
1 1/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup short grain or risotto rice
pinch of saffron
1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas
6 jumbo shrimps 
1/2 lb little neck clams, cleaned
1/2 lb mussels, cleaned
6-8 oz lobster tail, shell split down the center

The Process:
Prep the squid, Gently pull the tentacles away from the body with a twisting motion.  Cut the head from the tentacles and discard the head and innards. Pull the tentacles back to reveal the beak and gently squeeze...the beak and cartilage should slide out easily.  Remove the long clear cartilage from the body.  Rinse the body and tentacle in cold water and pat dry.  Cut the body into rings and the tentacle into pieces.  Rinse and scrub the shellfish.

Soak the clams and mussels in cold water for about 20 minutes to remove sand and grit.  To remove the breads on the mussels, hold in one hand and pull the beard toward the hinge.  Scrub clams and discard any that are not tightly shut.

Heat the oil in a large wok or paella pan.  Add the onion and garlic.  Saute over medium heat until translucent and fragrant.  Add the chorizo and saute until lightly browned.

Add the prepared squid, sauteing for 2-3 minutes.

Stir in the peppers and tomatoes.  Simmer for 4-5 minutes until the peppers are tender.  Add the wine and stock.  Bring to a boil.  Add the rice and saffron and lobster tail.  Return the mixture to a boil, reduce the temperature, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Add the peas, shrimp, clams, and mussels.  Stir the seafood gently into the rice.  Simmer the paella over low heat for an additional 20-25 minutes. or until the shellfish have opened and the lobster tail is cooked through.  Discard any mussels or clams that haven't opened.

Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve hot.

Snow Day Cocoa

Nothing beats a hard day of shoveling like coming in to hot cup of cocoa.

Growing up, hot cocoa had a special place in my heart.  Come fall, I would trek out to the chilly soccer fields to watch my brother kick the ball around with his team mates.  That early in the morning nothing fended off the cold quite like a cup of cocoa.  Even a cup of cocoa made from a pouch with hot water.

Mom always upped the ante.  After a cold day of shoveling or playing we would often come in to a pot of rich cocoa on the stove.  Thank you Hersey's.

This cocoa ups the ante a notch further.

Adapted from Hersey's cocoa recipe

The Ingredients:
1/3 cocoa powder
1/2 cup vanilla scented sugar*
1/3hot water
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cinnamon
dash of corriander
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream


The Process:
Combine the cocoa, sugar, salt, cinnamon and coriander in a medium saucepan.  Slowly stir in the hot water and mix until well combined.  Bring the temperature to a boil over medium high heat.

Reduce the temperature to low.  Whisk in the cream, milk, and vanilla extract  Stir until heated through.  Label into mugs and garnish with marshmallows or whipped cream, if desired.. 

*stick a pod or two of spent vanilla bean in a jar full of granulated sugar.  Add more sugar as you use it up.  The vanilla pods will keep fragrant for months

Roasted Corn and Red Cabbage Slaw

How about a break from the holiday carb fest for something a little more colorful and crunchy?  This tex mex slaw comes courtesy of Driftless Organics.  The November storage box had in it not only a plethora of root vegetables but two beautiful heads of red cabbage.  The roast corn is ridiculously easy to prepare, even in the middle of winter.  Frozen corn can go a long way.

The slaw is a great side dish on its own, but it is even better as a taco filling.  Fish tacos come to mind.  Our tasty dinner consisted of seasoned ground turkey, a smear of sour cream and a mound of this beautiful purple slaw wrapped up in a corn tortilla.

It was hard to stop...

recipe courtesy of Driftless Organics 

serves 6-8

The Ingredients:
1 medium head of red cabbage, cored and shredded
1/2 red onion, very thinly sliced
2 carrots, grated
1 cup frozen sweet corn
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 red sweet pepper, chopped
1 Tbsp oil
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp ancho chili powder
3 Tbsp yogurt
2 Tbsp lemon juice
Salt & pepper to taste
hot sauce to taste





The Process:
Preheat broiler.

Combine cabbage, red onion, and carrots in a large bowl. Set aside.

Toss sweet corn, garlic, and red pepper in oil. Season with salt and pepper.  Spread on
a baking sheet in an even layer. Place under broiler for 7-10 minutes, watching carefully and stirring occasionally, until the corn is completely thawed and starting to brown. Let cool.

In a small bowl whisk together spices, yogurt, lemon juice and hot sauce to taste. Add the dressing and corn mixture to the cabbage and toss to coat. 

Paula Deen's Corn Casserole

Usually I avoid canned and pre-packaged foods like the plague.  But every once in a blue moon the urge hits.  This is pure, greasy awful comfort food.  Sort of a mix between cornbread and corn mush.  Only Paula Dean....

Adapted from Paula's recipe at The FoodNetwork.com

serves 6-8

The Ingredients:
1 (15 oz) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (15 oz) can cream-style corn
1 (8-ounce) package corn muffin mix
2 green onions, minced
1/2 cup sour cream
4 Tbsp butter, melted
1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded

The Process:

Preheat oven to 350

In a large bowl, stir together the both cans of corn, corn muffin mix,onions, sour cream, and melted butter. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and top with cheese. Return to oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Let stand for at least 5 minutes. Serve warm.

Sticky Ginger Garlic Chicken Drummies

Need a batch of something simple to serve to a crowd?  My usual standby is a crock pot full of chicken drummies.  I tried an "Asian"  inspired version for a holiday party a mere few weeks before I started blogging.  In fact, I believe that recipe helped spawn my desire to blog my growth as a cook.  I should have sat down that night and typed the recipe up.  I can't seem to find it now...

Ah well.

This recipe is fairly similar.  It hits those same sweet and salty notes, though the chicken is not as fall off the bone tender as the holiday version (I will continue to kick myself until I unbury that recipe!)*

Four marinade ingredients and two cooking options.  The recipe will work equally as well for a variety of other cut of chicken.  The cooking time in the oven may vary for thicker cuts such as breasts or thighs.  And the marinade is easy to scale up or down for any amount of meat.  In the end I believe I made about 6 pounds of meat...roughly 28 drummies.  We'll start with two pounds here...

adapted from CanaryGirl via FakeGinger

serves 4-6

The Ingredients:
2 lbs chicken drumsticks or wings
1/2 cup soy sacue
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1-inch knob of ginger, minced

The Process:
Combine the soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger and garlic together in a large zip top bag.  Massage until the sugar is dissolved and garlic and ginger evenly distributed.  Add the chicken, seal and refrigerate for 6-8 hours, or preferably overnight.

for the oven:
Preheat the oven to 350.  Arrange the chicken in a single layer in a lightly oiled baking dish.  Bake for 45-60 minutes or until the internal temperature reads 160 and the juices run clear.

in the crock pot:
Dump the contents of the zip top bag, marinade and all, into the crock pot and cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 6-8.  This version is more likely to fall off the bone...



*It seems I did save the recipe from that holiday party.  Just goes to show how much of a mess my bookmarks currently are.  You can find the original recipe at Gina's Skinny Recipes