Mini Pumpkin-Chocolate Cheesecakes

Ever since I've been trying to make the kids' lunches healthier by avoiding preservatives and dyes and including mostly homemade items, I've been on the lookout for recipes to create my own convenience foods.  Foods that  store well, are easy to make,  and  not too messy. This fun little creation is one that I came up with one day when we were in the mood for something pumpkiny, but didn't want the standard pumpkin muffins. With an Oreo as a bottom crust and a sprinkling of mini chocolate chips scattered throughout, these were high on the fun and taste factors! Additionally, they were easy as can be to make and freeze well, which meant they were perfect for the kids' lunches!

You just beat the cream cheese, then add sugar, eggs, pumpkin, and cinnamon...

Toss 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips with a teaspoon of flour and add to the batter.  The flour keeps them all from sinking to the bottom.  I made these twice--once without the flour and once with--and was surprised at what a difference it made. 

Place an Oreo cookie into the bottom of each lined cupcake tin.  (don't laugh at my very, very well used muffin pan.  It's almost 20-years-old and with daughter selling cupcakes as her business, it gets used an awful lot!)

Pour the batter over the Oreos and fill almost to the top of the papers.  Bake at 350 degrees for 22-25 minutes, or until set. 

Allow to cool, peel off the papers and enjoy a deliciously easy fall treat!  You can store them  in the fridge or freezer and they are perfect sized for a little lunch treat!  Enjoy!

Click here for printable recipe.

Recipe by Lara at Recipe Shoebox.

The ingredients:


1 pkg (8-ounces) cream cheese

1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs 

1/2 cup pumpkin

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips + 1 tsp flour

12 Oreos 

Directions: 
In a medium size bowl, beat* the cream cheese 1-2 minutes or until softened and smooth.   Add sugar and beat until combined.  Add eggs, pumpkin, and cinnamon and beat together until smooth. 

In a small bowl, toss together mini chocolate chips and 1 teaspoon flour, then gently stir into batter.   (the flour helps keep the chocolate chips more evenly distributed in the batter)

Place a whole Oreo cookie into the bottom of each paper lined cupcake pan, then pour batter directly over the Oreo, filling it almost to the top of the cupcake paper. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 22-25 minutes or until set.   Allow to cool before eating.  Store leftovers in a tightly covered container  in the fridge or freezer. 

Enjoy! 

*NOTE:  Don't skip beating the cream cheese by itself.  If you start adding ingredients to it unbeaten, you'll probably get a lumpy batter with chunks of cream cheese that won't mix in.  If it does happen, you can blend it in the blender to smooth it out.

*  These freeze very well!   Just place the whole muffin pan (or line them up on a cookie sheet) into the freezer until they're frozen, then remove and place into freezer bags.  You can eat them frozen or thawed!  I put them frozen into the kids' lunches and they're perfect by lunch time!

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Green Monster Soup (Split Pea)

Take a boring sounding soup like "split pea" and if your kids are like mine, they will probably determine that they don't like it even before trying it.  Try adding a monster face to the same boring sounding soup with a couple of dollops of plain greek yogurt, sliced olives, chopped ham, and the end of a breadstick and officially dub it "Green Monster Soup"  and you might get them to take a second look.  Not one for such cutesy tricks normally, I was surprised at how it seemed to soften up the pickiest eaters among my kids.  Even my uber picky son declared that "it wasn't bad for a soup," which coming from him is quite the compliment!  I think I'm going to start thinking of clever names for all my food now.

Don't forget to check out this post for a compilation of all of our favorite fun Halloween ideas in one place!

Recipe Source:  Minnesota Bread

Click here for printable recipe.

Posted by Lara. 

The ingredients:
2 Tbs. butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup carrots, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/2 lbs. smoked pork hocks (or a hambone leftover from a spiral ham)
2 tsp. dried marjoram or thyme
1-1/2 cups dried green split peas
8 cups water
1 cup diced leftover ham (optional)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
Garnishments for scary faces:  Sour cream, sliced olives, breadsticks, extra chopped ham, etc


Directions:
Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium-high heat.  Add onion, celery, carrots, and garlic.  Saute until vegetables begin to soften, about 8 minutes.

Add pork/ham bone and marjoram.  Stir one minute.  Add peas and water and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low. 

Partially cover pot; simmer soup until pork and veggies are tender and peas are softening; about one hour.  Remove hocks/ham bone to bowl. 

Puree 5 cups of soup in batches in blender and return to pot.  Cut meat off bones.  Dice meat and return to soup.  Add additional chopped ham, if desired.  Serve hot. 






Enjoy!

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Spinach Gorgonzola Salad with Raspberry Dressing

A hearty, flavorful salad with a light main dish is one of my favorite ways to eat healthier and this autumn we have been trying a bunch of new salad recipes.  This is one that rose above the rest and got high marks from the pickiest in our family.  We were especially in love with the raspberry dressing and will keep that on our list to try with other salads as well! 

Making this salad is simple as can be.

Just chop the veggies....

Toast the walnuts...

Mix together the dressing (with only a couple of ingredients).  The dressing is actually my favorite part of this salad---it's not too sweet and not too vinegary. 

Throw some Craisins and gorgonzola cheese (or blue cheese) on top...

Mix it all together...

 and put a little drizzle of dressing over the top...

Enjoy a deliciously flavorful salad! 

                                         Click here for printable recipe.

posted by Lara

The ingredients:

SALAD:
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1 bag (5-ounces) spinach (I used a bag and a half)
1/2 cup dried cranberries (Craisins)
1/2 cup gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced
1/3 red onion, thinly sliced

DRESSING:
2 Tbs. red raspberry jam
2 Tbs. red wine vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Arrange walnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet;  toast in oven for 5 minutes, or until nuts are browned.  In a large bowl, toss spinach, Craisins, gorgonzola, tomatoes, avocado, and red onion.  In a small bowl, whisk jam, vinegar, oil, pepper, and salt.  Divide salad amongst 6 plates.  Drizzle with dressing and top with roasted walnuts and additional gorgonzola cheese, if desired.


Makes 6 servings. 

Enjoy!

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Apple and Pear Green Salad with Honey Poppy Seed Dressing

Last week, we kicked off autumn here at Recipe Shoebox by posting a new apple recipe a day.   WE made sweet and savory dishes....some duds (that we didn't post) and some new family favorites.  This salad recipe is most likely the last of our apple series and was another delicious addition to the collection.  My family loved the sweet and salty combination in this hearty salad and with how easy it was to throw together I envision this one being one that we make on a regular basis. 

Recipe from Southern Living.

Click here for printable recipe. 

Posted by Lara.

The ingredients:

SALAD
1 package (16-oz) Romaine lettuce, thoroughly washed, dried, and chopped
1/2 lb. Swiss cheese, cut into strips
1 cup roasted, salted cashews
1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries (Craisins)
1 large apple, thinly sliced
1 large pear, thinly sliced

HONEY POPPY SEED DRESSING


3 Tbs. apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp. dry mustard powder
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbs. poppy seeds
salt and pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

Directions:
Makes 6-8 hearty servings. 

For salad, divide lettuce up among the serving plates.  Top with cheese, cashews, craisins, apple, and pear.  Drizzle with dressing.  Or if you prefer combine all ingredients in a large serving bowl, then drizzle with dressing. 

For dressing, combine all ingredients into a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake well to combine. 

Enjoy! 

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Apple, Pear, and Gorgonzola Chicken Pasta

When I was searching for apple recipes to try for this week, I was determined that I would branch out of the apple/cinnamon genre of recipe and go for some fun, new combinations.  I tried a few others along the way, but this autumn-inspired pasta dish rose to the top and has become a new family favorite.   There's just something about the way the sweetness of the apples, the sharpness of the Gorgonzola, and the tanginess of the craisins came together that worked so deliciously well.   Enjoy!

Be sure to check out all of our other yummy apple recipes and look out for a couple more still coming... 

Recipe adapted from my favorite new cookbook Savoring the Seasons With Our Best Bites

Click here for printable recipe. 

Posted by Lara

The ingredients:
1-lb. boneless skinless chicken breast
salt and pepper
1 Tbs. oil
1 box (14.5-oz) bow tie pasta
2 medium pears, peeled and chopped into 1/4-inch slices
2 medium tart apples, peeled and chopped into 1/4-inch slices
3 Tbs. butter
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2/3 cup cream
1-1/2 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 cup dried cranberries
2/3 cup Gorgonzola cheese
1 Tbs. dried parsley
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Directions: 
Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper, then in a heavy duty skillet over high heat, cook the chicken in the oil for 1-2 minutes on each side or until golden brown, but not cooked through.   Remove from heat, reserving oil/juices.

Cook pasta according to package directions.


While pasta is cooking, cut up the chicken and place back in the skillet and cook on low for 8-10 minutes, or until chicken is tender and cooked through.  Remove chicken from skillet and set aside.

Over medium heat, melt the butter in a large skillet.  Add apples and pears and saute for 1-2 minutes or until slightly tender. 

Use a slotted spoon to remove apples and pears from pan and set aside.  Leave any remaining butter and juices in pan.

Add chicken broth, salt, and pepper to pan and bring to a simmer.   Whisk cream and cornstarch together and add to pan.  Return to simmer and cook 1-2 minutes, until slightly thickened. Add dried cranberries and simmer about 30 seconds.

Remove from heat and immediately add Gorgonzola cheese, apples/pears, chicken, parsley, Parmesan cheese, and pasta. 

Toss to coat. 

Immediately before serving, add pecans and top with additional cheese if desired. 

Makes 6 main dish servings. 

Enjoy! 

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Whole Wheat Apple Cinnamon Bread

Welcome to another delicious addition to our apple recipe collection here at Recipe Shoebox, where we are sharing an apple recipe a day!     Don't be fooled by the dark color of this bread into thinking that this is heavy or dense.  Nope!  This is whole wheat bread is soft crumbed, delicious,  and chock full of apples!  This recipe makes two loaves...one for you and one for a friend, although if you're like us you may want to keep them both for yourself after trying it!  Enjoy!   

Click here for printable recipe. 

Recipe by Lara.


The ingredients:
2 cups white whole wheat flour* ( I like King Arthur brand)
1-1/3 cups all purpose flour*
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. cinnamon
1 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. cloves
4 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tsp. vanilla
4 cups chopped apples (we used 4 Granny Smith apples)

TOPPING:
3 Tbs. brown sugar
3 Tbs. sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:
* NOTE:  If desired, you can substitute all purpose flour for the wheat flour.

In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients (flours, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves) together.  Set aside.

In a separate bowl, mix together well beaten eggs, vegetable oil, applesauce, and vanilla.  Mix until well combined.  Pour over dry ingredients and stir until flour mixture is barely combined. 

Gently fold in apple chunks and pour batter into two well-greased 8x4-inch loaf pans. 

In a small bowl, mix together topping ingredients and sprinkle evenly over the loaves. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

Allow bread to cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, then running a knife gently around the edges, loosen sides and remove from pans.  Allow to cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

Enjoy!   

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