Cheesecake Cookies

My aunt made these cookies for her daughter-in-law's baby shower and I fell in love. They are truly the delight of a cheesecake in a cookie! This is a super easy recipe; Andrew helped me make them so maybe that made them super easy! The picture isn't exactly attractive but try making them, you won't be disappointed.

3 1/2 cups Flour
2 tea. baking powder
1 tea. salt
2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened (room temperature)
2 1/2 sticks butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 tea. vanilla extract
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 cans cherry pie filling -- I don't like cherry pie filling so we just topped ours with homemade raspberry jam which really turned out great!

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. In another bowl with an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, butter, and sugar until smooth and creamy. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Reduce speed to low and add the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Refrigerate dough until firm, at least 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat liners.
Roll dough into 1 1/2 inch balls, then roll the balls in graham cracker crumbs. Using a tablespoon measure, make an indentation in the center of each ball. Place 3 cherries (or a good spoonful of jam) in the dimple.
Bake until golden brown around the edges, 12-14 minutes. Cool for five minutes on the sheet and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. The recipe makes about 3 dozen.

This has always been one of my favorite meals. I ate these all the time growing up and needless to say my mother has a divine recipe for them. They are such a delightful little dish! And the best part is after you fill up with dinner you use the left over tacos and cover them with honey butter for a delicious dessert. The dessert navajo tacos are just as good or better than the dinner. Enjoy!

 Navajo Taco
1 T yeast
1 T sugar
 1/2 C warm water
1 t salt
1 T oil
3/4 C flour

 Combine the yeast, sugar and water and let sit (like any dough). Then mix in the oil and salt. Then add flour. Once that is all mixed add ANOTHER 3/4 cup of flour. Place the dough in a ball and let rise until doubled in size. After it has risen break the dough into pieces (about 5-6) and roll or shape them into tacos. Let them rise until they look ready :) To cook them you just fry them in some oil. I know thats not healthy but I'm sure you could bake them (I've never tried it though).

 Top them with whatever you like! We usually do refried beans [some of you (Brad) may like to leave those off], meat or chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese (we used queso fresco), and sour cream and sriracha sauce :) Anything will taste amazing! And don't forget the honey butter for dessert!

The Best Sauce Ever. Sriracha Sauce

Kale, Bean, Potato Stew

This is a very simple and fast, but tasty recipe. We really liked it tonight and shared it with some friends at a makeshift library picnic. I used red potatoes instead of Yukon and added a little bit of vegetable broth to give it some depth but it is a great recipe if you follow it just on its own.

• 2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 stalk celery, sliced
• 1 carrot, peeled and diced
• 8 ounces Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 bunch kale, stems removed, leaves torn into small pieces (4 cups)
• 1 (15-ounce) can navy beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 teaspoons red-wine vinegar

1. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Saute onion, celery, and carrot until tender, 6 to 8 minutes.
2. Add potatoes and 4 cups water. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer. Cook until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Mash half the contents of the pot until slightly thickened.
3. Add kale and beans and continue cooking until kale is tender, 6 to 8 minutes more.
4. Stir in vinegar and adjust seasoning if necessary. Drizzle with oil before serving.

Sopes

All Mexican dishes are great, but sopes might take the cake. They're real tasty and easy to make. 

Ingredients:

Sopes

-Maseca (Masa flour) 

-Water

-Salt

(Depending on how many you want to make, the amount of maseca, water, and salt will obviously change. just follow the same proportions to make tortillas on the back of the bag)

Toppings

-Chicken (boiled, shredded, and spiced with pepper, chili powder, and crushed red pepper)

-Lettuce (chopped)

-Refried Beans

-Crema Mexicana (It's like a mexican sour cream. you can buy it at any grocery store. But you can use sour cream if you want)

-Queso Fresco (Again, you can buy this at any grocery store. It's a crumbly cheese like fetta, but not so salty.)

-Tomato (chopped up into small pieces)

Procedure

Mix Sope dough. Make sure it turns out soft, and it helps to use warm water. Form the dough into small disks with edges pointing up. It will end up being like 5 inches in diameter and maybe a fourth an inch thick. Deep fry the sopes. 

Spread the refried beans and crema mexicans over the sope. then simply top with chicken, lettuce, tomato and the queso fresco. 

Eat and fall in love

Roasted asparagus, broccoli, and garlic with parmesan.

The creamery was selling delicious asparagus when I stopped by the other day, and I had to get some, even with the odd side affects...

I didnt follow a specific recipe, but pretty much just chopped asparagus and broccoli, minced some garlic, and threw them in a bowl. add olive oil and stir well. Add any spices you desire, such as garlic salt, pepper, basil, etc. Put on a pan, and put in preheated oven at 475 degrees. I cooked it for about 10-12 minutes, or until tender. then top with parmesan (preferably fresh...but you know us poor college students...).

ENJOY!

Moroccan Couscous

Another one from my teacher. so good! t’s cooked plain or in a wonderful salad type dish and usually eaten with meat stews that are slow cooked.  This dish goes wonderfully with the Tajine style Moroccan Chicken or just by itself as a refreshing salad or side dish.


Start boiling 2 cups chicken stock (because it gives it such a depth of flavor but if you’re trying to make it a completely vegetarian dish then use vegetable stock or plain water) and ½ tsp kosher salt together.

Start by boiling

Add  1 1/4 cup of couscous and  take off the heat.  Cover and let sit for 5-6 minutes.  Fluff with fork.

In a large skillet heat  ¼ cup olive oil and add 1 small chopped onion and 2 cloves of garlic minced into small pieces.

Saute  for 3-4 minutes or until the onions are translucent and the garlic is very fragrant then add the couscous and toast for 8 minutes or so, couscous should get slightly brown.

Take it off the heat and pour into a large bowl and while still warm:

Add to couscous:

½ cup feta cheese

Chopped bell peppers

Chopped avocado

½ cup flat leafed parsley

Cucumber

Toasted almonds

Dressing:

¼ cup oil

1 large lemon, zested

¼ tsp salt

Pepper (fresh cracked if you can)

Juice from lemon

Whisk to make dressing.  It will become a delicious opaque golden colored dressing. Pour over couscous and toss together.  Enjoy right away as a side dish or with any Moroccan style stew!