Spinach Ricotta Calzone

Calzone Crust:

1 Tablespoon Dry Active Yeast

1 Cup Warm Water

1 Teaspon Honey or Suagar

1Teaspoon Salt

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

2 1/2 Cups flour(white or wheat, I used wheat)

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix. Dump on to a floured surface. Knead into a smooth ball( about 5 minutes). Roll into a 30x 15 inch rectangle. Pour the filling on one half of the dough and fold over and crimp edges. Bake in a 450 degree oven for 15-18 minutes. Cut into slices. Yield: 6 servings

CALZONE FILLING:

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 Medium Onion, finely chopped

2(10 ounce) Packages frozn chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

2 Large Garlic Cloves, minced

Salt and pepper to taste

1 Cup Ricotta Cheese

1 Cup Grated Monzzarella Cheese

1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese

Your Favorite Marinara-style Pasta Sauce For Dipping

Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, saute until tender and golden,2 to 3 minutes. Add spinach,and garlic; saute, breaking up large clumps with wooden spoon, until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Add salt and pepper. Transfer to a medium bowl; stir in ricotta. Let cool; stir in remaining cheeses. Put inside your dough and bake as directed above. Enjoy!

I (Esther) made this the other day, everyone liked it and would like to try making some other flavors some time soon. I also made a Broccoli Cheddar one as well which I will post later.

Two-Ton Chocolate Cake

This Cake is very dense and VERY moist. It is NOT a light fluffy cake. It's fabously rich, heavy and decadent.

Cake:

2 cups (4sticks or 1 pound) butter

10 ounces unsweetened chocolate

6 eggs

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup maple syrup

2 cups all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a sauce pan over low heat, melt the butter and chocolate, mixing well. Let it boil on low heat for 2 minutes.

Remove the chocolate mixture from the stove and pour it into a large mixing bowl. Add the eggs, sugar, and maple syrup. Mix together very well.

Add the flour and mix well.

Generously butter three 9-inch cake pans and dust with flour.

Divide the batter evenly among the cake pans. Use a mesuring cup for accuracy.

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, checking often

Cool and frost with Bittersweet Chocolate Frosting

Yield: One 3-layer cake

Bittersweet Chococlate Frosting

3 cups good-quality unsweetned cocoa powder

3cups powdered sugar

1 1/2 cups (3sticks) butter, softened(not melted)

1 1/2 cups mayple syrup (more for consisitnecy if needed)

Mix the cocoa, powdered sugar, butter, and mayple syrup with an electic mixer until the frosting is firm. Spread on cake. Enjoy!

We made this for Valentines Day, it was delicious and extremely dense as they said. We will definitely make this again!

Clone of a Cinnabon

2pkg. Yeast
1c. warm water 105-115
2/3 c. sugar and 1t. of sugar
1c. warm milk
2/3 c. melted butter
2t. salt
2eggs lightly beaten
7c. flour

Filling:
1c. melted butter

1 3/4 c. sugar

3 T. cinnamon

1 1/2 cups walnuts chopped

Creamy Glaze

2/3 cup melted butter

4 cups powdered sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

6 T. hot water

Place warm water, yeast and 1t. sugar in a bowl. Let sit so it will get foamy.
In a mixer, mix milk, 2/3 c. sugar, melted butter, salt. And eggs; stir well. Add yeast mixture. Then add ½ of the flour and mix till smooth. Stir in enough flour to create smooth but slightly sticky dough. Knead. Put dough onto a lightly floured counter and roll dough into a large rectangle. Pour ½ c. of melted butter onto dough and sprinkle with 1 ½ c. cinnamon sugar sprinkle with nuts. Roll jelly roll style, cut in to 15 pieces.
In 2 13x9in. pans, pour remaining ½ c. butter, sprinkle with ¼ c. sugar. Place rolls in pan. Let rise 45min. Bake for 25min. more or less. Until golden brown. Cool slightly, spread with glaze.

This is the best cinnamon roll recipe we have found, we have tried others but this one is our favorite! Enjoy

Chef Hannah

Knock Your Socks off Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake!

Cake
1 3/4 c. flour
2/3 c. baking cocoa
1 1/2 t. baking soda
1t. salt
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. shortening
2 eggs
1t. vanilla
1c. buttermilk
1/2 c. coffee liqueur/cold strong coffee/ or water
1c. peanut butter chips
1 pkg. of mini rees peanut butter cups cut into 1/4's
1c. finely chopped peanuts

Heat oven to 350. Grease 2 -9in. round cake pans, and lightly flour.

Mix flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a bowl, set aside. Beat sugar, eggs, shortening, and vanilla in mixer, beat on low speed, scraping bowl occasionally, until blended. Beat in buttermilk and coffee. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Beating until smooth after each addition. Stir in peanut butter chips. Pour into pans.

Bake 30-33min. or till tooth pick comes out clean. Cool 10min; remove from pans to wire rack. Cool completely. Cut each layer horizzantally to make 2 layers. Drizzle with 2 T. coffee liqueur over each cut layer.

Place cut side up on serving plate. Slpread with 1/4 c. Peanit Butter Frosting to within a 1/4 in. of the edge. In between layers put choppes rees cups. Repeat with remaining layers. Placing the second nor cut side down. Frost cake with the Mocha Cream Cheese Frosting. Decorate with peanut butter cups, if wished. Store covered in the refridgerator.


Peanut Buttter Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 c. creamy peanut butter
1/4 c. heavy whipping cream
1t. vanilla
8oz. cream cheese
4c. powdered sugar

Beat peanut butter, whipping cream, vanilla, and cream cheese on med. speed till light and fluffy. Add sugar on low speed till smooth




Mocha Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 c. softened peanut butter
1/4 c. heavy whipping cream
1T. coffee liqueur
8oz. cream cheese
1/2 c. baking cocoa
1T. dry instant coffee(opt.)
3 1/2 c. powdered sugar

Beat whipping cream. liqueur. amd cream cheese in mixer at med. speed till fluffy. Gradually beat in cocoa powder, coffee, and powdered sugar on low speed till smooth.

Warning: this is extremely addicting!
Cooks note: We have found that this make way more frosting then you need for the cake. Not to worry though, it will keep in the fridge. Use it on cupcakes, brownies, or another cake!

Sweet Potato Rolls

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
4 tablespoons white sugar
1 1/2 cups canned sweet potato puree
1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3 tablespoons butter,softened
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat flour

DIRECTIONS
Dissolve yeast, warm water, and 1 tablespoon sugar in a mixing bowl. Let stand 5 minutes.
Add remaining sugar, sweet potato, butter or margarine, salt, and slightly beaten eggs. Stir to mix well. Stir in 3 cups of flour. Turn out on a lightly floured surface. Knead 2 to 3 minutes, adding just enough of remaining flour to prevent sticking. Do not knead too heavily; when smooth, shape into a ball. Place in an oiled bowl, and turn to coat the surface. Cover, and let raise about 1 hour or longer.
Punch down, and allow dough to rest for 2 minutes. Divide into 16 to 20 balls, and place on a greased cookie sheet or in a 9x13 inch pan. Allow to rise until doubled.
Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 12 to 20 minutes. Serve warm.

Hannah made this the other day to go with our soup, they were absolutely scrumptious!

Peanut Butter Munchies

1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. cocoa powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 c. softened butter
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4c. peanut butter
1egg
1T. milk
1t. vanilla

3/4c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. peanut butter
2T. sugar

In bowl, mix together flour, cocoa, and baking soda; set aside.
In another bowl, mix together the butter, sugars, and 1/4c. peanut butter. Add egg, and vanilla and milk. Stir in dry ingredients.
In another bowl, mix last 3 ingredients. Blending throughly. Set aside.
Shape chocolate dough into 32 balls, about 1 1/2in. Shape peanut butter mixture into balls also making 32. They will be about 3/4 in.
Take one of the chocolate balls, flatten slightly and put one of the peanut butter balls into the middle. Fold dough around peanut butter ball. Making a ball. Repeat with remaining balls.
Place balls on cookie sheet about 2in. apart. Bake at 350 for 8min. Just until set. Cool 1min. before removing from cookie sheet.
Makes 32 cookies


Everyone in our family loves theses unique cookies!
Hannah

BitterSweet Cheese Cake Torte

This indulgence starts and ends with gnache, a velvety mixture of dark chocolate and cream far more luxurious and delicouis than sugar icings.
2/3 cup whipping cream
8 ounces milk chocolate or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
Nonstick spray for baking
1 19.5-ounce package brownie mix
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 ounces milk chocolate or bitter sweet chocolate, melted
3 ounces white baking chocolate, melted


1. For ganache: In a small saucepan, heat whipping cream over medium-high heat just until boiling. Remove from heat. Add the 8 ounces milk chocolate(do not stir). Let standfor 5 minutes. Stir until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl. Cover and chill for 2 hours or until thick.
2. Preheat the oven to 350. Coat two 9x1 1/2-inch round cake pans with onon-stick spray for baking; set aside. Prepare brownie batter. according to package dirctions. Bake about 25 minutes or until edges are set. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove uncut brownies from pans. Transfer to wire rack. Cool completely.
3. Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla; beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined. Beat in eggs just until combined. Transfer half of the mixture ( about 1 1/2 cups) to a medium bowl. To the large bowl, add 3 ounces of melted milk chocolate; stir until smooth. To the medium bowl, add the melted white chocolate; stir until smooth.
4. Wrap heavy-duty foil around the bottom of an 8-inch spring form pan, making sure foil comes at least 1 inch up the sides. Using a sharp knife, trim edges of brownie rounds, making two 8 inch rounds. Place one of the brownie rounds in the pan. Pourthe milk chocolate mixture on top. Place the remaining brownie round onthe milk chocolate mixture and pour the white chocolate mixture on top.
5. Place foil-wrapped springform pan in a large roasting pan; pour enough hot water around the springform pan to come halfway up the sides. Bake for 60 to 65 minutes or until cheesecake appears set when gentlyy shaken. Carefully remove pan from water.
6. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Using a sharp knife, loosen edge from th sides of pan; cool 30 minutes more. Remove the pan sides; cool completley on wire rack. Cover and chil overnight.
7. Remove ganache from refrigerator. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until light, fluffy, and spreading consistency. Spoon whipped ganache into pastry bag fitted with a medium star or round tip. Pipe stars or mounds to cover the entire top of chilled cheesecake. Makes 12 to 16 servings.

*Test Kitchen Tip:
Before wrapping the spring form pan in foil, place the bottom of the pan on each brownie round and use the tip of a sharp knife to trace around the pan bottom. This will ensure the brownie rounds fit tightly in the pan after trimming the edges.