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In , on November 27, 2016 with No Comments

Pina Colada Cheesecake

Years ago I bought several Southern Living recipe collection cookbooks, and while I’ve found numerous recipes in them that I absolutely love, I think this cheesecake recipe is my family’s favorite. It’s creamy, easy to make, and it tastes like a trip to the tropics. My family requested this cheesecake for Thanksgiving this year instead of the usual pumpkin one I usually make, and it was a huge hit.

While this recipe is not Paleo, I did make it gluten-free as I used gluten-free graham-style cracker crumbs in the crust. You can’t tell the difference.




The key to making a good cheesecake is having ingredients at room temperature. The cream cheese and the eggs whip up easily at room temperature so you can get more air into your cheesecake batter. The one exception is the sour cream, but that is mixed in during the later stages, so I just pull that from the refrigerator when needed.

The original recipe calls for pecans in the crust, and it’s good that way, but I sometimes change it up and use macadamia nuts instead. I think it gives the cheesecake an even more tropical taste. Whichever nut you use, it will be delicious. 🙂

 

 

pina-colada-cheesecake-whole

 

 

pina-colada-cheesecake-slice

Pina Colada Cheesecake

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1-3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (I used gluten-free)

3/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts (can use pecans)

1 tablespoon sugar

3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened to room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

5 large eggs, at room temperature

1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple, drained

1 cup cream of coconut

1 cup sour cream

1/3 cup light rum

4 teaspoons coconut extract (I usually use good vanilla extract)

Glaze (Ingredients and instructions below)

Garnishes: Whipped cream and toasted coconut

 

Stir together the first 4 ingredients, and press into the bottom and halfway up the sides of a lightly greased 10-inch springform pan. Set pan aside.

Beat cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar at medium speed in a large mixing bowl for 3 minutes, or until the cream cheese is fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the crushed pineapple and the next 4 ingredients, beating until well blended. Pour the batter into the crust.

Bake the cheesecake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 75 minutes, or until the center is almost set. It will jiggle in the middle but firms up as it cools. Cool on a wire rack. Spread the glaze over top of the cooled cheesecake. Cover and chill for at least 8 hours or overnight. Garnish as desired.

 

Glaze:

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon water

1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple (plus the juice)

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

 

Stir together the cornstarch and water until smooth. In a small saucepan, combine the cornstarch mixture, crushed pineapple, 1/4 cup sugar, and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes or until the mixture is thickened and bubbly. Remove from the heat, and cool completely before glazing the cheesecake.

 

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In , on April 13, 2015 with No Comments

Days of Casseroles: Day 9 – Pineapple Casserole

We’ve gotten a bit more garden put in the past few days. Kevin already had lettuce, radishes and peas in, and I planted 2 short rows of spinach yesterday. I’m starving for fresh greens for salads, so hopefully we can get a little rain this week to help these seeds pop out of the ground. In about a week or so we can hopefully put out our plants. We’ve started cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, kohlrabi, ground cherries, peppers and tomato plants. I still need to find some Brussels sprouts, but then it will be the end of May for the rest of the garden. I discovered that my 3 granddaughters loved the mock zucchini pineapple I made last year, so I need to save room in the lower garden for another zucchini patch….so good to see them enjoying a healthy snack 🙂

Today’s casserole is a side dish, as the guys wanted brats, and I needed something that would complement them. I found this pineapple casserole on Tasty Kitchen. I’d tasted something similar at a family potluck, so I thought I’d give this recipe a whirl.

 

 

Pineapple Casserole

1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
20 ounces crushed pineapple, drained
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
12 tablespoons Ritz crackers
8 tablespoons butter

Mix sugar and flour in a mixing bowl. Add the pineapple and cheddar cheese. Mix thoroughly. Pour into a greased 2-quart baking dish. Crush the Ritz crackers, and add the melted butter to them. Sprinkle this mixture over the pineapple and cheese mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

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In , on July 29, 2014 with No Comments

Canning 101: Dilly Dog Relish and Zucchini Pineapple

I just love summer and canning season! There are so many new recipes out there to try, along with my family’s tried-and-true recipes, but this post is about two new recipes I’ve tried this summer. We have tons of cucumbers and will have tons of zucchini, as do most gardeners, so perhaps these two recipes will help you out with your abundance of both.

First up is Dilly Dog Relish. I found this recipe in the e-book The Pickled Pantry:  From Apples to Zucchini, 150 Recipes for Pickles, Relishes, Chutneys & More by Andrea Chesman. I got my copy through my Scribd subscription, but it’s also available through Amazon. It’s definitely well worth a read-through, especially if you’re a crazy canner like me who is looking for a few new and different recipes to try. I did vary from Andrea’s recipe by adding a red bell pepper – never said I followed a recipe exactly!

Dilly Dog Relish

6 cups finely chopped cucumbers (about 12 pickling cucumbers)
2 onions, finely chopped
1 sweet red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/4 cup pickling salt
3 cups white vinegar (5% acidity)
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
6 sprigs fresh dill, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
1 head garlic, cloves separated, peeled, and chopped (I used 9 garlic cloves–adjust to your family’s taste)
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Combine the cucumbers, onion, and bell peppers in a large bowl or container. Sprinkle with the salt and cover with ice water. Let stand for at least 2 hours and up to 6 hours. Drain the vegetables in a colander, pressing out any liquid.

Combine the vinegar, water, sugar, dill, garlic, and mustard seeds in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the drained vegetables and stir until well combined. Simmer until hot, about 5 minutes.

Pack the mixture into clean hot half-pint caning jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Remove any air bubbles and seal.

Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Let cool undisturbed for 12 hours before storing in a cool, dry place.

Don’t open for at least 6 weeks to allow the flavors to develop.

Yield:  Makes 8 to 9 half-pints

I love Pinterest. I’ve found a ton of canning recipes there, and I have a huge collection of recipes on my Pinterest site that I one day want to try, and today is was the day for Zucchini Pineapple. I found this yummy recipe on hickeryhollerfarm.blogspot.com, and it’s definitely a keeper! I always have too much zucchini, and I get tired of simply shredding and freezing it for future use – it almost always becomes freezer burnt and tossed out because I just don’t bake enough zucchini bread. But, I think this recipe will help me go through all that extra zucchini. My youngest son Travis just loves pineapple, so I can’t wait to get his opinion on this recipe.

 

Zucchini Pineapple

4 quarts zucchini, peeled and either grated or diced (your choice)
1-1/2 cups bottled lemon juice
1 can (46 ounces) unsweetened pineapple juice
3 cups sugar

Remove the peel and seeds from zucchini. Coarsely grate or cube zucchini into smaller cubes.

Mix all ingredients thoroughly and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring frequently.

Fill clean hot jars with hot zucchini mixture, leaving 1-2/-inch headspace. Adjust lids.

Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Remove jars and allow to cool completely.

Yield:  6 pints

Note:  Only use pints and half-pint jars for this recipe. Anything larger and the mixture will be too dense to can correctly. This recipe originated from the Missouri State University Extension Service.

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