Pumpkin Cheesecake with Maple Pecan Glaze

I made this for Thanksgiving and it was a smash hit. Reminiscent of a traditional pumpkin pie with the richness of a cheesecake. The caramel-like topping is not only crazy delicious, it looks good too. Need to wow your family? Make this. People will think you worked much harder than you really did!

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Slide a cookie sheet or other oven-proof dish with sides onto the bottom rack.

For the crust:
1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 sugar
5 tablespoons melted butter
Dash of cinnamon

1. In a large bowl, microwave the butter until melted, about 30 seconds.
2. Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and cinnamon with the butter.  It's easier to use your hands than a spoon. 
3. Press the crumbs into the bottom of a 9 inch spring form pan and about a half inch up the sides. Chill in the fridge while you put together the rest of the cake.

For the filling:
3 packages (8 oz) plain cream cheese
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
3 large eggs
1/4 cup grade B pure maple syrup
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt

1. Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
2. Beat in eggs, one at a time, making sure to scrape down the bowl frequently.
3. Slowly mix in milk, pumpkin puree, syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
4. Mix a few minutes more to make sure everything is well combined.
5. Remove crust from fridge and slowly pour batter in.  Give it a little shake to release any bubbles.

In the oven, fill your empty dish with about an inch of water. Careful, there might be steam when the water hits the pan. This will release steam as your cake bakes, keeping it moist so it shouldn't crack. This is the secret of cheesecake baking.

Slide the cheesecake pan onto the rack above the water pan. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Do not open the oven door to look at it! You'll let out the steam! Once the timer has gone off, turn off the oven and crack open the door, let your cheesecake cool like that for about 30 minutes. Transfer to fridge and chill at least 4 hours, overnight if possible.

For the glaze:
1 Cup heavy cream
3/4 Cup maple syrup
3/4 Cup chopped pecans

1. In a small saucepan, combine cream and maple syrup over medium-low heat. Bring to a low boil, stirring frequently.  Reduce temp to low and simmer for about 25 minutes, stirring frequently, until thickened.  Stir in pecans. Let sit on stove top until cool.
2. Pour over cheesecake and chill. 

Orange-Chipotle Candied Pecans

Make a double batch people, because one's not going to be enough! Literally double as the measurements. I made these for my cousin's birthday party and this was the email I got after: They're delicious, and we've been eating them like they're going out of style--when they're really just out of supply :) While asking me to send him the recipe....


They take an hour to bake and then time to cool, so plan ahead....

1 tablespoon grated orange rind
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
1 large egg white
2 cups pecan halves, check through for shell bits first
1 tablespoon brown sugar (add a tablespoon or more if you want them to be sweeter)
1 tsp salt, sea salt if you have it, but regular is fine too

1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder (regular chili powder could work in a pinch, but you really want that smokey flavor from the chipotle)
Cooking spray
1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries (add more if you like them)


1. Preheat oven to 225 degrees.
2. Whisk orange rind, juice and egg whites until frothy.
3. Stir in sugar, salt and chili powder.
4. Add pecans and stir with a big spoon to get all the goodness on the nuts. 
5. Spray the cooking sheet with the cooking spray and arrange the pecans in a single layer. Bake for 1 hour stirring the nuts a few times to get them nice and brown on all sides. They'll look soggy, but that's OK.
6.  Let the nuts cool completely and they will harden into crunchy candied pecans.  Mix in the cranberries for a salty-sweet combo. 

Easy Broccoli and Cheese Soup

When I say easy, I mean EASY! I used fresh broccoli but if you really want east, you can get frozen broccoli already cut up. Oh and it's not full of fat!

Serves 8

1 tbsp butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cups broccoli cut into bite sized pieces
3 cans of low-fat cream of potato soup
4 Cups of fat-free milk (I used soy milk)
3/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp chili powder
salt and pepper to taste

1. Melt butter and saute onions, over medium-low heat, until translucent, about 7 minutes.
2. Add soup and milk. Stir to combine. Use more milk if you want it soupier, use less if you want it more like a chowder.
3. Add broccoli and continue to simmer until broccoli is tender, about 5-7 minutes. Stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
4. Remove from heat, stir in mustard, chili powder and cheese.
5. Serve with a sprinkle of extra cheese if you'd like.

Chewy Granola Bars

I got tired of the weird chemical taste in my low-fat granola bars. They were either soggy or too crunchy, so I found a recipe and made my own.  You can alter the recipe to include any dried fruit you want.  The recipe suggests a tropical mix, but I bought dried blueberries and it turned out fantastically.

Cooking spray
2 tsp all-purpose flour
2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cups whole-wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons fat-free milk
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups granola cereal (without fruit) plain or honey flavored
3/4 cups dried fruit
1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Use cooking spray and 2 tsp flour to grease and flour a 13 X 9 inch pan.
2. Whisk to combine flours, salt and baking powder in a medium bowl, set aside.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine sugar, oil, milk and eggs.  Mix until well combined.
4. Slowly add flour mixture and mix on low until a light brown batter forms.
5. Fold in granola and fruit.
6. Pour in prepared pan and spread evenly.  Sprinkle coconut flakes.
7. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
8. Allow to cool completely before cutting into bars.

Cooking Light, Jan. 2000

***Crock Pot Alert*** Italian Sausage and Lentil Bean Stew

This was an easy dish to throw together in the slow cooker.  Serve it on a chilly Fall day with a loaf of crusty French bread for dipping! Make sure you rinse your dried lentils first or you might get a few gritty bites of dirt...

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped

1 cup Shitake mushrooms, sliced or chopped
1 cup dried lentil beans, washed
2 bay leaves
3 cups frozen spinach
1 package of Italian turkey sausage links
3 cups chicken broth
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1. Heat oil in a medium pan and add onion and garlic. Saute until soft, but not browned.
2. Add mushrooms and cook until juices evaporate.

3. Pour vegetable mixture into bottom of crock pot.
4. Cover veggies with lentil beans.
5. Add Bay leaves and spinach.
6. Top with sausages, salt and pepper. Add broth.
7. Let cook on low for 7 hours.

Sprinkle bowls with Parmesan cheese and serve. Makes 4 servings.

Take That! Italian Restaurant Style Salad - Balsamic Vinegarette

Go buy yourself some good quality balsamic vinegar. Seriously, the good stuff. You won't use much of it for each serving so it's ok to spend $15-20 on a condiment. It will MAKE the meal. 

I made this to go alongside some grilled pork chops and roasted red skinned potatoes. I wish we had had more salad!!!!! I didn't use the fruit and cheese, but I thought about how awesome it would have been with them!

3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon minced shallot
1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 garlic glove, smashed
3 cups mixed salad greens
1/4 dried cranberries or cherries (optional)
2 tablespoons feta or goat cheese

1. Combine all ingredients up until salad greens. Whisk together until smooth. Let sit 5-10 minutes for flavors to merge.
2. Pick out the garlic chunks and discard.
3. Add greens, fruit and cheese. Toss to coat.
4. Serve. Yum!

Fall Vegetable Curry

Even though it doesn't feel like fall where I live, I'm sure it does where some of you are, so let's celebrate the delicious, rich flavors that come this time of year. Sweet potatoes add sweetness and curry gives a little bit of heat. This was so good, I couldn't wait to eat the leftovers the next day. Serve with rice or couscous, as I did, to round out this yummy dish....


1 1/2 tsp olive oil
1 Cup diced and peeled sweet potatoes
1 Cup cauliflower cut into bite sized pieces
1/4 thinly sliced yellow onion
2 tsp curry powder (add more if you like it spicier)
1/2 Cup vegetable broth
1/4 tsp salt
1 (15 oz) can chick peas, drained and rinsed
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained, (try to get the no-salt kind)
2 tbsp cilantro
1/2 Cup Greek style yogurt

1. Heat olive oil in a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add sweet potatoes and saute for about 3 minutes.
2. Decrease heat to medium, add cauliflower, onions, and curry powder. Stir to combine and cook for 1 minute.
3. Add broth, salt, beans and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer.
4. Simmer for about 10 minutes until veggies are tender, add another 1/2 of broth if it becomes too thick. Serve over couscous (or rice) sprinkle with cilantro and add a scoop of yogurt.



This recipe came from CookingLight.com and equals to 6 points on WeightWatchers.