Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Hershey's Easy Chocolate Lover's Cheesepie





Why is it that most of the posts on this blog are sweet? Maybe because they are easy to make or maybe because I have a sweet tooth. Maybe because I just can't resist the recipes that bring comfort and make you fat. I don't know but I do know that Hershey's hit the nail on the head with this easy and not so fat free dessert.






The main players on the stage!







Start by beating the cream cheese and the sugar until mixed well. Add the vanilla and the eggs one at a time beating slow and well after each egg. That's pretty much all there is to the filling. MMMMM I love to taste the filling even if it does have raw eggs in it.

















Add the 1 2/3 cups of chocolate chips and stir until they are incorporated pretty evenly.



















Pour it into the pie shell and spread it to the edges. There is alot of filling in this recipe. I actually put a little in a ramekin because it seemed like too much for the pie shell. I just guessed at the cooking time for the ramekin, but I did bake it in the same way as the big pie after the pie came out of the oven.








Remove it from the oven and let cool!












Add the ganache (I actually made a little extra by adding 2 squares of semi sweet baking chocolate and 2 more Tbls. cream so it would be nice and thick on the pie) and spread it to the edges of the pie and if by chance you get in on your fingers (Oh, was that an accident?) just lick it off! I like to almost lick the bowl clean but I use a spatula instead of my fingers!







I just don't think there is anything I don't love about this pie. It's easy, it's pretty and it is just down right deeeeeeeelish! Try it out. I promise it will become one of your favorites too (Just ignore the calories) :)



Easy Chocolate Lover's Cheesepie
Hershey

3 pkgs. (8 oz) cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs
2 cups Mini Chocolate Chips
2 Tbls. whipping cream
1 extra serving size graham cracker crust (9 oz)

Heat oven to 450*

Beat the cream cheese and the sugar until well blended. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Add the vanilla. Stir in 1 2/3 cups of the chocolate chips. Pour into crust.

Bake for 10 minutes at 450. Without opening the door decrease the temperature to 250* and bake for 30 minutes or just until set. Remove from oven and cool on rack. Cool completely. Cover. Refrigerated until chilled.

Place remaining 1/3 cup of chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Add the whipping cream. Microwave on high for 20-30 seconds. Stir until smooth. Cool slightly. Spread on top of cheesepie. Refrigerate at least 15 minutes. Cover

Thursday, March 10, 2011

CPK BBQ Chicken Pizza ala The Pioneer Woman





I've been wanting to try the California Pizza Kitchen BBQ Chicken Pizza for a long long time. I finally did it. So to start with, I love this pizza. I wasn't so thrilled with the bbq sauce that I chose-so that said, I still loved it. I will definately add bacon pieces the next time I make this. The Pioneer Woman puts chopped cilantro on top of hers but I didn't do that because we don't care so much for cilantro. It's ok for me but my hubby doesn't like it at all and because I want to feed him and have his opinion of these recipes the cilantro didn't show up.





You'll want to bake your chicken breasts in the bbq sauce and then cut it into bite size pieces. Set it aside until you are ready to make your pizza.





and slice your red onions!







Love the Olive Oil. Use some to oil your pan!







This dough is wonderful to work with. I only let it set about 2 hours. I think next time I will let it set a day or two.








Spread a little bit of the bbq sauce on the crust but not too much!







Add the slices of the mozzerella cheese over the top of the sauce.







Sprinkle on the chicken pieces and the sliced onion. Remember to add the bacon if you love bacon:)






Sooooooooo! Doesn't this pizza just look fabulous. It is really really good. I am not a fan of the bbq sauce that I used though. Oh well, I guess that means I'll just have to keep practicing til I get it right! Right? Oh twist my arm, please twist my arm. LOVE IT!



Recipe: CPK’s BBQ Chicken Pizza
Ingredients
• 1 whole Recipe For Pizza Crust (mine Makes Two Crusts)
• 2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
• ½ cups Barbecue Sauce
• Olive Oil, For Drizzling
• Salt For Sprinkling
• 16 ounces, weight Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, Sliced Thinly
• ½ whole Red Onion, Cut In Half And Sliced Very Thin
• Chopped Cilantro, to taste
Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Salt chicken breasts on both sides, then place in an ovenproof dish. Pour BBQ sauce over the breasts and turn them over to coat. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until chicken is done. Remove from oven and cut into a fine dice. Set aside.
Increase oven temperature to 500 degrees.
Roll/stretch out one pizza crust. Lay it on a sheet pan drizzled with olive oil. Drizzle a little olive oil on the crust, then sprinkle on a little salt.
Spoon a couple of tablespoons of extra BBQ sauce on the crust and spread it evenly. Top sauce with half the sliced mozzarella. Sprinkle on half the diced chicken and thinly sliced red onion.
Sprinkle again with a little salt, then bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and toppings are bubbly.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle on plenty of chopped cilantro. Cut into squares and serve immediately. Repeat with other crust and other ingredients, or save for another time.


Recipe: Basic Pizza Crust
Ingredients
• 1 teaspoon Instant Or Active Dry Yeast
• 1-½ cup Warm Water
• 4 cups All-purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• ⅓ cups Olive Oil
Preparation Instructions
Sprinkle yeast over 1 1/2 cups warm (not lukewarm) water. Let stand for a few minutes.
In a mixer, combine flour and salt. With the mixer running on low speed (with paddle attachment), drizzle in olive oil until combined with flour. Next, pour in yeast/water mixture and mix until just combined, and the dough comes together in a sticky mass.
Coat a separate mixing bowl with a light drizzle of olive oil, and form the dough into a ball. Toss to coat dough in olive oil, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set it aside for 1 to 2 hours, or store in the fridge until you need it.
Note: it’s best to make the dough at least 24 hours in advance, and 3 or 4 days is even better.
When you are ready to make the pizza, grab HALF the pizza dough (recipe makes 2 crusts) and squeeze the dough toward the bottom to form a nice, tight, pulled ball. You can roll out the pizza with a rolling pin if you’d like, but sometimes it’s just as easy to throw it around and pull and stretch till it feels right. And when the crust is nice and thin, lay it on an oiled baking sheet or pizza pan. Drizzle a little olive oil on the dough and spread it with your fingers. Very lightly sprinkle some salt on the crust.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Top your crust with your toppings of choice. Then bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and toppings are bubbly