Ginger Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients

• Vegetable-oil cooking spray
• 12 ounces store-bought gingersnaps (about 45 cookies)
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 3 tablespoons sour cream
• 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray; set aside. Place gingersnaps in a food processor; pulse to a powder. Transfer to a small bowl, and stir in butter until well combined. Press gingersnap mixture evenly into bottom of prepared baking sheet. Bake crust until firm, about 12 minutes. Let cool completely.

2. Meanwhile, put cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until softened. Mix in sugar, egg, egg yolk, sour cream, and vanilla until well combined. Mix in crystallized ginger.

3. Pour the cream cheese mixture onto crust, and spread evenly with a rubber spatula. Bake, rotating sheet halfway through, until filling has puffed and feels slightly firm to the touch (do not let brown), 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap, until set,
   about 1 hour. To serve, cut into bars. Bars can be refrigerated in single layers in airtight containers up to 2 days.

Creamy Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

This recipe is from melskitchencafe. When I made these the other night I didn't have enough chicken...so they were a little too creamy. I always cook the chicken in the crock pot with a can of green enchilada sauce because I like shredded chicken better than chopped, plus it's SUPER easy that way. Also, the recipe lists salt and pepper as ingredients but then doesn't tell you when to put it in. I just put it in the sauce after the milk.

Creamy Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
*Serves 4-6

Filling:
3 cups cooked, chopped chicken
2 (4 oz.) cans of green chiles, lightly drained
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, cubed
1 can white or black beans, rinsed and drained (you can really use any type of bean you prefer here)

Sauce:
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped onion (about 1/2 medium onion)
2 tablespoons flour
1/3 cup chicken broth
¼ cup milk
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 can (7 ounce) green chile enchilada sauce
½ cup sour cream

8 ounces (about 2 cups) Monterey jack cheese, shredded
8 medium (soft taco size) flour tortillas
Handful of chopped fresh cilantro

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine the softened cream cheese and green chiles. Mix well. Add the chicken and black beans. Mix to combine. Set aside.

In a large nonstick skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens and starts to turn translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir well. Cook for 1 minute, stirring. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and milk. As you whisk and the mixture cooks, the flour will get less lumpy around the onions and the mixture will become smooth. Cook over medium heat until the mixture is bubbling and has thickened, about 4-5 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the enchilada sauce and sour cream.

Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking dish. Spread about 1/4 cup of the sauce on the bottom of the dish. Fill each tortilla with about ½ cup of the chicken/cream cheese filling. Top with a small handful of shredded cheese, a couple tablespoonfuls for each enchilada. Save at least 1/2 cup cheese for the top of the enchiladas. Roll the tortillas up and place seam side down in the prepared baking dish. Continue filling enchiladas until the dish is full (I can easily fit 8 enchiladas in one pan).

Pour the white sauce over the top of the enchiladas. Top with remaining cheese. Bake for 20-30 minutes until the enchiladas are bubbling, hot and lightly browned. Sprinkle fresh cilantro over the top and serve.

our best bites: Creamy Chicken Taquitos

Our Best Bites Recipes

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos Recipe by OurBestBites.com 1/3 C (3 oz) cream cheese 1/4 C green salsa 1T fresh lime juice 1/2 t cumin 1 t chili powder 1/2 t onion powder 1/4 t granulated garlic 3 T chopped cilantro 2 T sliced green onions 2 C shredded cooked chicken 1 C grated pepperjack cheese small corn tortillas kosher salt cooking spray Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray. Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it's soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and granulated garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well. You can prepare up to this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the fridge. Work with a few tortillas at a time and heat in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. It helps to place them between damp paper towels. Usually 20-30 seconds will do it. If you find yours are cracking when you roll them or come unrolled right away, just try heating them longer and try the paper towel thing. Place 2-3 T of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges. Then roll it up as tight as you can. Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and sprinkle some kosher salt on top. Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown. Dip 'em in salsa, sour cream, guacamole, or this dressing. Wanna make it a meal? Serve with a side of Black Beans and a simple green salad with Creamy Lime-Cilantro Dressing.

 

BB's Asian night recipes:

Hmong Egg Rolls

3 oz Bean Thread Noodles (can substitue Vermicelli pasta but not AS good:)

2 lbs meat (can use pork or ground turkey--can cook first or leave them in oil longer and it can cook up when you fry them--supposedly better this way:)

1/2-3/4 head cabbage (or 3/4 bag of shredded cabbage/coleslaw)

2 whole eggs

3 egg whites

1/4 lb shredded carrots (I use 1/2 bag of matchstick carrots because I'm lazy)

1 onion finely chopped

1/2 bunch of chopped cilantro

Soak noodles in HOT water for 15-20 min (only 10 min if boiling water). Drain well & chop into 2-3 inch pieces. Mix all of the above together (easiest with hands). Once mixed, then add:

1 1/2 Tbsp salt

4-5 Tbsp oyster sauce

2-3 Tbsp soy sauce

2 tsp. pepper

1 Tbsp fish sauce

Then mix it up again. Roll about 1/4 cup filling in Spring Roll Pastry. *** THIS IS IMPORTANT! DONT USE WON TON PAPER OR EGG ROLL PAPER OR SPRING ROLL SKIN--NOT AS YUMMY! SPRING ROLL PASTRY :) *** Heat canola or vegetable oil to 375°F and fry those babies up:)

Chocolate Wontons

Easy Peasy!

1 egg
1 tablespoon water
12 wonton wrappers, defrosted (keep wrappers covered with damp towel)
12 pieces or nuggets of chocolate ( I used caramel Dove chocolates:)
Vegetable oil
Confectioners’ sugar, for sprinkling

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and water to make an egg wash.

On a clean, dry surface, lay one wrapper down like a diamond. Place one piece of chocolate near the top end of the wrapper. Brush a very thin layer of the egg wash on the edges of the wrapper. Fold the bottom corner of the wrapper up to create a triangle and gently press to remove all air from the middle. Press the edges to seal the sides. Make sure the wrapper is sealed completely so your chocolate doesn't sneak out in the oil. Keep the folded chocolate wontons covered under plastic wrap or a damp paper towel to prevent them from drying. In a medium pot, pour in two inches of oil. Heat the oil to 350°F and gently slide a few of the chocolate wontons into the hot oil. Make sure you don’t crowd the chocolate wontons too much. Fry for 1 1/2 minutes, then flip and fry another minute until both sides are golden brown and crisp.

Lemon Chicken

usually way better than it was Monday :)

Chicken Batter:

1/4 c flour

1/4 c water

1 egg

2 Tbsp cornstarch

2 Tbsp veg oil

1 tsp salt

1 tsp soy sauce

1/4 tsp baking soda

Beat the ingredients until smooth. Dip chicken pieces into batter. Fry in 1-1 1/2 inch of 360°F oil. Turning once, about 7 minutes on each side and drain on paper towels.

Lemon Sauce:

1/2 c. water

1/2 tsp lemon peel

1/4 c. lemon juice

1/4 c honey

1 Tbsp ketchup

1/2 tsp chx bouillon or 1 bouillon cube

1/2 tsp salt

1 clove garlic

Heat all of the above ingredients to boiling. Then mix 1 Tbsp cornstarch with 1 Tbsp cold water and stir it into the sauce. Cook and stir sauce until thickened.

Pour Sauce over chicken and serve immediately (or else it gets soggy:). Great with broccoli, served over rice, & garnish with lemon slices.

Sweet & Sour Chicken

Chicken:

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil

Cut chicken breasts into chunks. Season with salt and pepper. Dip chicken in cornstarch and then in egg. Fry in a little oil until brown but not cooked through. Place in a single layer in a baking dish. Mix sauce ingredients (below) together and pour over chicken.

Sauce:
¾ cup sugar
4 tablespoons ketchup
½ cup vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt

Bake for one hour at 325 degrees. Turn chicken every 15 minutes. If you like extra sauce (in my opinion you need it so I double the above recipe), make another batch of sauce and bring it to a boil on the stovetop. Stir constantly and let cook over medium heat until thickened and reduced - about 6-8 minutes.

Beef and Broccoli

Ingredients

- 1lb Beef

- 1 crown of broccoli (i use at least 2)

- 1 T. minced garlic

- 1 T. oyster sauce

- 1 T. soy sauce

- 2 T. cornstarch

- Salt and Pepper

- 2 cups cooked rice

Directions

- Begin by slicing the beef into very thin pieces.

- Wash the broccoli and then slice into bite size pieces

- Add oil to a hot wok

- Place garlic and beef into pan, giving it a quick stir fry

- After about 2 mins, add the broccoli

- Add about a 1/4 cup of water to help steam/cook the broccoli

- Once the broccoli is cooked, add the soy sauce and oyster sauce

- To thicken the sauce combine the cornstarch with 1/4 cup of water in a bowl until smooth

- Pour that mixture into the pan and wait till it boils, so that it will have it's thickening effect

- Place over a bed of rice

Chocolate Cheese Ball

Chocolate Cheese Ball

Ingredients:
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/4 or 1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 TBSP light brown sugar
3 TBSP cocoa
1/2 tsp vanilla
mini semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Beat together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, brown sugar, cocoa and vanilla. Beat until well combined. Stir in 1/4 cup of mini chocolate chips. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours (or the freezer for 30 minutes). Form the mixture into a ball and wrap with saran wrap and put back in the refrigerator or freezer for a bit. Take the wrap off and roll it in the mini semisweet chocolate chips. Serve with pretzels, graham crackers, and fruit.