Savory Red Pepper Mini Cheesecake

  (adapted slightly from Giada de Laurentiis)

This turned out great!  I served it on a platter surrounded with cranberry pumpkin cracker crisps as an appetizer.  It makes a pretty presentation and tastes yummy with your favorite crackers or bread.  I think it would also be a nice accompaniment to a salad, sliced into wedges.  I didn't have any goat cheese, which Giada's recipe requires, and it turned out great with double the cream cheese.  I will most definitely be making this again!  

INGREDIENTS:

½ cup ricotta cheese

8 ounces low fat cream cheese, softened

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 egg, beaten

Pinch kosher salt

Pinch fresh ground black pepper

½ cup chopped roasted red bell peppers

¼ cup apricot or fig jam (or preserves)

Special equipment: One 4 to 4 1/2 –inch diameter springform pan

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Wrap the outside of the springform pan with 2 layers of heavy-duty foil.

Place the ricotta and cream cheese in a large mixing bowl and beat until creamy and well combined.

Add the sugar, egg, salt and pepper and continue to blend until well mixed.

Stir in the roasted red pepper.

Pour the cheese mixture into the springform pan, smoothing the top.

Place the springform pan in a roasting pan and pour enough hot water in the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the springform pan.

Bake until the cheesecake is golden at the edges and the center of the cake moves only slightly when the pan is gently shaken, about 45 to 50 minutes. (the cake will become firm when it is cold).

Cook the cake for about one hour.  Then refrigerate u ntil the cheesecake is cold, at least 3 hours and up to 2 days.

To serve, remove the cheesecake from the springform pan and place on a serving plate.  Drizzle the jam over the top of the cheesecake.

Serve with pita chips or your favorite crackers.

*You can use jarred roasted red peppers; pat them dry before adding to the cheesecake mixture.

*I roasted my own, cutting the peppers into thin slices, coating lightly with olive oil, sprinkling with a dash of salt and pepper, and roasting at 400 degrees F for about 20 to 25 minutes.  I then chopped the slices and added to the cheesecake mixture.

Charleston Breakfast Casserole

Serves 8 (slightly adapted from Allrecipes)

I've made this for family, friends, and just for hubby and me.  As I'm enjoying a week at Wild Dunes Resort, which is a hop, skip and jump away from Charleston, SC I decided to make it this morning!  It's as good as I remembered!  Since it's just the two of us, I made 1/2 recipe in a 8x8 square baking dish.  I served it with creamy garlic cheese grits.  Charleston perfection!
 

This is an easy, yummy breakfast or brunch dish that can serve up to eight.  I've even made it for "breakfast for dinner night"!  It's easily halved if you want to make it for 4.   You can play around with the ingredients by using bacon or sausage or ham or no meat; bell peppers, chopped green chilis, onions, or no veggies.  You can use cheddar cheese, Mexican cheese, or your favorite blend.  You can use egg beaters rather than eggs.  There are dozens of ways to make this your own favorite breakfast dish! Leftovers are great too!

Ingredients:

12 slices bacon (can use bacon bits) OR 1 lb sausage) 1/4 cup unsalted  butter, melted 3 cups croutons (garlic & cheddar!) 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese 6 eggs

1 3/4 cups milk 1 bell pepper (any color), diced (optional) 1 tablespoon prepared mustard salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1.	Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.
2.	Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
3.	Melt butter. Spray a 9x12 inch baking dish with vegetable spray. Place croutons in the bottom of the dish, and drizzle with melted butter. Sprinkle with shredded Cheddar cheese.
4.	Crack the eggs into a bowl, whisking to break up the yolks. Add milk, peppers, mustard, salt, and pepper, and beat until well-combined. Pour over the croutons and cheese, and sprinkle with crumbled bacon.
5.	Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to stand 10 minutes before serving.