New York Style Cheesecake (The best cheesecake ever!)

2- 8 oz. cream cheese (softened to room temp)

3/4 Cup sugar

1 Tablespoon flour

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup sour cream

3 egg whites (beaten)

Graham cracker crust

Blend first four ingredients, then blend in sour cream. Add each beaten egg white, one at a time. Pour into crust and bake at 325 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes or until the center doesn't wiggle anymore. Cool for five minutes and refrigerate for 3 hours before serving. Top with your favorite topping and enjoy!

Oven French Toast

Paulette made this for Katelyn's blessing brunch and it was so delicious. I think it may become a new Christmas morning tradition in our house!

1 loaf French bread cubed
6 large eggs
1 ½ cups milk
1 ½ cups half & half
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
½ tsp cinnamon
6 Tbsp. Butter, softened
1 Cup Brown Sugar, packed
2 Tbsp. Dark Corn syrup
1 Cup Coarsely chopped Pecans

1. Cut bread into cubes and fill heavily buttered 9X13 pan.
2. In a bowl or blender combine eggs, milk, half & half, vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon. Pour mixture over bread slices. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
3. Combine butter, brown sugar and corn syrup and mix well. Stir in pecans. Spread evenly over b read.
4. Bake at 350* for 40 minutes until puffy and golden. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Top with maple syrup if desired.

*** I made 1 ½ times the topping at the same time and just put it on top of the bread and milk mixture the next morning. That way I didn’t have to make anything the morning I served it.

Recipe from Paulette

Eggnog Cookies

I haven't tried these yet, (emphasis on yet), but they sound so yummy and Christmasy...I love eggnog! It reminds me of my grandma. She always served eggnog for Christmas lunch.

2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/4 cups white sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup eggnog
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large egg yolks

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a bowl, combine all the dry ingredients together. In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and butter until it resembles a grainy paste. Add eggnog, vanilla and egg yolks and beat at medium speed until smooth. Add the flour mixture and beat at low speed until blended. Do not over mix. Drop by teaspoons onto ungreased baking sheet, 1 inch apart. Sprinkle lightly with additional nutmeg. Bake for 23-25 minutes or until bottoms turn light brown. Transfer from pans immediately to cool.

After School Snacks

*Warning!* This is a non-chocolate recipe...do not read if you can't handle it.

So I've been looking for delicious, healthy, after-school snacks for the kiddos, and here's a handy Martha Stewart idea -

Pita Nachos

Serves 2

• 1 regular size (6 inch) whole wheat pita, split in half horizontally and cut into quarters
• 1/3 cup mild salsa, plus more for serving (optional)
• 2 ounces shredded cheese (1/2 cup), such as cheddar or Monterey Jack

Directions

1. Heat broiler, with rack set in top third of oven. Arrange pita pieces in a single layer, cut side up, on a baking sheet; dividing evenly, top each first with salsa, then cheese.
2. Broil until cheese has melted and edges of pita are crisp, 2 to 4 minutes. Serve with extra salsa, if desired.

Barefoot in the kitchen...

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