RECIPE # 4 APPLE CRISP-A-LICIOUS

This particular sweet treat always has me excited and I jumped at the opportunity to make it for you guys. Syliva and I chose different recipes because there are so many ways you can make Apple Crisp. When you feel the need to indulge, make either of these and dont forget the vanilla ice cream to set it over the top!

Luk Cooking:

Pep Cooking: Easy to assemble, just a little cutting and peeling of the fruit...mixing up the oat and nut topping...put in bakeware and bake! Voila! Now...to see if it is any good, any guesses? http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/pear-and-apple-oat-crisp

Stay Tuned! Up next is APPLE CRISP

RECIPE # 3 Fresh Lasagna With Pesto, Yukon Golds & Swiss Chard

From Sylvia's Kitchen:


Hey! Made a delicous Pesto potato and spinach lasagna following the recipe. http://www.sfgate.com/food/recipes/detail.html?p=detail&rid=16602&sorig=qs Made the pasta at home with a super eggy pasta recipe (2 c flour mixed and kneaded with 2 eggs and 6 egg yolks, rested and rolled with hand cranked pasta machine to lasagna thickness, cooked <1mn in salted boiling water to assemble)! Also, precooked wild spinach and charred with onions and garlic.  Assembled and cooked for 20mns, to good reviews and deliciousness!  *made* extra bc it was a dinner party, but *happened* to have leftovers for tomorrow! The meatless lasagna is a good choice with a light salad (see final pic) and works for weeknight meals as well as fancier dinner parties! Looking forward to more!

Luk Cooking: This recipe was a really great way to work with swiss chard and I never think about using it often. It is so delicious!!! I completely botched this recipe by practically giving this dish a pesto bath and while it still tasted good, this is a perfect example of what not to do while Sylvia clearly had perfection from the start!! Yay Sylvia! I am going to attempt this recipe again and "take 2" photos will be posted soon to show how I corrected the mistakes :o) Note how different my finished result looks. Bleh! It is good to make mistakes however because without failure we can never appreciate when we succeed! Good job Syliva on a great looking dish! On a side note, I added sauteed mushrooms and onions in the mid layer and I felt it added so much to the flavor. I imagine when I do this recipe the way it was intended it will be even better! this was the last layer before copious amounts of cheese   was put over the top :o)

Pep Cooking:

RECIPE # 2 Chicken Rollatinis

Sylvia and I both did this recipe differently making each dinner unique and giving a different perspective on how so versatile this particular recipe is. You can find the original recipe that we used  for chicken rillets at skinnytaste.com.

Okay so I actually made this dish last week and completely forgot to take pictures because I was so stoked about the recipe AND because we had a dinner party of eight and I was a mess! I decided to make this for the family tonight and it actually turned out better than it did last week. I decided to put some herbs into the olive oil which added some great flavor to the chicken when brushed on before adding on the bread crumbs. I decided to follow the recipe otherwise for this round.  Last week I used spinach for half the chicken and zucchini for the second half as I did not have enough zucchini in the house to feed eight hungry people. It turned out great with the spinach so I recommend it in place of zucchini. Tonight dinner was served with brown rice and a salad. What kind of dressing is that you see??? LECSO. We may get to that recipe soon!  ENJOY!!!

Hi! Check out pics from the recipe! Made the chicken with a quick saute of onions, garlic, thyme and chanterelle mushrooms. Then added shaved gouda to the mix, as well as the bread crumbs. Followed recipe exactly after! Served with mashed sweet potatoes and salad with persimmons. Delicious! Sylvia :)

RECIPE # 1 Pumpkin Cheesecake

Hello Everyone!!! We begin our adventure with a delicious pumpkin cheesecake just in time for the Thanksgiving Holiday! If you would like the recipe you can visit www.joyofbaking.com/pumpkincheesecake.html. Sylvia chose the recipe for this week and I thought it was quite appropriate for the season and it sure makes for a great photo session! This was so much fun to cook and actually pretty easy as far as cheesecakes go. Enjoy!!!

LUK COOKING: Step one is pretty easy. Mash a little graham cracker crumbs and ginger cookies (I used ginger snaps) Also if you're feeling really crazy add some pecans. Finish with melted butter. Next step is to make the cheesecake!!! Best part right??? Well, my personal favorite is the crust so I always make a little extra to make it thicker. A hand mixer or stand alone mixer is a great tool to have in your kitchen because lets be honest. It saves time!!!! Mixing Mixing Mixing                                                                   The Cheese cake is ready to go in the oven!! It already looks so good! Sour cream topping to set this sucker over the edge. It's going to be a HIT folks!!!! Leaving the master creation in the fridge over night is going to set it nicely and give it that final touch that will have everyone's taste buds begging for more! Drum roll please!!!!! TaDa!! Such a beautiful holiday treat and I just can not wait to share this with friends!!!

PEP COOKING: They sure aren't pretty, but they'll be crushed anyway! Homemade graham crackers, predemolition! And, crushed to smittereens! Complete with crust (maybe slightly overdone?), on to next step! Forgot to take pics, but in it went!  Trusty old wedgewood down to business. After smoothing on the sour cream topping, now just playing the waiting game... Yum Put it on! Mmmmmmmm

Okay so this recipe was a success!!! My biggest advice about this cheesecake was to definitely put a pan of water in the bottom of the oven with the cheesecake. I had no cracks and it was so moist and creamy. Check back soon because next weeks recipe is coming!!!