Peanut Butter Crème Icebox Pie

Ingredients:

·       2 cups of graham cracker crumbs – or if you’re making the crumbs yourself from chocolate graham crackers, use about 1 ½ packages which should be about 14 graham crackers.

·       6 Tablespoons butter - melted

·      ¼ cup sugar

·       3.5 ounces good quality milk chocolate (optional, 1 or 2 extra ounces of milk chocolate, held aside)
·       ¼ cup heavy cream – plus 2 cups

·       1 cup peanut butter (smooth, not one that separates from the peanut oil)

·       8 ounces cream cheese

·       ½ cup fine sugar

·       1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

Preparation:

Crust: (preheat oven to 350)

If you’re not buying the graham cracker crumbs already prepared, you can break your graham crackers and pulse them in the food processor until they are a sandy consistency, or you can break them and put them in a large freezer bag and crunch them with a rolling pin.  If you have kids it’s a great way to include them in the cooking.

Put the sugar and half melted butter in a medium bowl and mix it

Add the graham cracker crumbs to the sugar/butter mixture and add the remaining butter.

Mix together well and empty it into a 9” deep dish pie dish.

Spread it around well and use the back of a spoon to push it evenly (more or less) up the sides of the pie dish.

Put the pie dish in the oven for about 8 minutes.  Take it out and put it on a rack to cool.

Chocolate

Heat water in the bottom piece of a double boiler – don’t let the water touch the top piece.

Break the chocolate (not the optional chocolate) into small pieces and when the water is just below a boil, put it in the top of a double boiler.

It won’t take long for the chocolate to melt, so keep stirring. 

Once the chocolate is melted take it off the heat, keep stirring and slowly add the ¼ cup of heavy cream – stir until it is smooth

Pour the chocolate mixture over the bottom of the graham cracker pie crust, tilting the pie dish a little to get it even all the way around. 

Let the chocolate and the pie crust cool completely on a rack.

Peanut Butter Cream

While the crust and chocolate are cooling, beat the heavy cream in the mixer using a whisk attachment on medium until stiff peaks form, about 10 minutes. Set aside

In another bowl, using the paddle attachment on medium-high and beat the cream cheese until it’s smooth. 

Once it’s smooth, add the sugar, peanut butter and vanilla and mix in well (use a rubber spatula to ensure that the bottom is well blended).

Gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture until combined.   

Spread the filling in the cool pie shell. Smooth the top.

Optional: Shred the remainder of the chocolate over the pie

Store in a covered container and refrigerate for about 5 hours (or overnight) before serving.

Cauliflower Puree

Ingredients:                            Difficulty Rating: Easy

·       1 good size head of cauliflower

·       ½ cup (or more) buttermilk (don’t use low fat)

·       ½ head or 1 head roasted garlic (to taste)

·       Kosher salt

·       Butter (optional)

Preparation:

Roasted Garlic:  preheat oven to 350.

Peel all the cloves of garlic, leaving them whole

Put the garlic on a piece of aluminum foil that is large enough to loosely close around them

Pour the olive oil over the garlic cloves, salt lightly

Close the aluminum foil to make a loose packet – make sure it is tightly closed.

Put it in the oven (or toaster oven) at about 350 for 20 minutes or until you can spread the cloves with a butter knife. Smush all the cloves with the butter knife until they are creamy.

 

 Cauliflower Puree:

Break off the cauliflower florets into small, even size pieces

Steam until you can easily stick a fork into the pieces

Put the steamed cauliflower into a food processor using the bottom blade

Add the buttermilk and the roasted garlic – add buttermilk until it is almost the consistency you like for mashed potatoes.

Using a rubber spatula, scrape the cauliflower into a serving bowl.  Add salt and butter to taste. Stir.

If you would like to, you can heat a little more buttermilk and stir that in. 

Mommy's Meatloaf

Ingredients:                                              Difficulty Rating: Easy

·       1 head of garlic

·       About ½ teaspoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

·       Kosher salt (about 2 teaspoons or to taste)

·       1 medium size onion

·       2 lbs. chopped chuck (about 80% lean)

·       About 2 cups panko bread crumbs

·       2 eggs + 1 egg to hard boil (optional)

·       2 Tablespoons tomato paste

·       ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

·       1 teaspoon dried thyme (optional)

·       About 1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

·       Ketchup (preferably Heinz)

Preparation:

Roasted Garlic:  preheat oven to 350.

Peel all the cloves of garlic, leaving them whole

Put the garlic on a piece of aluminum foil that is large enough to loosely close around them

Pour the olive oil over the garlic cloves, salt lightly

Close the aluminum foil to make a loose packet – make sure it is tightly closed.

Put it in the oven (or toaster oven) at about 350 for 20 minutes or until you can spread the cloves with a butter knife. Smush all the cloves with the butter knife until they are creamy.

Meatloaf:

Dice the onion and sauté in olive oil until translucent. 

Put the panko bread crumbs in a blender and pulse until they are a fine consistency

Add the cayenne (if you decide to use it) the salt, black pepper and thyme and pulse a few more times

Put the beef in a large bowl 

Mix 2 of the eggs in a small bowl

Add eggs, roasted garlic, onions, tomato paste and bread crumb mixture to the beef

Combine the ingredients, but don’t press it together with your hands.  You can use your hands to combine it, but don’t press it because it will get too dense. It should be well combined.

Divide it into 2 pieces, one slightly larger than the other.

Put parchment paper on the bottom of a large pan

Form the larger piece of meat into a large rectangle in the pan.

Place the hardboiled egg in the middle.

Form the other piece of meat into a rectangle on top of the other piece.

Cook the meat for about 10 minutes, then spread the ketchup over the top.

Bake for about 35 minutes and check with an instant read thermometer (or you can use a regular meat thermometer) in the center (be careful not to touch the bottom).  It should read about 155. It will probably take about 10 more minutes to reach 155, but I like to check it at this point just in case.