Paula Deen's Pumpkin Cheesecake

I made this the other day for one of the gal's that I work with. It was her birthday and she LOVES cheescake. I had never made a cheesecake before, but wanted to give it a try.  The reviews were AMAZING!!! I have never ever received so many compliments on something. SERIOUSLY!

Enjoy!!

Ingredients


Crust:

1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs

3 tablespoons light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 stick melted salted butter

Filling:

3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature

1 (15-ounce) can pureed pumpkin

3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk

1/4 cup sour cream

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

2 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

For crust:
In medium bowl, combine crumbs, sugar and cinnamon. Add melted butter. Press down flat into a 9-inch springform pan. Set aside.

For filling:
Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin puree, eggs, egg yolk, sour cream, sugar and the spices. Add flour and vanilla. Beat together until well combined.
Pour into crust. Spread out evenly and place oven for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours.

Greek Style Minestrone with Turkey and Feta Meatballs

I am really enjoying so many of the recipes that is on the For the Love of Cooking Blog.

This recipe is AMAZING! Hubby and I LOVE it....I think it's our new favorite...and I had to share! This is the first soup that we ate all the leftovers. Delicious!

Hope you all love it as much as we do!

Turkey Meatballs:


1 lb of ground turkey meat with Italian seasonings

2 tbsp sweet yellow onion, diced finely

2 tbsp feta cheese (I used reduced fat)

2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

1 egg

1/4 cup of garlic and herb bread crumbs

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper

1 tsp olive oil (for cooking meatballs)

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and gently combine with fingers until thoroughly mixed. Roll into very small meatballs.

Add the olive oil to a skillet over medium heat, once the pan is hot add the meatballs and cook for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown. Set aside.

Soup:

1/2 cup sweet yellow onion, chopped

2 carrots, coarsely chopped

2 stalks of celery, coarsely chopped

4-5 cloves of garlic, minced

6 cups of chicken stock

1/3 cup of long grain brown (or white) rice

1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes

1-2 tsp fresh dill, chopped

1 tsp of oregano

Salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste

1 zucchini, chopped into bite size pieces

1 yellow squash, chopped into bite size pieces

1 can small white beans, drained and rinsed

3 cups sliced fresh spinach (about 3 ounces)

Turkey meatballs

1/2 cup of feta cheese for topping

Add onion, carrots, celery, garlic, stock, rice and tomatoes in a large Dutch oven, over medium heat. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium low and simmer, covered, until the vegetables and rice are tender, about 25-30 minutes.

Increase the heat to medium and add beans, meatballs, zucchini and squash. Taste and re-season if needed. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes, stirring once. Stir in spinach and simmer, uncovered, until spinach is wilted and all vegetables are tender, about 2 minutes longer. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with feta cheese. Enjoy.

Note: If not serving immediately, add the spinach just before serving to retain the bright color and prevent overcooking.