Wednesday, January 25, 2012

What's Cookin' Wednesday...


It's Double-Cheese Beef Pasta and Cheesecake with a chocolate, caramel and pecan topping.
Yep, it's tonight's supper.  The cheesecake is done and the pasta dish is ready to pop in the oven as soon as I know John is headed towards home.  Garlic cheese biscuits will be mixed up and ready to go in the oven when the pasta is done because they are best served HOT right out of the oven!
I found this pasta recipe in the Taste of Home Potluck & Parties book...submitted by Marilyn Pearson of MT.
This is my first time making it.....but hey, if it's pasta and there's cheese....it's gotta be a winner!

DOUBLE-CHEESE BEEF PASTA
2-1/2 cups UNcooked medium shell pasta
2 pounds ground beef
2 medium onions, chopped
1 jar (14 ounces) spaghetti sauce
1 can (14-1/2 ounces)stewed tomatoes, undrained & finely chopped
1 jar (4-1/2 ounces) sliced mushrooms, drained
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cups sour cream
1 package (6 ounces) sliced provolone cheese
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
Cook pasta according to package directions.  Meanwhile,in a large skillet, cook beef and onions over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.
Add the spaghetti sauce, tomatoes, mushrooms, garlic, salt & pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Drain pasta; place half in a greased 3 quart baking dish.  Top with half of the beef mixture.  Layer with sour cream and provolone cheese.  Top with remaining pasta then beef mixture.   Sprinkle wiht mozzarella cheese.  Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.  Uncover; bake 5-10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

GARLIC CHEESE BISCUITS

2 cups Bisquik
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Combine to make a soft dough (if seems too stiff, you can add a little more milk)
Drop by spoonfuls onto parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for 8-10 minute or until slightly golden brown.
Melt 6 Tablespoons butter, add some garlic powder to taste, toss a little parsley in there for some color...Brush this over the biscuits when they come out of the oven. Enjoy!







CHEESECAKE
For the crust:
1-1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
3 Tablespoons sugar
4 Tablespoons butter
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Combine crumbs sugar & butter.  Press into bottom of springform pan.  Bake 10 minutes.
While it cools prepare the cheesecake batter.....

2 packages (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup (scant) flour
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
Place cream cheese in bowl and whisk til soft and creamy.  Add sugar and flour & whisk til well combined.  Add sour cream, eggs and vanilla, whisk til smooth.
Pour batter over slightly cooled crust.  Bake approximately 45-50 minutes at 325 degrees.  Remove from oven and let cool 20 minutes.  Run sharp knife around edge.  Cool to room temperature then cover with foil.  Refrigerate til chilled.  Release clamp and remove collar.  Top with whatever topping you so desire or leave plain.
***Drizzle with caramel or chocolate sauce or both.  Sprinkle with pecans.  Top with fresh fruit & cool whip.
You can see I chose to melt a little bit of chocolate and caramel to drizzle over the top & gave a generous sprinkle of chopped pecans!

Well, I need to go do some chores before it gets dark.....Enjoy your evening!



1 comment:

di2009 said...

I think I gained weight just reading your post. I hope it tasted as good as it looked! We are eating a lot of salad and veggies over this way. . . not so tasty!