Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies

Welcome to the most delicious dessert you will eat this holiday season. When I say this recipe is a winner, I mean it is seriously winning! It is so tasty and ever so decadent. Do you love cheesecake? Do you love brownies? Do you love Red Velvet? If you answered yes to any of the above questions you will be totally hooked on this creation. I originally made this for my coworkers birthday in September and it was a hit. Literally, my coworkers have been asking me to make this for them again every time I mention baking. So with the approach of another coworkers birthday I decided to pull out the recipe and have at it again. And I just couldn't do so without sharing with you all. The recipe comes together pretty easily and there are no crazy ingredients. Just be sure to use really good quality dark chocolate it really does make a difference and is worth the few extra bucks. I found the original recipe on this blog, SweetPeasKitchen. My brownies didn't come out quite as pretty but seriously it didn't even matter they tasted oh so good! I am doubling the recipe for you and you will thank me.

All packed up ready for the office! 

Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies
Brownie Batter:
1 cup unsalted butter
4 oz. good quality dark chocolate chopped
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 tsp. red food coloring
1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
Cheesecake topping:
2 -- 8 oz. packages block style cream cheese
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Prepare a 9x13 pan with butter and parchment paper. Leave the parchment paper long on two sides for easy removal. For the brownie batter which will be your first layer begin with a microwave safe bowl, melt butter and chocolate together until smooth. Set aside and allow to cool slightly. In a large bowl, combine sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and food coloring.  Using an electric mixer, mix until combined. Slowly add the butter/chocolate mixture, stir together. Pour the brownie batter in the prepared pan. For the cheesecake mix together all ingredients until smooth. Pour cheesecake batter over top of the brownie batter. To swirl use the end of a knife (my swirling skills are lacking). Bake at 350 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Oh, and did I mention I am trying to get to 50 followers by the New Year? So if you have friends who like to cook and are looking for new recipes feel free to forward on One Recipe at a Time! You can follow the blog by "Joining this Site" in the right hand column and entering your email address. Thanks guys, I have one more recipe before the holidays so be on the look out!

Power Smoothie

So with the holidays comes decadent eating, and I am not one to pass up the sweets. This is by far my favorite time of year to eat. All of my favorites seem to find the table during the holidays....turkey, mashed potatoes, magic cookie bars, sweet potato casserole. Name that holiday food and it has probably made an appearance on my favorites list. But all of this heavy food tends to weigh me down, literally weigh me down. And I need plenty of energy to get through shopping and wrapping presents and planning all of my holiday travel. So I have been whipping up this quick, super healthy, and tasty power smoothie. It is packed with vitamins and nutrients that make me feel good. It helps me start the day off on a good note. I use my Cuisinart Stick Blender to make this even quicker. 

Renee's Power Smoothie

1/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats

1 small ripe banana

1 tsp. honey

1/4 cup orange juice

1 large handful baby spinach

1 cup frozen blueberries

In a tall measuring cup (I used the one that comes with the cuisinart blender) or in a blender pitcher, pulse the rolled oats until they are the texture of corn meal. Add the banana, honey, and orange juice and blend until combined. Add the spinach and blueberries (still frozen) and blend until desired consistency. Then enjoy! 

You can see the specks of green spinach and rolled oats and you just know this is good for you. The smoothie comes in at a little under 300 calories and packs in the vitamin C, A, B-6, folate, iron, and magnesium. But the best part, it tastes great so you won't even mind that it is healthy! Hope you try out this delicious recipe in the near future, I promise you won't regret it. 

French Toast Bites

Hey all! It's the holiday season and that means my kitchen has been working over time. I just can't resist cooking for friends when holiday cheer is upon me. My coworkers are especially lucky since it is just so easy to bring leftovers into work with me. They get cookies galore! But the product of this recipe was for me alone, there was no sharing here ;) Plus breakfast foods don't tend to pack well.

I recently acquired the photography app Instagram on my iPhone, so I will be using that to show off my handiwork. In case you were wondering where the artistic flare came from.

These little pillows of delight are seriously the best breakfast I have had in a while. But beware these are a holiday treat and should be treated as such since they definitely pack the calories. But hey this is what holidays are for right, a little indulgence! I had a leftover baguette that needed to be used up since it was a little stale and what better way then to incorporate my favorite breakfast food.

French Toast Bites

1 loaf day old Baguette or French Bread
2 eggs
1/4 cup or so of half and half
dash of nutmeg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tbsp. butter

For dusting:
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Syrup for serving

Beat together eggs and a generous splash of half and half (I say about 1/4 cup but adjust to the amount of bread you have, more half and half for more bread). Add nutmeg and vanilla. Cube the bread into bite size pieces or to the size of your liking. You could always do slices but I found the bite sized cubes more fun! Toss the cubes of bread into egg mixture until the bread soaks up all of the egg.

Melt 1 tbsp. of butter into large saute pan (or griddle if you have it) over medium high heat. Place the half of the soaked pieces of bread in the pan once the butter has begun to bubble. Watch carefully! They will cook up fast.  Cook for approximately 5 minutes or until pieces are browned on all sides.

In a medium bowl, combine cinnamon and sugar. Once you remove the fully cooked pieces of bread from the pan, place directly into cinnamon/sugar mixture and toss lightly until pieces are coated evenly. Set aside and repeat with the remaining pieces of bread.

Serve with a side of warmed maple syrup for dipping and enjoy! 

This is a super simple, quick and easy delicious weekend breakfast recipe. I hope you give it a try and if you do let me know how it comes out! 

The finished product! 

p.s. how do we like the new photo technique...yay or nay? Any requests for recipes or any challenges out there? I'm always looking for ideas to share with you all so just let me know.