Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

I just saw this in an email blast and it sounds soooo easy and yum. Must try.

Ingredients

• 2/3  cup  (about 3 oz.) reduced-fat chocolate wafer cookie crumbs
• 1 1/2  tablespoons  melted butter or margarine
• 3  packages (8 oz. each) nonfat cream cheese
• 1  can (14 oz.) nonfat sweetened condensed milk
• 3  large egg whites
• 2  teaspoons  vanilla
• 1/2  cup  miniature chocolate chips

Preparation

1. Combine crumbs and melted butter. Pat evenly over bottom and about 3/4 inch up the side of a removable-rim 8-inch cheesecake or cake pan (at least 1 3/4 in. deep).

2. In a food processor or bowl, whirl or beat cream cheese, milk, egg whites, and vanilla until very smooth. Stir in 1/4 cup chocolate chips.

3. Scrape batter into prepared pan. Evenly sprinkle batter with remaining chocolate chips.

4. Bake in a 350° oven until cake jiggles only slightly in the center when gently shaken, about 30 minutes.

5. Run a thin-bladed knife between cake and pan rim. Refrigerate cake, uncovered, until cool, at least 2 1/2 hours. Serve, or if making ahead, wrap airtight when cool and chill up to 2 days. Remove pan rim and cut cake into wedges.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

283 (17% from fat)

Protein:

14g

Fat:

5.3g (sat 2.6)

Carbohydrate:

44g

Fiber:

0.0g

Sodium:

461mg

Cholesterol:

15mg

Source

Anne's Mac & Cheese

My friend Anne just posted this to her blog, http://sftaoofpao.com/2010/06/22/mac-it-up-paos-baked-4-layer-mac-cheese/, and I kind of want to go home and make this right now! How does she stay so tiny with these gluttonous recipes? Jealous!

Pao’s 4 Layered Baked Mac & Cheese
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes (prep and cook)
Servings: 12-14
Note: you will need a heavy-bottomed pan for making the cheese sauce. The bigger the pan, the better. Also recommend a large casserole dish. If you want to make this for fewer people, you can half the recipe but leftover mac-n-cheese is always in high demand.
Ingredients:

• 1 lb pasta (rigatoni, elbow macaroni)
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 4 cups whole milk
• 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons coarse salt, plus more for water
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper or chili powder depending on your taste palate
• 4 cups grated white cheddar cheese
• 4 cups grated mild cheddar cheese
• 2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 2 cups grated Gruyere cheese
• ½ red onion – sautéed in olive oil, seasoned with salt, chili powder and ground pepper
• ½ cup Italian style Panko breadcrumbs
• 1 pack frozen peas – thaw in bowl of cool water before adding
• Optional: 6 strips thick-cut bacon. Cooked and then chopped into small bits

Directions:
1. Fill large pot with water and place on high heat. Add teaspoon of salt.
2. Once water comes to boil, add pasta. Boil for 8-9 minutes or till al dente. Drain in colander and rinse with cool water. Set aside.
3. Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter large casserole dish; set aside
4. Melt butter in heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat.
5. Whisk in flour and cook about 1 minute, make sure to constantly stir so the mixture does not get clumpy.
6. Pour in milk one cup at a time, whisking continuously for about 8-10 minutes or until mixture is uniformly smooth and thick.
7. Add white cheddar, mild cheddar and sharp cheddar cheese. Stir until cheese is fully melted into mixture. Season with salt, pepper and either cayenne pepper or chili powder.
8. Add in cooked pasta and coat well with cheese. Fold in peas.
10. Optional step: if you opted for bacon, cook in a pan in its own fatty juices. Cut up bacon into small bits and fold into pasta mixture.
11. Pour mixture into buttered casserole dish. Top evenly with grated Gruyere and bread crumbs.
12. Bake at 400 degrees F for about 30-35 minutes. Keep warm in oven for 5 minutes. Check dish to ensure there is a crusty, browned top.