Easy Fried Cheesecake

….And who doesn’t love a Crunchy Cheesecake! One of our favorite restaurants that moved into Lexington, Ky around 1998 was –Up The Creek- This was the first time my husband and I eaten a dessert of Fried Cheesecake. We immediately fell in love with it! They also had a sandwich that was Fried Green Tomato Sandwich. Oh my, every night this was what I ate for weeks!

 

 

Fried Cheesecake

• 3 -8 oz. Cream Cheese
• 2/3 c. sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3 1/2 c. vegetable oil
• 1 stick butter, melted
• 15-20 small flour tortillas
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• SAUCE
• 1 lb. strawberries, diced
• 1/4 c. sugar
• 1/8 c. water
• 1/8 c. strawberry preserves

Directions:
1. For the sauce: In a medium sauce pan, add the strawberries, sugar, water, and place on low to medium heat and allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Using a potato smasher, smash the strawberries while in the sauce pan. Add the strawberry preserves and allow to simmer for approximately 5-7 minutes OR until sauce thickens. Remove from heat.
2. In a large bowl, cream the cream cheese; add the sugar, and vanilla. Take a flour tortilla and add about a spoonful and a half of the cream cheese mixture and spread in the middle of the tortilla. Begin to roll the tortilla away from you; half way through tuck in the sides; and roll to the end of the other side of the tortilla making a roll. Complete the process until all of the cream cheese mixture is gone.
3. In a large sauce pan on medium heat (make sure it isn’t too high) heat the vegetable oil. Add a couple of the tortillas to the pan seam side up. Allow to fry for 1 minute on each side. Using a slotted spoon remove from oil once it is golden brown on both sides. Repeat until all tortillas are cooked.
4. Using a pastry brush swipe each tortilla with butter, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture, and allow to cool before serving. Use the strawberry sauce for dipping.
Please note: Allow to cool before serving. The tortilla will remain crunchy even after cooled.  I prefer the cinnamon be left out of the recipe but that is a personal choice.  Enjoy!

 

Easy! Quick! Gluten Free Meatloaf

I was rushing out the door and remembered I had some ground chuck in the refrigerator that needed to be used…as in..NOW!  Hey, groceries are way too expensive to let anything go to waste!

If you have been following my Gluten Free recipes then you know I am all about easy and fast.  If it takes too much time or much money some will not eat GF. So what good is it? This meatloaf can be fixed in the oven or the crock pot. Prep time is quick!!

 

I did not have a specific recipe so I will give it to you Ky style.

• I took what burger I had which was about 2lbs.
• I used store bought frozen green peppers and onion. 1/2 bag of each.
• I had mushrooms in the freezer that I had bought previously because they had reduced them, I cleaned them all, vacuum sealed them, and from them.
• Corn Chex Cereal. I would normally use Corn flakes but I did not have any. That is called being resourceful!  If you are a Mom you know exactly what I mean. Right?
• Hunts Bar-B-Que Sauce. Or you can use your favorite GF sauce.
• If you can have eggs then you can use 2 eggs.  We can not have eggs.
• Throw it together  in a Bowl

• I use my clean hands and just mix and squish it all together. Make sure it is mixed well.  Do not get too much Bar-B-Que sauce in it or it will not stick together.
• I pour Bar-B-Que Sauce on the top before putting it in the oven.
• Form it in an oven ready pan and bake at 350 degrees for at least an hour.  The timing will be according to how thick your loaf is.

I have also cooked this in the crock pot and it was great! I cooked it on high for 8 hours.

Gluten Free: Southern Style Corned Beef & Cabbage

For St Patrick’s Day enjoy this Gluten Free Dish.  Now we prefer our Corned Beef and Cabbage with mashed potatoes, a little garlic cloves and hot sauce.  Of course you add bacon to it and that makes it Southern Style!  You can if you prefer, cook your corned beef in the crock pot but the recipe gives instructions for dutch oven.

Gluten Free can be EASY and GOOD!

Gluten Free: Zucchini+tomatoes+basil+cheese=Good!

Zucchini+tomatoes+basil+cheese=Good!

And that is pretty simple!

Gluten Free: Cola & Cherry Ribs

These were adapted from a recipe I found on the internet.  A little more time than I usually take but they were well worth it.  It would not fall into my quick and easy dinner recipes but it was still a “Simple and Easy” recipe.  If you follow my blog you know by now, I am a -get it done quick-  with mixes or already made items on the shelf.  If you have to eat gluten free and you are not because of difficulty in preparation -That is NOT good!  Better to use already prepared mixes than suffer the consequences! Recipe is at the bottom. Enjoy!

Gluten Free & Zero Carbs Buffalo Wings

This recipe completely masks the taste of pork rinds.  It re-creates one of the favorite appetizers without ever missing traditional breading. If you choose to make them Chicken Tenders just leave off the Buffalo sauce!

Gluten Free and Zero Carbs! How can you go wrong? I think it is time to invite some friends and throw a party!

Kentucky Fritters! Corn and Onions

In Ky these use to be a common stable found on the table at every meal. Not so much anymore.   I remember trying to teach my sister how to cook these fritters. It was such a disaster the first time. She ended up with either raw centers or burned edges…oh she was a toughie. They are wonderful discs of crispy fried onions and corny perfection! We actually use whatever onions we have at the time, green onions, vidalia, red onions, sweet…what ever is available! You can also finely chop up green/ red peppers or banana peppers/pepperonicini’s for variety.

Kickin’ Carrots!

The carrots were amazing!  They roasted 2 pounds of baby carrots in the oven at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes with some seasoning (Weber makes a good pre-mixed one or use what you have) and a little olive oil.  They were pulled out of the oven and drizzled with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 3 tablespoons of honey, and about 1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar.  Pop them back into the oven for about 5 more minutes.  They were still a little crunchy, roasted to perfection & tasted wonderful!

Found this on pinterest! Just a picture and text.  The recipe does sound great and I love carrots!

I Do Love Elegant Finger Food

I must say I do love elegant finger food!  And I really like brussel sprouts. You either love ‘em or hate ‘em. I happen to have almost an obsession with them!

Being from the hollers of Ky, I had no idea what Prosciutto was.  We just call it fancy ham around here. Well, that’s basically what it is. Prosciutto is a salt cured, dry aged Italian ham. Prosciutto has a delicate, buttery texture and is often served thinly sliced. So there you have it.

Gluten Free Grilled Honey Soy Chicken

Kentucky has been steaming hot this year and so has the grill!  Since one family member is on a gluten free diet now, I have been trying new recipes…or adjusting old ones.