Grand Prize Winning Recipe

Cranberry Cheesecake

Graham Cracker Crust

1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs

⅓ cup granulated sugar

½ cup unsalted butter

Cheesecake Filling

32 oz. block cream cheese room temperature

8 oz. sour cream full fat, room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon lemon juice

½ teaspoon salt

4 large eggs room temperature

Cranberry Swirl

2 cups cranberries; ½ cup sugar; ⅓ cup water

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325°F. Prepare a 9-inch spring form pan by double wrapping the outside with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Combine crust ingredients in a bowl. Press into the springform pan on bottom and about 1 inch up the sides. Bake 8-10 minutes, remove from oven and cool completely.

While the crust is in the oven, cook cranberry ingredients until cranberries begin to pop and sauce thickens, about 8-10 minutes. Blend until smooth. Set aside to cool completely.

Mix cream cheese and sugar, beating on medium-low speed until smooth. Add sour cream, vanilla, and salt, and continue to mix on low speed until fully incorporated. Add eggs one at a time, beating on low speed until combined. Pour half the cheesecake mixture into the baked crust. Add spoonfuls of the cranberry sauce and swirl into the cheesecake filling. Top with the remaining cheesecake batter and the remaining cranberry sauce, and swirl again. Tap the pan on a flat surface to remove any air bubbles. Place in a large roasting pan and carefully pour boiling water ½ way up the springform pan.

Bake 55 minutes or until the edges are set, and the center is slightly jiggly. Turn oven off, open door, allow to slowly cool about 1 hour. Transfer to a wire rack, cool, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. Release from springform pan and serve.

Submitted by Yumna Jawad

Pumpkin Pancakes

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tbsp. baking powder, aluminum free

1 ½ tsp. pumpkin spice, or your preferred blend

¼ tsp. salt

1 cup milk, dairy, almond or oat

1/3 cup pumpkin puree

1 large egg

2 tbsp. maple syrup

2 tbsp. butter, melted

½ tsp. vanilla extract

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice blend and salt. Stir until blended.

Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir just until the dry ingredients are completely incorporated. Heat a nonstick griddle or pan over medium-low heat. Melt butter on the surface, if desired. Pour 1/3 cup of the batter onto the hot griddle. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until small bubbles start to form on the top and the edges firm up. Flip the pancake and cook for another 1-2 minutes until the pancake is cooked through. Serve immediately with maple syrup.

Perfect for meal prep. Pancakes are one of the many breakfast foods that freeze and reheat well. So, if you want to make a big batch of these on the weekend and have breakfast ready for the week ahead, simply freeze them in an airtight container and pop them in the toaster or microwave when you’re ready to eat.

Made with pantry staples. You likely already have all the ingredients you need to make these pancakes in your pantry! You may have to add pumpkin puree to your grocery list, but that’s about it.

Submitted by Yumna Jawad