Why Pineapple Hill?

The pineapple has been a symbol of hospitality since the days of the early American colonies. According to legend, the symbol began with the sea captains of New England who would spear a pineapple on a fence post outside their home to let the community know of their safe return home and to invite friends to visit and share their hospitality.

Likewise, we hope Pineapple Hill Designs boutique will make you feel “Welcome”! We know how important it is to find something special for that certain someone or just the right accessory to complete a room. We believe everyday is a day to celebrate, and we have just the thing to help you create something special out of the ordinary.

Monday, August 8, 2011

Red Velvet Week

I found this recipe HERE

For the crust:

Ingredients:

·         12 pieces Oreo, crushed

·         3 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Combine Oreo crumbs and butter in a large bowl.

Place a heaping tablespoon of Oreo mixture into the bottom of a mini-cheesecake pan. (If you don’t have one, you can use a muffin tray lined with muffin wrappers). Press down with your fingers to pack tightly.

Bake for 10 minutes, then remove and let cool slightly.

For the Filling:

Ingredients:

·         16 oz reduced-fat cream cheese

·         1 ¼ cup sugar 1 cup reduced fat sour cream 3 tablespoons Cocoa (NOT sweetened)

·         4 whole eggs

·         ¼ cup heavy cream or half-and-half

·         2 teaspoons vanilla extract

·         1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar

·         1 oz red food coloring

Yields: 24 mini cheesecakes

Total time: 25 minutes (plus 30 minutes to cool)

Directions:

Reduce oven to 325. Combine cream cheese and sugar in an electric mixer on medium speed. Add sour cream, cocoa, eggs, heavy cream, vanilla, and vinegar to combine. Carefully pour in red food coloring (Hello, apron! This WILL stain.). Pour batter on top of Oreo crust and fill about 2/3 to the top.Bake for 20 minutes.

via Tasty Retreat

The cheesecakes should be relatively firm. Let them cool on your counter for at least 30 minutes. While these are cooling, you can get started on the delicious cream cheese frosting (seriously, you can’t have red velvet without cream cheese!).

For the Frosting:

Ingredients:

· 4 oz reduced-fat cream cheese

2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cups powdered sugar

Yields: 1 1/2 cups frosting

Total time: 5 minutes

Directions:

Using an electric mixer, beat together the softened cream cheese and butter. Add vanilla and powdered sugar, and mix until smooth.

Once your cheesecakes have cooled, you should be able to lift them from the tray without damaging them. If you’re using a mini-cheesecake pan, simply use your finger to pop the cheesecakes up from the bottom of the pan (via the removable bottom).