Simple Cheesecake

I'm not really a huge cake fan. I will eat it at a party, and I will even make it on occasion, but if given the choice I would go with a brownie, ice cream or pie. For our wedding we had peach cobbler instead of a wedding cake. When I was a kid I used to ask for pumpkin pie for my birthday, we would put candles in it and everything. And this year, I made a cheesecake for the special day. 

I looked up all sorts of recipes online, each claiming to be the best or most authentic in the New York style. But I ended up going with a recipe my mom had. It was simple, easy and delicious. 

Cheesecake can be a little intimidating. It seems so fancy, and some recipes require a lot of careful work. But this one is totally doable. And if you do mess up, it's not the end of the world. There were 2 cavernous cracks running through the cheesecake when I let it cool, hence the sauce and mounds of raspberries. But no one would have known, until I told you just now. 

Simple Cheesecake with Raspberry Sauce

Crust

2 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

4 ounces butter or margarine, melted

Filling

1 cup granulated sugar

3 pkgs. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 8-ounce carton of sour cream

Sauce

2 cups raspberries (1 cup pureed in a blender, 1 cup fresh for topping)

½ cup sugar

1 Tablespoon cornstarch

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions:

Combine graham cracker crumbs with 2 tablespoons of sugar and the melted butter or margarine. Press into the bottom of a springform pan. Set aside.

Cream the softened cream cheese with the sugar and vanilla extract. Add the eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Add the sour cream, which should be at room temperature.Pour into graham cracker crust. Bake for half an hour at 350 degrees F. Turn off the oven, leaving the cheesecake inside for another half hour. Chill and refrigerate for at least 4-8 hours.

In a saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Add lemon juice and one cup of raspberry puree, turn heat to medium high and let boil for 3-4 minutes until thick. Let sauce cool before pouring on cheesecake. Top with fresh raspberries. 

Best Brownies

I know the adjective "best" is a dangerous one. Especially when it comes to food. Because food is such a personal thing and preference has more to do with it than any of the ingredients in a recipe. So let me rename this recipe. Best Combination Fudgy Brownies with Rich Frosting That I Have Made. There, that is a little harder to argue with.

But really. These are some good brownies. And make sure to use the frosting (see revised title). They are so rich, I can't eat more than one. They are made in a saucepan, which is kind of unique. But they are not difficult, so don't get nervous.

I made these to bring to an event. I brought them in the cutest box (a box I saved after getting a package in the mail because I knew this box would be perfect to carry baked goods) and they were a big hit.

For Brownies:

1/2 cup butter

 1 cup white sugar

 2 eggs, beaten in separate bowl

 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

 1/4 teaspoon salt

 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

For Frosting:

½ cup butter

2 Tablespoons cocoa powder

3 Tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups powdered sugar (I think… I just dumped it in from the bag)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8 inch square pan.

In a large saucepan, melt butter. Remove from heat, and stir in sugar and vanilla. Add a few spoonfuls of the hot butter/sugar mixture to the eggs in a separate bowl, beat. We do this to slowly heat up the eggs. If we add the eggs to the pan right away, we would get scrambled eggs. Once eggs are warmer, slowly beat them into the butter/sugar mixture in the saucepan. Beat in cocoa, flour, salt, and baking powder. Spread batter into prepared pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Do not overcook.

For Frosting:

 Using a clean saucepan, melt butter. Add cocoa and let boil for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and add milk and vanilla. Stir in powdered sugar a cup at a time until you get a smooth mixture. It will not be stiff like a normal frosting, it will look more like hot fudge. Pour over warm brownies. Eat warm if you want a delicious mess, or let it cool for an hour. 

What to do with leftover rice

Make this creamy rice pudding!

When you wake up to this

Then it's time to make this

Growing up, our rice pudding was a baked dish, and it was delicious. It wasn't until I went to Peru that I learned that people make rice pudding on the stovetop, and it too is creamy and delicious.

Creamy Rice Pudding


1 1/2 cups cooked white rice
 2 cups milk, divided
 1/3 cup white sugar
 1/4 teaspoon salt
 1 egg, beaten
 1 tablespoon butter
 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a clean saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups cooked rice, 1 1/2 cups milk, sugar and salt. Cook over medium heat until thick and creamy, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup milk, beaten egg; cook 2 minutes more, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla.

Collet Salsa

I had some really amazing friends growing up. They were sisters, which was cool. And we lived on the same street, which was convenient. And their dad made the most delicious salsa ever, which is awesome.

I got special permission to share the recipe, so enjoy!

Dallas Collet's Famous Salsa

1 large can whole, peeled tomatoes

1-2 serrano peppers, depending on desired heat

1/2 white onion

dash garlic salt

dash pepper

1/2 green bell pepper

1 bunch cilantro

1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice

Sometimes a little fresh garlic too

Dice (or food process) serrano, onion, bell pepper and cilantro very fine. Combine with tomatoes in blender and pulse or blend until deisired consistency. Add salt, pepper and lime juice to taste. 

Pumpkin Everything

I went on a pumpkin kick. And I made Pumpkin everything. Almost everything was delicious. I have to say almost because I attempted to make a Pumpkin Shake, except I didnt have ice cream so I had to use frozen bananas, and it was gross.


I made Pumpkin Cupcakes and Cream Cheese Frosting

And the most wonderful Pumpkin Cheesecake Squares. Seriously, these are amazing.

I already posted about Pumpkin Waffles.

And I forgot to take pictures of the Pumpkin Curry Soup, but it was good too.

But the Pumpkin Pancakes were by far the best. Add some Apple Cider Syrup and you are better than best.

Make these. They are delicious.

Pancakes:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pinch clove
1 cup 1% low-fat milk (can be any kind)
6 tablespoons canned pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 egg

Directions:
Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, spices and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl whisk together milk, pumpkin, melted butter, and egg. Fold mixture into dry ingredients. Spray or grease a skillet and heat over medium heat: pour in 1/4 cup batter for each pancake. Cook pancakes about 3 minutes per side. Serve with butter and syrup.


Apple Cider Syrup:

1/2 cup white sugar

 1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 pinch of nutmeg, cloves and ginger (optional)

1 cup apple cider

 1 tablespoon lemon juice

 2 tablespoons butter

Stir together the sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon in a saucepan. Stir in the apple cider and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat until mixture begins to boil; boil until the syrup thickens. Remove from heat and stir in the 2 tablespoons of butter until melted. Serve warm.