The. Best. Cheesecake. Ever.

It is my pet peeve when periods are placed after each word to enforce the meaning. However, there is no other way for me to seriously communicate the deliciousness of this recipe then stooping to this grammatical device. The decadence of this lusciously fluffy cheesecake is making me do things I don’t normally do!

Image courtesy of Flickr User katewing

My sister’s mother-in-law, Trish (does that make her my mother-in-law once removed?) made this for a baby shower, and we all agreed it was the best cheesecake we ever had. And we’re pretty well versed in cheesecake. So I begged the recipe off her and here it is.

This cheesecake is the most fluffy, decadent and flavorful of any cheesecake I have ever had. Ever. If you don’t believe me, try it for yourself.

Trish’s Tall and Creamy Cheesecake
Serves 12 Prep time: 20 min  Inactive Time: 5 hours

Delicious Healthy Cookies. No Joke!

Everyone knows cookies are the best. But the guilt which goes along with eating something which isn’t very good for you isn’t so much fun. But there might be a way to have one without the other. And no, I’m not talking about those stupid Snackwells. My friend Sarah, recently turned me on to this recipe for cookies which are delicious and good for you. Not just low fat, but actually good for you! And they taste good!

Morning Glories.  Photo courtesy of MyNewRoots.Blogspot.com

Sarah Britton, the holistic nutritionist and vegetarian chef behind the blog My New Roots, developed the recipe for her Morning Glory’s as a healthy option for a breakfast cookie.  The main ingredient is Oats which is very high in a super fiber called Beta Glucan which is good for lowering cholesterol and stabilizing blood sugar.  But the main kicker of this recipe is that it uses white beans as a binder instead of an oily fat like butter.  Although it sounds a bit nuts, these cookies have a great texture and a delicious flavor of anise.  Just try for yourself, I know you won’t be disappointed.

Check out the Morning Glory recipe here.

Vegan Mock Chicken Nuggets

Are you sick of seeing the picture of the PINK GOO they use to make chicken nuggets?  I am. Its gross.  Well, here’s a way to skip the goo as well as the genetically modified hormonal chickens with their beaks broken off etc.  Lets just make some guilt free vegan MOCK CHICKEN nuggets!

Photo courtesy of WholeNewMom.com

Mock Chicken Nuggets

• 1 lb. raw gluten
• 2 c. nutritional yeast
• 4 Tbs thyme
• 2 Tbs curry powder
• 2 Tbs garlic powder
• 2 quarts water
• 1/4 c. salt
• 1/8 c. BBQ sauce (optional)

Batter

• 1 c. cornmeal
• 1/4 c. flour
• 1/3 c. nutritional yeast
• 2 Tbs paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 Tbs garlic powder

Add all ingredients except gluten into the water and bring to a boil.

Cut gluten into 4-6 inch pieces. Form pieces into small balls and drop into boiling water.

Stir occasionally until water comes to a second boil. Do not cover.  Cook for 1 hour on medium heat.

Remove from heat and cool.

Remove gluten from the water and cut about 1/2 inch thick slices like steaks.  Coat nuggets in batter mix and brown in lightly oiled skillet.

Serve with BBQ sauce.

How To Fix Your Failed Yogurt

Have you tried to make yogurt and had it fail?  You’ve followed all the directions and heated and cooled it to the right temperatures, and yet its still a milky mess after the set incubation time.  Or worse yet, its somehow been over heated and has started to separate into curds and whey.  Well have no fear.  Here are a few tips of how to salvage your yogurt fail.

Draining Ricotta.  Photo courtesy of NewfInMySoup

How to save your unset milky mess: If, when your 5 hours incubation time is over, you go to check your yogurt and find it is still milky and has not set.  Do not fear.  It is probably because the temperature during the incubation dipped below the 100-110 degrees necessary to make the yogurt set.  Just restart the process, reheating the milk to 185 and then dropping it back to 110.  Stir in a fresh cup of premade yogurt and incubate again.  Here are some tips to maintain a more constant temperature.

How to save your curdled curds and whey:  If, when your 5 hours incubation time is over, you go to check your yogurt and find it has seperated into a curdled mess with a yellowish liquid, this is because it was overheated.  If the temperature during the incubation time goes above 120 degrees, your yogurt can overcook and seperate into curds and whey.  If this happens, the yogurt boat has sailed.  However, you can easily turn this mess into fresh ricotta!

To make ricotta simply pour your curds and whey into a strainer lined with a cheese cloth.  Allow to drain overnight in the refrigerator.  And the next day you will have a delicious ricotta.

Making Yogurt In the Winter: Troubleshooting

This summer I finally achieved my goal of making yogurt.  I found a method which worked well and so I posted Making Yogurt Is Easy.  It is easy…in the summer.  Once winter hit and the temperatures dropped, my “easy” yogurt became decidedly hard!

Winter= runny yogurt.  In other words, FAIL! I just could not get it to set.  I couldn’t figure out exactly what was going wrong!  After a few tries, I finally figured out what was going wrong.  Its the winter temperatures which are making my yogurt fail!  My original instructions said to preheat the oven to 200 degrees and then turn off.  Then incubate the yogurt in the warmed up oven until it sets.

In the winter, the oven cools too quickly to maintain a good temperature for incubation and the yogurt won’t set.  So here are a few things to do to help your yogurt set in the cooler temps.

1) Get an oven thermometer and maintain an even temp.

Yogurt needs to incubate at between 100-110 degrees F.  If it dips below, your yogurt won’t set, so you basically just have milk.  If it goes above 120 degrees your milk will get too warm and you’ll end up with separated curds and whey.  Get an oven thermometer and you can make sure to preheat the oven to just around 100 degrees.  If it starts to dip below you can quickly turn the oven on to its lowest setting for 2 minutes or so until you get enough heat to boost the temp back to 100.

2) Wrap your incuabting yogurt in a towel.

Wraping the milk mixture in a towel before placing in the oven will help insulate the heat and keep the yogurt warmer longer to help it set.

3) Leave the oven light on and use a candle to add a little heat.

Placing a small candle in the oven will help add a small amount of heat to keep up the temp without pushing it too much over the 100 degree mark. You can also leave the light on to keep the heat up.

Forkable Baby #2!

Our second baby has arrived!  Otto Rasmus was born last Thursday, February 16th at 6:30 a.m at our home in Chicago.  Although I am generally pretty strict about posting food only content, I am making an exception for the reasons of 85% excitement about my new boy and 15% excuse for the lack of posts lately.  But isn’t he worth it?  He’s such a cutie!

I hope to get back on the posting wagon again soon.  Stay tuned for an update on my yogurt making guide with some helpful winter incubation trouble shooting tips.

Freezing Food For When Baby Comes; Part 2

Well, its that time again.  My due date for our second baby is only two weeks away and this little nipper could arrive at any time!

Photo via Flickr User Corgidusty

I’ve been cracking away daily at getting organized, house clean and food prepared so we’ll be as ready as we can be for our new family member.  I thought having a second baby would be easier since I’ve done it before.  But that’s not true! IT’S SCARIER!  Because I know what I’m in for this time.  AH! And we’ll have a 19 month old Thora to take care of as well.  I’m not really worried though, as we have a wonderful community of friends to help us along.

To ease our transition along, I’m trying to make sure my freezers are stocked with ready to eat food, as I did before Thora was born.  Here’s a list of what you’ll find in my freezer for when baby arrives.

1. Stuffed Cabbages I find the best kind of food for when your tired and not feeling well is comfort food.  Stuffed cabbages are definitely that.  This dish is easy to prepare ahead, just stuff some cabbage leaves with  your rice/meat filling, roll up and freeze in ziplock bags.  Then when you’re ready to eat, just take as many out of the bag as you need, place in a baking dish, cover in the tomato sauce of your choice and bake for 3o minutes (defrosted) to an hour if frozen.

2. Lasagna Speaking of comfort food, nothing is more satisfying on a cold night then a nice warm melty piece of lasagna.  It was one of the dishes I made and froze for when Thora was born and it was the first thing to be totally eaten up.  So I’m making agian.  Its easy to prepared ahead, slice into single servings and freeze in small containers.  Individual slices can be reheated in the microwave in 5 minutes and then eaten with relish (I’m refering to enjoyment, not a pickle sauce, but hey, to each his own).

3. Caldo Verde: This Portuguese soup with spicy sausage, kale and potatoes is probably one of my top favorites. Its also healthy in that it encourages me to eat kale.  I never eat enough greens!  Although potatoes are not the ideal food to freeze as they can get a bit mealy, it doesn’t bother me in this soup.  A few weeks ago, I made a few gallons and froze in single serving containers which will reheat in the microwave in 5 minutes. Yes!

Photo via the Kitchn.com

4. Pasties: Yum!  I’m letting my Yooper out with this one.  Pronounced Paa-stee.  Be careful with this one.  If mispronounced it means something quite different!  This is a dish the Cornish miners brought to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where it has become their official food.  A pasty is traditionally made with ground beef and a mixture of diced carrots, potatoes and rutabagas.  However, there are some fancier recipes out there including vegetarian ones (oh, the sacralidge!)  My Mom filled up my freezer with a dozen traditional ones, with a cooked filling but raw dough.  All I need to do is bake for 30 minutes and I’ve got a meal.  I’ll let you guys fight it out whether you top yours with ketchup or gravy!

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Ok, that’s all from here.  It may be a bit spotty posting over the next few weeks with the new baby, but I’ll check in as often as I can.  Be patient and I’ll get back to regular posting as soon as I’m able.

Party Pleaser: Pomegranate Punch

Want to turn your regular old hum drum party into the most sophisticated soiree of the day? Well, its easy. Here’s our top 1 ways to get your party popping!

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Brooklyn Farmhouse

1. MAKE POMEGRANATE PUNCH!

There, that was easy. Almost as easy as making this delicious punch which pairs delicious and healthy pomegrante juice with a fresh and tasty infusion of simple syrup steeped in mint and fresh ginger. Delish! Here’s the how-to.

Pomegranate Punch
Serves about 12

1 1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. water
12 slices peeled fresh ginger (about 1/8 inch thick)
2 1/4 c. fresh mint
6 c. pomegranate juice
3/4 c. apricot nectar
2 1/2 c. seltzer
Garnish: fresh mint
Optional: Alcohol- vodka or champagne

Make simple syrup:  Bring sugar, water, and ginger to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Add mint. Let stand for 30 minutes. Strain. Let cool.

Assemble punch: Stir together mint syrup, juice, and nectar in an ice-filled punch bowl. Add seltzer. Garnish with mint and ice.

Optional: Add alcohol. As much as you want.  Be warned though! This punch is sooo damn tasty, it hides the taste of alcohol very well. I mean VERY WELL. You can get very bedrunken. Just warning you. Ok, on to the hints.

Hint: Make a decorative ice ring! The night before your party, take a decorative bunt or coffee cake pan and fill with water.  Allow to freeze until a bit slushy, 1 hour or so depending on the amount of your water.  Put a few mint leaves or pomegranate seeds into the slush to suspend in ice.

Christmas Pomegranate Bars

Every year I try to make a few new kinds of Christmas cookies to add to my tried and true. Sometimes I find amazing new cookies to add to my repertoire, and sometimes they’re a stink out. This year, I decided to try my hand at Martha Stewart’s Apricot Windows recipe. I put my own twist on them by using my homemade Pomegranate jelly.

While I wouldn’t describe these as a stink-out, as they are easy and very tasty, I learned through trial and error that if you don’t cut them while hot (not listed in the directions) you end up with a broken mess.  So here’s the recipe with a few of my own additions.

Christmas Pomegranate Bars

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment and generously grease sides; set aside.

Using a hand or stand mixer, cream butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Meanwhile, mix dry ingredients and set aside.  Add eggs one at a time to creamed butter mixture, beating until smooth after each addition.  Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and beat until thoroughly combined.

Remove 1 3/4 cups of the dough; use it to fill a prepared pastry bag. Fold the end over to keep dough from drying out; set aside.

Spread the remaining dough into the prepared pan as evenly and smoothly as possible. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Remove pan from oven, and transfer to a heat-proof surface. In a small bowl, whisk jam until smooth.  Spread jam on top of baked crust in an even layer. Using the prepared pastry bag, pipe parallel lines of dough spaced approx. 1 inch apart over the jam. Pipe perpendicular lines of dough at 1-inch intervals over first lines. Place in oven, and bake until golden, 20 to 25 minutes.

Transfer to a wire rack.  Allow to sit for a few minutes to cool slightly, but while still warm, cut into bars. Store in an air tight container for two weeks or so.

Enjoy!

A New Take On Gingersnaps: Chewy Choco Gingersnappers

I love gingersnaps and of course nothing is more christmasy then a good ginger cookie. But if you find yourself getting bored with the same old gingersnap, why not try this delicious chocolatey take on the original. I guarantee you’ll love it!

Chewy Choco Gingersnappers
makes 4 dozen

• 1 c. butter (2 sticks)
• 2 Tbs fresh grated ginger
• 1 c. brown sugar, packed
• 1 c. molasses
• 3 c. flour
• 1 Tbs ground ginger
• 2 tsp cininamon
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 2 Tbs cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 Tbs boiling water
• 16 0z. semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/4- 1/2 c. granulated sugar

Directions:

Make Dough: In a mixing bowl or using a stand mixer, cream butter and fresh ginger together until whipped, 2-4 minutes.  Add brown sugar and beat until mixed. Add Molasses, beat until mixed.  In a bowl, mix together dry ingredients and spices up until boiling water.  In a small bowl, mix together boiling water and baking soda.  Add half of flour mixture into sugar and butter; mix.  Add boiling water with baking soda and mix.  Add remainder of dry ingredients; mix. Add chocolate chips and mix.

Chill Dough: Separate dough into four balls and wrap each dough ball in plastic wrap.  Chill in refrigerator until firm: for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Assemble Cookies: Remove one dough ball, leaving the others to chill in the refrigerator.  Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place on baking sheets lined in parchment paper about 2 inches apart.  Chill completed trays while rolling out other dough balls; about 20 mintues.  Roll chilled balls in sugar.

Bake cookies: 8-10 minutes until surfaces begin to crack.  Remove and chill on wire wracks.

Store in air tight container for 2 weeks.  Best served warm!