Hello again.

First of all let me correct the sugar content on the cheesecake recipe on the previous post. It is one cup not two cups. I was in my kitchen with all the ingredients nicely at room temperature but that sugar amount was nagging at the back of my mind. This sent me scurrying to hunt for the original clipping. I found it in the third notebook in which I have collected clippings and printouts of recipes over the years.

So I made the cheesecake batter and sprayed my mini muffin pans with cooking spray. This was 24 and there was still  enough batter to make a whole cheesecake as well. I did substitute Hershey Special Dark chocolate for the German chocolate since the discount grocery store I shop at did not carry German chocolate. I think that a milk chocolate bar could be used for a slightly milder flavor. The mini-muffins took 30 minutes to bake. Then I was faced with how to remove them from the pans. I found a spoon was the most effective after letting them cool for a few minutes. I have put these in a freezer bag and have been eating the whole cheesecake that I baked in a 5-7 inch casserole dish. It is very creamy.

My goal is to have real food ready for assembly for weeknight meals. So now I have a bit of dessert. This recipe could also make two 8 inch round cakes. In the future I will make a whole cheesecake, cut into wedges, wrap each wedge, and throw them in a freezer bag. Less fuss that way.

I have been reading the book 100 Days of Real Food by Lisa Leake. I like the basic recipes she has in the back of the book and have made the onion soup mix. I too am a fan of eating more real food and less processed foods. With that goal my husband and I did not buy any crackers or chips this weekend. So what to eat with cheese? I asked him if he wanted me to make crackers. He said “is that possible?” So I pull out Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything and make crackers. I used half rye flour (because I had a half cup left in my freezer). They came out crispy and fine. But there is no real reason to make one’s own crackers unless you can’t find crackers at the store with real ingredients in them. I would suggest making them yourselves once for the experience. My son has made homemade cheezits in the past and they were tasty but the amount of work and mess…I am not a whole food purist. This is why there are brownies cooling on my counter made from a Ghiradelli’s box mix. in another post I will tell you about the great brownie search.

Happy home cooking everyone!

I needed to clean out the fridge in preparation for a grocery shopping trip and because we had been away camping for the past 4 weekends. Here’s what I found: two half cartons of sour cream, the real stuff without additives, 1/3 jar capers, 1/2 jar horseradish, 1/2 jar mint jelly, a pickle jar with one small pickle in it, wheatgerm, and instant yeast. I had two jars of salsa which had passed their time also. There’s more but this is the stuff that needs to be paid attention to.

I am thinking of the baked good to make this weekend. I am thinking of cheese cake bites. I have been reading books and other websites on making things ahead of time and having the homemade food ready to assemble into meals. What has been on my mind does not use the above ingredients. Eons ago I found a crust-less cheesecake recipe in the newspaper. I have memorized the ingredients: 3 pkg cream cheese, 5 eggs, 2 cups sugar, bar of German chocolate, and vanilla extract. I will bake it in mini muffin pans and when cool plan to pop them into a freezer bag so we can have a little dessert once and awhile without eating the entire cheesecake. I am not a food scientist so I am not sure how long they’ll keep. But it is cheesecake so how long does it need to last?

My mom did not ever make a cheesecake to my memory. So when I had my own kitchen as a junior and senior in college I bought the Betty Crocker no-bake cheesecake mix and this is what I made. When I first saw New York style cheesecake I was suspicious. I mean, really, baked cheese! But my palate has matured and I no longer like mediocre cheesecakes or the no-bake type.

The cheesecake above is a marbled version. Melt the chocolate and mix into 1/3 of the cheesecake batter made by beating the other four ingredients until creamy and smooth.In a 9 inch buttered dish it takes 30-35 minutes to bake at 350 degrees. I imagine the mini muffin versions will take a shorter time. I will have to let you know after I make them.

Gentle reader, please bear with me as I learn the way to blog. I need a blogger class. Usually I can read and learn but on the computer I find I need to see how and then I can learn the process.