Traditional Cheesecake

I'm not sure about you- but I've always found it hard to make a perfect cheesecake. In the past, I've tried a bunch of times to make a good (crackless) cheesecake- but it never comes out just right!!! However, in the past, I didn't use the power that is Ina Garten and now- I have perfected (well, sort of) cheesecake making!

For those of you who have similar experiences with cheesecake and find it a daunting feat to bake that perfect cheesecake- never fear! Ina Garten has saved the day!

The recipe for the cheesecake follows:

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For the crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (10 crackers)
1 tablespoon sugar
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:

2 1/2 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
5 whole extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
To make the crust, combine the graham crackers, sugar, and melted butter until moistened. Pour into a 9-inch springform pan. With your hands, press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan and about 1-inch up the sides. Bake for 8 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
Raise the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
To make the filling, cream the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Reduce the speed of the mixer to medium and add the eggs and egg yolks, 2 at a time, mixing well. Scrape down the bowl and beater, as necessary. With the mixer on low, add the sour cream, lemon zest, and vanilla. Mix thoroughly and pour into the cooled crust.
Bake for 15 minutes. Turn the oven temperature down to 225 degrees and bake for another 1 hour and 15 minutes. Turn the oven off and open the door wide. The cake will not be completely set in the center. Allow the cake to sit in the oven with the door open for 30 minutes. Take the cake out of the oven and allow it to sit at room temperature for another 2 to 3 hours, until completely cooled. Wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Remove the cake from the springform pan by carefully running a hot knife around the outside of the cake. Leave the cake on the bottom of the springform pan for serving.
To make the topping, melt the jelly in a small pan over low heat. In a bowl, toss berries and the warm jelly gently until well mixed. Arrange the berries on top of the cake. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

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Delicious.

Being that my family is becoming more and more health-conscious, I cut down on the sugar for the filling (around 3/4- 1 cup). It still tasted great! The lemon zest was a lot more pungent than I thought it would be and was a great addition to the cake- it make it taste more like a lemon cheesecake!

The original recipe came with a mixed berry topping, but again, being health conscious we skipped on that as well- and again, it still tasted wonderful.

My cousins really liked the texture of the cake (yes it uses twice as much cream cheese as a 'normal' cheesecake would so i'm not surprised) and I found that the crust was amazing (and so simple)! Creamy, thick and decadent, I would say that cheesecake is the perfect dessert.

Fairly simple to make- I was really happy with the (crackless) results. If you're looking to try something adventurous and had unsuccessful attempts at cheesecake before- this is the recipe for you! I'm making it again for Mother's Day next week! (But am thinking about omitting the lemon zest this time to make it more traditional)

Difficulty: Easy/Medium

Time: 3 hours

Taste: 9

Baked Mac & Cheese

So I just came back from my biometrics collection and have found out that I am perfectly healthy (and my HDL level is 75!) woot! I am weirdly proned to have high cholesterol and although my cholesterol is still higher than normal, it has definitely improved- thank you diet!

This motivates me and makes me want to continue to improve on my healthy eating habits and I really want to make sure I get to that 'perfect' level!

This past week, I got a recipe from EatingWell.com- Baked Mac and Cheese. Recipe follows:

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3 tablespoons plain dry breadcrumbs

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 16-ounce or 10-ounce package frozen spinach, thawed
1 3/4 cups low-fat milk, divided
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
8 ounces (2 cups) whole-wheat elbow macaroni, or penne

Put a large pot of water on to boil. Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat an 8-inch-square (2-quart) baking dish with cooking spray.
Mix breadcrumbs, oil and paprika in a small bowl. Place spinach in a fine-mesh strainer and press out excess moisture.
Heat 1 1/2 cups milk in a large heavy saucepan over medium-high heat until steaming. Whisk remaining 1/4 cup milk and flour in a small bowl until smooth; add to the hot milk and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce simmers and thickens, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in Cheddar until melted. Stir in cottage cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
Cook pasta for 4 minutes, or until not quite tender. (It will continue to cook during baking.) Drain and add to the cheese sauce; mix well. Spread half the pasta mixture in the prepared baking dish. Spoon the spinach on top. Top with the remaining pasta; sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture.
Bake the casserole until bubbly and golden, 25 to 30 minutes.

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I am so happy I made this. Granted, there are definitely other recipes that are a lot healthier on the website. This mac and cheese was so delicious and comforting and is most defiinitely a lot better than your traditional mac and cheese!

I used shells instead of elbow noodles and/or penne because that was what I could find (cheap) and it worked fine. I was a bit weirded out by the cottage cheese- but it turns out that it really blended well with this dish and it really turned out to be one of the best mac and cheese I've ever had. The spinach add some texture to the noodles and I felt great about the whole wheat pasta!.. I'm thinking I should add some garlic powder next time... (garlic powder makes everything that much better)

This was really simple to prepare and really is a great, hearty dish for those new to the kitchen. I can't wait to make it again!

Time: 40 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Taste: 9

Goddammit Bobby Flay!!!

Goddammit Bobby Flay!!! Why is it that I can't help but love your recipes!?!! Complicated yet easy, Bobby's Flay's recipes are perfect for those adventurous chefs out to try something different and a bit more challenging (but not too challenging). This week, I tried to make some mussels and searched around for some recipes- I stopped at Bobby's because it seemed so simple with such simple ingredients (forget the saffron, Ina). It turned out great! (And was a lot more simple than I thought it was going to be) The recipe follows:

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3 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 Spanish onion, thinly sliced

4 large garlic cloves, chopped

2 teaspoons fennel seeds

1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning

1 cup dry white wine

2 (1/4-inch-thick) lemon slices

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

2 1/2 pounds fresh mussels, scrubbed, debearded

1/2 cup chopped seeded tomatoes

8 slices crusty Italian bread, sliced 1/2-inch thick

Olive oil

Heat grill to high. Heat oil in heavy large pot on the grates of the grill. Add the onion and cook until soft. Add the garlic, fennel seeds, crushed red pepper and salt and cook for 1 minute. Add wine, lemon slices, and 1/4 cup parsley; bring to boil. Add mussels. Cover pot and cook until mussel shells open, stirring once, about 6 minutes; discard any mussels that do not open. Using slotted spoon, transfer mussels to large shallow bowl. Boil broth in pot until reduced to 1 cup, about 3 minutes; season, to taste, with pepper. Pour broth over mussels. Sprinkle with tomatoes and remaining parsley. Brush bread on both sides with oil and season with salt. Grill until golden brown on both sides. Serve mussels with bread for dipping.

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Obviously known for his grilling, this recipe was meant for...well, the grill. Since we all know how poopy the weather has been lately, going out and starting the grill was just too much of a hassle- so I just did it on the stove- and it worked out fine! (Besides grilling the bread of course). This recipe was so simple and fast and it came out so delicious! I would add a bit more crushed red peppers- it didn't come out half as spicy as I was expecting it to be, but other than that, the simple flavors were great! Want to impress your friends with your cooking skills? Try this recipe for a seemingly complicated yet completely easy to make dish! It definitely hit the spot. Ok, Bobby Flay, another win for you.

Difficulty: Easy

Time: 20 minutes

Taste: 8.7