Tiramisu Cheesecake

Each Thanksgiving, my sister-in-law Tricia puts me in charge of desserts. At the beginning, I'd make the same tried and true desserts. I wasn't much for change at that time. But these past three years, I've been changing the desserts up. Last year and the year before, I'd have one safe dessert, but this year I went cold "turkey" (ha!) and did all new desserts. Most worked, a couple I'd pass on making again. One though, was outstanding so I'll share the recipe with you. 

Tiramisu Cheesecake ... mouth watering yet? It's yummy. Really yummy. Everyone liked it. 

I haven't perfected the recipe yet, it certainly needs a few tweaks, but here's the recipe straight from the source. Simple enough to make and most impressive for a crowd! 

Tiramisu Cheesecake
from allrecipes.com

1 (12 ounce) package ladyfingers 4 tablespoons butter, melted 4 tablespoons coffee flavored liqueur 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese 1 (8 ounce) container mascarpone cheese

1 cup white sugar 2 eggs 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 (1 ounce) square semisweet chocolate

	Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place a pan of water at the bottom of the oven. Crush the package of ladyfingers to fine crumbs. Mix the melted butter into the crumbs. Moisten with 2 tablespoons of the coffee liqueur. Press into an 8 or 9 inch springform pan.
	In a large bowl, mix cream cheese, mascarpone, and sugar until very smooth. Add 2 tablespoons coffee liqueur, and mix. Add the eggs and the flour; mix SLOWLY until just smooth. The consistency of the mascarpone can vary. If the cheesecake batter is too thick, add a little cream. Do not overmix at this point. Pour batter into crust.
	Place pan on middle rack of oven. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until just set. Open oven door, and turn off the heat. Leave cake to cool in oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, and let it finish cooling. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or overnight. Right before serving, grate the semi-sweet chocolate overtop. MY NOTES:  *I did not put a pan of water in the oven or under the pan itself. The point of this is to not have your cheesecake crack, but in keeping the door open and letting the cake stay in there, that prevents it from cracking. My cake did not crack at all! *I added 4 tablespoons of coffee liquor to both the batter and the crust. It could use more though... *I sprinkled crushed ladyfingers to the top of my cake and added whipped cream around the edging. No shaved chocolate. *Let this cake sit in the fridge for at least 24 hours before serving. The longer it settles, the better the flavors become.

A Month of Thanks - Final Week

Looking back at this past year (even if it's a few weeks too early for that), I can't help but be immensely thankful for what a good year it's been for my health. For as long as I could remember, my stomach was never a good friend of mine. We battled over foods my mind craved but the stomach hated. Through the past few years for reasons ranging from a crazy work schedule leading to no time to work out to heartbreak over many things, I gained a whopping thirty-five pounds. Yes, thirty-five! I remember thinking to myself a few years ago "Let yourself go to xxx weight" (did you think I'd write down that number?!!) and then you can lose weight. I went a few pounds shy to that xxx number, then realized how awful I was feeling and how much food seemed to hate me. 2011 was a year spent with many stomach ailments and taking countless days off from work to attend to it.

By a couple of chance encounters in February - an old high school friend who is now a personal trainer and a conversation with a co-worker about how this certain doctor changed his life - I was on my way to reclaiming my health and body.

If it weren't for these two men, I'd probably be over that xxx number and bloated to the point of looking 9 months pregnant!

I won't get too TMI on here, but it took a few months to learn about my body: the foods I could eat, shouldn't eat at all, or eat in moderation. In knowing about it, I learned that so much of what I loved to eat, I was allergic to and shouldn't eat. I had to cut things out of my diet for two months to clear out my gut. My gut it seemed was causing many problems. My thyroid was too. Once I gained control over what was wrong with my body - or more of what I had to do right to my body - I was able to get my butt into shape and see those pounds shed off in a healthy way.

While I'm still losing those pesky last ten pounds (why are they so tricky?!), I am so so so thankful for the knowledge and effort these two put into making me feel amazing. So thanks to them and also thanks to my body for being the strongest instrument I'll ever know how to play.

A Month of Thanks - Part 3

This week of thanks is simple: food. I love me some food, I think everyone does. But the thanks isn't the actual food, even though I am of course grateful to it, it's more of what food represents.

With Thanksgiving Day just having passed, I realized how much that day epitomizes what food is to me: one table, shared food, and love surrounding it with friends and family.

Growing up, we always centered our family life around the table. It seems rare for families to do that, but for my family it was critical. My dad would sometimes work late and would miss dinner, but for the most part, our family of five was always seated around the table to talk about our days. Food brought us together.

Nowadays, it's still the same. My brothers and I all flew from the nest, but my parents still sit down each night to have dinner with each other. When we get together, my parents insist on us eating at the table. Even my nephews have their spot at the table, rarely are they allowed to eat on a snack tray. After all, they are for "snacks" and not a meal!

To me, a table of flood is a table of plenty. Plenty of memories, plenty of laughs, plenty of tastes. It's the heart of a home. I find myself more inclined to share a meal with someone than to go see a movie. Isn't there something nice about sharing food together? Isn't it more intimate? Over food, you can share your deepest thoughts, your more lighthearted jokes, and unload the stresses of the day. And it is enjoying a nice steak, a healthy salad, a tasty dessert that makes everything that much better.

So thank you food, for not just being a delicious staple to every day life, but for being a common ground and a safe place for my family and friends and providing the nutrients needed for the body and soul.

A Month Of Thanks - Part 2

I've been behind my month of thanks due to work being very busy and unpredictable. I blame the unpredictability part on mercury being in retrograde!

But this week I'm thankful for that which keeps me busy and on my toes: work. Sure it is crazy at times and people/things/bad timings can be irritating, but how grateful I am to be employed is immeasurable. In a time when more people seem to be out of work than in work, the little annoyances can be easily forgotten. It puts things in perspective.

And it's because of work that i'm able to provide a cozy life for myself which includes all the things I love: good food, a passion for baking, traveling, trips to the spa, and spending time with those dear to my heart. This life includes making those in my life happy as well. 

I got this quote last year from a tea bag which helped me to realize that life is not all about work, but it can surely provide a more fulfilled life:

Work, but dont forget to live. 

Thank you work!

UNICEF & Pier 1 Imports

During a recent visit to Virginia, I went to a Pier 1 Imports store. While in line, I was looking at a display of Christmas cards. It was a little too early for Christmas anything, but the sales associate must've seen me eyeing the cards and asked me if I knew about Pier 1's partnership with UNICEF. I didn't and so she told me about how all proceeds of the cards go directly to UNICEF. I liked that a lot and bought a box. $20.00 for 20 cards worked for me and went to a good cause. 

Consider purchasing a box this holiday season and put some of that holiday money towards a good cause at the same time. You can purchase them online if you don't have a store near you. 

Cranberry-Hazelnut Bread

Ever pull out a recipe from a magazine with all intentions of making it, but never end up doing it? That's what happened to me a year ago. I ripped out a recipe for a Cranberry bread that included hazelnuts - - it sounded delicious. It looked delicious. And so different than using the normal nuts like pecans or walnuts. But I missed the season of cranberries so had to wait until now.

This was super easy to put together and a great gift for a visit if you wrap it up in parchment paper and a tie it with a cute ribbon like this:

This recipe comes courtesy of Real Simple, one of my favorite magazines to read. I love their articles as much as all the recipes they cover.

Enjoy this loaf, I recommend serving it with Bonne Maman's Fig Preserves.

Cranberry-Hazelnut Bread
from Real Simple

1  cup  hazelnuts
2  tablespoons  unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the pan
1 1/2  cups  all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
1/3  cup  granulated sugar
1/4  cup  packed light brown sugar
1  tablespoon  baking powder
1/2  teaspoon  kosher salt
1/2  cup  whole milk
2  large eggs
1  tablespoon  finely grated orange zest
1/2  teaspoon  pure vanilla extract
1 1/2  cups  fresh or frozen cranberries

Directions

Heat oven to 350° F. Spread the hazelnuts on a large rimmed baking sheet and toast in oven, tossing occasionally, until fragrant, 10 to 12 minutes. Rub the warm nuts in a clean dish towel to remove the skins (discard the skins); coarsely chop.

Butter an 8½-by-4½-inch loaf pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugars, baking powder, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the butter, milk, eggs, orange zest, and vanilla; add to the flour mixture and mix until just combined (do not overmix). Fold in the hazelnuts and cranberries.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 55 to 65 minutes (tent with foil if the top browns too quickly). Cool in the pan for 30 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

A Month of Thanks

It's been almost a year since I started this blog as a way to compile all the goodness I come across or make/create/bake in my own corner of the world. I've enjoyed it a lot and was looking at my first post about being thankful and not just being thankful only on Thanksgiving Day. I decided to do a "Month of Thanks" and post something that I've been thankful for this year, this week, or in this life so far. Here it goes! 

It's been one unforgettable week and was filled with many instances of giving thanks. My cousin Corinne was married last Sunday, 10/28 in the middle of Hurricane Sandy in Virginia. Luckily it was a steady rainfall and slightly heavier winds than usual. The rain didn't put a damper on anything that day, it was all smiles, laughter, and good times all around. Quite a memorable weekend for the family and the newlyweds. When Monday came around, all the family left Virginia to head back North to get home before the storm. Looking at the weather maps, I had no interest in traveling ahead, inside, or behind a hurricane. I was scheduled to fly home on Tuesday 10/30, but my flight had already been canceled, then rescheduled and canceled again. My parents and I stayed put and enjoyed more family time with the Virginians. Thankfully, the Northerners arrived home in one piece... my aunt being one of the last cars to cross the Goethal's bridge before it was closed to traffic. Sandy struck NJ & NY hard. What was harder was being removed from the city we call home through Wednesday the 31st. We were stunned by the news reports and what my brothers were telling us about what was happening on the phone. We did not expect anything to happen close to what actually happened. We expected another Irene. I think a lot of people expected the same. 

There's so much to be thankful for in this first week of November. First and foremost, Katrina had 1,833 fatalities, Sandy's is slightly above 110 at this point. While my brother's homes were both severely impacted by the storm, they and their families survived. Material possessions can be replaced, people cannot. 

I am thankful that my people are still here and were safe through this storm. 

I am also thankful for everyone who helped them and countless others who suffered destruction by cleaning out their destroyed homes. 

To the volunteers who gave up their time (and probably warm homes) to go out and clean-up/bring supplies. 

To the marathon runners who helped instead of turning around to go back home once the marathon was canceled. 

To FEMA, Red Cross, and all NYC and state workers. 

To those state workers from out of state coming to lend their trucks/supplies/working hands. 

To the private citizens who offered their professional services for free. 

To the dollars and supplies donated to various organizations and in return, those organizations helping to bring this city back to its feet again.  

Thank you.