Thursday, January 31, 2013

Weekend

Posted by Brit

Last weekend was a good one. I surprised my best friend. Saw a kick ass show. Good people.

Here are a few pictures...

You can't beat the cat hugs.

0 comments:

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Dark Chocolate Spiced Rum Cheesecake

Posted by Brit

This recipe can't be beat as far as chocolate cheesecakes go. It's one of the recipes that I make that I always get good ingredients for and don't skimp on the fat. Sometimes you just have to give in, and if you do, you won't regret it with this one. The chocolate is Ghiradelli bittersweet baking chocolate; the rum is Captain Morgan. The cream cheese and sour cream don't contain the words "no fat" or "low fat". The result is one you won't want to pass up, and your guests won't either.

I've been dying to make this one and put it on the blog, but this isn't one that Brandon and I should share the whole thing between the two of us. Today we're celebrating my mother's birthday. The perfect occasion since she can't get enough of this stuff!

This recipe comes straight from the Williams-Sonoma website. I didn't change a thing. And just a suggestion, check out their recipe search. It will make you happy.

Gino Cofacci's Chocolate Rum Cheesecake

Ingredients:

For the Crust:

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 Tbs. granulated sugar
4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

For the Filling:

6 oz. bittersweet baking chocolate
1/4 cup rum
1 lb. cream cheese
3/4 cup superfine sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
1 Tbs. vanilla extract
4 extra-large eggs

Directions:

Position a rack in the center of an oven and preheat to 325ºF. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and cover the outside with aluminum foil, shiny side out.

In a mixing bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs and granulated sugar and stir to mix. Add the butter and stir until blended. Press the mixture evenly into the bottom and halfway up the sides of the pan. Refrigerate until ready to use.

In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the chocolate and rum and melt, stirring often, about 1 minute; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth and fluffy. Gradually add the superfine sugar and continue beating until blended. Then beat in the sour cream and vanilla extract. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and set it over a pan of simmering water but not touching the water. Warm the mixture, stirring constantly, until completely smooth and very creamy, 2 to 3 minutes.

Pour 1 1/3 cups of the batter into another bowl and set aside. Add the chocolate mixture to the remaining batter and whisk until blended. Set the bowl back over the simmering water and stir until creamy and smooth.

Pour the chocolate batter into the prepared pan. Gently pour the plain batter over the top and make swirls in the batter with a fork.

Bake until the cake is set around the edges and the center is still a little loose, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool to room temperature, remove the rim from the pan and refrigerate overnight.

Serves 10 to 12.

And for a few pics from the celebration today!

Baked Ziti. Recipe courtesy of Cassi!

Happy Birthday Mom!!

0 comments:

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Sunday Funday

Posted by Brit

After being fed continuously throughout the holidays it feels good to cook again. My third meal I cooked this weekend was simple and delicious. Homemade pizza. A little Modelo doesn't hurt on a Sunday afternoon either.

0 comments:

Cold Weekend

Posted by Brit

On Friday Darren and I went to Kirby's to watch Joey Henry and Cecelia Raheb play. Darren hadn't been to Kirby's before, so it was cool to show him the place.

Yesterday I asked my friend Cassi over at the blog Laughter and Lattes for a few casserole recipes. Cassi and her husband, Dave, are parents of one with one on the way. Her blog chronicles their life, raising their daughter. She's cooking great food along the way! I suggest you check out her blog for some awesome recipes. All three recipes she sent me looked delicious so we decided to make one last night. We made the Chicken Noodle Soup Casserole, but I'll be making the other two very soon. The other two she sent were Baked Ziti and Mexican Lasagna. Here are a few pictures from last nights meal.

The smell of the carrots, celery, onion and garlic is amazing.

2 comments:

Saturday, January 5, 2013

Newbie

Posted by Brit

Tia got a new baby.

0 comments:

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Vegetable Beef Soup

Posted by Brit

It's cold. It's soup weather. I had some things in the freezer and fridge and decided I should throw this together after work. I paired it with a turkey swiss sandwich on a toasted croissant. I love croissants.

I made this in a dutch over so it could all be done in one pot. I think if you fried the beef first and then threw it all in a crockpot it would work well too

Vegetable Beef Soup

1/2 lb. Ground Beef (I used 93% meat, 7% fat. Ground turkey would also work).
16 oz. frozen vegetables of your choice, chop to bite size if necessary (I used half a bag Kroger Spring Blend mixed vegetables, but they have several varieties.)
1 Lg Potato (or 2 Sm), cubed small
3 Scallions (or 1 Sm onion), chopped
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
2 C. Finely Pureed Tomato (Luckily a friend gave us this in advance, but I would suggest throwing tomatoes in the food processor and processing until the tomato is more of a sauce, adding water as necessary.)
1 Can (Sm./14 oz.) Low Sodium Chicken Broth
Salt, Pepper, Herbs and Spices to taste
1 Tbsp Olive Oil, Vegetable Oil, etc.

1. Start by frying the beef in your dutch oven. If you use low fat beer you shouldn't have to strain it. Once it's almost done frying sprinkle salt and pepper on top and mix while the beef finishes cooking. Once done, remove beef from pan.

2. Next saute scallions on medium until they start to brown then add minced garlic. Once both have browned add can of broth and turn heat up to high. Throw in potato and bring to a boil. Add pureed tomato and continue to bring to a boil again.

3. Add the frozen vegetables and the already cooked ground beef, and continue to boil. It shouldn't take long for frozen vegetable to soften.

4. Add seasoning of choice. If you don't use low sodium chicken broth, taste broth prior to adding salt. I put plenty of salt and pepper. I added Oregano and Brandon added some Thyme, Tumeric, Cumin, Garlic and Onion powders to taste. Be careful not to put too much seasoning in right away as flavors will develop while boiling. I believe soup is always better the second day and is packed with much more flavor.

5. Cover and let soup boil so seasoning gets hot and blends into soup. Boil for about 15 minutes and taste soup again to see that the flavor is good. Add more seasoning, salt, or pepper if necessary.

Remove from heat and serve. We crumbled some Aged Sharp White Cheddar on top. Three of us had a small - medium sized bowl along with our sandwich, and there was plenty more soup for left overs.

Have any suggestions? Let me know!

0 comments:

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

holidays

Posted by Brit

It's been a great season so far. Here's a picture wrap-up of the last couple of weeks. These are mostly fam pictures, but I did get to spend a great amount of time with Ashley and several other friends while they were home for the holidays. It had been a long time since many of us had been all in the same room together. The roads were a bit too icy here on New Year's Eve... so rather than driving to Wichita for a Carrie Nation and Calamity Cubes show I hung at home with Brandon. We had an awesome time though. I got great phone calls and texts from my friends Ashley and Tia. Good night.