when i first tried my aunt’s cheesecake, it was love at first bite.  my aunt and i share the same chocolaty sweet tooth, so it was not a huge surprise that this cheesecake is pure awesomeness.  i cannot even begin to describe how perfect this cheesecake is.  it has a very unique blend of light fluffiness, but is still very rich.  you can top it off with fruit topping, chocolate/caramel syrup and/or whipped cream.  or of course, you can eat it plain, because it can definitely hold it’s own!

i tried to make a lighter version of the recipe using neufchatel cheese and light sour cream.  it doesn’t affect the texture too much.  so if you want to feel a little less guilty about indulging in this dessert, i’d definitely recommend the substitutions.  the instructions also call for a water bath.  the few extra steps are well worth the small bit of effort.  your cheesecake will come out crack-less every time!

on a side note, i was included in the bellingham herald this week for my spritz cookie recipe… i am honored and couldn’t be more thrilled!  here is the article, if you’re interested.

• 2 pkgs cinnamon-sugar graham crackers
• 1 stick butter, melted
• 3 8 oz. pkg cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/2 c sugar
• 2 c sour cream
• 1 c whipping cream
• 4 eggs
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

1. preheat oven to 350°.  fill a medium sized saucepan with water and heat on stovetop over medium-low heat.  the idea is to have it boiling when you put the cheesecake in the oven.  adjust heating times/temps accordingly.
2. crush crackers and mix with butter.  press on bottom and up sides of a 9-10″ spring form pan.  wrap outside of the pan with aluminum foil.  make sure that the foil wrap is watertight.
3. in a stand mixer, mix cream cheese with sugar.  add other ingredients, one at a time.  mix well after each addition.
4. pour into crust.  place cheesecake in a jelly roll pan.  pour boiling water from pot into pan.  there should be about 1/2″ of water in the pan.
5. bake for 1 hour.  then turn the oven off and leave the cake in the oven for another hour.
6. refrigerate overnight.
7. top as desired and then serve.

enjoy!

carrabba’s italian grill is one of my all-time favorite restaurants.  there is not a single restaurant to be found anywhere near the lovely state of wa, so i’ve had to take matters into my own hands.  i believe i first made this dish back in october to celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary.  it took a lot of work to create this dish, but it was most definitely worth it!

i made a few tweaks to the original recipe, such as omitting mushrooms… we’re not big mushroom fans.  if you’re also a fellow mushroom hater, you may want to cut down the lemon butter.   other than that one tweak, the recipe is spot on!

source: recipesecrets

• 2 chicken breasts, split for stuffing, seasoned for grilling
• 2 slices prosciutto ham
• 1/4 c fontina cheese
• 1/4 c clarified butter
• 1 1/2 tsp minced garlic cloves
• 1/4 small onion, diced
• 1/8 c white wine
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 4 oz. mushrooms
• 1/4 c fresh basil, chopped
• lemon butter
• 1/2 lemon, juiced

1.  grill/cook chicken breasts butterfly style on a grill/large skillet, until cooked through.  approx 3-5 minutes per side.
2. when chicken is cool enough to handle, place a slice of prosciutto on chicken breast and top with fontina.  fold the breast in half.  secure with toothpicks and set aside, on a plate covered with foil.
3. clarify butter.  it takes time, i’m still not sure if it was worth it.  basically, you heat butter over low heat to melt it and then skim the milk fats off the top.  i might just cut back the amount of butter even more next time, and just use regular butter.  it. took. for. ev. er.
   
   
4. in a large saute pan, combine clarified butter, garlic, onion and saute until tender. here are the prepped ingredients, ready for the pan:
   
   
5. deglaze pan with white wine.
6. and unsalted butter (i may even cut this in half next time) salt and pepper.  add mushrooms to the  mixture and saute another 1-2 min until cooked.
7. add basil and lemon juice, combine.
8. place chicken on your serving dish and top with lemon butter mixture.

while away from the blog, i discovered another site (huge time consumer) called pinterest.  don’t get me wrong, i LOVE pinterest and all of the ideas that it gives me, but it is very addictive.  i’m getting better with it, but for a while, it was pin pin pin pin pin pin pin pin. fellow pinners, you can relate.  :)  if you’re reading this blog and are a fellow pinner, you can follow my pins here: http://pinterest.com/jshoe84/pins/.

any hootenanny, this recipe was inspired by a pin from pinterest.  it’s very rich, but has lots of flavors going on.  the original recipe called for marscapone cheese, but i had a coupon for philadelphia italian cheese and herb cooking creme.  it was very good in this recipe.  next time, i may stick with the plain ol original flavor, and let the flavors from the ingredients really come through.  also, make half as much and serve it with a light salad or veggie dish.  it’s still very flavorful and i highly recommend it!

source: italianfoodforever.com

• zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 pkg philadelphia cooking creme, original flavor
• pepper, to taste
• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins
• 1 1/2 tbsp evoo
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/3 c chopped sun-dried tomatoes
• 1 9 oz. bag baby spinach
• 1/2 package pasta (i used rigatoni, but you can use shells or whatever you’ve got around)
• grated parmesan cheese, to top

i can eat ketchup on just about anything… french fries, hot dogs, pork chops, steak (though not as much since i have discovered longhorn’s crab stuffed filet), and fish sticks.  especially fish sticks.  considering i am not much of a fish fan, ketchup makes it tolerable.

tom, on the other hand, prefers tartar sauce.  (i say, blech! pickles! !)

here’s what you’ll need to create homemade tartar sauce.  it’s pretty simple because all of the items in your kitchen, right now.  it also saves me from buying a bottle for one person when i decide to make buy frozen fish sticks once a year.

source: allrecipes.com

• 1/4 c mayo
• 1 tsp sweet pickle relish
• 1/8-1/4 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• salt and pepper, to taste

1. in a small bowl, whisk together mayo, relish and onion powder.
2. stir in lemon juice.
3. season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

enjoy!

to celebrate the first day i wore a jacket to work this fall, i made a pot of chicken tortilla soup.  this soup is quick, simple and delicious.  i serve it over crushed tortilla chips and top it with sour cream and shredded cheese.

adapted from allrecipes.com

• 1 lb. chicken (i used chicken cutlets, chopped up into bite-sized pieces.  if you have more time, parboil the chicken, shred it and skip to step 2.)
• evoo
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 chicken stock in a box (32 oz.)
• 1 c frozen corn kernels
• 1 c chopped onion
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 c chunky salsa
• tortilla chips
• sour cream
• shredded cheese

1. in a large pot over medium heat, saute the chicken in the oil for 5 min.
2. add the garlic and cumin and mix well.
3. then add the broth, corn, onion, chili powder, lemon juice and salsa.  reduce heat to low and simmer for 20-30 min.
4. break up some tortilla chips into individual bowls and pour soup over chips.  top with cheese and sour cream.

enjoy!

my mom’s friend lori gave this recipe to my mom a few years ago.  lori’s recipe is for pistachio fish.  i do not like fish, but when my mom made this recipe using fish, i thought it made the fish taste bearable and had to try it with chicken.   whether you like fish or chicken, you will not be disappointed.

• 1 c dry-roasted pistachios, chopped
• 1/2 c brown sugar
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp dill weed
• 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• basil pesto
• 6 6 0z. pieces of salmon or 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved.

1. preheat oven to 425° (for fish) or to 375° (for chicken)
2. combine nuts, brown sugar, lemon juice, dill weed and pepper. set aside.
3. place salmon in foil-lined 9×13 pan or chicken in a greased 9 x 13 pan.  make sure that the chicken does not overlap or it will not cook evenly.  the same goes for the fish, i suppose.
4. spoon pistachio on top of the chicken.
5. press down to form crust.
6. bake the fish for 6-8 min, chicken for 25-30 min.
7. serve with basil pesto.

enjoy!

so this guy named paul often comes over to our apartment and more times than not, raids the mountain dew in the fridge.  it was paul’s birthday last week and to celebrate, i made up a batch of mountain dew cupcakes.  i thought it was the only appropriate way to celebrate such a cool guy.

happy birthday, paul!

adapted slightly from slush

cupcakes (makes 1 dozen)

• 1 stick butter
• 1 c sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 c mountain dew
• juice from 1 lemon and 1 lime
• zest from 1 lemon and 2 limes (separated into two piles)
• 3/4 tsp orange extract
• 1 1/3 c flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp salt

1. beat butter on medium for 30 seconds.
2. add sugar and zests.  beat on medium-high until light and fluffy.
3. add eggs one at a time, scrape sides of bowl in between additions.
4. whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.  add to mixer bowl.  turn on low for 5 seconds.
5. add the mountain dew, lemon and lime juice and orange extract.  mix to combine.
6. scoop into cupcake liners until 2/3 full.
7. bake for 18-20 min. or until toothpick comes out clean.
8. cool.

mountain dew buttercream frosting (be prepared to eat this by the spoonful)

• 1 stick butter, at room temperature
• 2-3 c powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp mountain dew
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• lemon and lime zest from second pile (above)
• 1/2 tsp orange extract
• yellow and green food coloring

1. beat butter at medium-high speed until creamy.
2. add half of the sugar, mix until blended.
3. add the mountain dew, zest and orange extract.  beat until combined.
4. add food coloring to the desired color (i did 2 drops each of yellow and green.)
5. gradually add remaining sugar until you get to the consistency and sweetness you like.  (i prefer to beat frosting on high until it is light and fluffy.)
6. frost cupcakes, by placing 2 tbsp of frosting on each cupcake and smoothing with an icing knife.

enjoy!

i think that lemon compliments chicken perfectly.   this is a simple dish to serve in the springtime, it’s very light and tastes great with angel hair pasta and a steamed veggie.

source

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 egg
• 3 tbsp of lemon juice
• 1/4 c all-purpose flour
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp paprika
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 c butter
• 1/2 c chicken stock

1. in a small bowl, beat the egg together with 1 tbsp of the lemon juice.  set aside.
2. in a shallow bowl or dish mix together the flour, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper.  dip the chicken in the egg/lemon mixture, then in the seasoned flour.
3. in a large skillet, melt butter and brown the coated chicken pieces.
4. pour chicken stock and remaining lemon juice into skillet.  cover and let simmer for 20 mins., turning chicken pieces after 10 mins., until chicken is tender.  garnish as desired and serve.

enjoy!