Maple Pumpkin Cheesecake

1 ¼ cups cinnamon sugar graham cracker crumbs

1/8 cup granulated sugar

¼ cup butter, melted

3 pkgs (8oz) cream cheese

1 can (14oz) Sweetened condensed milk

3 eggs

1 can (15oz) pure pumpkin pie filling

¼ cup maple syrup (no substitutions)

1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 300°.  Combine crumbs, sugar and butter.  Press firmly on bottom of 9” springform pan

In a large mixing bowl, beat cheese until fluffy, gradually beat in condensed milk until smooth.  Add eggs, pumpkin, maple syrup, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Mix well and pour into prepared pan.

Bake for 1 hour & 15 minutes (NOTE:  I had to cook it 10-20 minutes more) until edge springs back when lightly touched (center will be slightly soft) cool.  Refrigerate for 2-4 hours (or more) before serving.

No knead bread

addicted to making bread

3 cups flour
1/2 tsp yeast
1 3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups water (about 100 degrees or slightly warmer than body temp)

mix -- cover loosely and put on counter for 2 hours - then in the fridge for 12 to 18 hours

preheat oven to 450 degrees with enamel dutch oven inside- -

form dough into a soft ball by working it on a heavily floured board

bake for 30 min with lid on
and then take lid off for 15 min

lovely lovely bread

(pictured is parm. cheese and black pepper)

Baked potato cakes

Ok -- this is a real time recipe recording

I'm trying to make a baked Latke
hmm -- well -- not really
a potato cake with cheese -- because last minute I thought I would like that

I'm out of onions so I thought the cheese would add something

I heated the oven to 425 degrees and sprayed muffin tins -- heavily and put the tins in the oven to heat up.

potato cakes

4 small red potatoes - grated
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp matzo meal
lots of salt and pepper
and some dried garlic ground up
a few handfuls of cheese
3 eggs

This I scooped into the hot muffin tins (it made 6) and I put it in the oven at 5:13 -- so we'll see how it turns out.....

Ok -- some 12 minutes later -- they are done and lovely

the verdict

needs more salt
most definitely needs the onions

but the cooking method is sound

they are tasty

oh

the cheese added nothing -- so it either needs more or less cheese
but I will make these again (and I'll freeze/reheat the ones I made)

Roasted Veg lasagna

2 small zucchini
2 small sweet onions
2 small squash
2 roasted and peeled red peppers (I got them at the salad bar -- because I'm lazy -- but you can roast and feel them if you want)
1 small head roasted garlic (roast it yourself or buy it that way)
1 package sliced baby bella mushrooms
1 small eggplant (if you like it)

slice veg and cook on the grill -- don't annihilate them -- just cook them so they still have some tooth -- I do the mushrooms in a pan -- put a bit of olive oil on them and salt and pepper -- chop coarsely  -- this is essentially my recipe for ratattouie

1 package soft tofu
1 small container low fat ricotta
1 box of spinach -- thawed

squeeze all the liquid out of the spinach and mix all three together with some black pepper

1 box of uncooked lasagna noodles

lots of sauce (I usually buy the cheap stuff in the cans -- I've made this with special sauce  -- and it doesn't seem to make a difference -- and you want the sauce to be a bit loose.

shredded mozzarella cheese

assembly:

ok -- it sounds crazy
but don't cook the noodles -- you don't need to.
nope -- really -- you don't -- the veg is going to let some of the liquid out and the sauce is sort of thin -- it will rehydrate the noodles.

In you pan
put a good amount of sauce in the bottom
place the noodles on top
layer the tofu mix and the veg and cheese and noodles making sure that you put sauce on top of the noodles each time -- be generous

when I put the noodles on -- I press down to push out any air.

I almost alway freeze this after it's made

then I cook it -- just like a normal lasagna -- in the oven at 350 degrees until it's hot a bubbly


it's weird -- but it works.

No churn pumpkin ice cream

2 cups whipping cream (whipped to stiff peaks)

Mix until smooth
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 can pumpkin
cinnamon
maple syrup

fold together

freeze in containers for 6 hours

we'll have to see how it turns out.

ok -- here's the end result -- not bad -- not great.....needs to be either MORE or LESS pumkinny but isn't i pretty

today -- we're going to try to make strawberry.

Pot Roast

(In process right now -- final photo to come)

remove meat -- soften veg -- then deglaze pan with 1 cup broth and wine (save concentrated stock for later)

put meat back in the pot -- bring to a simmer -- cover and put in the oven at 350 for 1 1/2 - 2 hours

Mussels & Rice

I had mussels steamed in wine sauce last night -- and didn't use all the mussels.  You buy them live and keep them on ice -- and I think you should use them almost immediately -- but the next day is usually fine.

When I buy mussels -- I only buy them from an upscale grocery store where they are likely to sell a lot of them.  I ask to smell them -- if they smell like "low tide" even a little bit -- maybe you should buy some chicken instead.

Before I'm ready to cook them I check all of them to make sure there are no cracks in the shells and when tapped they all close up -- any that have cracks or stay open get chucked out.  I pull off their beards and set the rest aside until I'm ready for them.

So -- on to the leftovers.

I had

1 leek (leftover from making potato leek soup) cut into small pieces
5 small boiled red potatoes left over from the night before (set aside -- not cooked with the mussels)
2 or 3 leftover sliced mushrooms (raw)
1 cup of sushi rice (raw)
1 box of chicken broth
2 pieces of bacon - cooked and chopped (leftover)

I also had some
salt
some korean chili paste
black pepper
concentrated garlic (or you could add some fresh or dried)
concentrated tomato paste (just a bit -- you could leave it out)
butter
olive oil

I sauteed the leeks in a heavy bottomed pan with the cooked potatoes (quartered), olive oil and the mushrooms until soft.  I added a few Tbsp of butter and the seasonings and pastes and stirred in the rice and about 1/4 cup of chicken broth -- and cooked stirring for about 2 minutes -- adding 1 3/4 cup broth in and then covering it for about 15 minutes on med low -- stirring every few minutes

I kept tasting the rice -- when it started to get soft (but not completely soft ) -- I added a bit more broth and tasted it -- adjusted the seasoning and decided that the chopped bacon would be awesome in it.

at this point the rice is about 95% done -- add the mussels - stir them in and add a bit more broth -- cover -- check every 3 or 4 minutes and stir

stir -- take it off the heat and let it sit for a few minutes.

If any of the mussels did not open -- pick them out

eat and enjoy -- this was good -- and the next version will be better -- maybe some curry powder? -- hmmm