Layered Red Velvet Cheesecake

So for Thanksgiving, I decided to attempt a layered red velvet cheesecake. I hadn't made a layer cake before and ever since I had tried the cake from the Cheesecake Factory, I knew I had to make this cake. Thanksgiving seemed like the perfect occasion to make it. I looked for some recipes and came across the one on Erin's Food Files.

The cake turned out great. I was pretty impressed with myself. It looked really good and tasted amazing. I will definitely be making this cake again! I liked the cream cheese frosting, it wasn't too sweet which was something I worried about. It was the prefect match to it all. I was also thrilled that for the first time, my cheesecake didn't crack! Even though it was the center layer and no one would see the cheesecake itself, I was so happy that it did not crack and it was soooo yummy. My hubby approved and he loves cheesecake. It took a lot of restraint for him not to devour the cake before Thanksgiving. I will be using this cheesecake recipe again.



Layered Red Velvet Cheesecake
From: Erin's Food Files
Cheesecake adapted from Martha Stewart
Red velvet cake and frosting adapted from Apple a Day

For the cheesecake:
1 1/4 pounds bar cream cheese (20 oz), room temperature
3/4 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, plus 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream

For the cake:
2 1/2 c. cake flour
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 TBSP cocoa powder
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 c. buttermilk
2 TBSP (1 oz.) red food coloring
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. white distilled vinegar

For the frosting:
12 oz. cream cheese, softened
12 oz. butter, softened
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 c. confectioners' sugar

1 bar white or dark chocolate (Optional for decoration), I used Ghiradelli

Directions:
For cheesecake:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Set a kettle of water to boil. Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese on medium until fluffy, scraping down side of bowl. Gradually add sugar, beating until fluffy. Beat in lemon zest and juice, and salt. Beat in eggs, one at a time, scraping down side of bowl after each addition. Beat in sour cream.

Cut parchment paper in a circle and line the bottom of the cheesecake pan. Wrap bottom half of pan in foil. Pour in filling; place in a roasting pan. Pour in boiling water to come halfway up side of springform. Bake until just set in center, about 45 minutes. Remove pan from water; let cool 20 minutes. Run a paring knife around edge; let cool completely. Cover; chill overnight, then wrap in plastic wrap and freeze.

For the cake:
Preheat oven to 350°. Sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa, and salt into a medium bowl.

Beat eggs, oil, buttermilk, food coloring, vanilla, and vinegar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until well combined. Add dry ingredients and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes.

Divide batter evenly between 2 greased and floured 9" round cake pans and bake 25-30 minutes, rotating halfway through, until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean. Let cakes cool 5 minutes, then invert each onto a plate, then invert again onto a cooling rack. Let cakes cool completely, then level.

Frosting:
Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until combined. Add sugar and beat until frosting is light and fluffy, 5–7 minutes.



Assembly:
Place bottom layer on cake stand. Remove cheesecake from freezer, unwrap, and remove from metal bottom, then peel off parchment paper. Place cheesecake layer on top of the bottom layer of the red velvet cake. If the cheesecake is wider than the cake, and it is necessary to to trim it, wait approximately 10 minutes for the cheesecake to soften, then trim it with a knife. Place top layer of cake on top of the cheesecake, and coat with a generous layer of the cream cheese frosting to act as the crumb coat. Be careful not to get any red velvet crumbs in the bowl of frosting! Refrigerate approximately 30 minutes, then frost with as much of the remaining frosting as necessary. Top with shaved white chocolate and/or shaved dark chocolate. Refrigerate until ready to serve. (This cake doesn't have to stay in the fridge until IMMEDIATELY before serving, so don't worry if you have a 30 minute lapse between the refrigerator and serving.)

Egg in a hole

Growing up, Papa Bear's grandma made him an egg in the hole for breakfast. He showed me how to make it for Baby Bear. It is really quite simple and very good.

First, butter both sides of a slice of bread.



Take a shot glass to cut a hole out of the middle.





Place the buttered bread in the pan.



Crack an egg and place it in the middle of the hole (hence, the egg in a hole).





Cook on one side a minute or so. Carefully flip the bread and egg over.



Cook until egg is done. Serve with syrup and enjoy.



Mmmm, yummy

Cinco de Mayo Margarita Cupcakes

I decided to make cupcakes for the end of the year meeting with my students. Since it was Cinco de Mayo, I whipped up Margarita cupcakes (a recipe I had been dying to try) and red velvet cupcakes. The Margarita cupcakes are really easy since it starts off with a boxed cake base. It was pretty good. All my students loved them. The cupcakes were devoured. There are recipes out there with tequila, but since they were for students, though they are college student, I thought I would be a responsible adult and keep that out for this run.



Margarita Cupcake + Lime Cream Cheese Frosting
From: Hostess with the Mostess

Cupcakes:
1 box white cake mix
8 oz margarita mix (liquid)
2 oz tequila
1 oz Grand Marnier
3 egg whites
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tbsp grated lime zest

Lime Buttercream Icing:
8 Tbsp butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp lime juice (approx 2 fresh limes)
1 Tbsp margarita mix
1 tsp lime zest
4-5 cups powdered (confectioners’) sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350º and prepare muffin pans.

2. Combine margarita mix, tequila, and Grand Marnier in a large glass and stir well. (I did not use tequila or Grand Marnier, I increased the margarita mix to 10 oz)

3. In large bowl, combine cake mix, egg whites, lime zest, vegetable oil, and margarita mixture from step one. Stir ingredients together, then beat with an electric mixer on low to medium speed for approximately 2-3 minutes.

4. Spoon the batter into prepared muffin pans. Fill each cup/liner about 2/3 full.

5. Bake at recommended temperature on cake mix box (usually 325º – 350º) for 20 – 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

Icing:
6. In a large bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, lime juice, margarita mix, and lime zest. Beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

7. Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, and continue beating until smooth. If icing is too thin, add more powdered sugar, a couple tablespoons at a time.

8. Spread icing generously on each cooled cupcake* or use a pastry bag to frost.

Holiday treats 2010: Peppermint Bark

I had always wanted to try making peppermint bark. I love peppermint and chocolate, it is such a great combination. The recipe looked easy enough. It has been quite busy this holiday season and I needed an easy treat to make and give as gifts. Now was a great time to give it a try.

Peppermint Bark

Ingredients
12 ounce milk chocolate melts
12 ounce white chocolate melts
2 teaspoons peppermint extract
10 peppermint candy canes, crushed, divided

Directions

1. Line a 9X14 inch cookie pan with aluminum foil.
2. Melt the milk chocolate in a microwave-safe glass or ceramic bowl in 30-second intervals, stirring after each melting, for 1 to 5 minutes. Do not overheat or chocolate will scorch.
3. Stir in the peppermint extract. Spread the chocolate evenly in the prepared pan; chill for about 5 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, melt the white chocolate in a microwave-safe glass or ceramic bowl in 30-second intervals, stirring after each melting, for 1 to 5 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup of the crushed candy canes.
   
5. Spread the white chocolate mixture evenly over the milk chocolate. Sprinkle the remaining candy cane pieces evenly over the white chocolate layer. Chill until set, about 1 hour. Break into small pieces to serve.

Thanksgiving 2010

I never made cranberry sauce before and actually never really liked cranberry sauce. But others like it and it is a staple for Thanksgiving so I thought I would give it a shot for Thanksgiving. I figured it would be a nice alternative to the canned stuff. It was incredibly easy and actually quite yummy. I may actually like cranberry sauce now.

Cranberry Sauce
From: Annie's Eats

Ingredients:
¾ cup water
1 small orange, zested and juiced
2/3 cup sugar, plus more to taste
12-16 oz. fresh or frozen cranberries

Directions:

1. Combine the water, orange zest and juice, and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved.
   
2. Stir in the cranberries and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the heat and let simmer uncovered, about 15 minutes, until the cranberries have popped and the sauce is thickened.
   
3. Remove from heat and let cool completely. Sauce will thicken as it cools. Store in the refrigerator and let come to room temperature before serving.

Easter Dinner 2010

Easter Dinner menu

Pot Roast
Mashed Potatoes and gravy
Green Bean and Mushroom Medley
Peach Crunch Cake

I made this pot roast dinner a couple of years ago for Easter. I really like the recipe and have made it again and again and decided to make it again this Easter. Mashed potatoes and gravy always go well with a pot roast. We needed some veggies to go with our meal, so I searched on the internet and found this Green Bean and Mushroom Medley on allrecipes.com. I found a easy dessert to make on Bakerella's website, Peach Crunch Cake. Not only was it easy to make it was soo yummy. Definitely a keeper and to be made again.

Green Bean and Mushroom Medley
From allrecipes.com



1/2 pound fresh green beans, cut into 1-inch lengths
2 carrots, cut into thick strips
1/4 cup butter
1 onion, sliced
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper

Directions

1. Place green beans and carrots in 1 inch of boiling water. Cover, and cook until tender but still firm. Drain.

2. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onions and mushrooms until almost tender. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 3 minutes. Stir in green beans, carrots, salt, seasoned salt, garlic salt, and white pepper. Cover, and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat.

Peach Crunch Cake
From bakerella.com



24.5 oz jar of sliced peaches in light syrup
1 package yellow cake mix
1 stick butter (1/2 cup), cut into 16 pieces
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Layer ingredients in a 13 X 9 dish, in order starting with the peaches.
Bake for about 40 minutes.
Serve warm or cold… with or without ice cream.

Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Thingies

I made some appetizers for my friend's birthday. I found this recipe from Pioneer Woman, I love her blog. She even has her cook book out, which I want to get. This was seriously so easy and so yummy!! I will definitely be making this again. And yes, she actually calls it "thingies."



Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Thingies
From: Pioneer Woman Cooks

Ingredients

* 20 whole Fresh Jalapenos, 2-3 Inches In Size
* 2 cubes Cream Cheese, softened
* 1 pound Thin(regular) Bacon, Sliced Into Thirds

Instructions

1. Cut jalapenos in half, length-wise. With a spoon, remove the seeds and white membrane (the source of the heat; leave a little if you like things HOT).
   
2. Smear softened cream cheese into each jalapeno half.
   
3. Wrap jalapeno with bacon pieces (1/3 slice). Secure by sticking toothpick through the middle. (At this point, you can freeze them, uncooked, in a Ziploc bag for later use).
4. Bake on a pan with a rack in a 375-degree oven for 20-25 minutes. You don’t want the bacon to shrink so much it starts to the squeeze the jalapeno. If, after 20 minutes, the bacon doesn’t look brown enough, just turn on the broiler for a couple of minutes to finish it off. These are best when the jalapeno still has a bit of bite to it.
5. Serve immediately, or they’re also great at room temperature.