Category: Food & Cooking

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If Not Cake?

When you start to write a post about cheesecake, the first thing to do is research this tasty dessert.

Further study reveals a startling fact … 

Cheesecake is NOT cake!

We’re crazy for that graham cracker crust.
So is it pie? Round, custard filling with crumb crust …
sounds like pie.

 

*”Despite the confusing terminology, cheesecake is by no means a cake. Also, since cheesecake isn’t topped with pastry, it cannot be a pie. Cheesecake is, and forever will be, a tart”*.

Our baking experiments continue with these little guys. We tried three sizes and found we liked this small cupcake shape. The ratio between graham cracker crumb to cheese filling was great!

An early form of cheesecake was served to Olympians in 776 B.C. But it didn’t resemble what we now think of as cheesecake. Romans took the “recipe’ from the Greeks, made some changes, but all of these early forms of the dessert used a Ricotta-style cheese.

Immigrants brought it to America.  In the late eighteen hundreds a Philadelphia Dairy man invented cream cheese which found its way into what is now commonly called the new york style cheesecake.  This is what most think of when we say cheesecake.

It may not be cake, or pie, or a tart, but we can agree . . . it is a great dessert.

Print Recipe

Mini Cheesecake

These little cheesecakes are baked in a muffin pan just like cupcakes.
Servings: 16

Ingredients

CRUST

  • 6 graham crackers, broken into pieces We used cinnamon graham crackers.
  • 2 tsps sugar
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 pinch salt

FILLING

  • Two 8 oz pkg cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tbsp flour

Instructions

Prep

  • Preheat oven to 325. Line 16 cups (of two muffin pans).

To make crust

  • In bowl of food processor process the graham crackers to fine crumbs. You should have 2/3 cup.
  • Pour crumbs into bowl and add sugar, melted butter, and salt.
  • Use a fork and stir until crumbs are evenly moistened.
  • Divide mixture evenly among the prepared muffin cups (about 1 tablespoon per cup).
  • Press crumbs into bottom of cup.
  • Bake until lightly golden, about 4 minutes. Set on wire racks.

To make filling

  • In a clean food processor bowl, process the cream cheese until smooth, about 3 minutes.
  • Add the sugar until smooth, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the bowl.
  • Add the sour cream and vanilla until combined.
  • Add the eggs one at a time, processing well after each addition.
  • Add the flour and process until combined. Scrape down the bowl and process one more time.
  • Divide the filling evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each three-fourths full.
  • Bake until the cheesecakes puff and are set, about 23 minutes. Let cool completely in the pans.
  • Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, at least 3 hours or up to overnight.
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A GREAT Pub … just a bit out of the way

Mitchell, Oregon is roughly halfway between Portland and the Oregon / Idaho border. Sitting on the south edge of Highway 26 there are few reasons for you to do much more than just drive past the sleepy little town.

However, Painted Hills unit is just a few miles east and we venture to that spot 3 or 4 times a year. JQ pointed out the existence of a brew pub, but I was reasonably skeptical of the pours it might offer.

Turns out I was mistaken. Tiger Town Brewing offers a great selection of house brews, a guest tap and an amazing assortment of high end whiskey. Who’d of thunk.

We chose a couple of glasses of different ales and a ‘dram’ of Weller’s. Then, from their adjoining food cart we shared a basket of delicious fish and chips. The menu offered a nice variety of pub fare. Tiger Town may be a bit of a drive but if you ever find your self on Hwy 26 in Central Oregon this is a definite must stop.

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Orange Poundcake

While scoping out the newest issue of King Arthur Flour catalogue, we read a description for a poundcake recipe we couldn’t resist. The words, “tastes like a Creamsicle” pretty much guaranteed we would be trying this recipe.

The topping is extraordinary. Its a combination of citric acid (found in the bulk foods aisle) and superfine sugar and it tastes both sweet and tart.

The result … a dense, moist cake full of orangey goodness. You can find the recipe here.

Also check out their Tea Loaf Pan. It bakes a longer, slimmer loaf and is one of our favorites.

 

 

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Burritos Quick and Easy

This year we’ve been doing a lot of meal prep … that is, building multiple meals at one time and packaging them for later.

Usually these meals are lunches, the meal we are most likely to eat on the go.

There’s scads of online info and recipes about meal prep so we’re not going to recreate that here. However, we would like to share a favorite make ahead lunch … Quick Chicken Burritos.

The best meal preps require only simple food techniques and ingredients. These burritos are super easy to prepare and make a satisfying and delicious meal. The recipe is very flexible, allowing you to add or substitute ingredients.

One final note, you are making multiple meals which will need to be packed and most likely frozen. Amazon is full of systems and it is actually interesting to check out what they offer.

For these burritos we use squares of aluminum foil. It is a simple deli style wrap and the burritos are ready for oven reheat which is the best way to serve. If you’re in a real hurry they do microwave.

Print Recipe

Chicken Burritos

easy multi-meal prep

Ingredients

  • 2 tsps olive oil
  • 1/2 red onion chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/4 red pepper chopped
  • 1/2 jalapeno pepper chopped
  • 15 oz low-sodium black beans one can
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 tsp dried urfa chili
  • 1 tsp taco seasoning
  • 2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast 2 - 12.5oz cans
  • 2 cups kale chopped
  • 1 cup cheddar cheese grated
  • 2 Tbsp cilantro minced
  • 1/2 tsp lime zest
  • 1 Tbsp lime jucie 1 small lime
  • 1/.4 tsp salt
  • 8 10-inch tortillas

Instructions

  • Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring often, until the onion starts to soften, about 2 minutes. Add beans, water and dry seasonings; bring to a simmer, mashing beans slightly with the back of a spatula. Stir in chicken and kale; cook until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes.
  • Scrape contents of skillet into a large mixing bowl. Add cheddar, cilantro, zest, juice and salt. Mix until well blended. Measure 1/2 cup filling onto a tortilla and roll, folding over the ends burrito style. allow to cool. Should make 8 burritos.
  • Tear off four 6 inch strips of aluminum foil and then tear these in half. Lay a burrito diagonally on a foil square, fold up the lower third over the burrito and roll once, then fold over the far corner. Roll once more and fold over the near corner, and then complete the wrap. Place in freezer for up to a month.
  • Reheat burritos by placing in a cold oven set to 350º. When the oven comes to temp wait about 5 minutes and burritos should be nicely warmed up. Alternatively you can un-wrap and place in microwave for 3 minutes on high
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Making a Better Salad

For some time we’ve been making our salads with simple oil and vinegar dressings. The basic recipe is 1 part vinegar, 2 parts oil, add some herb (fresh or dried), and mix in the bottom of a large bowl. You then add a mix of greens and toss. It makes for a tasty and simple salad with any meal.

About a year ago we stopped at our favorite Bend kitchen store (Ginger’s Kitchenware) and discovered a wall of flavored oil and vinegar.

Olivelle, a company based in Bozeman, MT, markets under the motto ‘The Art of Flavor.’ Ginger’s had installed in one corner of the store a shelf with jugs of olive oils and balsamic vinegars.

Of course they set up an area featuring freshly baked bread and all the necessary bits to encourage people to taste the variety.

The variety wasn’t just in age or district, but oils and vinegars had been infused with flavors. From fruit to nuts (cocoa bean), the selection was amazing.

The beauty of these infused vinegars is how easy it is to make a delicious salad … we’ve actually cut the oil back or out of the basic recipe and just use the vinegar to impart flavor.

Check out their website,  you might find a local dealer nearby. We’ve been back several times and are currently enjoying the spiced raspberry balsamic.