12 Days of Christmas: Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake

Hello my dears! 


I thought I'd repost this delicious recipe to sweeten things up on this 3rd day of our 12 Days of Christmas.


Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake

Ingredients:

For the Crust:

3 cups finely crumbled Oreos (I stick mine in a food processor)

3 Tablespoons Butter

Mix together by hand and press into a 9" spring form pan, press the sides three quarters of the way up the side of the pan, bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes

For the Cheesecake:

2 1/2 pounds cream cheese

1 cup sugar

3 Tablespoons flour

1 Tablespoon vanilla

1 cup sour cream

4 large eggs

2 cups peppermints chopped up (I used the softer, round kind and put them in the food processor for 10 seconds)

Step 1:

Cream cream cheese well (Stand mixers work the best but hand mixers will work, but if you don't have a stand mixer be sure to add that to your Christmas list).

Step 2:

Add sugar, flour, vanilla, and sour cream and blend well.

Step 3:

Add eggs one at a time, make sure mixture is well blended in between.

Step 4:

Stir in peppermints by hand.

Step 5:

Pour mixture into baked crust and bake cheesecake at 315 degrees for 2 hours. (I find baking a cheesecake is a little tricky, when the cheesecake is done the top will rise above the edge of the pan and will jiggle a little but be firm to touch.)

Step 6:

LET CHEESECAKE COOL COMPLETELY (Approx. 2 hours) before releasing the spring form. When cheesecake has been released it is ready to be decorated (I drizzled mine with chocolate syrup, piped on some whipped cream and decorated with peppermints)

Step 7:

Enjoy!

Add Lightsaber Cake Baker to my Resume

In my every day life I'm a baker at my parents restaurant. I make cookies, whoopie pies, pies & a pretty mean Texas Sheet Cake so I couldn't have been more excited when one of our friends asked me to make a cake for their son's 6th birthday.

This particular six year old is one of the coolest kids I know and Jus & I love hanging out with him so I knew I had to step up my game when it came to making his birthday cake. And what better way to step up your game then to make a rice kripie treat lightsaber?

PS During this process I learned a lot about lightsabers. Like that lightsaber is one word and that the good guys have green. Also, that Samuel L. Jackson's favorite color is purple so when he was in the later movies he requested that his lightsaber was purple.

Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake

I thought I'd take a break from Real People in Love to share some real Christmas love with you. If you're looking for a last minute tree to share with your family & friends this holiday season look no further. This recipe is one that I made up a couple of weeks ago while trying to create a holiday dessert.

Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake

Ingredients:

For the Crust:

3 cups finely crumbled Oreos (I stick mine in a food processor)

3 Tablespoons Butter

Mix together by hand and press into a 9" spring form pan, press the sides three quarters of the way up the side of the pan, bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes

For the Cheesecake:

2 1/2 pounds cream cheese

1 cup sugar

3 Tablespoons flour

1 Tablespoon vanilla

1 cup sour cream

4 large eggs

2 cups peppermints chopped up (I used the softer, round kind and put them in the food processor for 10 seconds)

Step 1:

Cream cream cheese well (Stand mixers work the best but hand mixers will work, but if you don't have a stand mixer be sure to add that to your Christmas list).

Step 2:

Add sugar, flour, vanilla, and sour cream and blend well.

Step 3:

Add eggs one at a time, make sure mixture is well blended in between.

Step 4:

Stir in peppermints by hand.

Step 5:

Pour mixture into baked crust and bake cheesecake at 315 degrees for 2 hours. (I find baking a cheesecake is a little tricky, when the cheesecake is done the top will rise above the edge of the pan and will jiggle a little but be firm to touch.)

Step 6:

LET CHEESECAKE COOL COMPLETELY (Approx. 2 hours) before releasing the spring form. When cheesecake has been released it is ready to be decorated (I drizzled mine with chocolate syrup, piped on some whipped cream and decorated with peppermints)

Step 7:

Enjoy!

Roundup: Cookbooks

Since Jus and I are trying to eat at home more often I've been digging back into my cookbooks. I've got a couple of go-to cookbooks but think it would be nice to add some more to my collection. And since I don't have these in my possession they'll be lacking descriptions but will contain links just in case you wanted to send on my way...

Everyday Food by Martha Stewart

My dad has this one and loves it

Big Flavors of the Hot Sun by Chris Schlesinger & John Willoughby

My favorite pesto comes from this one

The Silver Palate by Julee Rosso

I have a little Thai cookbook but would like a real one

Complete Thai Cooking

The Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen

Is it too trendy to want a little Julia Child?

Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child

My favorite chocolate cake comes from Fanny Farmer

The Fanny Farmer Baking Book by Marion Cunningham

My mom just got this for my dad and I want my own copy

Gourmet Today

Jus and I love Japanese food and I would love to be able to cook some at home

Japanese Cooking:A Simple Art by Shizuo Tsuji and Yoshiki Tsuji

Baking bread is something that is a little overwhelming for me but I would love to learn how

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois

From what I've heard this has delicious recipes for things you can get from your garden or a farmer's market

Simply in Season by Cathleen Hockman-Wert and Mary Beth Lind

I love the Pioneer Woman blog and would love to have her cookbook too

The Pioneer Woman Cooks by Ree Drummond

I think this one's pretty equivalent to the cooking bible, which is why it's surprising that I don't already own it

The Joy of Cooking by Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer-Becker and Ethan Becker

Cause dog cupcakes are too hard to pass up

Hello, Cupcake! by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson

I don't have any Italian cookbooks and think it would be fun to get a good one

Everyday Italian by Giada De Laurentiis

I'm not going to lie, I really prefer baking to cooking

The Complete Magnolia Bakery Cookbook by Jennifer Appel and Allysa Torey

I love me some Mexican food and I'm slowly getting Jus to come around to the idea

The Art of Mexican Cooking by Diana Kennedy

I have this one but it is definitely my go-to cookbook

The Good Housekeeping Cookbook

This is my other personal favorite, it's hard to find but oh so worth it

The Sugar Reef Cookbook by Devra Dedeaux

And last, but not least, I had to include this one as my parent's restaurant is featured and my grandma's meatloaf recipe is in it (and super yummy)

Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives by Guy Fieri and Ann Volkwein

What's your favorite cookbook?

Monday Monday

Happy Monday! I hope you had a good weekend. Jus & I went to my little sister's best friend's wedding Saturday night and spent Sunday on the sofa watching the Olympics and wearing my USA shirt (haha, I'm a nerd, I know it).

This week is exciting for me, I'm going to hit 200 posts Friday so be sure to stay tuned for something special.

But first, I have a confession to make...

I've only cooked one meal at home in the year 2010. That means over the last 52 days Jus and I have eaten out about 100 times. Granted, my parents own a restaurant so we're able to go there for free. But still, this means we've spent a lot of money and ate a lot of junk.

Our meals tend to look like this...

Via

And

Via

Last year at this time I was doing a great job of maintaining a healthy life, I was going to kickboxing class twice a week and yoga three times a week, but summer came and we started eating out more and more and now eating out is a part of our daily routine.

I doubt I need to mention it but we've also packed on a couple of pounds, with the wedding coming up we're both uncomfortable with the way we'll look on our wedding day. Jus's blood pressure is also outrageously high for someone so young (he's meeting with his doctor today, thankfully).

So we've made a decision to go back to a healthier way of life. I'm heading out to go grocery shopping later and plan to fill our fridge with fresh fruits & veggies and stock our cabinets with some whole wheats.

I've got some great cookbooks that I love but I'm always looking for new recipes. So help me out, what's your favorite?

Roundup: Cupcakes

I was trying to think of a fun thing to roundup, I wanted to do something totally different. Jus & I have been trying to get healthy/in shape for the wedding and cupcakes sound sooo good right now. So the unofficial title of this roundup is "Cupcakes I'd like to eat right now and the recipes just in case you want to make me some."*

Boston Cream Pie Cupcake from Martha Stewart

Brownie Cupcakes from Women's Day

Carrot Cake Cupcakes from Better Homes and Gardens

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes from All Recipes

Coconut Cupcakes with Chocolate and Almonds from Food Network

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes from Better Homes and Gardens

Lemon Meringue Cupcakes from Martha Stewart

Martha Stewart's Chocolate Salted Caramel Cupcakes from 52 Cupcakes

Meyer Lemon Cranberry Cupcakes from Cupcake Bakeshop by Chockylit

Peach Melba Cupcakes from Women's Day

Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting and Jelly from Martha Stewart

Pinwheel Mint Cupcakes from Wilton

Piped Rose Cupcake from Martha Stewart

Red Velvet Cupcakes from 52 Cupcakes

Snickerdoodle Duo from Bakerella

Strawberry Cupcakes from The Cupcake Recipes

Strawberry-Lime Stuffed Cupcakes from Food Network

Tangerine Cupcakes with Coconut Frosting from Better Homes and Gardens

Tiramisu Italian Trifle Cupcakes from Cupcake Recipes

Triple Chocolate Stuffed Mocha Cupcakes from Design*Sponge

Drooling yet? I know I am.

Don't forget, if you ever have an idea for a Thursday Roundup email me with your suggestion!

*As I am writing this I am begging Jus to go get me a cupcake and he is refusing. Sadness.