Bribery for Santa.

 

The basic tradition for welcoming, and bribing, Santa Claus is to leave out a plate of cookies, and a glass of milk.  It is a given that Santa, therefore, must love sweets, and be able to tolerate dairy very well.  But what if, and I am just throwing this out there, you threw aside the traditional, and went for full outrageous form of bribery?

Not talking cookies here, but cake…cheesecake! See, Santa does not care if the treats you put out are store bought, homemade or semi-homemade.  He appreciates that you thought of him, and made an effort; does not matter how big or small, but that you tried.  Yes, tis the season for giving, and he appreciates that you did not forget to say thank you in some way.

Now for the story behind “Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake”, the ease to make it, and the smile of appreciation it brings when given as a gift.

During the 2012 holiday season, I pulled out of a cooking magazine a recipe for "Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake”.  The year previously, Philadelphia Cream Cheese came out with a new line of “indulgence” products, one being milk chocolate cream cheese.  Before you ask, yes, this product is still on the market, and available at Sam’s Club if you happen to have a membership.

Back to the story, I was taking my mother-in-law out for dinner (yes, we get along very well), and she kind of hinted about what dessert to expect for Christmas dinner.  Not too subtle at all, right?  When time came for holiday baking, I pulled out that magazine recipe; as I read it, changes came to mind. Instead of Lorna Doone shortbread cookies for the crust, how about chocolate cookies? Instead of fruit as a garnish, what about more cookies, or chocolate candy?

I wanted this cheesecake to be all about vanilla and chocolate, no other flavors would do for this creation.  I crushed up Oreo cookies that had chocolate filling instead of the traditional white cream; no mixing with butter, prebaking or cooling in the refrigerator for the crust.  As the vanilla layer of the cake baked, the chocolate filling oozed up into the cake layer, here and there, to create little pockets of chocolate inside the vanilla.   For the chocolate mousse topping, I increased the amount used from one eight-ounce container of Milk Chocolate Indulgence to two and only used the recommended two cups of whipped topping.  Oh my, Oh my, Oh my!!!  Drooling yet?

When it comes to baking, I have always been told that you have to follow all the precise measurements, ingredients and rules.  Sometimes being a rule breaker can be a really great experience; more often not, but you never know till you try.

Mom-in-law loved it!  Oh, the fruit swirl and topped cheesecakes are still her number one favorite, but this newest one was her second fave.  Since I did make several changes to the original recipe, I renamed it to reflect the focus on vanilla and chocolate.  Oh, Santa?  Yule and Christmas of 2012 were very, very good; so happy we went the bribery route. *Wink*

 

Vanilla Cheesecake with Chocolate Mousse

Ingredients:

14 Oreo cookies with chocolate filling

2 (8 oz.) packages plain cream cheese, softened

½ cup sugar

2 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract

2 eggs

2 (8 oz.) containers Philadelphia Brand Milk Chocolate Indulgence Cream Cheese

2 cups whipped topping

10 Hershey kisses

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 325F; spray a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick baking spray. Line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper and spray the paper with the nonstick baking spray. Put 12 of the Oreo cookies into a resealable plastic bag, crush them and spread them out over the parchment paper.

 

In a medium bowl, beat the plain cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract and eggs until smooth; about 5 minutes on high speed. Spread mixture evenly over the cookies and bake for 35-40 minutes; cool cake on counter for a half hour, then for two hours in the refrigerator.

 

 

 

 

While cake is cooling, set milk chocolate cream cheese containers on the counter to soften. Once cake is cooled, remove from refrigerator. In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth, about one minute on high. Fold in the whipped topping until well incorporated and a uniform chocolate coloring. Spread over the cake in pan; place back in refrigerator for one hour to set.

 

 

 

When ready to serve, use a sharp knife to help release cake sides from pan before opening springform. Place unwrapped kisses evenly around cake; place remaining two Oreo cookies in center.

Makes 10 servings, each serving will be topped with a sweet chocolate kiss.

Note: Usually, I bake cheesecakes in a Bain Marie (water bath), but since this cake was getting a topping, I was not concerned with the top cracking.  However, do wrap aluminum foil around the base of the pan, in case any fluids find a way to seep out.

Mary Cokenour

When Life Gives You Lemons, Eat Them.

“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade” is a proverbial phrase used to encourage optimism and a positive can-do attitude in the face of adversity or misfortune. Lemons suggest sourness or difficulty in life; making lemonade is turning them into something positive or desirable.”  (Theidioms.com. The Idioms. Retrieved June 16, 2020.)

Although many attribute the lemons to lemonade quote to Dale Carnegie, it was originally penned by Christian anarchist writer, Elbert Hubbard, in a 1915 obituary he wrote and published for dwarf actor, Marshall Pinckney Wilder.  It was praising the actor for having an intelligent mind, and overcoming his disabilities, to achieve whatever he put his mind to.

Considering that adversity and misfortune seem to have taken a stronghold on our world, and definitely within the United States, seeking positivity is essential to keeping our sanity.  No, drinking lemonade will not solve the drastic problems we are facing, however, could a bit of sweetness hurt?  When was the last time children were seen hosting a lemonade stand?  Neighbors, even strangers, buying a cup full; the children’s faces lighting up in smiles as their tip jar filled.  But it was not just the notion of helping out the kids, but also standing around and having conversations.  Real conversations that usually covered, not just the local weather and events, but the world in general.  Just something to consider as the months begin to warm up; the kids are bored, so why not teach them to make lemonade, and become a little business savvy as well?

Now back in June 2020, I wrote about lemon bars, and gave a recipe for Creamy Lemon Squares.  That’s correct, instead of drinking lemons, we were eating them…with sugar, graham crackers and condensed milk.  However, and I have said it many times before, I just cannot let recipes be.  There I was, in the kitchen pulling out the ingredients to make the lemon squares when Roy made a suggestion, of sorts.  “Honey”, he said, “I like your lemon bars, but I would really love to have cheesecake.  You haven’t made any since the holidays, so….”  I cocked an eye at him, cocked an eye at the recipe, and there I stood, cockeyed.  (Kind of stole this line from comedian, Tommy Cooper)

So, after some experimenting, referring to cheesecake and lemon bar recipes, a disaster here and there, behold, Lemon Bar Cheesecake!  Amazing what can be accomplished in two years, lemon bars to lemon bar cheesecake.

Lemon Bar Cheesecake

Ingredients:

For the Crust

5 Tbsp. melted butter

1 and ½ cups graham cracker crumbs

¼ cup sugar

For the Filling

4 eggs

1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk

3 packages (8 oz.) cream cheese

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Topping (optional)

3 Tbsp. lemon marmalade or lemon curd

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 300F.  Spray 9-inch springform pan with baking spray; wrap bottom and side tightly with aluminum foil.

In a small bowl, combine butter, crumbs and sugar; spread out evenly in bottom of pan, and up sides.  Bake in oven for 10 minutes, remove and let cool.

In a large bowl, beat eggs, condensed milk and cream cheese until smooth.  Add lemon juice and vanilla and combine thoroughly.  Pour over cooled crust; bake for one hour.  Turn off oven, open door slightly and let cheesecake cool, in oven, for a half hour.   Cover pan with plastic wrap, refrigerate overnight. 

Optional Topping: slightly warm marmalade or curd, spoon over top of cheesecake before serving.

Makes 12 servings.

Mary Cokenour

 ...and here's a photo of a typical Lemon Bar dessert.

 

 

 

 

Ending Upon a Note of Wishful Thinking.

As we end 2020, a year of “Who, What, Where, Why, When and How” questions that are still boggling the minds of many, consider this, “Did we learn, and did we do good?”  Personally, the meaning of life is to learn something new, and do a good deed, on a daily basis.  Learn something new?  Yes, it could be a craft, a talent, book or television series, a way to do something entirely different, etc. etc., and that includes an outlook upon something as well.  A good deed?  Yes, something as simple as smiling at a person who looks absolutely miserable, then seeing a new light in their eyes as they smile back.  Perhaps someone was stranded on the side of the road, and instead of driving by, you made that U-turn, and helped to change a flat tire.  A new learning or good deed does not have to be monumental; also, do not brag about it, as then the meaning actually becomes nothing at all.

“Do you watch Christmas themed movies?” is a question I am often asked, due to the fact that I do not believe in the main stream, religious meaning of this holiday.  Of course I do, as there is more to this holiday than the beliefs of religion.  This is the end of the calendar year, a time to reflect back on what has occurred; the good, the bad, the “what the…?”, and ticking off of items on the bucket list.  Whether you have a written, or mental, list, you know you are ticking items off; we all do it.  The month of December is a month full of numerous holidays around the world, mainly surrounding love, life, laughter, giving, receiving, and most important, togetherness.  2020, of course, is putting a huge strain on togetherness, but should that truly affect all the other aspects?  It should not, but I believe we have been conditioned to allow it to.

One of my very favorite movies is, The Bishop’s Wife, based upon the novella by Robert Nathan, and released December 1947, is a wonderful classic. The cast includes such greats as Loretta Young, David Niven, Elsa Lanchester, and Cary Grant…oh, the oh so handsome, charismatic, multi-talented Cary Grant as Dudley, the angel.  David Niven plays the Bishop Brougham, who is determined to have a cathedral built, and must beg for funding from the snobbish wealthy.  Having come from a poor district, he seems to have forgotten, not just where he came from, but what the holiday season is all about.  Praying to God, an angel is sent down to help him, not to build the cathedral, but to find his way back to himself.  Everyone that Dudley encounters has become a lost soul, lost to themselves, to others; or in the case of the members of the children’s choir, potentially losing themselves.

This movie is not full of sadness, but brings out the joy and happiness that once was, and now found again.  Watch the movie, put it up against what you have been encountering in this past year, and I believe you will get the meaning.  Not only will you learn, but those good deeds may just pop into mind.

As the New Year comes knocking upon our doors, open up, smile and say “Welcome, what do you have planned for me now?”  Now here comes the challenge of choices, do we simply live, or do we Live!  Those good deeds that popped into mind, are they forgotten or acted upon? Yes, you do not have to wake up and consciously say to yourself, “Today I will do a good dead.” just do it!  Do not think about it, just do it, keep going, and suddenly you might think about it, and that is when it will click in; what meaning life has.

Of course, being a food blog, how could I not give you a recipe which will bring joy and cheer to your stomachs!?!  Let’s try out a Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake to end 2020, and welcome in 2021.  Fresh lemon juice brings out the brightness of this cheesecake; the use of ricotta and cream cheeses, blended together, give a firm, yet smooth texture.  Really do not like the taste of lemon?  Then use orange juice, but make sure, whichever fruit is used, to use the fresh squeezed, or defrosted juice concentrate only.  Bottled juices are full of water, and will ruin the entire cake.  By the way, did you know that cheesecake is not really a cake?  Due to the lack of flour used, and the main ingredients are eggs and cheese, this is actually a custard.  There you go, you just learned something new!

 

Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake

 

Ingredients:

 

Crust

1 package (9 crackers) original flavor graham crackers

1/2 cup ground almonds

5 Tbsp. melted butter

 

Filling

2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened

1 and ½ cups sugar (yes, a substitute can be used, and I recommend Swerve)

2 Tbsp. lemon peel (if dried, reconstitute with warm water and pat away excess moisture)

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice (squeezed or pure concentrate)

1 (16 oz.) container of whole milk ricotta cheese

3 eggs

 

Garnish

Whipped cream

Blackberries

Blueberries

Candied Lemon Slices

Fruit Flavored Marshmallows (bring out the child in us all)

 

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350F.  Line bottom of 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper; spray paper and sides of pan with nonstick baking spray.  Wrap outside of pan, bottom and sides, with heavy-duty foil. 

Place graham crackers into plastic bag and crush, by hand, by rolling a rolling pin over them.  Or use a mixer, pulse setting; add in ground almonds, melted butter and ½ cup of sugar.  Mix until crumbly; press crumb mixture in bottom and 2 inches up sides of springform pan.

Bake at 350F for 5 to 10 minutes, or until crust is light golden brown around edges. Remove crust from oven; place on wire rack, cool 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325F.

Beat cream cheese in large bowl, medium speed, until fluffy; add 1 cup sugar; beat until very soft and creamy.  Add lemon peel, lemon juice and ricotta cheese; mix thoroughly.  Add eggs one at a time, beating just until combined and scraping down sides of bowl after each addition. Pour into crust-lined pan.

Bake at 325F for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until sides of cheesecake are set and puffed, but center still moves slightly when pan is tapped. Turn off oven, open door slightly and let cool down for 30 minutes.  Cover; refrigerate at least 3 hours (if wanted to serve same day), or overnight before serving.  Run a sharp knife around sides of pan before fully releasing spring.  The parchment paper will allow for easily sliding the cheesecake off the metal pan bottom onto cake platter.

Cheesecake will make 16 servings; decorate with garnish, spacing out fruit used; or add dollop of whipped cream before placing fruit on top.

Mary Cokenour