Tropical Cheesecake!

Happy Easter everyone!!

It's a family tradition to have a cheesecake for easter, or a carrot cake...just some kind of home made dessert :P So this year my mom let me make my own cheesecake! A few days prior to going home I was looking up recipes...SOOO many recipes!! until I finally found the one. I wanted to do something different but that still had a nice and fruity flavour. Something perfect for spring. I found a recipe for a mango-pineapple-lime cheesecake! I know, even just sounds delicious.

So here's what you'll need!

For the base

-1 package of ginger snap cookies

-handful of macadamia nuts

-2 tlbsp unsalted butter

-3 tblsp golden brown sugar

For the filling

-1 package 1kg bakers cream cheese. (or 3-4 8oz Philadelphia cream cheese)

-1 cup of sugar

-5 eggs (whole)

-3 limes

-lime skin- minced.

-1 medium pineapple ripe

-1 mango

-3-4 kiwis

Directions

-Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Have a 9" springform pan and generously butter it. All along the sides as well.

-In a food processor (if you have one) combine all the base ingredients and blend until crumbly. (NOT smooth)

-If you don't have a food processor, you can put the ingredients in a large plastic bag and use a meat tenderizer to crush it.

-Pressed the crumbs into the dish and use a spoon or a heavy utensil with a flat surface and press the crumbs into the pan until tightly packed together.

-Put in the oven for 8 minutes. Remove and let cool.

-Meanwhile, in a large bowl add the cheese and sugar and beat with a hand mixer until light and fluffy.

-Take 1 lime and with a cheese grater or hand grater, grate off the rind of whole lime and chop further until very very fine

-cut each of the limes in half and hand squeeze all of them into the bowl with the sugar and cheese mixture and add the rind. Mix well for another minute.

-Add each egg one at a time and mix by hand (with a spoon) only until incorporated. (they don't have to be completely blended in)

-It might seem a bit watery/thin but it'll be nice and fluffy. Pour into the spring form pan (on top of the crumbs) and put back in the oven. Heat still at 350 degrees and back for about an 1hour and 20minutes. Turn the oven off but leave the cake in to cool slowly. About 4-5 hours. This limits cracking. It might still crack but don't worry it will still be good! :)

-put in the fridge overnight.

-peel and cut pineapple, mango, and kiwi into small slices. Layer on top of cake with pineapple outside, kiwi next and mango in the middle. (Or however you want to layer it)

This may seem like a lot of steps but it's not as hard as it may look and it turns out delicious!

Enjoy!!

(all photos were taken by my sister Amanda :) )

Good day :)

Well no new recipes today... I'm at my parent's house for the weekend and I really wanted to make my risotto for them. So I did! Along with my chicken and salad recipe. I tried it with the white wine and mushroom sauce and the flavours came together so well, as I had hoped. :) With the chicken, however, I did not add the bbq sauce, since the flavour wouldn't go too well with the mushroom sauce (in my opinion). But the rest of the recipe stayed the same.

I love cooking. I am in such a state of peace whenever I cook. All I can think of is the flavours and the smells. To top it all off today, while I was cooking, my parents went out to run some errands and I was alone...well sort of. It was just me, Casper, some Chopin, and food :) Never have I felt more relaxed. And to end off the perfect day, being surrounded by candles and watching How to Rob a Bank, which is surprisingly a good movie :) Check it out!

Sorry for the lack of pictures...the food got cold quickly and I couldn't find the camera. But I will take pictures of what I make tomorrow! :)

Famous Spaghetti edit!

I forgot to add, when making the sauce to thicken it up a little and make it more like a sauce you need to.... add slightly more water and after you add the tomato paste you can mix some flour and milk in a small bowl and then slowly pour into the sauce pan stirring well until you get the thickness desired.

That's all :)

Famous Spaghetti

Ahhh spaghetti... It was the first dish I managed to cook by myself and it actually ended up really good. So good in fact that my parents request that I make it when I'm at home :P So heres the recipe :D

What you'll need...

-1 package of ground pork

-2-3 tblsp olive oil

-1 large onion (finely chopped)

-2 bouillon cubes (flavour of choice, beef or mushroom recommended)

-6 cups of water

-oregano, basil- fresh if available, dried is okay too :)

-2 cans of tomato paste

-salt/pepper to taste

-sugar 1 tsp

-tabasco sauce 3-7 drops

-garlic 3-4 cloves (finely chopped)

-celery 2 stocks (finely chopped)

-1 package of whole wheat spaghettini pasta

-handful of fresh parsley

Directions

-In a large pan add the olive oil and onions and put on medium-high heat. Cook until onions are lightly brown. Add the ground pork and break up until it is in small clumps. Cook until lightly brown.

-Add cups of water and bouillon cubes to the pan cover and let simmer until water is evaporated. Add 3 cups again and letter simmer until reduced about half. Add the tomato paste and mix well.

-Add garlic, celery, herbs, tabasco, salt and pepper.

-Add sugar - Mix well and lightly simmer for 5-10 minutes.

-Boil salted water in a large pot and cook the pasta for 8-10 minutes. Drain and serve.

-Put about 2 spoons of pasta on each plate and pour sauce over top. Put parsley on top as garnish. May put parmesan on top as well for extra flavour.

-Thats it! :D

A rich red wine goes well with this dish. Enjoy!

Great Lunch!

So I'm starting this whole healthy lifestyle change and I'm trying to make some of the recipes more healthy. Today after getting back from the gym I was sooooo hungry and so sticking with my healthy lifestyle and not wanting to just throw out all the work I did that morning, I decided to make a bbq chicken salad for lunch (It's nice for a healthy dinner as well). Heres my recipe!

What you'll need...

-1 chicken breast

-olive oil (1 tblsp)

-garlic bbq sauce

-montreal chicken spice

-1 mushroom bouillon cube (I love using these to add flavour)

-2 cups of water

-Mixed greens

-balsamic vinaigrette

Directions

-In a small pan (enough to fit the chicken) add a tblsp of olive oil and put over medium-high heat. Add chicken breast. Put montreal chicken spice on each side. Cook on both side for about 5 minutes (make sure it doesn't burn, lower heat if needed).

-After both sides are slightly brown add the water and bouillon cube and let simmer for another 10 minutes. Add more water if needed.

-After about 10-12 minutes and when water is almost fully evaporated add bbq sauce on both sides and let cooks for 1-2 minutes on each side.

-Cut into strips or pieces and place on top of salad.

-I recommend balsamic vinaigrette but you may use desired dressing.

-Thats it! :D

I had this with a small dark rye toast as well. It was so filling and delicious and its healthy too! It doesn't take long to prepare either.

Enjoy!

First Recipe!

So I was deciding what to make today for dinner and I was leaning toward some sort of rice dish. So I decided to make a risotto since it would give me a chance to try out some of this black garlic I recently bought. Yes, thats right, black garlic. It's fermented garlic and has a much more tangy, sweet taste. At first it reminded me of balsamic vinegar, just not as sour :P It quite delicate actually. So heres the recipe :)

What you'll need...

-Arborio rice (about 1/2 up for every person, don't worry it'll expand and there will be enough)

-Olive oil 2tbsp

-1 bouillon cube(desired flavour. I recommend mushroom)

-Black garlic 2 cloves

-Shallots 1 medium

-Parsley about a handful

-Saffron 1/2 tsp (not needed because it's difficult to find, but it gives the dish a nice taste)

-tabasco sauce 2-5 drops

-salt and pepper and herbs (oregano, basil, thyme) to taste

-Fresh grated parmesan 2 tblsp

Directions :)

-In a medium pan add 1 tblsp of olive oil and arborio rice. Turn to high heat and stir continuously until rice grains turn light golden brown. About 3-4 minutes. Don't burn them!

-Remove from heat quickly and add 3 1/2 cups of water. Watch out! The water will steam/sizzle since the pan is hot. Stir occasionally. Add the bouillon cube.

-In another pan add remaining tblsp olive oil and put on medium-high heat.

-Chop the shallots and garlic. Garlic is very soft so simply pressing it with the flat side of a fork with break it up. Add to the heated pan and stir until lightly brown. About 2-3 minutes. Move aside.

-While there is still a bit of water in the rice pan add saffron, tabasco, salt and pepper, and italian herbs. Stir lightly.

-Lower heat and let simmer until water is almost fully absorbed, but leave a very, very small amount so the rice looks a tiny bit sticky.

-Remove from heat and add the shallots, garlic, parsley, and parmesan cheese and stir well.

-and VOILA! Not so tough huh? :P

This dish would go well with a nice white wine and can be a good appetizer or a delicious side to any entree. I recommend it with a baked chicken with a light mushroom sauce and leafy greens with a balsamic vinaigrette. :)

Enjoy!! :)

WELCOME!

Welcome to my blog everyone!! This blog will be only for my recipes and meals that I come up with, or other ones that I have tried. I don't have a good camera and being a student I only cook for myself so I don't plate my food in a fancy way. BUT! On special occasions and times when Im at my parents house I will try to make these recipes look all fancy and post pictures. So pictures will be up soon! :)

Hope you enjoy these recipes and don't be afraid to let loose when you cook :)