The Jessicas
Squinty me with 'make a weird face in every photo' Stephen
Me with Ellis, one of the world's most interesting peopleSunday, October 31, 2010
Some of the people I love...
The JessicasSquinty me with 'make a weird face in every photo' StephenMe with Ellis, one of the world's most interesting people
Monday, October 25, 2010
So the skeptic is proven wrong, and the results are DELICIOUS
I was thinking today how nice it would be to find a small batch baking recipe for an actual, no-pudding in the mix, cheesecake. Thinking it would be hopeless, imagine my surprise to find this little gem:
1 Ready Made graham cracker crust (chocolate or regular)
1 8 oz package of cream cheese (or Neufschatel, which has 1/3 less fat)
2/3 C sour cream (Don't use light! Trust me, it never bakes as well)
1 tsp vanilla extract (rum vanilla is best, but any will do)
2 eggs
1/2 C sugar (I don't know if I would risk a sugar sub on this one)
2 tsp 100% pure lemon juice
Toss everything into a blender and blend until smooth and then pour into crust. It will be a liquid, don't panic--it firms up in the oven. It's a good idea to let the unbaked cake sit for 20 minutes or so before baking to allow some of the bubbles to settle out. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes. Sidenote: if you plan to bake this in a toaster oven, the temp and baking time will vary, meaning plan a longer baketime. If the center doesn't jiggle when you shake the pan, the cake is done. To help prevent cracking, turn off heat and leave cake in oven to cool slowly over 3-5 hours (although, let's be real, here--when has cheesecake EVER lasted that long in your kitchen?)
Okay, small batch cheesecake requiring no skills other than blending, pouring, and turning on an oven? So obviously I had to test this recipe out.
HOLY COW, it worked. Now, will I say it's the best cheesecake I've ever eaten? Nope. But it's not bad, folks. Not bad at ALL. And it's such a delightfully basic recipe that you could easily jazz it up in any number of ways (or not, if you're a purist).
1 Ready Made graham cracker crust (chocolate or regular)
1 8 oz package of cream cheese (or Neufschatel, which has 1/3 less fat)
2/3 C sour cream (Don't use light! Trust me, it never bakes as well)
1 tsp vanilla extract (rum vanilla is best, but any will do)
2 eggs
1/2 C sugar (I don't know if I would risk a sugar sub on this one)
2 tsp 100% pure lemon juice
Toss everything into a blender and blend until smooth and then pour into crust. It will be a liquid, don't panic--it firms up in the oven. It's a good idea to let the unbaked cake sit for 20 minutes or so before baking to allow some of the bubbles to settle out. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes. Sidenote: if you plan to bake this in a toaster oven, the temp and baking time will vary, meaning plan a longer baketime. If the center doesn't jiggle when you shake the pan, the cake is done. To help prevent cracking, turn off heat and leave cake in oven to cool slowly over 3-5 hours (although, let's be real, here--when has cheesecake EVER lasted that long in your kitchen?)
Okay, small batch cheesecake requiring no skills other than blending, pouring, and turning on an oven? So obviously I had to test this recipe out.
HOLY COW, it worked. Now, will I say it's the best cheesecake I've ever eaten? Nope. But it's not bad, folks. Not bad at ALL. And it's such a delightfully basic recipe that you could easily jazz it up in any number of ways (or not, if you're a purist).
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Monday, October 11, 2010
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Monday, October 4, 2010
Goals and Reality
Goal weight for optimal healthiness? 175.
*sigh*
Literally miles to go before I sleep. Between Ballroom and Zumba (both tonight) I'm going to have to go with Zumba. As much as I really enjoyed ballroom, Zumba is a better workout. I'm hoping to get my schedule all worked out so I can get back to ballroom and still be able to do Zumba 3X a week, but with my late Thursdays at Pathways, I haven't figured out how to pull that off yet. As of now, the best solution is to buy Zumba and do it at home, but I wonder if I will work as hard at home alone as I do in a group...... *sigh*
So with colder weather here, I think I want to cut swimming back to once or twice a week, do biking twice a week, Zumba 3X a week, and at least one day of just yoga/toning.
I think I need to make a whole new chart :(
eh. It's whatever.
I'm still really happy it's fall.
*sigh*
Literally miles to go before I sleep. Between Ballroom and Zumba (both tonight) I'm going to have to go with Zumba. As much as I really enjoyed ballroom, Zumba is a better workout. I'm hoping to get my schedule all worked out so I can get back to ballroom and still be able to do Zumba 3X a week, but with my late Thursdays at Pathways, I haven't figured out how to pull that off yet. As of now, the best solution is to buy Zumba and do it at home, but I wonder if I will work as hard at home alone as I do in a group...... *sigh*
So with colder weather here, I think I want to cut swimming back to once or twice a week, do biking twice a week, Zumba 3X a week, and at least one day of just yoga/toning.
I think I need to make a whole new chart :(
eh. It's whatever.
I'm still really happy it's fall.
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