eggnog cheesecake

so the other night i had a festivus party in honor of the holiday made popular by Seinfeld… it was fun! i decided to bake, so i made an eggnog cheesecake (made it a rectangle for easier serving to lots of people).

i don’t usually post recipes, but i had a friend request the recipe and for baking, recipes are a little more essential… so it’s a first, here’s the recipe.

(makes one 9×13 pan…)

ingredients:

- 5 packages cream cheese

- 3 cups eggnog

- 1/2 cup sugar

- 1 tsp vanilla

- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (cinnamon and nutmeg)

- 4 eggs

- 1 box gingersnaps

- 1/4 stick butter

directions:

first, start the crust. i crushed up almost an entire box of gingersnaps by hand.. it was a pain, use a food processor or blender if you can. get it to a nice crumby consistency (some larger chunks are ok). then melt the butter and mix it in. you may need to add a little more butter– you want the crumbs to be fairly well buttered. get a greased pan and press the crumb mixture in the bottom and bake at 350 for about 10 minutes.

meanwhile, soften cream cheese by leaving at room temperature for a while, or microwaving on low power. use an electric mixer on medium-low heat to whip the cream cheese. add sugar and mix until well blended. add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low until well combined between each egg. then mix in eggnog, vanilla, and spices. pour over the crust.

place the pan inside a larger pan and put in the oven. fill the larger, outer pan with hot water about 1/2 or 3/4 of the way up the side of the inner pan. be careful not to spill into the cheesecake!

i baked it for about 50 minutes… you want the sides to be spongy and solid and the middle to be slightly jiggly but not liquid. if you press your finger on the outside, it should bounce back and feel spongy but the middle shoudln’t be totally set. pull it out of the oven and let it cool for a while inside the water bath. then continue cooling on a rack, and once it’s no longer hot, put it in the refrigerator to set.

i decorated mine with some icing and gingersnaps. it was a huge hit… really rich and delicious!

artichoke

i really only had a whole artichoke for the first time this summer, while staying at a friend’s cousin’s house on the cochiti reservation, of all places.

little did i know i was discovering a really fantastic, simple, plain delight.

artichokes are a little tricky to approach to someone who’s never seen how, but they aren’t bad. all you really do is trim the bottom stalk, chop about an inch off the top, and throw it in a steamer. i don’t really time exactly, but you know it’s done when you can pull it out, open it up slightly, and easily pull a leaf out from near the center. i like to do it so that the center leaves are tender enough that the bottom halves are completely edible.

so pull it out of the steamer, and then basically just peel off leaves and eat them. hold them by the top of the leaf. the outer, tougher leaves require you to use your teeth to kind of scrape the flesh off, and the inner leaves will be tender enough to pretty much eat the bottom half. i like to dip them in melted butter with some pepper, salt, garlic powder, maybe a little lemon juice.

then once you get near the center, the leaves get thinner and smaller, and eventually you will get to the “choke”. this is way in the center and it is a bunch of little fibers. you do not want to eat this… hence the choking… so when you get there, just use a spoon to scoop out all the fibers. once you’ve removed them, you can eat what’s left (the heart) which is really tasty!

so yeah… i like it because it’s really good, easy, and kind of an adventure to eat!

pasta carbonara and white asparagus

so i’d never had white asparagus before, and i saw that it was on sale at work for less than regular so i decided to try it. i also made a quick pasta carbonara with it.

the asparagus i just planned to steam, plain, like i normally do. however, i saw on the package that it needs to be peeled first, which was a little odd, so i did. so basically just peeled it, threw it in a pot with a steamer basket, and steamed for maybe 5 minutes. it was really good, fresh and crispy tasting. we even tasted a little bit raw and i think it could definitely be eaten raw, but it was nice to have it warm.

the pasta was also pretty easy. i got some slab bacon and cut it into chunks, fried that up in a pan while i boiled the pasta. i threw some frozen peas into the pasta water for the last few minutes of the boil. when the pasta was done and drained, i poured a mixture of whisked eggs, some milk, parmesan, garlic powder, salt, and lots of black pepper over the hot noodles and stirred quickly to create a creamy light sauce. then i added the bacon and voila!

a little terse on the details this time, i’ve been sick and don’t have the energy to try very hard on this post, but i wanted to get it up anyway before i forgot…

beets

i always loved beets, even as a kid when most kids hated beets.

i’d never had golden beets before, so when i saw a bunch of them at work the other day, i decided to try them out.

i washed the beets thoroughly, then separated the greens from the roots. i steamed the beets, whole and skins on, for about 45 minutes. once they cooled a bit, the skins peeled right off. i served those simply sliced with some pepper and parmesan on top.

the greens i diced up and sauteed in oil for a bit. then i added some garlic powder, salt, and pepper. i also added some chopped walnuts. then right toward the end, i threw in about 1/2 cup of buttermilk i had leftover from a recipe and lowered the heat, stirring until it was evaporated enough.

served the beet roots with the greens. it feels good to eat the entire vegetable. the greens were kind of tangy and nutty which complimented the plain sweetness of the beets.

seriously love beets.

oh, the golden doesn’t seem to really taste different. but at least i won’t have to deal with freaking out when the purple beet coloring comes out the other end and i don’t remember that it’s from eating beets! haha

chilaquiles

chilaquiles is essentially a way to use up stale corn torillas or tortilla chips, but i think it’s also a pretty brilliant, simple breakfast.

the basic idea is to take those stale chips or tortillas, cook them in a chile sauce, and eat it with eggs or something for breakfast.

so i took my corn tortillas, ripped them into quarters, and pan fried them. i use a small frying pan that fits about one corn tortilla at a time and i use just a little more oil than is needed to cover the bottom of the pan. i fried several tortillas this way and set them on a paper towel to drain.

in the meantime, i added some salsa and beef broth to another pan and let it simmer with cumin, garlic powder, and a little oregano. as soon as this mixture was bubbling and my tortillas were done, i threw the tortillas in and stirred and let it simmer for a few more minutes.

back in the frying pan, a quick fried egg… i intended it to be over easy, but i broke the yolk trying to flip it one-handed a skill i still have to work on, i guess.

throw the chile/tortilla mixture on a plate, egg and sour cream on top, and voila! could also put some cheese on it, but i didn’t have any. i’m sure meat could be incorporated too if you felt so inclined.

yet another simple, fast, kind of rustic dish that i think is super satisfying for breakfast. the chile sauce thickens a bit from the tortillas, and the tortillas soften but retain a little bit of chewy crunch.

side note: this has probably become my favorite use for corn tortillas besides just making chips, and my second favorite use for old tortilla chips. my favorite use has to be “meltychips”, a drunk invention of my cousins that involves pouring all the old, rejected, broken tortilla chips onto a plate, covering with shredded cheese and microwaving until the whole thing turns into a big melty disc of goodness. mm.

spaghetti squash alla carbonara

so i had half of my already-baked spaghetti squash from the other night sitting in the fridge and i was thinking about what i could do with it.

something (probably the fact that spaghetti squash looks like spaghetti) reminded me of one of my favorite ways to prepare pasta: alla carbonara. according to wikipedia, alla carbonara typically refers to pasta prepared with a sauce of raw eggs, some sort of cheese, black pepper, and some sort of ham. the sauce is poured over the hot pasta and stirred quickly to cook the eggs. it makes a really nice creamy, light sauce that sticks to the noodles.

my version tends to also include garlic powder, and i usually don’t have any ham or bacon on hand. usually, the sauce should be poured over the hot noodles right after draining. since i was using refrigerated spaghetti squash instead, i had to reheat it, so i just threw it in a pan with some olive oil and cooked it over medium heat until it was heated all the way through. actually, i used some chive olive oil i made a while back… i had a bunch of fresh chives in my garden that were going to die when the first freeze came, so i pureed them with olive oil and salt. it lends a nice mild garlic flavor.

while the squash was heating, i whisked together two eggs, salt, garlic powder, plenty of black pepper, and plenty of powdered parmesan cheese. as soon as the spaghetti squash was hot, i turned off the heat, poured over the egg mixture, and quickly stirred until the “sauce” thickened, signaling the eggs had cooked. i sprinkled some extra parmesan on top and that was it!

that’s part of why i love pasta alla carbonrara… it’s really easy, fast, and really good! even on “fake” spaghetti, like spaghetti squash

roasted garlic mashed taters

i’ve always loved mashed potatoes, even the instant kind. within the past year, i started making them from scratch and have never regretted it.

i start by cutting washed potatoes in fourths, then slicing them. i never peel them, partly because i like the skins and partly because i’m lazy. it works best if you can get the pieces fairly small and uniformly sized, so they all finish cooking at the same time. then i put them in a pot, fill with cold water just to cover, and bring to a boil. i usually boil it for a while with the lid on, then when they are getting fairly close, i take the lid off so some of the water evaporates.

the way i learned to tell when they’re done is that you can stick the tip of a knife into one of the chunks, lift it, and the potato should fall off instead of staying on the knife. sometimes i like them a little less done so they’re chunkier, but if you like them nice and smooth, make sure that you test a few chunks and that they all slide right off that knife.

the nice thing about letting some of the boiling liquid evaporate is that i can usually just dump the whole thing into a big bowl and mash them and the boiling liquid incorporates nicely and isn’t too much liquid. it helps hold them together and make them seem “creamy” before you even add cream.

but of course, i also add cream. this time, i added butter and sour cream. in the past i’ve added actual milk or cream, various cheeses (chevre is quite good), and so forth… but not this time. i also added some homemade garlic chive oil (essentially just pureed garlic chives in olive oil), salt, and pepper.

i also added this roasted head of garlic i had roasted before starting the potatoes. i was totally obsessed with roasting garlic for a while, but this was the first time i’d done it in a while. it’s easiest to just slice off the very top, pour a little oil over it, and wrap it in foil. i just put it straight on the oven rack at 375-400 degrees and let it cook for 30-45 minutes. you want the cloves to get nice and squishy. i probably overdid mine today by a bit, but it turned out well because the cloves were really easy to get out and they mashed easily.

so… i basically mashed that all up, tweaking things to taste. totally satisfied my mashed potato craving.

miso-glazed spaghetti squash

i was talking to a friend the other day about spaghetti squash, so when i saw some the other day at the store i got one. i hadn’t had it in a while though i’ve always liked it. i wanted to try preparing it a slightly different way than usual, so for some reason i had an idea to stir or pan fry it.

like most winter squashes, the best way to prepare it for another application is to halve it, seed it, and bake it. i did mine at 375 for about 45 minutes; the first 30 minutes facedown in a little water, then flipped with the inside facing up for the remainder. you can always test doneness by poking with a fork, it should be pretty tender and easy to shred into “spaghetti” when it’s done.

while the squash was baking, i made a sauce to use on it. i combined some beef broth, water, and miso paste and brought to a boil. then i seasoned it with garlic powder, pepper, sriracha sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, cilantro, and brown sugar as it reduced in volume. i let it simmer until it was pretty well reduced so that it would be more of a glaze than a watery sauce for the squash.

once the squash was done baking, i scraped it out of the shells. then i heated some oil in the wok and threw in some sesame seeds. when the seeds started to brown, i threw in the spaghetti squash and stir fried for a few minutes. the squash strands started to get a little squishy as some of the starches and liquids came out, so i poured on the glaze because i was worried it would just start to fall apart.

the glaze/sauce worked perfectly. i was worried it was too much liquid, but it combined with the starch from the squash in the pan and thickened almost immediately. i just stirred it over high heat for a few minutes until the consistency looked good.

the glaze was pretty good. don’t get me wrong, i think most things, spaghetti squash included, can be absolutely divine when served very simply. most of the times i’ve eaten spaghetti squash were just baked with some butter, salt, and pepper on top and it was really good. but this glaze did work out well. the nutty flavors from the sesame went really well, and the salty tanginess of the sauce worked well with the kind of sweet, smooth flavor of the squash. i’m not sure i’d do it again exactly the same, but i think i’ll definitely stir fry/pan fry spaghetti squash again this way.

turkey cranberry green chile stew

so my thanksgiving leftovers this year from our family gathering were pretty much nonexistent. however, my mom gave me a turkey leg which i kept forgetting about. earlier today, i just wasn’t in the mood to sit down and eat a turkey leg, but i knew i needed to use it, so i decided to transform it into one of my favorite types of food lately: stew!

i don’t know if it’s the colder weather or the fact that i’ve had a mild sore throat for about a week, but soup/stew has just been my favorite thing lately.

so i started it earlier today, i just threw the entire leg and a couple cups of beef broth into the crock pot on high. i let this simmer for a few hours, probably didn’t need that long but i wasn’t really hungry because i made that eggs florentine creation again for breakfast. then when i started to get hungry again, i used some tongs to separate the meat off the bones and kind of tear it up, and then i put in some fresh cranberries and chopped green chile i had frozen from this fall’s hatch chiles.

after i let all this heat together for a while, i tasted the broth… the cranberries burst and added a really nice tang to the broth. it almost reminds me of a hot and sour thai soup or something because of the sour tanginess of the cranberries pitted against the richer nature of the dark turkey meat. i put a squeeze of honey to balance out the tang a bit as well as some marjoram, garlic powder, and cumin powder… definitely improved the taste a bit. yum! i would have added more veggies to make it a heartier stew, but i’m almost completely out of groceries… i’ve had to get really creative the past few days!

eggs florentine

so, i had some spinach i’d been needing to use. i usually don’t cook spinach… i’ll just eat it plain by the handful or something. but maybe because of the cold lately, i felt like cooking it today.

i started with some butter and garlic powder in a pan over medium heat. once the butter was bubbling, i threw in all the spinach and some salt. i let this cook down, stirring occasionally. once the volume of the spinach had gone down a lot, i poured in some cream and added parmesan cheese, pepper, and chevre (soft goat cheese). i stirred this over medium heat until the liquid had reduced to a nice thick-ish consistency and the spinach looked fully cooked.

in the meantime, i toasted some bread and made an over-easy egg in a separate pan. (i seem to be mastering the technique of flipping an over easy egg by flicking the pan, one handed, no spatula… it’s pretty fun, even if i’ve broken a few yolks in the learning process)

then just spoon the spinach mix on top of the toast, top with an egg… a pretty quick and easy breakfast with a sophisticated twist.