Cheesecake Conundrum

This blog post was written on Sunday, April 10, 2016.

Today I'm making my very first cheesecake from scratch.

Typically I'm a no-bake cheesecake kinda gal. 

A. No-bake is soooo super easy-peasy.
B. No-bake is quick and painless.

My dear pastor's wife provided me with all the ingredients and a lovely recipe to make said cheesecake for our upcoming ladies retreat.  

Five packages of cream cheese....six eggs....a cup-ish of sugar...some vanilla and salt and a container of sour cream.

I followed the recipe to a T.  I mixed the ingredients as the directions stated.  Room temp cream cheese beaten one at a time.  Add the eggs one at a time.  Add the other stuff and then mix as high as possible without making a mess.  Actually it said "without spilling."  I happen to call that "a mess."  So there's that.  

I used a water bath.

I baked it for 400 for 10 minutes and then turned down the heat by 25 degrees.

My cheesecake looks like it has chocolate on top.  How do I know this?  Because I sent a message to my friends Sara and Lori and Sara replied, "Oooh is that chocolate ontop?"  It's not.  It's not supposed to look like this...

After I removed the cheesecake from the oven, the directions said to let it rest for an hour.  That's great.  It needs an hour to rest while I contemplate the cost to buy more supplies to make another one.  

Not wanting to jump the gun, I sent my timer for an hour and sweetly waited...

After said 60 minutes, I had an epiphany.  Perhaps I could scrape the top off and it would be "fine."  I use the term fine loosely.  Fine - by interpretation meant:  DID NOT TASTE BURNT.  It's all fun and games until the treat you are baking tastes burnt.   

I scraped the top off and immediately put it in the trash.

As I sauntered out the door, it was with much prayer that while I was at church, the cheesecake would infact rest some more and magically taste deeeelish.  

We'll see.

Ninety-ish minutes later I returned home and cut a sliver of the cheesecake.  I, then, had a fit of hysterical laughter.  It was totally Lois laughter.  What's Lois laughter you ask?  Let me tell you a sweet little story...

Once upon a time, Rhonda and I were working-out.  While elliptical-ing, Rhonda turned to me and said, "Did you hear that Lois passed away?"

There was nothing funny in her delivery.  There was nothing funny about her voice.  There was nothing funny in the fact that this dear sister in Christ went home to Glory...yet I continued ellipitical-ing while laughing soo hard that I was crying. 

From that moment on, Rhonda and I have deemed our fits of hysterical laughter as "Lois Laughter."  

We like to think that when we perish, two sweet Jesus-loving friends will share our passing and laugh...and then forever it will be "Angie & Rhonda Laughter."

Back to my kitchen and the cheesecake....I cannot tell you how long I spent laughing and thanking the Lord.  Oh, me of little faith.

After scraping off the top, I sent a picture of the face-lifted cheeescake to my friends Lori, Rhonda, and Sara and inquired, "Would you eat something that looked like this?"  

The general consensus was yes with a comment of "I've never met a cheesecake I did not like."

it wasn't the prettiest cheesecake in the world but it sure tasted divine sooo much soo that Rhonda, Summer and I were thrilled to see leftovers.

NOTE:  I'm actually not going to publish this post until after the ladies retreat - lest my sweet pastor's wife read of this conundrum. 

Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies

1 chocolate cake mix
1/2 light olive oil
3 eggs
8 ounces Reese's Miniature Peanut Butter Cups

Combine all ingredients.  Mix on low to break up the peanut butter cups.

On parchment paper, place tablespoon-sized balls of dough.

Bake at 350° for 8 minutes.

Baking soda...not POW-DER

Oh brother.  This whole week has been one kitchen / baking conundrum after another.  *Exaggeration*  There have been 2. 

First - this week I learned that it is not enough to rinse the knife blade that cuts an onion.  The onion juices are more powerful than water...thus leaving the fresh cut pineapple with a hint o'onion.  Not good.

Second - soooo last week I made some celebratory cookies which turned out MEH!!!  I blamed the humidity.  It wasn't that they were delicious...it was more that they weren't pretty.  My two coworkers helped me consume them. 

Fast forward to tonight...while making another batch ( these too give away as celebratory or condolence cookies - more on that in my next post ) I discovered the issue with last week's cookies.  I accidentally put baking powder in the recipe instead of baking soda.  Duh!!!!  I know this was the issue cause I don't keep baking soda with my baking supplies.  My baking soda is in the laundry room because I buy it in bulk to use in baking and laundry and cleaning.

Monday night shenanigans....

During CPR training, we learned how to take off disposable gloves without getting any of the pretend blood on us.  Tonight this technique worked to not get gluten-ous cookie batter on my skin...under my nails...etc. 

With the help of Andre Bo celli in my cd player and my Kitchen Aid mixer, I whipped up nearly 4-1/2 dozen cookies.  Cookies....big guns...call 'em what you want.

Why am I making cookies?  Well....someone did not believe the POWER behind homemade from scratch cookies.  Tomorrow these tasty treats will make their way westward via a courier...  And here's hoping they prove my statement to be infact 100% true.m I am not doubting the power of eggs and Sugar in the Raw and flour and dark chocolate chips.

I don't.....

....bake a lot anymore.  First of all ~ gluten-free baking supplies are kind of pricey.  Second ~ I honestly don't have all that much free time.  I am not saying that I wouldn't embrace change if the Lord directs...  I have to be open to His leading.

I took someone's advice and joined a book club.  I love it!!!  We have read some amazing books and discuss them by a fireplace.  I kind of feel snobby saying, "I can't meet you tonight.  I have book club." Not in a snobby-McSnobberson sort of way...it's just I have a life.  Me.  Angie Good.  The girl with curly hair...which totally reminds me ~ I need to look for new hair product.  The one I have now has run its life span and is now causing my curls to rebel.  {Sigh.} We must not anger THE BEAST.

I digress.

I also teach Sunday school which takes time to prepare. 

I am a secretary in three capacities....at my place of employment, at church regarding Sunday school, and also for ladies club. I like being organized ~ however if you were to stop by my cubicle tomorrow morning, you would find anything BUT organization.  Infact you would find piles and piles of stuff....it's kind of helter-skelter.

I love lazy evenings and weekends when I can come home from work and just be me....crazy, ridiculous, book-lovin' me!!!  My life is small and it's not exciting or glamorous.  And I am blessed.

C is for cookie

Confession

Saying that I like cookbooks is like me trying to convince you that my hair has a slight natural curl!  

I LOVE COOKBOOKS!!!!!!  

Today, however, I am weeding through the ones I don't use in order to give them to my Bible study gals who might make good use of them.  

Brownies...

I totally forgot that I snapped this picture...

These are the gluten-free brownies that I made for Valentine's Day.  I put this pan of brownies in the oven and whispered a prayer, "Lord, you have done many miracles...please, please let these turn out delightful!  My dinner guests will be here soon and I don't have time for Plan B, so I am asking for You to help these turn out.  Amen." 

Twenty minutes later, I removed the pan and the brownies had fluffed-up & filled the pan.  My thankful heart rejoiced several times and unfortunately with all the rejoicing, I didn't snap a picture of the "after" brownies.  One of my dinner guests, who arrived early, can attest to the rejoicing.  I'm fairly certain that Barb thought I was completely insane...but when you put a pan of brownies in the oven that looks like that pictured above and you pull out a pan of pretty looking brownies, your heart can only overflow with praise for a wonderful miracle!

I heart breakfast...

I love eggs.  Scrambled...omelets...hard boiled...poached...

Poached eggs remind me of my childhood.  My Mom had this amazing talent to poach eggs to perfection.  It's taken me...well, awhile :)...to master the art of poaching eggs.  And truth-be-told, I always get a little nervous so I pull out Polly Clingerman's cookbook, The Kitchen Companion.
 

In her book, Polly explains just about everything that would ever (ever-ever-ever) need to know about cooking, baking, etc. 

Polly's cookbook has changed my life!  I can now poach eggs!  Look out world, the girl with curly hair just might take over the universe!!!

It's called "Chocolate Passion Bowl."

Tomorrow is our church potluck.  After careful perusal for my recipe box, I have decided to make a scrumptious dessert called "Chocolate Passion Bowl."  I have yet to figure out where all the passion comes from...I mean, SERIOUSLY...the recipe contains...

1 - fresh-baked brownies cubed (I used a dark chocolate mix!)
2 - raspberries (I bought frozen -- they were way cheaper & look deeeelish!)
3 - container of Cool Whip
4 - Instant chocolate pudding

I mean, it is alot of chocolate...with a smackeral of raspberries. 

This recipe came from a Cool Whip advertisement (I believe in my Midwest Living magazine...  I recall clipping the recipe because it sounded heavenly!).  How misleading...  What they are really saying is, "Make this dessert and you will find love!"  And the girl with curly hair says rather sarcastically, "Yeah right!"

A little motivation...

"I am not above motivating the children with baked goods!  Kids will do anything for baked goods!" said Miss Angie.


"Ummm...I will do anything for baked goods!" declared a by-stander.


The recipe said "Yields 48 cookies" -- well, HA! HA!  Take that Hersheys -- because the girl with curly hair actually ended-up with 53.  Only one cookie was slightly compromised...as it took a jab from the spatula.  No worries, I don't think the children will notice.  I cannot believe that I ended-up with the yield amount + 5!  This never ever ever happens...well, it did happen once or twice when I made buckeyes.  Have you ever had buckeyes?  They are balls of peanut butter and powdered sugar that are covered in chocolate!  I've always wanted to try using almond butter in place of the peanut butter...and then cover them with white chocolate...but what if they taste icky and I have wasted all those ingredients...  Blog-stalkers, have you ever tried experimenting with the buckeye recipe???  Please let me know via the COMMENT feature below.


These cookies smell soooo good.  Oh for the days when I could eat them fresh out of the oven...and don't get me wrong, I could...HOWEVER I DO NOT WANT TO END UP WITH A TERRIBLY PAINFUL STOMACH ACHE...and that is what would happen.  The pain is not worth the sweet treat. 

Too help curb my craving, I took a teaspoon and enjoyed a healthy serving of smooth peanut butter straight from the jar.  Look...a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.

OH - this reminds me that I finished the book titled What's A Girl to Do? and at the end Janet Folger enjoys some yummy Godiva chocolates...and as she enjoys the blessed treat, she writes, "What's a girl to do?"  Ummmm...EAT THE CHOCOLATE!!!!  Smart girl. 

While the cookies baked, I watched the newer version of How The Grinch Stole Christmas.  I love that movie.  It explains the story behind the Grinch's loathing of Christmas.  Here's a quote from the end of the movie...

And the Grinch, with his

Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow,

stood puzzling and puzzling,

how could it be so? 

It came without ribbons. 

It came without tags. 

It came without packages,

boxes or bags.  And he puzzled

and puzzled 'till his puzzler was

sore.  Then the Grinch thought

of something he hadn't before. 

What if Christmas, he thought,

doesn't come from a store. 

What if Christmas, perhaps,

means a little bit more.  ~Dr Seuss

The other day one of the turtles from the pond was found wandering underneath the Christmas tree in the lobby of my place of employment...and the first thing that came to my mind was the Faith Hill song from the Grinch movie, "Where are you Christmas?"  I thought, This poor turtle is wondering...WHERE ARE YOU CHRISTMAS???? 

Baking...

Today while meandering through Woodman's, the little voice inside my head said to purchase a bag of Nestle Tollhouse Chocolate Chunks to be a blessing.  I wasn't sure who needed the blessing of chocolate chunk cookies...but I followed the prompting and purchased a small bag of flour and said chocolate chunks.  Isn't it great being a blessing?  And what better way to be a blessing than by baking?  Well, there was that ONE TIME when the baking didn't go according to plan...  Okay, okay, so I am hearing my mom's voice say, "What do you mean that ONE TIME....there have been multiple times, Angela Dawn!"  And she is right...

1. The squirrel peppermint brownie debacle ~ in my defense, I thought (I mean REALLY THOUGHT) squirrels hibernated.  Weren't the squirrels asleep on Bambi when the young prince was born and Thumper had to wake everyone up?  Disney...set me up for a brownie debacle.  I sat the pan outside to cool and went about cleaning up the kitchen.  Several minutes later, I looked outside and saw a gray squirrel pilfering in a corner of the brownies.  Those brownies were York Peppermint Patty Brownies and quite pricey to make.  Being a resourceful girl, I noticed that just one corner had been compromised...so I did what any poor schoolteacher would've done, I cut out the 2" section, cubed up the rest of the brownies, and served them on another plate.  That's right.  I served them at the library's Christmas get-together.  Everyone kept commenting on how good they were and I thought, You and some squirrel too!!!!

2. The tablespoons of cinnamon instead of teaspoons...  I had just declared to my whole family at our Thanksgiving Feast, "This pumpkin spice roll is going to be the best thing you've ever tasted!  It's wonderful!  I am an amazing baker!"  Ummmm...pride cometh before the fall.  The pumpkin roll was dry and gross.  We masked the taste with vanilla ice cream...lots of ice cream.  And yes, I am still picked-on about said dessert.

3. In my very early endeavors, I believe I thought I could substitute corn syrup for oil.  They looked the same.

4. The egg that fell in the chocolate chip cookies that were to impress a certain someone...  My KitchenAid mixer did a fine job of crushing up the small pieces that remained in the batter and the receiver of the cookies was none-the-wiser.

5. OVER-Broiled salmon.  It was awful!!!!  My father said nothing bad about it as we picked it up and nibbled at it like squirrels feasting on ears of corn.  In my defense, I did not understand that broil was synonymous with SUPER HOT!!!!!  Twenty minutes broiled definitely compromised the salmon.

I'm happy to insure you that I have been cooking conundrum free for quite some time.  (Knock on wood, right?)  I mean -- it's almost time to start Christmas baking...which I will be doing this year!!!