Happy Memorial Day!

  

Not to be confused with Veterans Day...this is the day we honor those that gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms and liberties!!!   Take a moment to thank them all in your own heart and your own way.....

Lazy dog days of summer

Mascarpone Cheesecake in Mexican Chocolate Crust

Chocolate-Pecan Crumb Crust
1 (2 ounce) round tablet Mexican
    table chocolate (such as Ibarra)
2 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate
10 double graham crackers
1 cup pecan halves
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Set oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Chop chocolate and drop through feed tube of a running food processor or blender. Add graham crackers and pecans and process until they are fine crumbs. Pour crumbs into a 10- or 12-inch diameter springform pan. Stir in cinnamon and brown sugar. Add melted butter and, using your fingers, quickly mash the mixture until the crumbs hold together. Use your knuckles to press up the sides, then press over bottom of pan. Bake 10 minutes. Cool.

Mascarpone Filling
1 tablespoon unflavored gelatine
1/4 cup cold water
1 1/2 pounds mascarpone cheese
24 ounces cream cheese, so ftened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups cream

Dissolve gelatin in water in a small bowl, then set aside to soften for 5 minutes. To keep gelatine liquefied, set bowl in a larger bowl of hot water.

Beat mascarpone and cream cheese at high speed with an electric mixer until fluffy. Gradually pour in sugar while continuing to beat. At medium speed, beat in lemon juice and vanilla extract. Remove bowl from mixer and, using a large rubber spatula, quickly fold gelatine into cheese mixture.

In a cold bowl and with cold beaters, whip cream to stiff peaks. Fold a scoop of cream into the mascarpone mixture to lighten it and make it easier to blend with the cream. Then fold remaining cream into the cheese base. Pour into cooled crust. Cover well with plastic wrap and chill at least 4 hours.

Decorate with shaved chocolate and more whipped cream piped at intervals around the rim of the cake. Slice wedges with a knife dipped in a tall glass of hot water, then wiped dry.

Makes 16 servings.

Smothered Steak Burgers

Sautéed mushrooms, steak sauce, and Worcestershire sauce create robust flavors in this knife-and-fork burger.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 burger)

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 2  tablespoons  finely chopped shallots
• 1  garlic clove, minced
• 1  (8-ounce) package presliced button mushrooms
• 1/2  cup  fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
• 1  tablespoon  low-sodium steak sauce (such as Angostura)
• 1  teaspoon  cornstarch
• 1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 2  tablespoons  ketchup
• 1  tablespoon  Worcestershire sauce
• 1  pound  ground sirloin
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 4  green leaf lettuce leaves
• 4  (1/2-inch-thick) tomato slices
• 4  (2-ounce) Kaiser rolls, toasted

Preparation

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add shallots and garlic to pan; cook 1 minute or until tender, stirring frequently. Increase heat to medium-high. Add mushrooms to pan; cook 10 minutes or until moisture evaporates, stirring occasionally. Combine broth, steak sauce, and cornstarch, stirring with a whisk. Add broth mixture to pan; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until thickened, stirring constantly. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Remove mushroom mixture from pan; cover and keep warm. Wipe pan with paper towels.

2. Combine remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add beef to bowl; toss gently to combine. Shape beef mixture into 4 (1/2-inch-thick) patties; sprinkle evenly with salt.

3. Heat pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add patties to pan; cook 4 minutes. Turn and cook 3 minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Place 1 lettuce leaf and 1 tomato slice on the bottom half of each roll. Top each serving with 1 patty, about 1/4 cup mushroom mixture, and top half of roll.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

398 (0.0% from fat)

Fat:

12.9g (sat 4.4g,mono 5.1g,poly 1.4g)

Protein:

30.7g

Carbohydrate:

38.4g

Fiber:

1.9g

Cholesterol:

41mg

Iron:

4.9mg

Sodium:

747mg

Calcium:

79mg

Carrot Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cups HONEY MAID Graham Cracker Crumbs
• 1 cup sugar, divided
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
• 3 (8 ounce) packages PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3/4 cup BREAKSTONE\’S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup finely shredded carrots
• 1 1/2 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

Directions

1. 
   Heat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. 
   Mix butter, crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon; press onto bottom of 13×9-inch pan. Bake 10 minutes.
3. 
   Beat cream cheese, vanilla and the remaining sugar and cinnamon in large bowl with mixer until blended. Add sour cream; mix well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each just until blended. Stir in carrots; spread over crust.
4. 
   Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool completely. Refrigerate 4 hours. Serve topped with COOL WHIP.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving Calories:
176

Total Fat:
11.9g

Cholesterol:
63mg

Pickled Vegetables

Description

Pickled carrots, jicama, cauliflower, and string beans make a healthy snack to have on hand. The carrots offer a great deal of beta-carotene and iron. The jicama and cauliflower provide vitamin C and potassium, and the sting beans have a good deal of antioxidants and also add some color to the combination. The vinegar here is well seasoned with the essence of mustard, dill weed, and garlic, all offset with a hint of sweet and balancing brown sugar. The pickling liquid makes an excellent dressing for any salad.

Ingredients

1/2 pound carrots, peeled and cut in round on the diagonal (about 2 cups) 1/2 pound string beans 1 small head of cauliflower, broken into florets (about 2 cups) 1/2 raw jicama, peeled and cut in half and cut into sticks DRESSING: 2 cups purified water 2 1/2 cups cider vinegar 1/4 cup olive oil 3 tablespoons brown sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon dill weed 6 cloves garlic 1/4 cup pickling spices or: 5 bay leaves 1 tablespoon mustard seed 1 tablespoon dill seed 1 1/2 teaspoons red chili flakes

Instructions

Fill a large pot with 5 cups of water and bring to a boil. First drop in the carrots and parboil for 2 minutes, then quickly scoop them with a strainer or large slotted spoon and transfer to a pot filled with cold water and ice to shock them. Drop the sting beans into the boiling water and cook just until they turn bright green (about 3 minutes), then quickly transfer them to the ice water. The cauliflower will only need to parboil for 1 minute. Let all the vegetables sit in the cold water for a few minutes to cool. Drain the cold water, remove the cooled vegetables to a big bowl, and add the raw jicama. Put all the dressing ingredients including the pickling spices in a stainless-steel pan set over medium heat, bring it to a boil, and cook for 2 minutes. Pour the cooked dressing over the vegetables and allow them to cool at room temperature. Once cooled, put the vegetables into a 1-gallon glass jar or lidded plastic container and fill it with as much dressing as the jar will hold. Cover and refrigerate for 2 days before eating. Tips from Rosie's Kitchen: Blanching your vegetables makes them porous to absorb flavor from the dressing. Cooling them rapidly shocks the vegetables and stops any further cooking; shocking them quickly keeps your pickles crisp and crunchy rather than limp and rubber. The jicama is porous enough raw, so it doesn't need to be blanched. Each vegetable is blanched separately because some vegetables need more time than others, and we want them all to be crisp and flavorful.

Bannana Nut Cheesecake

1 cup chocolate wafer crumbs
1/4 cup margarine, melted
16 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup mashed ripe bananas
2 large eggs
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup milk chocolate chips
1 tablespoon margarine
2 tablespoons water

Combine crumbs and margarine; press onto the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes.

Combine cream cheese, sugar and banana, mixing at medium speed on electric mixer until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in walnuts, pour over crust. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes. Loosen cake from rim; cool before removing rim pf pan.

Melt chocolate pieces and margarine with water over low heat, stirring until smooth. Drizzle over cheesecake. Chill.

Try the five-grain cream waffles recipe

For years, Kim Boyce, a pastry chef who sifted and stirred her way through some of Los Angeles' best kitchens, from Wolfgang Puck's Spago to Nancy Silverton's Campanile, only worked in white. White flour, that is. Until she discovered the delight of cooking with whole-grains.

Curiously, she had her epiphany — make that her whole-grain epiphany — when she plopped some beet and apple purees into a bowl of 10-grain pancake mix and made pancakes on a plugged-in griddle on her dining room table.

"It was nutty and chewy and had a depth of flavor I'd never tasted before," says Boyce, whose aha! moment was born of desperation. She had a hungry 1-year-old on her hip, and, deep in house reconstruction, she didn't have a kitchen.

She'd roamed the grocery aisles that very morning, in search of the healthiest food she could cook for her baby, but given that she was working without a sink, it had to be something that would end with the fewest pots to scrub in the bathtub. She settled on that 10-grain sack.
What she discovered was deliciousness.

From that virgin bite, Boyce says, she set out to conquer the whole-grain world. And she was set on stirring up recipes more delicious than all the white-flour financiers and puff pastries she had prepared in her professional past.

"I had never in a professional kitchen come across a bin of whole-wheat flour, or a bag of rye flour," says Boyce, who shares her discoveries in "Good to the Grain: Baking with Whole-Grain Flours" (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, $29.95).

It wasn't the nutrition that led her to learn the fine points of baking with buckwheat, oat and spelt flour. It was the flavor, Boyce insists. Soon, her kitchen counters were lined with screw-top glass jars of flours she'd never heard of.

Baking with whole grains "is all about balance, about figuring out how to get the right combination of structure and flavor from flours that don't act the same way as regular white flour," she writes. "There is a reason whole-wheat pastry has a bad reputation."

If you're inclined to march down the whole-grain road, Boyce suggests you start slowly. Choose just one flour for your first experiments; she recommends barley or rye flours, which are milder than whole wheat. (She opts for storing it in the fridge, not the freezer, if you don't think you'll use the flour quickly.)

Finally, she adds this dash of courage: Don't be disappointed. And don't give up.

The whole-grain deliciousness is worth your time in the experimental pastry kitchen.

Five-grain cream waffles

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 4 minutes/batch
Makes: 12

The multigrain flour mix gives these waffles their complex flavor. Two cups of cream make the batter delicate and keep the waffles moist. Serve with the best maple syrup you can find and a knob of good butter.

Ingredients:
1 cup multigrain flour mix (see note below)
1 cup whole-grain pastry flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
3 eggs
2 cups whipping cream
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) butter, melted

1. Turn waffle iron to highest setting. Sift all dry ingredients into a large bowl.

2. Whisk eggs and cream together. Pour into dry ingredients. Gently fold mixtures together until batter is thick and pillowlike, with large pockets of deflated bubbles on surface.

3. Brush waffle iron generously with butter. Ladle on 1/2 cup batter; close. Remove waffle with fork when indicator light shows it's done, 4-6 minutes. Repeat.

Note: For multigrain flour mix, mix in a bowl 1 cup each whole-wheat flour, oat flour and barley flour; 1/2 cup each millet flour and rye flour. Whisk.

Nutrition information:
Per serving: 274 calories, 67% of calories from fat, 20 g fat, 12 g saturated fat, 118 mg cholesterol, 19 g carbohydrates, 5 g protein, 253 mg sodium, 2 g fiber.

Recipe: Hickory-smoked brisket with coffee BBQ sauce

There's nothing like taming a tough cut of meat through the mastery of a low and slow fire, or deftly handling a lean cut quickly over a hot grill. But often it's that signature touch -- a thoughtfully honed sauce -- that separates barbecue masters from weekend warriors.

Total time: 2 hours, plus 5 to 6 hours smoking time
Servings: 6 to 8

Note: This recipe calls for hickory chips and the use of a smoker, or a charcoal grill converted to a smoker. Hickory chips are available at many well-stocked markets as well as at barbecue supply stores. The barbecue sauce makes about 6 cups, more than is needed for this recipe. Any remaining sauce will keep up to 1 week, refrigerated.

Hickory-smoked brisket
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 (3- to 4-pound) beef brisket with a layer of fat no thicker than 1/2 -inch
4 cups beer
2 cups water
Hickory chips, soaked

1. In a small bowl, combine the salt, pepper, onion powder, cumin and garlic powder. Rub the mix into the brisket and let sit at room temperature, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

2. Meanwhile, prepare your smoker or grill to cook over low, indirect heat for several hours. Set up a drip pan underneath where the brisket will smoke, and fill with the beer and water. Shortly before cooking, adjust the heat as needed to maintain a temperature around 250 degrees, and add hickory chips to start smoking.

3. Place the brisket (fat side up) in the prepared smoker and cook for 2 1/2 hours. Adjust the heat as needed (add several coals to either side of the grill as needed if using a kettle grill) to maintain the ambient temperature (around 250 degrees); replenish the chips as needed to keep smoking. Baste the brisket every 30 minutes or so to keep it moist.

4. After 2 1/2 hours, wrap the brisket (fat side up) tightly in foil and continue to cook over indirect low heat until the meat is fork-tender, 3 to 4 additional hours (time may vary depending on the heat of the smoker and size and thickness of the brisket).

5. Remove the brisket from heat and, still wrapped in foil, cover it with a layer of newspaper and kitchen towels to keep warm. Set aside, covered, for at least 1 hour before serving. While the brisket is resting, make the sauce.

Southwestern barbecue sauce and assembly:
1 large onion, thinly sliced, top to bottom
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 jalapeños, seeded and diced
2 poblano or pasilla chiles, seeded and diced
1/2 cup strong brewed coffee
1 beer, preferably ale
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 cups ketchup
1/4 cup maple syrup, preferably Grade B
1/4 cup molasses
1 tablespoon cumin
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon New Mexico chile powder
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
Prepared smoked brisket

1. In a heavy-bottom 4-quart pot, combine the onion, garlic, jalapeños and chiles with the coffee and beer. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes.

2. Stir in the tomato paste, ketchup, maple syrup, molasses, cumin, salt, chile powder and red wine vinegar and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and blend the sauce using an immersion blender or in stages in a stand blender, until fairly smooth. Set aside.

3. Remove the brisket from the foil and slice across the grain into thin strips, reserving any pooled juices and leftover bits. Stir these drippings into the barbecue sauce. Serve the brisket warm with the barbecue sauce on the side.

Nutrition information:
Each of 8 servings: 667 calories; 37 grams protein; 19 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 44 grams fat; 18 grams saturated fat; 161 mg. cholesterol; 1,077 mg. sodium.

The truth behind the Loch Ness Monster

Deluxe Mac and Cheese!

The quintessential comfort dish of mac and cheese gets trendy. Combining cheddar cheese with Monterey Jack, leeks, prosciutto and peas elevates this mac and cheese into a sophisticated dish.

Mac and cheese might be the most comforting comfort food ever devised. It has all the attributes of feel-good food: cheesy, creamy and familiar. And it never seems to go out of style.

Many restaurants are making upscale versions adding lobster, truffles or other exotic ingredients. At a new restaurant in downtown Los Angeles called Mac and Cheeza, diners can add sausage, tomatoes, olives or nuts to their dish. And for those who don't eat dairy, the restaurant will whip up mac and soy cheese.

Mac and Cheeza would do well to add the following recipe to its repertoire. Combining Cheddar cheese with peppery Monterey Jack and a touch of Parmesan makes this mac and cheese sophisticated — a far cry from the "blue box" variety. Because I often make pasta with pesto, peas and prosciutto, I added those ingredients as well. The caramelized leeks elevate the dish to a new level, along with the crispy cheese and breadcrumb topping.


Tips

Advance preparation: This may be made up to two days ahead, covered and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before reheating in a 350-degree oven for 20 minutes. You may need to cover with foil so it does not burn.

•  Use Italian penne or fusilli instead of elbow macaroni.
•  Substitute blue cheese for the Pepper Jack cheese.
•  Substitute mortadella or speck for the prosciutto.

Three-cheese macaroni with leeks, prosciutto and peas

Prep: 35 minutes 

Cook: 1 hour 

Makes: 6 servings

Ingredients:

•  3 tablespoons olive oil
•  6 leeks, light green and white parts, cleaned, finely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
•  Freshly ground pepper
• 3/4 pound dried elbow macaroni
•  1 cup frozen baby peas
• 1/4 pound sliced prosciutto, finely chopped
•  Sauce:
•  3 tablespoons each: unsalted butter, flour
•  3 cups milk, warmed
•  2 cups shredded each: Pepper Jack cheese, sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
•  1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon each: salt, white pepper

Topping:

• 1/2 cup panko or other bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
•  2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tiny pieces

Steps:

1. 1 Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat oil in large non-aluminum skillet on medium-high heat. Add the leeks and cook, stirring often, until caramelized, about 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a large bowl. Meanwhile, heat a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Stir in the macaroni; cook until slightly soft to the bite, 7 minutes. Drain. Place in bowl with leeks; toss. Add peas and prosciutto; toss.
2. 2 For sauce, melt the 3 tablespoons butter in the large skillet over medium-low heat. Sprinkle the flour over the butter; whisk to mix well. Cook, stirring, until the flour is absorbed and the mixture is bubbling, about 2 minutes. Stir in the milk gradually; heat to a simmer over medium heat. Cook until the white sauce is smooth and thickened, 3-4 minutes. Add the cheeses. Remove from the heat; whisk constantly until the cheese is completely melted. Stir in the mustard, salt and pepper. Pour over the macaroni leek mixture; mix to combine.
3. 3 Place a greased 8-inch-square baking pan on a baking sheet. Transfer the macaroni mixture to the pan. For the topping, combine the breadcrumbs and Parmesan in a small bowl. Sprinkle evenly over the macaroni. Dot with the butter; bake uncovered, until the top browns and begins to form a crust, 35-40 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Nutrition information: Per serving: 908 calories, 48% of calories from fat, 49 g fat, 26 g saturated fat, 130 mg cholesterol, 75 g carbohydrates, 43 g protein, 1,491 mg sodium, 6 g fiber.

Tokyo-Style Beef Sukiyaki

When a popular dish costs $500, it may be time to try it at home.


Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Servings: 6

Note: Broiled tofu and itokonnyaku noodles are available at speciality or Japanese markets. Sliced rib-eye is generally available at Japanese and Korean markets; you can also have your butcher slice it.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds boneless rib-eye, sliced 1/8-inch thick, trimmed, fat reserved
3 tablespoons sugar
2 cups sake or white wine
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 package (14 ounces) firm tofu or yakitofu (broiled tofu), cut into 12 pieces
1 package (7 ounces) Japanese itokonnyaku noodles, rinsed, cut in half
1 bunch green onions, cut diagonally into 2-inch pieces
1 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 pound nappa cabbage or bok choy, sliced diagonally into 2-inch pieces
4 ounces (about 8) shiitake mushrooms, stemmed
2 cups watercress, stemmed

Heat a large skillet over medium heat; add beef fat. Cook, stirring it around to grease the pan, until hot. Add the sugar; cook until it begins to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Carefully add the sake and soy sauce (it will sputter).

Place in arranged mounds the tofu, noodles, green onions, onion, cabbage and mushrooms, leaving some room for the beef. Heat to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to simmer.

Add the beef in a mound. Cook just until the vegetables are tender and the meat is cooked to the desired consistency, about 8 minutes, pressing the ingredients into the broth so that they cook evenly.

Place the watercress in the center on top of the other ingredients; simmer just until the leaves wilt, about 1 minute.

Nutrition information:
Per serving: 487 calories, 28% of calories from fat, 15 g fat, 6 g saturated fat, 52 mg cholesterol, 35 g carbohydrates, 31 g protein, 267 mg sodium, 3 g fiber.

Grilled Mayonnaise Black pepper Chicken

This recipe courtesy of My Kitchen Snippets                      

When I saw this recipe at my friend Shereen's blog I know I have to try it out. Shereen used chicken pieces for this but since I am a big fan of wings I used that instead. The wings turn out really yummy! The wings were full of flavor; just melt in your mouth, fall of the bones and finger liking good.

Ingredients:
8 – 10 pcs chicken wings
1 tsp black pepper
4 cm fresh ginger
4 cloves garlic
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp sweet soy sauce/kicap manis
2 ½ tbsp of mayonnais
salt to taste

1. Clean and wash chicken wings and pat it dry.
2. Put the rest of the ingredients into a blender and blend into a paste.
3. Marinate the wings with the paste for at least 4 hours or overnight.
4. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degree F. Line a sheet pan with some aluminum foil. Drizzle it with some olive oil. Spread wings over the base.
5. Roast for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. Turn the wings half way through the baking. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Truths For Mature People

1. I think part of a best friend’s job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you’re wrong.

3. I totally take back all those times I didn’t want to nap when I was younger.

4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.

5. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

6. Was learning cursive really necessary?

7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on # 5. I’m pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

9. I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t at least kind of tired.

10. Bad decisions make good stories.

11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren’t going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don’t want to have to restart my collection…again.

13. I’m always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any changes to.

14. “Do not machine wash or tumble dry” means I will never wash this – ever.

15. I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Damn it!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voice mail. What did you do after I didn’t answer? Drop the phone and run away?

16. I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

17. I keep some people’s phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

18. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

19. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lite than Kay.

20. I wish Google Maps had an “Avoid Ghetto” routing option.

21. Sometimes, I’ll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the heck was going on when I first saw it.

22. I would rather try to carry 10 over-loaded plastic bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

23. The only time I look forward to a red light is when I’m trying to finish a text.

24. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

25. How many times is it appropriate to say “What?” before you just nod and smile because you still didn’t hear or understand a word they said?

26. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!

27. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

28. Is it just me or do high school kids get dumber & dumber every year?

29. There’s no worse feeling than that millisecond you’re sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

30. As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate bicyclists.

31. Sometimes I’ll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

32. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey – but I’d bet my ass everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time!

Mascarpone Cheesecake in Mexican Chocolate Crust

Chocolate-Pecan Crumb Crust
1 (2 ounce) round tablet Mexican
    table chocolate (such as Ibarra)
2 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate
10 double graham crackers
1 cup pecan halves
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Set oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Chop chocolate and drop through feed tube of a running food processor or blender. Add graham crackers and pecans and process until they are fine crumbs. Pour crumbs into a 10- or 12-inch diameter springform pan. Stir in cinnamon and brown sugar. Add melted butter and, using your fingers, quickly mash the mixture until the crumbs hold together. Use your knuckles to press up the sides, then press over bottom of pan. Bake 10 minutes. Cool.

Mascarpone Filling
1 tablespoon unflavored gelatine
1/4 cup cold water
1 1/2 pounds mascarpone cheese
24 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups cream

Dissolve gelatin in water in a small bowl, then set aside to soften for 5 minutes. To keep gelatine liquefied, set bowl in a larger bowl of hot water.

Beat mascarpone and cream cheese at high speed with an electric mixer until fluffy. Gradually pour in sugar while continuing to beat. At medium speed, beat in lemon juice and vanilla extract. Remove bowl from mixer and, using a large rubber spatula, quickly fold gelatine into cheese mixture.

In a cold bowl and with cold beaters, whip cream to stiff peaks. Fold a scoop of cream into the mascarpone mixture to lighten it and make it easier to blend with the cream. Then fold remaining cream into the cheese base. Pour into cooled crust. Cover well with plastic wrap and chill at least 4 hours.

Decorate with shaved chocolate and more whipped cream piped at intervals around the rim of the cake. Slice wedges with a knife dipped in a tall glass of hot water, then wiped dry.

Makes 16 servings.

Banana Cinnamon Chip Bread with Cinnamon Sugar Topping

Banana Cinnamon Chip Bread with Cinnamon Sugar Topping

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 over-ripe bananas, smashed up
1/3 cup melted butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup cinnamon chips

For the cinnamon sugar topping:

1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbs cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 loaf pan with cooking spray. Dust it lightly with flour and set aside.
2. Whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together in a small bowl. Set aside.
3. Mix the bananas, butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla together in a medium bowl. Add in the flour mixture and carefully stir. Don’t over mix. Add in the cinnamon chips and gently stir.
4. In a small dish, mix together the 1/3 cup sugar and 1 Tablespoon of cinnamon.
5. Add the batter to the loaf pan and smooth out with a spatula. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar topping generously over the batter.
6. Bake bread  for 50-60 minutes, or until golden brown and toothpick comes out clean. Transfer to cooling rack.
7. Let bread cool for 1o minutes and then remove from pan. Cool, slice, and enjoy.

Crepe is no doubt a very delicious and attractive looking thing. The fact that it is so good in taste makes it intimidating if one wants to make it. Well there is no need to get intimidated. Crepe is an astonishingly easy thing to cook. All that it needs is a little skill when it comes to frying. If you’ve fried even a toast before in your life then making Crepe is not going to be any extra effort.

The things that you would need for making Crepe are: One cup flour, half cup milk, quarter teaspoon salt, half cup water, two tablespoons melted butter and two eggs.

First of all mix the eggs and flour thoroughly, after that add in milk and water. Keep stirring the mixture while adding the milk and water so that the ingredients get properly combined. Add salt and butter in the mixture and batter properly until the product becomes smooth.

Now comes the time for frying. The mixing part was easy, but this part needs some skill. You may not be able to fry properly the first time but you’ll get better with practice. First of all make sure that the frying pan is heated moderately, not too hot. Secondly make sure that there is just a little amount of oil in the pan. A lot of heat and a lot of oil just make the Crepe “crappy”. Pour quarter cup of the batter in the moderately heated and moderately oiled pan. Keep it in until it becomes light brown on the lower side. Check for that by slightly lifting it. When satisfied turn it over to do the same on the other side. The Crepe is ready.