Neopolitan Cheesecake

Taste Verdict: Success
                   Presentation Verdict: Eh                   

Neighbor-worthy

This was one of my riskier attempts at making my own dessert.  I love cheesecake and have been craving it something fierce lately.  I have already posted my margarita cheesecake, but this one was a stretch and I thought would be a good blog entry. 

This weekend I wanted to make my own marble cheesecake.  Then I thought "Ok, I'll make a strawberry-marble cheesecake for the blog".  Then I thought about trying to make a vanilla bean cheesecake.  Blah, blah, blah-I was obviously longing for a fun cheesecake-and I thought up a really fun thing to try: Neopolitan. 

Neopolitan is the ice cream choice that my parents (and probably yours) made for gatherings thinking it would cover more peoples' preferences as it is 1/3 strawberry, 1/3 vanilla and 1/3 chocolate. More times than not, we were left with a carton of strawberry 'cause no one wanted it.  That was fine with me as I hated it (SEE NOTES).  Well, I don't think that could ever be the case with cheesecake...cheesecake is just too good to avoid a flavor. 

I used this recipe for the basis of my recipe. I tweaked it by stripping it of its flavor and made the rest up as I went along. 

Ingredients:

Vanilla Simple Syrup:

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup water

1 vanilla bean split with seeds removed but reserved

Crust:

1 3/4 2 cups graham cracker crumbs

3 2 tablespoons light brown sugar

1 stick melted butter

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Cheesecake(s):

3 8oz packages cream cheese reduced-fat cream cheese
3 eggs plus one yolk
1 15oz can pureed pumpkin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup sour cream reduced-fat sour cream
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons strawberry jam
3 oz semi-sweet chocolate

Heat a small sauce pan over Medium-high heat and combine water, sugar and the stalk (pod) and seeds. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Stir occasionally as you cook it until the sugar has dissolved. Take off the heat and allow the syrup to cool. 

In a medium bowl, place the graham crumbs, sugar and cinnamon and mix the hell out of them.  Add the butter and mix.  Press mixture firmly into a 9" springform pan (trailing it up the sides some).

Beat the cream cheese with a hand mixer until smooth and add the sour cream and sugar, then eggs, one by one.  Add the flour and the vanilla and continue to beat until combined.  Separate into three bowls.

In a small sauce pan, melt your chocolate and allow to cool-but not long enough for it to harden.

Bowl 1: Add your chocolate and mix well.
Bowl 2: Strain your simple syrup, add 1/2 cup and mix well. 1/4 cup.
Bowl 3: Add your jam and mix well.

Pour the contents of your chocolate mix into your crusted pan first.  Chill in fridge for 10 minutes.  Then CAREFULLY layer your vanilla above on top of the chocolate and chill for 10 minutes.  Pour the strawberry upon the vanilla.  Place in the oven and bake for 1 hr.  Remove from the oven and let sit for 20 minutes.  Cover with plastic wrap and throw in the fridge for at least 4 hours. Before you pop the spring to serve, run a knife along the rim to loosen the side crust trail.  Some will fall off-no big deal.

Notes:
I love being adventurous.  This was my creation including making a vanilla cheesecake as I have never seen one nor read a recipe for one.  I had used a simple syrup in another recipe and thought "why not try it here?"
This is probably the worst presentation I have had for something I've made to date (on the blog).

No-foul Error in Judgement:
When I do this again, I will use less syrup for the vanilla.  It watered that layer down causing the strawberry to integrate with it when poured in.  It ended up tasting just fine (well, awesome actually).

Happy Accident:
**The strawberry ended up being the slightest layer which works for me.  :)


Tweaks:
I made the receipe Neopolitan
I substituted reduced-fat sour cream and cream cheese for the recipe.
I (obviously) removed the spices and pumpkin from the recipe.
I added graham cracker crumbs to yield more crust (I LOVE crust).


Any ideas for me?  themaniccheater@gmail.com.

Just the Tip:

The Best Way to Clean Up Broken Glass

SOMETIMES WE BREAK A GLASS, PICK IT UP AND END UP WITH GLASS IN OUR FOOT LIKE 3 DAYS LATER.  While we are all able to clean most of the pieces and sweep up the rest,  it is almost impossible to get it all up with our hands or dust pan and a broom there is always those crystal clear shards and dust behind that lingers for a while and often ends up in our feet.  If this has never happened to you, you are a LIAR.  Regardless, I learned the best way to get it all up while working at my Aunt Georgia's restaurant as a teen...

The best way to get that dust or those missed shards of glass is by using a piece of white bread.  It works like a sponge for solids.  It grabs all those missed remnants.  Try it (next time you break something glass or ceramic, it works.)


If you have similar tricks of the trade, shoot them to me.  themaniccheater@gmail.com

Bloody Mary Burgers

Verdict: Success

Neighbor-worthy

I had my first Bloody Mary not all that long ago (like 4 years or so ago).  It was with my cousins Dana and Ignacio and their 2 kids (Nico and Naia) at a Santa Breakfast at my parents' country club.  I love spending time with all of my cousins' kids, but this time was extra special and not 'cause they were at that age where they were so cute you wish there was a shot that would keep 'em that age forever, but because their event brought me to my now favorite brunch drink.

I love trying to incorporate multiple favorites into one recipe (see my Margarita Cheesecake) and when I heard about this recipe, I had to try it.  And tweak it some.

The recipe below is for 4 servings.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion diced

2 ribs of celery diced   (I LOATHE recipes that ask for this--where you need to buy a "bunch for a pinch")

1 tablespoon celery salt   (What the hell is celery salt?)

1 tablespoon hot sauce

black pepper

1 cup tomato sauce   (This is a burger recipe, go ahead and use jarred)

2 lbs ground beef sirloin ground turkey meat

2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley chopped dried parsley*

2 tablespoons horseradish

2 palmfuls grill seasoning

4 kaiser or roll of choice

+ low-fat swiss cheese

Preheat Broiler to High.  Preheat a large skillet on Medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

Put a small sauce pan on your range on Medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons olive oil.  When it ripples, add the onion and celery and season with salt and pepper.  Add hot sauce and cook until the onion is translucent (while stirring).  Add the tomato sauce and bring to a slight boil.  Lower your heat to Medium-low (or a little lower-like a low plus) simmer while doing the burgers.

Combine your meat, worcestershire, parsley, horseradish and seasoning mix in a bowl.  Make it so the ingredients are all evenly distributed.  Portion your mixture out into 4 equal parts.  Pound out (not "pound", just make) the portions into patties that are about an inch thick.  Push the center of the burger in a little so that it is more shallow than the diameter. 

Add the patties to the skillet and cook each side about 6-8 minutes and flip and repeat.  Add your cheese to melt toward the end.  Toast your rolls in your broiler---WATCH THEM, a broiler can burn bread fast.  Pour your sauce on top of your buger and serve with some sides.

Notes:

This is not for everyone but still damn good even if you don't like Bloody Mary's.  Add some hot sauce or Tabasco upon your burger to up the heat factor.

Tweaks:

I used "regular" salt instead of celery salt (I have no idea what celery salt it.  I'm not saying it doesn't exist, just that I'm not going to buy it.)
I added cheese to the burger.

Healthy tweaks:

I changed the sirloin to turkey meat (slightly less fattening and lower in cholesterol).

Cheats:
*I already had to buy a whole bunch of celery and use almost none of the mass of it.  I didn't want to do it again with the parsely, so I used dried.

Gimme some burger or grilled chicken sandwich recipes!  Send 'em to themaniccheater@gmail.com

Mark's Protein Bars

Verdict: Success

Neighbor-worthy

I have to say I'm actually not fond of Protein Bars...I think they're kinda gross, but like a few other things in posts, I need to try things I don't like and things that are challenging..  And it's that time of year again: bathing suit season.  So for those overly secure people who have their mail sent directly to the gym, good for you and bite me.  For people like my bf (and family) whose superpower is a ridiculously high metabolism, you can bite me as well.  This is more for the rest of us that have to work at it.

Typically this post would have made more sense in May, right when you are in pre-summer crunch time.  As I am a little self involved, I didn't really think about bod issues this year (I had a good winter, tone-wise), and didn't think to make a post with something like this as I personally didn't need it.  But this damn heat-it has hindered my desire to go to the gym and cook for myself.  So that means that, in addition to being idle and skipping the gym more, I am eating out more often and not as healthily.  I'm sure I'm not alone.

While I wasn't sure they existed, I scrounged for some Protein Bar recipes online and found a lot that can help give (if you're a believer) a boost to your work out.  I meshed a bunch together and tweaked, tweaked, tweaked to try something of my own creation...an edible Protein Bar.

Preheat your oven to 350°   Spray a 9x13" baking dish with vegetable spray (like PAM)

Ingredients:

1 cup  quick-cooking oats

1 cup bran cereal

1/4 cup whole-wheat  flour

1/2 cup walnuts chopped

2/3cup dried figs chopped

2/3 cup dried cherries chopped

2/3 cup dried apricot chopped

1/2 cup non-fat condensed milk

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 cup honey

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon chunky peanut butter
2 cups chocolate chips

parchment paper

Put the oats, cereal, flour, walnuts, fruit, cinnamon and ginger in a food processor and "pulse" on low (until coarsely chopped).  Add the honey, peanut butter, milk and eggs and "pulse" until well combined.  (If your FP doesn't fit all the ingredients, split the recipe in half and do it twice).

Put the mixture into your pan and spread evenly.  Bake until a little browned on the border (about 20 minutes).  Cool for 15-20 minutes. Cut into the size you prefer (I aimed for the kind in the stores). 

Lie parchment paper on a platter or cookie sheet. Whisk the chocolate chips* in a small sauce pan on Medium heat until melted and smooth.  Transfer to a small bowl and allow to cool a little.  Dip your bar into the chocolate and turn or flip until all sides are covers....covered, not dripping profusely.  Lie carefully on parchment paper.  Put platter or parchment paper in fridge for 15 minutes to a half an hr. 

Share, serve, or eat and go running or pump iron.

Notes:

I really have no idea why I did this recipe...maybe 'cause heat makes me feel so incredibly gross. 
If it is hot out (like it is here right now), that chocolate will melt-just like a candy bar. And this 'aint no M&M.  It will melt in your hand!

Tweaks:

I tweaked and stole a bunch of recipes to come up with this one.
I added more fruit than usual because I think P Bars are gross to begin with.

The chocolate was my idea.  No recipes I found called for it but all the ones I have ever had are covered in something.  I would've used dark chocolate, as is better for you, but I could get any at store.

How about some other work out things?  Or healthy things....NO SMOOTHIES--I hate them and as banana is my bane  and seems to be the backbone of smoothies, I won't make them.

Send me some  :)  themaniccheater@gmail.com



Spicy Chicken Empanadas

Verdict: Success

Neighbor-worthy

This recipe is one of my own after having totally ripped off a bunch of similar recipes over the years so there is no trackable tweaking here.  There are however cheats.  It is/was a Tuesday night and I am/was too tired to make my own dough which I usually do for these.  The same goes for the salsa in the recipe.  Corners are cut on this post.  I'll tell you how I do those another time.

The recipes I have done before have called for frying the empanadas, which obviously makes them taste awesome, but it really isn't necessary.  I bake them.

I LOVE these empanadas and if you haven't caught on yet, I love spicy food.  If you do not, then leave out the jalapeños and only use a little hot sauce.  If you really do not, then skip the hot sauce all together.


Serve these with nachos, sour cream and my guacamole.  Or yours, whatever...

Ingredients:

1/2 rotisserie chicken meat stripped from bones (about 3 cups worth)

2 jalapeño peppers diced

1 red bell pepper chopped

1 cup low-fat shredded cheddar

1 yellow onion chopped

just short of 1 tablespoon cumin

2  tablespoons canola oil

4 oz fat free cream cheese

1 cup home made salsa  (recipe DOES NOT follow today)

home made dough (recipe DOES NOT follow today)

salt
pepper

flour for sprinkling

water

hot sauce (Franks Red Hot or Cholula recommended)

+ store bought (freshest, non-processed as possible) salsa

+ 2 ready-made pie crusts
+ olive oil

Pre-heat your oven to 400°

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over Medium-high heat.  When the oil smokes, lower the heat to Medium and add the onion and bell pepper and season with salt and pepper.  When veggies get soft, add the chicken followed by the salsa.  Mix well with a wooden spoons and cook for 5 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Throw the chicken mix into a large bowl and add the jalapeño, cheese, hot sauce, cumin and cream cheese and mix well.

Lie your pie crusts on a work surface and lightly flour.  Using a cookie cutter (or in my case, as a non-cookie cutter owner, something round you can cut around--a glass or a lid of some sort) cut out circles from the dough (5" diameters or so).  Use the leftover scraps to roll and cut out additional circles.  Try to get 10.

Spoon a tablespoon and a half of the mixture you made onto one side of the circle, but not to the edge.  Dip your fingers in water and lightly wet the outside of the circle all the way around.  Fold the empty side over the mound of chicken to line up with the other side.  Using a fork, press down on the sides to seal the edges of your creation.  Lie on a cookie sheet sprayed with a vegetable spray (like PAM) and repeat the process.  Reserve any leftover mix and put on top of nachos or something.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Brush with some olive oil as these are dryer than the greasy one that come from oil.

Notes:  I will definitely do these again when I fry them but I am trying to stay away from fried foods as much as I can.  It's easier to do with recipes like this where it tastes so good without it.

Tweaks:

I baked these instead of frying them as is the (mostly) traditional method.


Cheats:

I used store bought salsa instead of making my own.

I used ready-made pie crusts instead of making my own dough.

Confession:

I am pretty sure my motivation for not making my own salsa and dough was mostly 'cause I didn't want to write it all out for a looong post.

Send me some challenges!  themaniccheater@gmail.com.

Jalapeño Margaritas

Verdict: Success

Neighbor-worthy

This one is pretty straight forward with limited changes as I was too stressed from this ridiculous heat to cook and there is not too much you can tweak or cheat with a drink recipe.  Well, that's a lie....you could cut corners and reduce the time by buying flavored tequila and using margarita mix but, c'mon...are you really in that much of a hurry for your drink?     Ok, me too....so have a shot while you wait.

PRE-note.  This one is for pepper lovers.  If you are not a fan of jalapeño, DO NOT make this.  Us cool kids that do are gonna hang (and drink) over in the corner.



This recipe makes four glasses of summer relief.  (We have HUGE Marg glasses, so I made 2 big ones)

Ingredients:

jalapeño seeded and sliced

1 1/4 cup tequila silver tequila (I used Petron)

1/2 cup lime juice

sugar

coarse salt

3 tablespoons orange-flavored liquor (triple sec)

superfine sugar  (I don't know what the hell that means, but my regular sugar is pretty super enough)

cilantro (for garnish)  *Don't waste your time and money.  I happen to have some from a recent meal.

+ cayenne pepper

Mix the jalapeño and the tequila in a glass and let stand for an hour.  Rub the rim of your glasses with lime juice and set aside for garnish.  Pour sugar and salt plus a pinch of cayenne onto a plate and mix up.  Dip the rims f your margarita glasses into the salt mixture to coat the wet ring.  Fill the glasses with ice.

Combine the tequila, lime juice, triple sec and (superfine, pfft) sugar into a cocktail shaker. Shake and pour.  *Garnish with cilantro.  

If it's a weekend, repeat all steps.

Notes: I get the irony that I was complaining about the heat and picked a picante drink...but they are totally different heats.  One I love, the other I loathe.

Tweaks:

Not really a tweak....maybe just a bossy suggestion to use a good, clear tequila.
I LOVE hot things, so I used 2 jalapeños...came out H O T.  So good.

I have no idea what the original recipe meant by "superfine" sugar...regular ole sugar is fine enough for me.

Comments? Complaints Praise? Recipes to share?  e-mail me: themaniccheater@gmail.com.

Personal Request:

It's Hot! Send Me Some Summery Recipes...

IT HAS BEEN SERIOUSLY HOT LATELY--GET ME SOME GOOD RECIPES TO BEAT THE HEAT This heat is a serious deterrent from standing in front of a stove and I need some cool/cold stuff to make.  It is also nice to eat (or drink) cool things on the terrace at our building.

Give a guy some help...

Send them to me (please and thank you): themaniccheater@gmail.com

Spicy Glazed Eggplant

                                                            *Shown with salad and broccoli with chesse and bacon

Verdict: Success (*if you're a vegetarian, otherwise a semi)

Neighbor-worthy*

I have never really been an eggplant person until recently so I am ripping this whole thing off.  My bf's mother doesn't respond to the word "no" in her dining room so it all started there.  Then I realized my mother, who had to learn the word "no" at our table on account of me being a bitch growing up, makes the world's best eggplant parm. 

So here I am about to embark on a new venture: an eggplant dish. Never bought one, sliced one or even had one in my apartment.  This one could totally suck which will piss me off 'cause it's a million degrees out and the last place I want to be is at a stove...but my guy wants to eat on my building's terrace and I want to be nice.  I'm playing with this recipe.

Heat a grill or grill pan or George Formany apparatus (I use the Griddler) to High.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1" piece fresh ginger roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic finely chopped

1  teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 cup hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

1 medium eggplant ends trimmed and cut into 1/2" thick slices lengthwise

6 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves

Heat oil in a small sauce pan over Medium heat.  Add the garlic and pepper flakes and cook until soft.  Remove from heat and whisk in the hoisin, vinegar and soy sauce until combined.

Brush eggplant on both sides with the oil and season with salt and pepper.  Place eggplant on the grill until golden and a wee bit charred.  Brush on some of the glaze and turn over to continue grilling until cooked through (brushing some more glaze on it).  remove from grill and brush with more glaze.  Plate it and sprinkle with some cilantro.

*Notes:  Hmmm...  Good/Bad: This recipe tasted great, but it really isn't/wasn't a meal to me.  My bf needs meat for a meal (healthy meals, of course) and I hate to admit it but I do to.  As you can see above, I had to add cheese and bacon to the side of broccoli to attempt to make it feel meal-worthy.  This was more of an appetizer in my book and most likely in the books of fellow carnivores.

Tweaks:
I removed the ginger--I hate ginger.  I find it too overpowering and can't ever get the taste out of my mouth.  If you love ginger, by all means use it. 

Cheats:

I copied this whole damn recipe as I've never worked with eggplant before.

If you have a more fulfilling veggie entree, by all means, send to me!   themaniccheater@gmail.com

Just the Tip:

Run the Dishwasher Before You Go Out of Town

MOM TAUGHT ME TO ALWAYS CLEAN UP YOUR HOUSE BEFORE YOU LEAVE IT FOR THE WEEKEND OR A LONG TRIP SO THAT YOU COME HOME TO A TIDY PLACE That rule is one I always follow.  Beds made, floors swept, couch cusions in order and clutter, well, de-cluttered.  One thing on that list one should ALWAYS follow is running the dishwasher before you take off.

Even if there are only like 2 dishes and a couple of glasses, run that sucker.  If you don't, that shit'll stink up your whole house.  It's like leaving a full trash can to fester for days.  It's gross and not what you want to return too.

Any tip you wanna give me?  Bring it on: themaniccheater@gmail.com