A (No-Bake) Cheesecake Redux

Mother's Day is a week from Sunday. That's only 10 days away- can you believe that?! Last Mother's Day, I took my mom out to lunch and a day of shopping when I felt a strange movement in my lower abdomen- a tickle that I hadn't felt before. It happened a couple more times then it finally donned on me that it was Hayden kicking me! It was such an awesome feeling and a moment I will never forget. I love that that was the first time I felt him moving inside me. From then on, he just kicked, kicked, kicked and he still does. He loves moving his little feet. 

This Mother's Day will be a special one too because it's the first one as a mother to a living, breathing, beautiful baby boy. I don't care if I get breakfast in bed, whether or not we go out to eat or if I get any gifts wrapped in bows. Hayden is my gift and he's all I need. Well, him and his Poppa. I need him too :-)

I made this no-bake cheesecake a couple years ago with lemon curd and I made it again last month for Easter, only this time I used a jar of Key Lime Curd that I picked up from a Williams-Sonoma Outlet awhile back. You can certainly make your own from scratch if you prefer, I just think a jarred curd is easier. This cheesecake would be a welcome addition to any Mother's Day menu. You bake the crust to set it, but the cheesecake filling is set up with gelatin in the refrigerator so you don't have to worry about overbaking it which means no cracks! and there are no water baths to fool around with. It's also ultra creamy and fluffy and it can be made a couple days in advance. It was light and mousse like and reminded me of key lime pie, but without all the pucker. 

Make this cheesecake for a special Momma in your life, or heck, treat yourself for being so awesome. You could also pass this recipe onto one of your kids and have them make it for you. Yup, that's what I'd do :-). 

 Lime Curd Icebox Cheesecake adapted from HERE
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Crust:

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• 3 Tbsp. sugar

Filling:

• 1/3 cup prepared lime or lemon curd
• 1/4 cup fresh lime or lemon juice
• 1 envelope (2 3/4 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin
• 24 oz. (3 bricks) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1 teaspoon grated lime or lemon zest
• 3/4 cup sugar
• pinch salt
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream, room temperature

Garnish: 

• 1/3 cup prepared lime or lemon curd (more or less depending on your preference)
• whipped cream

For the crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and adjust an oven rack to the middle position.

In a medium bowl, combine graham crackers, sugar and butter. Mix until combined. 

Press the mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch spring form pan. Bake the crust until it is lightly golden brown, about 8-10 minutes. Cool the crust completely on a wire rack before filling.

For the filling: In a small bowl, put the 1/4 cup fresh lime or lemon juice. Sprinkle the gelatin over the top and let it stand until the gelatin softens, about 5 minutes. Microwave the mixture until it is bubbling around the edges and the gelatin dissolves, about 30 seconds. Set aside.

In a large bowl with a handheld mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese, lime or lemon zest, sugar, and salt until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl, about 2 minutes. 

Slowly add the cream and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the gelatin mixture and 1/3 cup of the prepared lime or lemon curd. Beat until the mixture is smooth and airy, about 3 minutes. Pour the filling into the cooled crust and smooth the top.

For the decorative topping: Using a teaspoon, dollop the remaining curd on top of the cheesecake and lightly drag a pairing knife or skewer through the lines to create a marble appearance. Alternately, you could pipe the curd (I put the curd into a Ziploc bag, snipped the corner and piped) into lines or swirls and drag a skewer through it to make other decorative patterns.

Refrigerate the cheesecake until set, at least 6 hours. Remove the sides of the pan, cut into slices and serve.

Serves 12

I mentioned that I made this cheesecake for Easter but I also wanted to show you what my Mom made. She made a Pineapple Angel Lush and served it with fresh berries. It was really light and tasty. Click HERE for the recipe if you're interested. 

Ripe Banana Remedy

What do you do with speckled overly ripe bananas? I'm sure many of you are thinking banana bread, right? I don't love banana bread (gasp!) so I usually toss them into fruit smoothies or make this strawberry Jell-o salad. I like bananas as a snack, but I like them firm with a little green still on them. Once they turn brown, I'm out! Usually if they're really black they get thrown away. Don't hate me banana bread lovers! I've tried freezing them with and without the peel but wasn't not a pretty site, in fact it made me dislike ripe bananas even more.

This is one recipe that I don't get tired of though and it calls for 2 overly ripe mashed bananas. Since I usually only buy 3 at a time, this works out perfectly so I can eat one and not worry about the others turning colors. And my husband loves it and requests it all the time so it's a win-win situation. I featured this Jell-O salad before on LTBG a couple years ago but it had one lone picture and it was ugly so no one ever commented. ha ha! I'm sharing it again because it really is good and I think you'd like it.

I usually make this in a Pyrex bowl, but I've made them in small clear glasses for a prettier, single-serving presentation as well. Either way you serve it, it tastes the same. The gelatin is more substantial and has body from the banana and crushed pineapple that are mixed into it. The frozen strawberries kinda break things up a bit so not everything is too smooth and baby food like. But it's the sour cream layer that I love. It's not sweetened at all but when you eat it with the strawberry Jello it almost tastes like cream cheese. I hope you'll give this one a try- it's nothing fancy, just good stuff.

Strawberry Jell-O Salad previously seen HERE

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• 1 6 oz. box strawberry jell-o
• 1 1/2 c. boiling water
• 8 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed without lumps
• 10-12 whole frozen strawberries
• 1 c. sour cream

In a medium bowl pour boiling water over strawberry jello. Mix til gelatin is fully dissolved. Add in crushed pineapple, and bananas. Add in strawberries and mix.

In a small bowl, stir sour cream til creamy and loosened a bit.

In a medium bowl, pour half the gelatin mixture (see note). Carefully ladle the sour cream over the jell-o, then pour the rest of the mixture over the sour cream.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

NOTE: To help the jello set up a bit quicker, I put the bowl in freezer for 5 minutes before adding the sour cream layer and the additional jello on top. This just helps keep the layers separated but it's not necessary.

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And just because I think it's funny, here's a picture of Mr. H and Autumn sharing a father/daughter moment while taking a break from varmint hunting in our backyard*.

*No animals were harmed in the making on this Jello :-)

Cranberry Orange Bliss: A Two-fer

I hope you all had a peaceful holiday full of family, friends, fun and food! There was a lot of cooking and preparing on my end, but once the festivities began, I was able to relax a bit. I hope the same was for you. We had family over (a total of 17) for Christmas Brunch over at my mom's house. It's the first time we've ever done brunch for this holiday and I have to say, it was a nice change to the usual turkey and ham- though I love that too.

Since I was so pressed for time this year, I wasn't able to make the dozens of cookies that I am known to make. I was a little bummed about it because I had such grand plans conjured up in my head, but all I was able to crank out of my kitchen for gifts was this bread. But it's a fabulous bread, so that's okay. This recipe comes straight from the Cranberry people themselves- Ocean Spray. That just goes to show that the recipes on the back of the bag deserve to be made- they're there for a reason. I tripled this recipe and made 2 loaves for my neighbors and I froze one to share with the family at Christmas brunch. This recipe also makes really great and addictive muffins. The fresh orange flavor really shines through and it's low in fat. Shhhh....I won't tell if you don't.

I bought this stoneware wreath mold from Williams-Sonoma last December at their after Christmas sale. I got it on clearance for about $9, but I never used it until this past Thanksgiving when I made the classic molded cranberry sauce from their website. It really was delicious, but my family kept calling it "fancy Jello", which irked me a bit 'cause it took a lot longer to make than Jello. I could have just made the boxed stuff for ease, but this was SO much better! Eh, I'll get over it :-) If you don't have a mold, you can just use a bowl or a small bundt pan, but do make it. Also excellent on leftover turkey sandwiches.

P.S. If you're interested, I did a guest post on Maranda's blog, Jolts & Jollies. If you haven't been over there before, you need to check her out, because she has a lot to offer! Go HERE.

Cranberry Orange Bread from Ocean Spray

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• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup orange juice
• 1 tablespoon grated orange peel
• 2 tablespoons shortening
• 1 egg, well beaten
• 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts, optional

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.

Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a medium mixing bowl. Stir in orange juice, orange peel, shortening and egg. Mix until well blended.

Stir in cranberries and nuts, if using. Spread evenly in loaf pan.

Bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely. Wrap and store overnight.

Makes 1 loaf (16 slices)

Molded Cranberry Orange Sauce from Williams-Sonoma

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• 1 lb. fresh cranberries
• 1 cup plus 2 Tbs. sugar
• Zest of 2 oranges
• 2/3 cup fresh orange juice
• Pinch of salt
• 2/3 cup plus 2 Tbs. cold water
• 1 envelope unflavored gelatin

Lightly coat the inside of a ceramic cranberry mold with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the cranberries, sugar, orange zest, orange juice, salt and the 2/3 cup water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and the cranberries have burst, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, pour the 2 Tbs. water into a small bowl and sprinkle with the gelatin. Let stand until the gelatin softens and swells, 5 to 10 minutes.

Spoon 1/2 cup of the juices from the cranberries into the gelatin and stir until the gelatin has dissolved. Pour the gelatin mixture into the cranberry mixture and stir to combine.

Pour the cranberry mixture into the prepared mold and let cool to room temperature. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to overnight.

To unmold, dip the mold into a large bowl of warm water so the water reaches almost to the rim of the mold. Remove from the water and run a small paring knife or spatula around the inside of the mold to loosen it. Place a serving platter upside down on top of the mold, invert the platter and mold together and shake gently. Then lift off the mold.

Serves 12 to 16.

NOTE: I pureed, then strained the cranberry mixture before adding it to the gelatin, for a smoother texture.

On a side note, this is my most favorite gift that I received this year from my hubby. Actually, it was my favorite gift from anyone. It's special to me, because he made them with his own two talented hands. They're made with black walnut, cherry and maple woods. Ahhh, LOVE.

Hope you have a safe weekend. Happy New Year!

Lemony Goodness & A Brief Getaway

Mr. H and I are going away for a long weekend. We're not going too far but I'm hoping for some quiet one-on-one time. Well that sounds dirty, but you know what I mean :-) We're going to stay in a nice hotel, relax out by the pool- he developing his tan, me under an umbrella with a book (more than likely a magazine), listen to music, we're going to walk and explore, eat and shop. What every getaway should be like.

In the meantime, I'll leave you with this oh-so-creamy no bake lemon cheesecake. Sound good? Believe me, it was! And it went quick. This was one of the things I made for my mom's 4th of July BBQ. It also served double duty as my cousin's 12th birthday dessert. He and I share the same birthday and I didn't get to see him on his special day so as my birthday gift to him, I promised I'd make a cheesecake for him. He LOVES cheesecake and his parents won't spend the money or the time baking a real cheesecake so they usually buy Sara Lee frozen junk, like he got last year. 2010 brought him a Jell-O no bake cheesecake. Doh! So I felt it was my duty to bake him something homemade, creamy and made with actually cream cheese! Last year I made him Mini Cookies 'n Cream Cheesecakes and he raved about them every time I saw him, this cheesecake was no different. Even my mom couldn't stop talking about how good and creamy it was.

This cheesecake comes from the folks at Cook's Country (America's Test Kitchen) and they don't usually make their recipes available to the public unless you subscribe to their website. So I was glad to find it on Mel's Kitchen Cafe-- she had me at "no bake" :-) This is a no bake cheesecake but you still have to turn the oven on set the graham cracker crust. The filling is loaded with cream cheese, heavy cream and lemon curd, all set up by a little envelope of gelatin. You do have to chill it for a few hours, hence the word "icebox" in the title, but it'll be worth it. You can make it at night like I did and it will be ready for you the next day.

Even though I didn't have to bake this, I wanted this to be quick. I didn't have time to make the homemade lemon curd and allow it to cool, I so used the jarred stuff and it worked out fine. I made a couple changes to the recipe like adding an extra tablespoon of butter to the crust and omitting the zest in the crust and adding it to the filling for an extra zing. I also used graham cracker crumbs instead of crushing up my crackers- it was easier and I didn't have to bring out the food processor. My changes are reflected below. If you want to make your own lemon curd go ahead, if not then use good quality jarred curd and follow the directions accordingly. Either way, you'll be rewarded by a very creamy, almost fluffy, perfectly tart, lemony cheesecake. Enjoy!

Lemon Curd Icebox Cheesecake adapted from Cook's Country via Mel's Kitchen Cafe

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Crust:

• 9 whole rectangular graham crackers (or about 1 1/2 cups crushed)
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted

Lemon Curd:

• 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• pinch salt
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream

Filling:

• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, from about 2 lemons
• 1 envelope (2 3/4 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin
• 24 oz. (3 bricks) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 3/4 cup sugar
• pinch salt
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream, room temperature

For the crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and adjust an oven rack to the middle position.

In a food processor, pulse the graham crackers until they are finely ground (I used boxed graham cracker crumbs). Add the butter and pulse until combined. Alternately, the graham crackers can be crushed in a resealable bag with a rolling pin and then poured into a bowl where the zest and butter can be stirred in.

Press the mixture onto the bottom of a 9-inch spring form pan. Bake the crust until it is lightly golden brown, about 8 minutes. Cool the crust completely on a wire rack before filling.

For the curd: While the crust is cooling, whisk the egg, egg yolk, sugar and salt together in a small saucepan. Whisk in the lemon juice and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick and pudding-like, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and cream. Press the mixture through a fine mesh strainer or sieve into a small bowl and refrigerate until needed.

For the filling: In a small bowl, put the 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice. Sprinkle the gelatin over the top and let it stand until the gelatin softens, about 5 minutes. Microwave the mixture until it is bubbling around the edges and the gelatin dissolves, about 30 seconds. Set aside.

In a large bowl with a handheld mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese, lemon zest, sugar, and salt until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl, about 2 minutes. Slowly add the cream and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the gelatin mixture and 1/4 cup of the refrigerated lemon curd. Beat until the mixture is smooth and airy, about 3 minutes. Pour the filling into the cooled crust and smooth the top.

For the decorative topping: Using a teaspoon, dollop the remaining curd on top of the cheesecake and lightly drag a pairing knife or skewer through the lines to create a marble appearance. Alternately, you could pipe the curd (I put the curd into a Ziploc bag, snipped the corner and piped) into lines or swirls and drag a skewer through it to make other decorative patterns.

Refrigerate the cheesecake until set, at least 6 hours. Remove the sides of the pan, cut into slices and serve.

Serves 12

NOTES: The cheesecake can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 3 days. To create a clean slice of cheesecake, dip your knife in a glass of hot water, dry it, then slice the cheesecake. Do this for each slice.

*Do NOT substitute the heavy cream for half 'n half or milk. You need the fat in the cream to whip up and provide body and texture to the cheesecake. Milk will just thin out your batter and it won't set properly.

Mmm! See y'all next week!

For All Mothers

This is a delicious and simple dessert that would be perfect for your mother this weekend. Heck it would be good on any day or in the car on the way to work, in a dark theater all by yourself sitting in the back row or while walking the family pooch. This stuff was yummy! But really what's there not to love about cream and brown sugar?

I found this recipe by chance while we were in DC in February. I'm not sure how I came across it and that doesn't really matter now because all that's important is that this panna cotta and I crossed paths. I love sour cream and brown sugar together, especially with fruit- berries to be exact. It reminds me of Romanoff Sauce that I made for Mother's Day last year. Flavor wise, the only difference is that Romanoff Sauce has Brandy in it and this panna cotta does not.

Top: Cooked cream and brown sugar

Bottom: Cooked cream, brown sugar and sour cream

It was creamy. Oh so creamy! It was silky, smooth, mildly sweetened and wonderfully rich. Berries are definitely recommended to eat along with this to cut through the richness. Of course you could go over the top and drizzle some caramel sauce! I tried it with blueberries and raspberries for photo purposes but I really enjoyed it with sliced strawberries and a sprinkling of sugar in the raw. Heavenly I tell you! I also tried to brulee it and while the sugar got nice and crunchy on top the filling got a little soft so I don't recomment that. This was very simple and came together quickly. The hardest part is waiting for the cooked cream to set up. This serves 6-8 so you could serve it to a crowd without much effort. I hope you'll make this for your mom this weekend- I'm sure she'll love it!

Brown Sugar & Sour Cream Panna Cotta

adapted from Delicious Inspiration

• 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream

In a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over 2 tablespoons of cold water. Let stand for about 1 minute until softened. Do not stir.

In a heavy saucepan, combine the heavy cream and brown sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves. Remove pan from heat.

Whisk in the sour cream until smooth. Stir 1 cup of cream mixture into gelatin mixture, then stir cream and gelatin mixture back into reserved cream.

Divide mixture among individual serving bowls that have been lightly greased. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 4 hours or until set.

Serves 6-8

NOTE: I kept these in a covered container for a week in the refrigerator and they tasted just as fresh on the seventh day as they did on the first.

SERVING: I tried to unmold these and it didn't work out very well. I oiled the ramekins, let them sit out to take the chill off. I ran a thin knife around the panna cotta and I dipped the bottoms in warm water. I got the panna cotta out but it didn't look so pretty. So just save your time and eat them out of the bowl unless you don't care what they look like.

Happy mother's day to all you mothers out there. To the grandmothers, mothers, step mothers, daughters, aunts and sisters out there that have ever loved or cared for a child. To those of you who have children with you and those of you who are forever missing them.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend.

Marshmallows!

I got together again with Michelle and Ingrid this month to bring you another yummy recipe! We have kind of like our own little Daring Bakers Group. We're more like the Daring Baker Chicks though :-) This time I chose homemade marshmallows from Alton Brown. We had such great success with the pretzels last month and this recipe was no exception. These marshmallows were really tasty.

I've never made marshmallows before but they've always been on my list to make. They were so simple but the end result was impressive. I had great plans to make flavored marshmallows. Cinnamon maybe...those would be so good dunked into hot cocoa. I also wanted to colors them into springy pastel colors but I didn't put much thought into it prior to heading into the kitchen so I made vanilla marshmallows. And I'm glad I did.

Leaving them plain gave me the opportunity to dip them into silky dark chocolate and crushed graham cracker crumbs. This was my alternative to s'mores since I didn't have any graham crackers. These marshmallows were firm but fluffy. They were squishy and jiggly, sweet and soft. Once the chocolate hardened it created a bit of a shell when you bit into it. The graham cracker crumbs added a slight saltiness and a great texture. It also kept the chocolate from melting in your hands. The hubby said these tasted like Pinwheels!

Homemade Marshmallows from Alton Brown

• 3 packages unflavored gelatin
• 1 cup ice cold water, divided
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• Nonstick spray

Place the gelatin into the bowl of a stand mixer along with 1/2 cup of the water. Have the whisk attachment standing by.

In a small saucepan combine the remaining 1/2 cup water, granulated sugar, corn syrup and salt. Place over medium high heat, cover and allow to cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Uncover, clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the pan and continue to cook until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Once the mixture reaches this temperature, immediately remove from the heat.

Turn the mixer on low speed and, while running, slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin mixture. Once you have added all of the syrup, increase the speed to high. Continue to whip until the mixture becomes very thick and is lukewarm, approximately 12 to 15 minutes. Add the vanilla during the last minute of whipping. While the mixture is whipping prepare the pans as follows.

Combine the powdered sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Lightly spray a 13 by 9-inch metal baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Add the sugar and cornstarch mixture and move around to completely coat the bottom and sides of the pan. Return the remaining mixture to the bowl for later use.

When ready, pour the mixture into the prepared pan, using a lightly oiled spatula for spreading evenly into the pan. Dust the top with enough of the remaining sugar and cornstarch mixture to lightly cover. Reserve the rest for later. Allow the marshmallows to sit uncovered for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.

Turn the marshmallows out onto a cutting board (I used a piece of parchment) and cut into 1-inch squares using a pizza wheel dusted with the powdered sugar mixture. Once cut, lightly dust all sides of each marshmallow with the remaining mixture, using additional if necessary. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

For the S'more marshmallows: Dip the bottom of a marshmallows into melted dark chocolate, them dip into crushed graham crackers. Place on a sheet of wax paper or parchment til chocolate hardens.

Please stop by Ingrid's and Michelle's to see their marshmallows!