Birthday Cakes

I'm afraid I might have lost all my blogger friends since I haven't posted in a while. 2012 has started off with a bang and as busy as ever.

Over the weekend, we celebrated my husband Landon's birthday. Well, we actually celebrated last week by having some friends over because I had to work all day Saturday, which was his actual birthday.

I gave Landon the choice of what he would like to eat, willing to prepare anything he wanted. Of, course, he defaulted to his favorite food -- pizza. So, I asked him about what type of cake he wanted. Not much of a sweet eater, he said he didn't really want one. But, I don't think you can have a birthday without a cake.

With it being my choice of cake, I decided to make one of my favorite cakes that is easy and oh so good. This is a cake that I got hooked on in college because my roommate Kate loved to make it ... and we both loved to eat it!

It has several names but I typically call it Heath Bar Cake.

Here's what you need:

• 1 (18.25 ounce) package devil's food cake mix
• 1/2 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 6 ounces caramel ice cream topping
• 3 (1.4 ounce) Heath Bars, chopped or crushed
• 1 (8 ounce) container cool whip, thawed

As I said, it is one of the simplest cakes to make. Just bake the cake mix in a 9x13 in pan according to the package and let cool for about five minutes.

Next, poke holes all over the cake (but don't poke all the way through). You can use your utensil of choice for this. I read where some people like to use a fork to get even coverage. I just used the end of a wooden spoon.

Meanwhile, mix your condensed milk and caramel sauce in a saucepan over low heat until blended.  Then, pour the mixture over the top of the warm cake and let it sink in. Sprinkle your crushed Heath Bars on top of the cake, but reserve a few to decorate with. Finally, once the cake is completely cool, spread the cool whip over top and decorate with your remaining caramel and heath bars. Refrigerate and serve!

This is one of those cakes that gets better as it sits, so if you can make it the night before, do!

All our friends loved the cake and I took the leftovers to work Friday where it also received rave reviews. So, I highly recommend!

Pumpkin + Pinterest

When Landon's mom was in town a few weeks ago, we made Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins with Streusel topping. Of course, this was a Pinterest recipe and it is definitely one I will be using again. They were oh, so scrumptious!

Half of the batch was made with my new cute little IKEA muffin tins ... I love them!

These muffins are the wonderful creation of Laine at It's Just Laine. The full recipe can be found here: http://www.justlaine.com/2011/09/pumpkin-spice-muffins-with-cream-cheese.html

I highly recommend them. Not only were they absolutely scrumptious, but they were also easy to make, unlike some of the recipes found on Pinterest. So, add these to your list to make this "pumpkin" season.

Oh, and please check out Laine's blog! You won't be disappointed!

My Cookbook Fetish

I'm beginning to think I have a cookbook fetish! Okay, that might be a little dramatic, but I do love to buy new cookbooks. The other night, I picked up one of my favorites at Whole Foods (I was picking up Whole Foods' awesome Three-Cheese Focaccia bread ... I don't buy much at Whole Foods, but their bread is so good!).

It's really more of a magazine than a cookbook. If you haven't discovered "America's Test Kitchen," then you are missing out! I first learned of "America's Test Kitchen" when we moved to Texas last year. We have chosen to be a family without cable, which means there aren't a lot of shows worth watching on a Saturday morning. One Saturday, while on the search for our morning entertainment, we stumbled upon PBS and the "America's Test Kitchen" TV show. I fell in love immediately.

I come from a long line of amazing cooks. If you have ever been privileged enough to have a meal at my Mema's house, then you know what I mean. My mom is also a fabulous cook. I can definitely follow a recipe, but I don't have the knowledge and instinct that my mom and Mema have ... but I wish I did.

Well, that's why I love "America's Test Kitchen." It's a product of "Cook's Illustrated." Not only do the "America's Test Kitchen" books have amazing recipes, but with each one, they tell you the techniques used, why certain techniques and ingredients work better than others and step-by-step instructions. They identify what brands are best and why they stand up to others. The concept is that they have "tested" each recipe to perfection. 

I have made lots of their recipes, and I can tell you that I haven't found any yet that I don't like from mac and cheese, shrimp and grits, pan fried pork chops and Italian-style meatloaves. Some take a lot of time, so I reserve them for Saturdays. And, they also usually have some different type of ingredients that I don't typically keep at home, so you have to prepare, but the prep work is worth it.

I now have three different "America's Test Kitchen" books - 30-Minute Suppers (Summer 2010), Best of 2010 and now the Best of 2011. Here is a sampling of what's in the 2011 book, taken from the "America's Test Kitchen" website:

"The Best of America’s Test Kitchen 2011 features a wide range of recipes from starters to desserts, from meat and pasta to vegetarian dishes and desserts, including Hot Crab Dip (from our cookbook Best Potluck Recipes), Grilled Vegetable and Bread Salad ( from the Healthy Family Cookbook), Slow-Cooker Chicken Chili (from Cook’s Country magazine), Steak Tips with Mushroom Gravy (from Cook’s Illustrated magazine), Black Bean Burgers ( from our cookbook Light and Healthy 2010), and Individual Fallen Chocolate Cakes for Two (from our Cooking for Two cookbook)."

The Wall Street Journal reviewed it and said:

"While the skilled team at America's Test Kitchen doesn't shy away from the occasional elaborate recipe—their six-layer Strawberry Stack Cake requires 15 ingredients and a lot of patience—most of the 175 recipes in this compilation concentrate on mastering the basics and turning out delicious home cooking with a minimum of wasted time ... If, like frontiersman Kit Carson on his deathbed, you've ever wished that you had 'time for just one more bowl of chili,' this one is for you."

That's exactly how I feel with their recipes! I get excited every time I plan a dinner from one of these books, because I know it is going to be so good. Mmmm ....  I can't wait to try out some of these new recipes!

Do you have any cookbooks that you just love? If so, let me know!

A Birthday Treat

Today is a very special day because it's my amazing husband's birthday!!! So, in honor of the momentous occasion, I decided last night around 6 p.m. that I needed to make him a proper birthday treat. ("Why didn't I plan ahead?" you ask, despite knowing today was going to be Landon's birthday? I don't know!) 

After listing a few things off to him that I was willing to make, it was clear after I mentioned cheesecake and received his follow up question of, "You are going to make a cheesecake?" that, that is what he really wanted. So, I pulled out one of my favorite cheesecake recipes and headed to the store (because, of course, I had no plans to make anything until this moment).

Now, for those of you who made it your New Year's resolution to eat healthy, I advise you to simply stop reading now. Seriously. 

This cheesecake is not for those on a diet. Matter of fact, it might be one of the worst things you could ever eat, but it is oh so good. I found the recipe somewhere online, and it is supposedly a "Cheesecake Factory Cheesecake." I'm not going to claim it's as good as the restaurant's, but it would rival any other homemade cheesecake.

Here's what you need. First, let's start with the crust. That's one of the things that makes this cheesecake a little different than others. It doesn't just have a graham cracker crust. The ingredients include:

Crust
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
1/4 cup finely chopped almonds
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
3/4 cup finely chopped vanilla wafers
2 Tablespoons melted butter

First things first, pull out your food processor or mini chopper and make sure everything is nice and fine.

Next, add in your melted butter. It won't be a real moist crust, but that's okay. Press the mixture into a 9-inch buttered springform pan, trying to line the sides as much as possible. The recipe says to try and go about one and a half inch up the sides, but I can never get mine that high. I just do what I can.

Next, it's time to work on the filling. Here is what you are going to need:

Filling
24 ounces cream cheese
1 1/3 cups sugar
5 large eggs
16 ounces sour cream
1/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons lemon juice

This time, you'll need to pull out your mixer. The recipe says to begin with all ingredients at room temperature. This really is wise, but I have to confess that my ingredients are never fully room temp, so my cheesecake may not be quite as smooth as it should be. But, honestly, I always forget that one little direction, and it's usually too late for me to wait for everything to warm up!

Anyway, back to the recipe ... start by beating your cream cheese until it is light and fluffy, keeping the mixer on the low setting throughout this entire process.

Next, add the sugar a little at a time, continuing to beat the mixture until creamy. 

 

Now, add one egg at a time and beat after each. 

When eggs have been mixed into the cream cheese, add the flour, vanilla and lemon juice and mix well. Add the sour cream last and once again, beat well. By now, you should have a creamy mixture.

Add this mixture into your springform pan. You should have plenty of filling so that your pan is very full.

My mouth is already watering! Okay, so the hardest part is done but unfortunately, we are no where near being able to enjoy!

Next, place the pan on the top rack in the middle of a 325 degree preheated oven for one hour and 15 minutes. (I was going to post a pic of my cheesecake in the oven, but then I realized how dirty the inside of my oven is! Yikes! I need to add that to my to-do list!) A little advice, speaking from my own experience, don't put your oven rack as high up as it will go. The cheesecake will rise and if it's too high up, you will have a nice mess on the top oven burners!

When the time is up (and your kitchen is smelling really good), prop open the oven door. Now, once again, you don't get to enjoy just yet. Leave the cheesecake in the oven with the door open for another hour. (I know, for those of you like me who are impatient, this recipe is a good test of patience!)

After one hour, you can finally remove the cheesecake from the oven. Let it cool pretty well and then place the cheesecake in the fridge. The recipe says to leave the cheesecake in the fridge for 24 hours so that it can season. If you think ahead to make this 24 hours before you are planning to eat in, then by all means, follow the directions. It will be worth the wait.

But, since I didn't get started on mine until 6 p.m. yesterday (really more like 7 p.m., by the time I went to the store), then we'll be digging in a little early! We have some friends coming over tonight to  celebrate Landon's birthday and help us eat the cheesecake. I can't wait!

Now, one thing with cheesecakes that I have never been able to avoid is cracking. Every cheesecake I have ever made has cracked, including the one last night.

I know some people will cook the cheesecake in a water bath. I've never done this but would love to hear if you've perfected the "no crack" cheesecake and have a secret.

If, like me, you haven't, then that's okay. There are a few ways to remedy the situation. There is  actually a video on e-how.com of a professional showing how to fill in the cracks. He makes it look really easy. If it had not been 11 p.m. last night by the time my cheesecake was done, I might have tried this, but instead, I decided to use another tried and true trick -- topping. I always buy a little topping for the cheesecake, though it really doesn't need anything. One of my favorite toppings is cherry pie filling, but you could also do hot fudge, caramel or strawberry topping.

I figure tonight, once it's nice and chilled, and I've sliced it and added some topping, no one will really know that it was cracked. Also, as much as I'd love for my cheesecake to look perfect, all that really matters is the taste, and I can guarantee that it will be good tonight!