Mini Vanilla Cheesecakes with Raspberry Topping

Berries are on sale at the store and I went a little overboard buying them because they were so cheap (only $1.99/each!). Mr. Surly requested berry crumbles, which I made a couple times. But I wanted something different, something new to try that involved berries. It’s been awhile since I’ve browsed through my Jamie Oliver cookbook so I decided to look through it and see what kind of recipes he had involving berries. I came across this cheesecake recipe. It sounded yummy, I had all the ingredients, and it looked simple. Also, the fact that you don’t have to bake this was also a plus for me. Our temperatures are already in the mid-80’s to low 90’s and I hate turning the oven on because it warms up the kitchen. Jamie's recipe calls for a large 9” cheesecake with 3 blocks of cream cheese. There is no way Mr. Surly is going to eat anything with that much cream cheese, especially raw cream cheese, so I had to cut down the recipe to use only one 8 oz block of cream cheese. I only made a few minor changes and used two 4 ½” springform pans. Jamie’s cheesecake is completely raw, only the oatmeal gets toasted. Since I was making two cakes I decided to experiment; I bake one crust and left the other one uncooked to compare them. After sampling both, it was hard to tell a difference. But if you plan on keeping it in the fridge overnight, the baked crust might be a better choice. The unbaked crust has the potential to get soggy if it sits in the fridge too long (my unbaked crust started to get soggy after two days in the fridge). I know it's unusual to have such a small cake go uneaten for that long, but I have been sick the past couple days and have been unable to eat much.

Mediterranean Pepper Salad

I kinda broke a rule by eating this salad. Due to my GI issues I’m not really supposed to eat raw veggies because when I do my abdomen becomes painfully distended, making me look about 3 months pregnant and causing considerable pain. I have always enjoyed snacking on raw vegetables, especially bell peppers, because they are delightfully crisp and crunchy. Thus far I have been so good about following the diet put forth by both the nutritionist and doctor. I obediently stopped eating salads, quit snacking on raw carrots, gave up broccoli completely, etc. Therefore, I felt I deserved to eat some peppers, by far my favorite raw veggie. I decided a bell pepper salad would sufficiently satisfy my craving. Unfortunately, I was only able to eat one portion of this salad, and I paid the price for it, but it was definitely worth it. Once my stomach issue is fixed, I can’t wait to make this salad so I can enjoy it properly, without my stomach blowing up like a balloon within 30 minutes of my first bite of food. I made this the day before I planned on serving it so it could sit and marinate in the yummy dressing overnight.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I love a good chicken tortilla soup. When I lived in Ohio I often would go to Max and Erma’s and get a bowl of their chicken tortilla soup to go. Mmmm, my mouth is watering just thinking about that soup, Max and Erma’s serves the tastiest chicken tortilla soup I’ve ever had; it’s one of their most popular menu items. I’ve never tried to make it myself because most recipes have a long list of ingredients and being the lazy person I am, just never felt like putting forth the effort. Lucky for me I came across this recipe while browsing on Food Network. It got great reviews, looked fairly simple, and had a relatively simple list of ingredients. It ended up being really good; great flavor. However, I would have liked a bit more of a spicy kick to it. Maybe next time I make it I’ll add a serrano pepper or some adobo sauce. I made this as part of our cinco de mayo fiesta, so the chicken breast I used was seasoned with cumin, ancho chile, salt and pepper, since I was also making chicken enchiladas. I think the chicken could also be omitted without sacrificing any flavor.

Dolmades (Stuffed Grape Leaves)

I’m rather picky about my dolmades. My aunt and uncle lived in Greece for several years, so the first time I tried stuffed grape leaves, they were authentic Greek ones. Instantly, I was hooked. In Greece you can buy them in little tin cans, kinda like the size of a small can of tuna. Just stick a can in the fridge and they make an amazing snack anytime. Ever since then I have searched in vain in the United States for that same authentic taste. Any time I go to a Mediterranean restaurant that have grape leaves on the menu I always order them, each time hoping they will measure up to the ones from Greece. Each time I’ve been let down, to this day I still haven’t been able to find comparable ones. I always assumed they would be too difficult to make myself, but recently I found a recipe I thought I would enjoy and decided to give it a go. The result was pretty good. Still not as good as the real deal, but definitely better than the ones sold at Whole Foods. The recipe isn’t too difficult, just a bit time consuming. I found it enjoyable to stuff and roll the leaves. I would definitely make these again when I have another craving.

Lime Laced Mexcian Wedding Cakes

I remember the first time I had these cookies back when I was in junior high. My older sister was taking Spanish class and one of her class assignments was to make these cookies. We loved them instantly. Avid bakers often make these cookies around Christmas, sometimes calling them Russian tea cakes. Whatever you call them, no doubt about it, they’re divine. I have a bunch of limes and thought I’d experiment and add some zest and juice to the recipe. It made the finished cookie a bit softer and less crumbly and gave them a nice hint of lime flavor. I’m embarrassed to admit these cookies almost didn’t make it until my boyfriend came home from work. Lucky for him my abdominal pain kept me from eating the entire batch.

Moroccan Chicken with Couscous

A few weeks ago my boyfriend came home with a big bag of sweet potatoes. I have been feeling pretty ill lately and have had no desire to cook until last week. In an attempt to find a recipe that would help me use up some of those sweet potatoes I came across this dish on Martha Stewart’s website. It sounded good and I had all of the ingredients. I adapted the recipe a bit by added some spices and extra ingredients. It turned out really well. I love a dinner that is easy, quick, and requires minimum clean up. Also, the leftovers I had for lunch the next day were even better than dinner the previous night. Definitely a recipe I will make again.

Baklava

This past week I finally had an appetite—yay. I was craving Greek food for some reason—pitas, hummus, stuffed grape leaves, tzatziki sauce, etc. I’d had this baklava recipe marked for a long time, I just never felt like making it. But when I decided to make a Greek themed dinner, I had to include baklava for the dessert. I admit I was nervous about making it, I really love baklava and I was worried my homemade version would not live up to my expectations. I couldn’t have been more wrong…..

Oh my goodness, this was delicious. This was my first experience with phyllo and it went well. I had a couple of tears, but nothing too terrible. When eating, the top phyllo layers didn’t want to stay together, but most baklava is messy to eat. The taste is unbelievable. I’m glad I halved the syrup recipe (though this is probably the reason my baklava top was so flaky) because it was really sweet. I thought about using agave instead of honey but I worried agave would make it too sweet. (I personally think agave is sweeter than honey, and therefore when I substitute agave for honey I usually reduce the amount). Initially I was worried that even a half batch would yield more than the two of us could eat, but my boyfriend like it so much he’d eat two pieces at a time. Needless to say, it didn’t last long (thank goodness). I don’t know why I was so nervous to make this; it really wasn’t hard at all. Next time I might add some almonds to the walnut mixture.