Oct 10 2007
Taste No Evil
here it is! the pumpkin cheese cake recipe…courtesy of *miley’s mom. i also include a recipe for chicken ginger soup for your taste buds.
i also have to mention that this is the SECOND time i have written this post, because of a fucking little back button malfunction. i had LITERALLY just finished posting THE END OF THE FREAKING RECIPE. i want to cry about this, but i will not let the back button get the best of me, so here goes.
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Crust:
2 cups gingersnap crumbs
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar (isn’t it general knowledge that brown sugar be firmly packed? this is redundancy at best)
5 T unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Filling:
2 lbs cream cheese, at room temperature (don’t even bother with the low fat or no fat stuff. get the full fat stuff…you know, the box with the surgeon general’s warning on it. also, for you readers in utah county, 2 lbs is 4 eight ounce packages)
1 1/3 cups brown sugar (i refuse to say firmly packed. DAMN! too late!!)
1 1/3 cups (10.5 oz) canned solid pack pumpkin (miley’s mom uses pumpkin butter, but i couldn’t find it on such short notice. next time i’ll plan ahead and use that instead!)
1 T vanilla extract
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
5 large eggs, at room temperature
Topping:
1 cup chopped pecans (recipe calls for hazelnuts, but i didn’t have those in my pantry. a good cook substitutes in a pinch)
1/4 cup brown sugar (uh…you guessed it!!)
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
Now…let’s get down to business. You may want to start by cracking open a beer…and drinking it. It will keep you from snacking on the ingredients. Also, Miley’s mom is a religious woman and would never condone nor encourage drinking, so if you’re like her…chew some gum instead. Preheat that oven o’ yours to 350. In a food processor with the metal blade, grind the gingersnap crumbs, the brown sugar and the butter until the crumbs stick together. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan. Don’t make a cheesecake in any other kind of pan. Unless you’re desperate. Press the crumbs into the bottom and 2 inches up the side of the pan. This was next to impossible in my pan because it’s non-stick…but maybe yours is not. just get it up there as high as you can. (er…what??) Wrap sides of pan with aluminum foil and bake for about 10 minutes, remove from oven and let cool on a rack. Put the pecans (or the hazelnuts for you fancy-pants cooks) on a sheet and toast in the oven for about 10 minutes while you prepare the filling. When you take the nuts out, put a cake pan 1/2 full of water on the bottom rack of your oven, and leave the oven set at 350.
Now! Let’s make the filling!! Bust out your Kitchen Aid mixer what??? you don’t have one? this is unimaginable to me. beat your husband to a bloody pulp for not giving you one, then proceed directly to your nearest kitchen store (kohls, bed, bath and beyond [that's a post in and of itself!], or whatever, or over to qvc [we'll discuss my tv shopping habit later, too])where you can order one online. Combine the cream cheese and brown sugar in a large bowl. Beat until well blended. Beat in the pumpkin, vanilla and spices. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until just blended after each addition. Pour the filling into the cooled crust and spread filling evenly to edges. Bake until the cheesecake puffs and the center is set, about 1 1/2 hours. Transfer to a rack and cool for at least one hour, or shut off oven and leave cheesecake to cool in the oven overnight.
Let’s make the yummy topping…it’s simple. In a small heavy saucepan, melt the butter, sugar and cream, stir until the sugar is dissolved. Turn heat up and bring to a boil. Add the nuts, bring to a boil again and stir for 2 minutes. Pour topping evenly over cooled cake. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate over night or for up to four days.
To serve, run a knife around the edges of the pan sides to loosen the cake. Remove the sides of the pan and put on your loveliest platter. Serve with whipped cream (NOT COOL WHIP…get the real stuff!) if so desired.
This cheesecake is just right…not too dense and not too fluffy. It’s just right. Enjoy!!!
*not his real name
Ok, now for something healthy. But keep in mind that when I make soups like this…measuring is laaaaaaame, well, let’s just say I eyeball most things and use my palate to make it taste right. So, if you MUST have a recipe with exact measurements to cook, this might not be for you.
Ginger Chicken Noodle Soup
1 small onion, cut how you like. My kids hate onions, so I cut them big for this soup for easy removal. They don’t know I dice the hell out of them to sneak them into spaghetti sauce. HA HA HA!
Uh, 1 chunk of fresh ginger, cut into 3 pieces or so. I use a chunk about 2 inches square (i know…fresh ginger is anything BUT square!). It depends on how much you like ginger. You can either dice it, or grate it fine, or leave it whole and remove it before serving. I told you I suck at measuring!! i’ve never used dried ginger, so i don’t know how that would work instead. don’t ask. buy the fresh…it’s cheap. and you’ll feel exotic.
3-4 stalks of celery, chopped, leaves and all. i use the center stems on purpose for this.
baby carrots, cut into pieces, as many as you like. try to match it up in equal proportions with the onion and celery.
1 lb. chicken breasts, tenders, whatever. boneless and skinless
5 cans of chicken broth (maybe 6? whatever…it depends on how much broth you want.)
6-8 oz. of grandma’s fresh frozen egg noodles (or make your own! i just do this to save time)
salt and pepper to taste
dice the onion first, then toss it in the bottom of a large stock pot to begin cooking while you cut all the other stuff. i don’t want to use oil or fat, so i usually just add a tiny bit of the broth to keep them from sticking to the pan. toss in the ginger (grated, diced, chopped, whole, whatever), the celery, the carrots and the broth. Also season with about 1/2 tsp salt and a ton of pepper. Bring to a boil, add the chicken. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour. At this time, remove the chicken from the pan, and taste broth. Correct seasonings. Keep simmering while the chicken cools. When it’s cool enough to handle, shred the chicken into bite-size pieces and toss it back into the soup. Taste broth again…correct seasoning if necessary. Bring to a boil and and add the fresh frozen noodles, following the directions on the package. You’ll need to separate them and add them slowly… Cook for at least ten more minutes and serve. And then tell me if it worked for you. LOL. My family loves this. If you leave the ginger in a whole chunk, be sure to find it and remove it before you serve. Unless you like to eat that kind of thing…then be my guest.
Someday, I’ll figure out how to put separate posts on this page. Until then, you’re stuck with this…sorry…
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crock pot potato soup this is my own recipe…variation of several others smashed together…not at all an entirely creative effort.
1 2-lb bag frozen hash brown potatoes (the square kind)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 - 1 diced onion
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 T dried dill weed (don’t skip this ingredient!! they have it at the DOLLAR store of all places)
5 or 6 cans of chicken broth (can substitute water and chicken bullion)
6-10 slices of peppered bacon, cooked crisp (macey’s used to sell the precooked peppered bacon in the meat section…it was the best and really MADE this soup…but i think it’s been discontinued!!! rats!! if you can find it there…get it! it’s the best!)
salt and pepper to taste
put the hashbrowns on the bottoms of a 5 qt. crockpot. don’t try to make this in a very small cooker. you’ll be sad. mix the soup, the cream cheese, the salt and pepper, and dill together in a bowl, pour over potatoes. add the chicken broth, cover and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 6 hours. stir occasionally if you are at home. if not…eh. doesn’t need it. i usually peel all the fat off the bacon before i put in the soup, but if you like the fat, don’t bother. i throw it in just before serving and stir well.
thanks
Looks good, I love anything with cream cheese and bacon. If I could leave everything else out and just eat cream cheese and bacon (without dying before I hit 25), I would. And I think I have dill weed that I have never used (it came with the spice rack)…it is like it is meant to be!
We made this soup and it was good. Now I am going to go have some of the leftovers for lunch.
I had a friend we called Dill Weed.
H. Klinton vs Obama. How you think who will win elections?
Yo!
Im new here so just wanted to introduce myself.
My name is Alex and im from New Jersey and… umm i love to smoke hookah and blow os.
lol anyways.. Nice to meet you guys.
Jess, get the real bacon bit in the zippy bad on the salad dressing isle; that is what I use when I make your amazing soup. and I have used tatter-totts several times too! for those of you who haven’t tried it yet, it is super amazing…and don’t skip the dill!