Strawberry Cheesecake Pie and an Announcement!

Some pretty exciting things have been happening in my life and I wanted to share them with all of you! I don't really know who all of you might entail... but here goes. I will be spending next semester in Cajamarca, Peru! I am deferring Winter Semester here at BYU and will be working at a children's shelter and orphanage up in the Andes Mountains. I am going with an organization called Southern Cross and I am so excited. And even better news? One of my best friends in the whole world is coming with me! We arrive in Lima, Peru in January and we will work at "El Bichito" for 3 months.
To celebrate I made this pie. Ok, actually it was part of a bet. In return I am supposed to be getting homemade apple cider... I will tell you how that turns out.

*Disclaimer about the photos: These are from the first time I made this pie with a slightly different recipe. This recipe will fill the pie tin quite a bit more and the strawberries will mound a bit more, which I like better. 

Strawberry Cheesecake Pie

Ingredients:

·         3 eggs

·         3/4 cup sugar

·         1 1/2 tablespoon all-purpose flour

·         11/2  package (12 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature

·         1 cup evaporated milk

·         1 1/2tablespoon lemon juice ( I think you could also add a dash of vanilla if you wanted)

·         12-inch graham cracker crust, baked

Preparation:

In a mixing bowl, beat eggs until thick and light yellow. Add  sugar and the flour, beating until blended. In a separate bowl, beat cream cheese with a small amount of the evaporated milk until smooth. Add remaining milk, the lemon juice, vanilla if you so desire ; beat until smooth and well blended. Pour egg mixture into the cream cheese mixture; beat just until blended.

Pour mixture into the graham cracker crust. Bake at 325° for 35 to 40 minutes. Until the tiniest cracks begin to appear on the edge. (I know cracking in cheesecakes is bad but it was the only way I could tell it was thoroughly cooked) Cool on a wire rack.

Strawberry Glaze

·         11/2 pints fresh strawberries, washed and hulled

·         1/2 cup water 

·         4 tablespoons sugar (plus a couple handfuls of powdered sugar)

·        2 teaspoons cornstarch

Cut up one pint of strawberries. I cut most of them in 1/2 and then a handful of them in half again so that they were thinner and could fit in between the cracks; arrange cut side down, over the cooled cheesecake. They should form a beautiful mounding creation of strawberry goodness. Crush enough remaining strawberries to make 1/3 cup; put in saucepan. Stir in 1/3 cup water and heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Press through a strainer to make 1/2 cup of puree. Return the 1/2 cup puree to the saucepan. Mix together with 1/4 cup of water, the sugar and cornstarch and stir into the puree in saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. And here I have to make the confession that I have no idea if these proportions are correct because the original recipe didn't make enough so I kept adding handfuls of powdered sugar and dashes of lemon juice. Your end product should be a sweet lemon and strawberry flavored glaze that pours fairly easily over the entire pie. Cool slightly; spoon evenly over strawberries on cheesecake. Cool and store, covered, in refrigerator, at least an hour and probably more. 

When I'm gone, please speak well of me

One of my favorite bands just came out with a new album and my favorite song on it is called "Please Speak Well of Me". I have always loved the Weepies because their lyrics are so real and insightful. I know exactly how it feels to look back on a relationship and your one wish is that they can remember the good things. I have often wondered if everyone is like that, or if I am the only selfish one who wants everyone to at least somewhat like me. Does anyone else ever feel like they finally realize all the things they could do better after you break up? Life is funny like that. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1i5BUYCQRKQ

Please Speak Well of Me- The Weepies

I’ve been away a year and a day
You recognize love after the fact
You did what you did and that was that

Don’t say words that you don’t mean
When I’m gone, please speak well of me

Looking back now
I only wish I had been kinder
Did I ever know love, did I ever know love?
And could I have been blinder?

Don’t hold back all your love for someday, for someday

I would say that I’m sorry if it would do any good
But to never regret means you have to forget
and I don’t think that I could

*This recipe has very little to do with ex-boyfriends, but it is incredibly wonderful all the same.

Peach Cobbler Muffins (from Allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups vegetable oil

A dash of milk

3 eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups white sugar

2 cups peeled, pitted, and chopped peaches

Directions

1.      Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease 16 muffin cups.

2.      In a large bowl, mix the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix the oil, milk, eggs, and sugar. Stir the oil mixture into the flour mixture just until moist. Fold in the peaches. Spoon into the prepared muffin cups.

3.      Bake 20-23 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before turning out onto wire racks to cool completely.


Just some fiction...

Conference Weekend

I love General Conference weekend. Listening to Prophets and Apostles as you sit all cozy on the couch with your notebook and tasty food, nothing better. Erin and Sarah slaved away all night over beautiful, homemade croissants for us to enjoy that morning. For lunch in between sessions I decided to try out this recipe that my mom had sent to me. She got the recipe from Kristen Powell who brought it by to feed my family while my mother is out of commission. Not only is Kristen a good cook, she is a great hairdresser too. And for those of you who missed conference, it's online now and you can watch it while you eat! http://lds.org/conference/sessions/display/0,5239,23-1-1298,00.html

Thai Noodle Salad

3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (boiling is probably fastest, but grilling might taste better)

1/2 lb angel hair pasta, cooked al dente

1 tsp sesame oil, toss w/ pasta after cooking

1 cucumber, sliced thin

Bean Spouts

Green onions, sliced

Cilantro, chopped

Peanuts, chopped

Dressing – blend the following:

¾ cup rice vinegar

½ cup soy sauce

3 Tbsp sugar, (honey would work too)

2 Tbsp sesame oil

2 Tbsp minced ginger

1 tsp crushed red pepper 

2-3 teaspoons minced garlic
(This dressing is a pretty amazing oriental dressing on its own, my roommate wouldn't stop smelling it) 

Prepare ingredients and arrange in separate bowls. All ingredients should be chilled up until serving time.  Let everyone make their own salads – starting with the noodles on the bottom and topping with the dressing.  

Tip from Sister Powell- I keep my ginger in the freezer and then grate it with a fine grater instead of mining it, that way I don’t even have to peel it, but it only works to grate it if it’s frozen

Seasons of Change

I have finally admitted to myself that summer is over.
School is in full swing, nights are getting colder and life is starting to move on. Now that summer is over though, I can fully enjoy fall. The leaves are just beginning to change and the mountain is dotted with a hint of red and orange with a promise of more to come. Fall is the perfect time to bake pies. I don't really know why, maybe because so much fruit is in season, or maybe because I am trying to gain fat to keep myself warm in the coming winter. And because I have a wonderful brother who was willing to go with me to the farmer's market in the morning, I became the owner of a beautiful bag of fresh peaches. These peaches were delicious. They are beautiful first of all, just getting soft and barely fuzzy. And they made the most wonderful peach pie ever. I know you probably aren't supposed to say that about food you cook yourself, but it was pretty tasty. Here is the recipe.

Fresh Peach Pie (adapted from Leite's Culinaria)

1 recipe of Extra Flaky Pie Crust (add 2 teaspoons sugar to recipe for sweeter crust)
5 cups peeled and sliced peaches (maybe 8 peaches)
a few generous squeezes of fresh lemon juice
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 Tbsp cold butter




1. Preheat oven to 425 F
2. Squeeze lemon juice over peaches and toss gently. In a separate bowl combine sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. Combine with peaches until coated.
2. Pour peach mixture into prepared pie dish. Grate cold butter with cheese grater and spread butter flakes evenly across the top of the pie. Cover pie with top pie crust and crimp edges. Cut steam vents in top.
3. Cook for 35-40 min until crust is browned. Spread a bit of butter across top of hot crust and let pie cool at least one hour. Serve warm, at room temperature, cold or however you so desire.

Ode to Basil

This is the beautiful basil plant in my apartment that inspired me to make bruschetta. I gave it to my roommate when I moved away for the summer and we are all a little surprised that it survived. You may note that in the bottom right corner that our little basil plant is in a splint due to a number of accidents like falling off the windowsill. Reason #532 why basil is awesome- it has a strong will to live.Fresh basil makes everything taste better. It has a clean, earthy smell that is almost sweet and it's flavor is full and rich. When people see a basil plant in your kitchen they assume that you are a savvy and exotic cook and that you are therefore desirable as a friend/ wife, if you care about that kind of thing. As I have sworn off dating, I keep the basil in the kitchen because it looks nice Everyone should own a basil plant, go out and buy one right now.

Bruschetta with Tomato and Basil Recipe

Ingredients

• 6 or 7 ripe tomatoes ( I use roma because they are cheap)
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 6-8 fresh basil leaves, chopped.
• Salt to taste
• Some type of bread, a baguette would probably be best, but all I had were English muffins and those worked.

1 Prepare the tomatoes first. Bring a medium pot of water to boil, once water has begun to boil remove from burner and immediately submerge whole tomatoes. Let sit for one minute. Cut tomato skins off with knife, skins should peel off fairly easily, but will be hot. Cut tomatoes in half and scoop out seeds, and juice from inside. Dice remaining tomato flesh.

2.  Put garlic, 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, vinegar in a bowl and mix. Add the chopped basil. Add salt to taste. Add tomatoes and toss thoroughly, put in refrigerator while preparing bread.

3. The fast and easy way to prepare bread is to just stick it in the toaster. If you have more time, top sliced baguette or french bread with a little olive oil or butter and a dash of Parmesan cheese and garlic salt. Stick in the oven on broil and pull out when the tops are brown and crispy (1-2 minutes). Top warm, crispy bread with a plentiful amount of bruschetta and enjoy!
 

Today's Story is a quote: "Color my life with the chaos of trouble" - Belle and Sebastian

In Search of my Soul

 Back to school. Back to work. New apartment. New ward. New People. And I feel like I'm drowning slowly. I miss the mountains, I miss my children, I miss knowing everyone and I miss mon etoile. I don't really feel like meeting new people and I don't want to be social. So I decided I needed to do some soul searching. I am taking some time to figure myself out. I don't really know what that means, but that's what I'm doing. So here is a delicious and not too difficult Thai recipe for anyone else who might be soul searching and getting a little hungry on the way.
 Panang Curry Recipe
Ingredients

• 3 large chicken breasts,
• 1-2 tbsp Panang Curry Paste (depending on how spicy you like it)
• 4 cups coconut milk
• 8-10 kaffir lime leaves, very finely chopped
• some salt
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 bell peppers- red, orange or yellow, cut into thin julienne strips and halved 
• 8-10 cups cooked rice

Preparation

1. Wash the chicken and cut into thin, bite size pieces, and fry until barely done.
2. Heat 2 cups of coconut milk over medium heat until the oil surfaces. Add curry paste, stir constantly for 2 minutes until fragrant and red oil surfaces. Add the chicken, and cook for a further 2 minutes or until done. Add the remaining coconut milk.
3. Season to taste with salt, fish sauce and sugar. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Add lime leaves and bell peppers and let simmer for 5 minutes. 
4. Spoon 1-2 cups rice in each bowl and top with curry. Eat. Ponder life. And read this sad story. 
 

Some Sad Story

Strawberry Cheesecake and My New Life

I spent a few weeks in Colorado at the beginning of the summer and my mother was kind enough to let me bring home a beautiful, nonstick springform pan. So of the course the first thing I must do when I get home is make a cheesecake. I have been wanting to try a cheesecake ever since I saw a cheesecake recipe on Smitten Kitchen. Her pictures are far more beautiful than mine but I bet my cheesecake tasted just as good. It took forever, I had a few disasters but It turned out pretty darn delicious...

I lost the recipe and all the changes I made to it, but I am working on it.