The unmistakable unique looking Basque Burnt Cheesecake with its deeply caramelised top that challenges the concept of the perfect baked cheesecake has been on my mind for some time ever since I first laid eyes on it. And I’m glad that I finally made the time to work on this recipe. ☺️

Given it’s overly dark and cracked top crust, it could be easily mistaken as a baking situation gone wrong. Lacking a biscuit base with a soft gooey creamy centre, it pretty much seems like the total anti-cheesecake.

But despite it all, there is something to like about this cheesecake. Although it’s packed with everything that would probably have any dietitian standing at arms length from this sweet delicious treat, it is light on the palette and so easy to love. Whether that is a good or bad thing will depend on where your priorities lie.

Sure, there is…

Today’s Menu: Red Beans and Rice w/ Smoked Turkey Sausage and Baked Garlic Loaf Bread

For Breakfast I Scrambled a couple of Eggs, toasted 2 slices of Aunt Millie’s Light Whole Grain Bread (lightly buttered), and had a cup of Bigelow Decaf Green Tea. Cloudy and 55 degrees with rain in the afternoon. After Breakfast I went to Kroger for Mom and then stopped at McDonald’s and picked up Breakfast for her. Got the rake and leaf blower out. Cleaned off the deck and driveway areas. Then raked the front yard. Not a lot of leaves, just looking for stuff to do. For Dinner tonight I prepared Red Beans and Rice w/ Smoked Turkey Sausage and Baked Garlic Loaf Bread.

Well nothing better than Red Beans and Rice w/ Hardwood Smoked Turkey Sausage for this 2nd Day of 2020! For the Red Beans and Rice I used a box of…

Growing up, my Dad used to get us doughnuts from the bakery on Sundays. Boston cream and jelly. They’re still my favorite doughnuts.

I had no idea doughnuts were traditional for Hanukkah until we started celebrating with a friend – when asked what we could bring, that’s what she suggested. For the first few years, I was too afraid to actually attempt them myself – we just made a trip to the bakery.

This is my Great Grandmother Clara’s recipe, written in her handwriting. These are delicious, chewy, nostalgic, and very molasses-y.  My mom started making them for me at Christmastime and at first I was put off by the taste, but quickly found myself craving these.

Its a bit tough to decipher the recipe so I’ve done my best.  I also made a few changes.

1. I used blackstrap molasses. 2. I used 1 1/4 cup sugar-free swerve confectioners sugar, plus 1/4 cup light brown sugar.  3. I reduced the flour by a 1/2 cup and added 1 cup oats. 4.  I added 1/8 tsp each of the following: allspice, cinnamon, and baking powder, 5. I omitted the brandy and used 1 tbs apple cider vinegar and 2 tbs water.

Here is the recipe, feel free to make alterations like I did:

Ingredients

1 cup molasses

1 cup butter (2 sticks, unsalted)

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You can never go wrong with shrimp, Its a crowd pleasers, its incredibly versatile and can hold it own. Plus the six minute cooking time, what could be better than that? Now a lot of times you hear that seafood isn’t someone’s thing but shellfish they can deal with. I’m one of those people. In the past I used to dread seafood restaurants. I’m not at all the type to order a burger at a seafood restaurant but I for darn sure used to be close. My go-to was a classic shrimp po’boy, its safe and who can mess it up. Until I had some pretty traumatizingly bad po’boys I knew I had to change things up.

Now I’ve been making a lot of seafood lately and that is because my son has really taken to it and honestly, I much rather serve him fish and other seafood than the…

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I’m feeling a little bit under the weather and as much as that sucks I try and look for some silver lining. The only thing that makes being sick not a total bust is naps, tea and spicy food. Now I have to be really sick for a couple of bad things to get in the way of my relationship with food. I usually always can eat and generally my throat doesn’t hurt that bad .

When I’m sick I prefer to eat light since I normally just eat less. And when my taste buds kinda start to dull while I have a sore throat. Then my sense of smells gets weaker because of congestion. I like to add stuff with lots of garlic, something with some heat since I cant taste it anyways. Something raw and fresh since I’m sick and delicious healthy food will help me feel better…

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It is great to be back!

Today I decided to go big. So I got a beautiful salmon and decided to stuff it! Anytime I have wine in the cabinet and cream in the fridge (which is all the time). I know its time for a cream sauce. Bonus points if I have mushrooms that haven’t turned yet and crawfish tails in the freezer.

Now when I was a kid I actually preferred seafood way more than I do now. We had a Cajun restaurant we’d frequent often after swim practice that I absolutely adored. But I always got the same things either a shrimp po’boy or blackened mahi mahi with a cheesey crawfish sauce over dirty rice. If we’re being honest on the rare occasions I visit now, I still only select those two things. I don’t know, it something about a stress free, know what you’re gonna order…

I can’t pass up a simple fried rice and this one tastes just like your at a hibachi restaurant! It uses all staple pantry ingredients and pairs perfectly with my stir fry!! Definitely give this a try soon!!

On Monday for our belated Thanksgiving dinner we made mashed rutabagas. The rutabaga that we bought was massive, one of those waxed ones that we rarely see here on the west coast. It was delicious but we had a lot left over. I used it in a root vegetable soup for lunch today.

The recipe calls for a chopped up onion and then one cup each of diced butternut squash, rutabaga, carrots, Granny Smith apple, and sweet potato. I did not have a sweet potato but I did have my leftover mashed rutabaga, a delicata squash, the onion, carrots, and a Honeycrisp apple. You are supposed to start with a stick of butter so I splurged and put in a tablespoon. I used a quart of vegetable stock as the cooking liquid. When everything was soft I used a stick blender to whiz it up, added some more salt, an…

Making this dish was quite an adventure when we prepared it in Ho Chi Minh City during a cooking class. It was also quite an adventure preparing it at home. There are a lot of ingredients and some are not available in your local grocery store. So John and I ventured out to our local Asian supermarket, Ranch 99. Even there we did not find everything we needed and had to improvise. This may be due to the fact that we did not know where to look or maybe the name was different. But in the end we made a fairly accurate tasting soup. Here is the recipe given to us by the Saigon Cooking School –

We had to substitute celery for elephant ear and cilantro for the herbs. Here is the mise en place. Once the cooking starts it moves quickly and it is good to have everything…

Today’s Menu: Blackened Red Snapper w/ Cut Green Beans, Brown and Wild Rice, and Baked Garlic Loaf Bread

To start my morning off I toasted a Thomas Light English Muffin, lightly fried a couple of Johnsonville Turkey Breakfast Sausage Links, and had a cup of Bigelow Decaf Green Tea. Excellent way to start the day! Cloudy with passing rain showers, 47 degrees for a high. I was able to rake the side yard s before it started raining. Went to post office and bank later on. For Dinner tonight I prepared a Blackened Red Snapper w/ Cut Green Beans, Brown and Wild Rice, and Baked Garlic Loaf Bread.

While at Meijer the other day I purchased a Red Snapper Fillet that they had on sale in their Seafood Department. I also purchased a Walleye Fillet, that I froze, and some Cooked Shrimp that was also on sale. The Red Snapper…

Today’s Menu: Baked Pacific Cod w/ Long Grain and Wild Rice and Baked Garlic Oval Loaf Bread

For Breakfast this morning I fried a couple of Johnsonville Turkey Breakfast Sausage Links. These are fresh Sausage Links, a new product. They fried up great and tasted just as good! Johnsonville has a full line of Turkey Sausage Products, love them all! I also made some Simply Potatoes Shredded Hash Browns and made a cup of Bigelow Decaf Green Tea. Good way to start a Sunday Morning. I went to Kroger up the road to their Seafood Dept. I wanted some Fish for Dinner. We have one of those late Summer Hot August Day out there today! 98 degrees, sunny and very humid. I’m still not 100%, allergies still bothering me. So not a lot going on again. For Dinner tonight I prepared a Baked Pacific Cod w/ Long Grain and Wild…

Today’s Menu: Baked Salmon w/ Long Grain and Wild Rice and Whole Baby Carrots

For Breakfast this morning it was Hash Browns, Smoked Turkey Sausage, Toast, and Decaf Green Tea. I had went to Meijer and they finally had the Simply Potatoes Shredded Hash Browns back in stock! It had been a few weeks since any store had them in stock. So I prepared the Hash Browns and then I prepared a 1/2 Sausage link of the Butterball Hardwood Smoked Turkey Sausage. Added a slice of toasted Healthy Life Whole Grain Bread and a cup of Bigelow Decaf Green Tea, and that’s a Breakfast! Big change in the weather again! 50 degrees for a high with rain on and off all day, beats in the teens and snow! So with not a lot going on outside I did some cleaning on the inside. I cleaned and straightened the pantry and the…

Today’s Menu: Baked Salmon w/ Whole Grain Brown and Wild Rice

For Breakfast this morning I prepared some Simply Potatoes Shredded Hash Browns, heated up some Kroger Diced Ham, and had a cup of Bigelow Decaf Green Tea. I made a bed of the Hash Browns in a bowl and sprinkled some Sargento Reduced Fat Sharp Cheddar Cheese. Next I put the Diced Ham over top the Hash Browns. Also had a cup of Bigelow Decaf Green Tea. We ended up getting about 3 inches of snow overnight. It caused some bad roads overnight but most of it was melted by late afternoon off the roads. Cloudy and rain later in the day, high of 37 degrees. More bad weather due overnight. Not much going on today. Did a few jobs around the house. For Dinner tonight I prepared a Baked Salmon w/ Whole Grain Brown and Wild Rice.

I…