Tuesday Treats: Oreo Truffle Cheesecake

So I have decided that it is so much easier to write a blog post about yummy treats if I am eating while posting. Not necessarily good for my health, but hey when it comes to cheesecake, I really don't care. However, if I were to have been eating during this whole blog post (and editing the photos), I could have finished the whole cheesecake off!

Have I ever told you that cheesecake is about my most favorite dessert ever! It definately is... and maybe that is because it is a special treat. I usually only have cheesecake 2-3 times per year (for obvious reasons) so it is a novelty. Plus each year I try to make a new type of cheesecake so there is always a new variety. Each fall I usually make a pumpkin cheesecake for Hubby. I may not do that this year since I made this cheesecake so late in the year.

So remember when I made Oreo Truffles? I said that I wanted to make a cheesecake - well I did just that! I started out by making a white chocolate cheesecake and then adding some crushed oreos to part of the cheesecake mixture and either swirling them or layering them. Trust me swirling is easier! Then I topped it with a white chocolate ganache topping. It is amazingly delicious... It is also kind of like a cookies and cream cheesecake - but only if you leave off the topping.

Oreo Truffle Cheesecake

Crust: Mix 2-1/2 cups oreo crumbs (centers removed), 1/4 cup sugar
and 1/2 cup butter. Press onto bottom and up sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake 10 minutes at 325.

Filling:
Melt 12 ounces white chocolate in microwave -
melt for 30 seconds and stir, then continue in 20 second increments until completely melted.
Set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, mix together 4 (8-oz) packages softened cream cheese.
Add 1/2 cup sugar and mix until combined.
Add an egg and mix on low speed.
Add another egg and beat until combined.
Next, add another egg, beating until just blended.Guess what we're adding next? If you guessed another egg, you're correct. This is the 4th and final egg we're beating into the cream cheese mixture.
Beat just until blended.
After adding the eggs separately, add the reserved white chocolate. Speaking of white chocolate, did you know that the only part of white chocolate that has any chocolate origin is the cocoa butter? Another thing is that most white chips do not contain cocoa butter (and cannot be named white chocolate - usually white morsels.) Try to find those that use cocoa butter as they are the REAL things! In a pinch morsels will do, better to have morsels then not to try this cheesecake!
Blend the white chocolate into the cream cheese mixture.
Pour all but 1-1/2 cups batter over the crust.
Mix the reserved batter
and 2-3 cups oreo crumbs (centers included)
until well mixed.

Add spoonfuls of the oreo mixture to the white chocolate batter. Cut through with a knife for a marbled effect.Or if you want to try something crazy, you can try to make it a layer, by spreading the oreo mixture over the white chocolate... It is a pain, so I'm advising the marble effect!
Place springform pan on a cookie sheet and bake for 50-55 minutes at 350 degrees.
Remove from oven and let cool for 1 hour. Finish cooling in a refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.Topping:
Melt 1-1/2 cups white chocolate chips either on the stove or in the microwave following the same method as used for the cheesecake filling.
Stir in 1/4 cup whipping cream
and 1 tsp vanilla extract
Mix well.
Place cooled cheesecake on work surface.
Pour and spread over cheesecake. Refrigerate until chocolate is set up, about 3-5 hours.Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen.
Remove sides of pan.
Cut to desired size. We like to cut it into 12 or more pieces as cheesecake is rich!
One more hint: Cut with a clean knife, if you use a knife like the one pictured below,
You will have lines like these where you cut the cake. Which are fine unless you are trying to impress others. You'll notice the piece in the middle, it was cut with a clean knife. Isn't it beautiful? I served less beautiful slices just so you could see what happens (I also was not trying to impress with this cheesecake!)Serve chilled.
To garnish, you can use crushed oreo crumbs and sprinkle on top, or cut up oreos. (I would have used a garnish but I misplaced my garnish oreos, the ones I set aside to use as garnish and hid from others so they wouldn't eat them - I found them about a week later!)
Enjoy!
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Menu: Nov 2 - 8

This past week has been another crazy one at our house, plus the trip to my grandfather's 90th birthday party. We had a great time visiting with family that I haven't seen in 1.5 to 3 years and they all got to meet my son. Since my grandparents live 15 minutes away from where Hubby and I graduated from college we were also able to visit with a couple that we knew while we were undergrads. We loved our trip, although one weekend was not enough time to be able to see and talk with everybody!

Last week's Menu:

Monday: Take-out

Tuesday: Frozen Pizza

Wednesday: BBQ Chicken Pizza

Thursday: Tin-Foil Dinners

Friday: (At my grandparents) Stouffers Vegetarian Lasagna

Saturday: Ate at my grandfather's favorite resturant

Sunday: Sandwiches

Due to our crazy menu and with sickness floating around, I'm going to have a poll for which SOUP you want to see the recipe for. I have already posted recipes for: Broccoli Cheddar Soup and Vegetarian Minestrone.
The poll will be for the following soups:

Baked Potato Soup
Tortilla Soup
Chicken Noodle Soup
Egg Drop Soup

May Be Foodless Friday

I couldn't think of an extra to the title, so I'm not putting one there! You will all just have to live with it. So while you are reading this post I am on my way to my dad's parents house (about 4.5 hours away - it was my mom's mom who just passed away for those of you confused or wondering), although if you are reading this later in the day I'll already be there. We're going up because tomorrow we'll be celebrating my grandfather's 90th birthday.

I have many fond memories of my grandfather. He loves making things - he has a shop by his house (where they also park their car - it is not a garage, it is a shop) that he uses to make really amazing things with wood. Well he use to, he doesn't so much anymore, as age tends to do that to us. One thing he made that is amazing is the item behind the couch in this picture:
It is a photo collage of our family - Grandpa and Grandma are at the base of the tree, the 'roots' are their parents and grandparents, etc. Up the tree there are branches that show their children and then more branches that show their grandchildren (yep, I'm on one of those branches) and then there are more branches that show our children. It is really great to look at in it's entirety (I didn't have a digital pic in it's entirety - I'll have to rectify that!). I did black out the names to protect the innocent.
Have a great weekend!

Spinach Nectarine Salad

I love spinach and fruit salads, but mostly I love spinach and nectarines. I was introduced to this combination about 5 years ago. Usually I serve it with Gorgonzola cheese and a balsamic vinaigrette, but this time I used Feta (mainly because the local store does not have Gorgonzola cheese and instead of using blue cheese I decided to try something new.)

Spinach Nectarine Salad

1 cup spinach
4-6 slices nectarine
1/8 cup feta cheese
1 Tbsp Raspberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

Place 1 cup spinach on plate, top with nectarines and feta. Pour vinaigrette on top. Serve.

Raspberry Balsamic Vinaigrette
1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Raspberry Sauce (I used some of the sauce I made for the Asparagus Beef)
Enjoy

Asparagus Beef

 So for a few days I had this idea of wrapping beef around asparagus and cooking it... not sure exactly how I was going to do it... Luckily when I went to the store the asparagus was on sale because it is always hard to buy asparagus in the store. When I was growing up we would go 'asparagus hunting' around where I lived and on my grandparent's farm. Grandma always knew where to look for the best bunches of asparagus. We'd then break the asparagus off from the main plant and have fresh asparagus. If you've never had fresh asparagus you do not know what you're missing... in fact it is hard to go to store bought once you have picked it fresh. I haven't had fresh pick asparagus for a few years which is why I can buy it once in a while now. Plus the asparagus growing season is way too short!

So I was wanting to make this meal and decided to try two different sauces for the finished product (if I would have been feeling overly ambitious I would have tried a hollandaise sauce, but I wasn't so I did not make it. If any of you feel ambitious while making this please let me know if it works out.)

There is a lack of picture instructions with this post as I am a bit paranoid of germs and such, so while working with raw meat I a) do not touch my camera and b) wash my hands an untold number of times and c) realize how much time (and hand washing) I would save if I had everything measured out and ready before working with the raw meat. So I only have the final product. Next time I make this I will enlist the help of Hubby to take pictures of the process!

Asparagus Beef

1-2 lb beef roast, cut into 1/4 inch thick strips (at least 1-1/2 inch square, but 1-1/2 inch tall by 2-3 inches long is best.) You should end up with about 12

12 spears asparagus (or if the asparagus is skinny, use a bundle of 3), ends cut off

1/2-3/4 cup feta cheese

6 slices bacon, cut in half

In a large skillet, fry bacon over medium-high heat for about 2-3 minutes on each side (this will not cook the bacon totally, but gives it a start for later).

Remove from pan and then use the bacon grease to braise the beef strips, cooking only 2 minutes on each side.

Place one spear of asparagus on on slice of beef and sprinkle about 1/2-1 Tbsp feta on beef and wrap. Place beef on one slice of bacon and wrap in opposite direction. Secure with a toothpick. Repeat with remaining asparagus, beef, feta and bacon.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes. Serve with Raspberry sauce or a gravy.

Raspberry sauce:

In a small or medium saucepan, place one cup raspberries and enough water to just coat the bottom of the pan (about 1 Tbsp). Stirring often, bring to a boil. Add 1-2 Tbsp sugar. Boil for 2 more minutes. Serve over Asparagus Beef.

Gravy:

Drain drippings from pan, add 1 Tbsp beef bouillon and 3/4 cup water in a saucepan. Heat until simmering. In a measuring cup, add 1/4 cup water and 1 Tbsp cornstarch until mixed. Add to saucepan stirring constantly. Stir occasionally while bringing to a boil. Boil 1 minute, remove from heat. Serve over Asparagus Beef.

Enjoy

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Menu: Oct 26-Nov 1

This past week has been not so fun, I got sick on Tuesday and am still a little stuffed up today... needless to say I didn't make anything really great from Tuesday to Thursday (I made a soup from a dry mix on Tuesday and my Mom made dinner on Wednesday and Thursday.) I don't think I make a good sick person, I am way too grumpy and I still try to do what I want to get done every day. Which makes me take longer to get better. Ah well, such is my life - I have this sense of responsibility that drives me to do things every day, and if I don't get what I feel I 'need' to get done I feel guilty. It's like I'm trying to be superwoman or supermom. I'm sure none of you ever have to struggle with that! ;)

Some of you voted for the fajitas a few weeks ago, and they are back this week, but I have to say that the meal I made on Monday was absolutely DELICIOUS... and I would just post it without a poll on Wednesday if I didn't really want to know which recipe you want me to post! That said, here is our weekly menu...

Menu: Oct 26 - Nov 1

Monday: Asparagus Beef with a nectarine-spinach salad and homemade raspberry balsamic dressing

Tuesday:
Soup made from a mix... All I can say is I'm glad I was sick and my tastebuds weren't working quite right.

Wednesday
Mom's scalloped potatoes with sausage

Thursday
Mom's scalloped potatoes with sausage

Friday:
Fajitas with homemade seasoning (I was starting to feel better, but half way through I was thinking that I wasn't feeling THAT great!)
Saturday:
Fajitas

Sunday:
Pioneer Woman's Roasted Red Pepper Sauce. I used the left over piece of roast from the fajitas and rolled some cream cheese and red pepper sauce in it and cooked it - it may have been good if the part of the roast would have been good (I think I used all the good meat on the fajitas... I'm going to have to try this one again!)

May Be Foodless Friday: More Confessions of a Food Blogger

So a few weeks ago I confessed that I have over 100 recipes that I want to try, well... make that 208 (as of Wednesday at 5 PM). I organized the recipes into some categories that worked for me (thanks for the ideas.)

Here's more of a confession: out of those 208 recipes - 97 dessert recipes, 28 main dish recipes, 19 breakfast recipes, 17 bread recipes, 10 snack recipes,10 side dish recipes, and 25 other recipes (other recipes include condiments, and how-to). That means that I have 3 times as many dessert recipes as any other recipes that I have.

Am I really going to make all these desserts? I think all the other recipes are doable, but 100 desserts is really WAY too many - currently it's not unachievable but I keep adding to it every week. Maybe I should just run and hide from any blog post that has any mention of a dessert recipe, but they are the posts that tend to draw me in. It is like the magazines at the counter in grocery stores, the ones that have delicious desserts on the cover. You all know the ones I'm talking about, but the thing that makes me laugh is that most of them also have a headline about losing weight - SERIOUSLY - next time you're in the store check it out. There is no way you'll lose the weight claimed by eating the dessert on the cover. Great marketing - some women will buy them because of the dessert recipe and others because of the weight loss gimmicks.

I'll let you know if I EVER get through my dessert list, and how much weight I gain in the process... okay, I'll at least let you know if I get through all the recipes.