It's finally stopped snowing, though I dare to say it. Two days of non-stop squall, I am starting to feel like I am living in a snow globe. On the plus side, I have two days off of work. On the down side, I have to days off of work. I really like to get paid, and not being able to go to work is quite a downer.
I'm still amazed at the difference between Northern Ontario drivers and Southern Ontario drivers. It's as if the minute even a flake falls from the sky, everyone here panics and starts to drive like they've just learned how. If Snowmageddon happened in Sault Ste. Marie, where I'm from, people would just say "meh", put their Sorels on and carry on about their day. I mean, the only reason I didn't go to work today was because the muffler was falling off our car and I didn't want to lose it on the long drive out to my store. If our store was open tomorrow I would definitely brave the treacherous roadways and get my tush out there. We went to Canadian Tire first thing this morning to get our muffler fixed, we're good to go.
Since I have a whole two days off, I'm going to do some major Christmas baking. I made some shortbread cookies, chocolate and peppermint cookies and chocolate thumbprint cookies the other day but they're pretty much gone. I had an order for 4 dozen cookies last week and I brought a whole whack for the girls at work. I'm going to forage in my cupboards and see what I can make out of the little ingredients I have- after all it's Snowmageddon 2010, not exactly handy for nipping out to the grocery store for some chocolate chips and coconut!
I'll let you know what I come up with.
December 7, 2010
The Cheescake Adventure
I love cheesecake, or so I thought until I finally made one for myself. It turns out that I like a slice of cheesecake every once in awhile. It's far too rich for daily consumption, although if you asked my sister Tynna she'd be quick to disagree.
Metro had Philadelphia cream cheese buy one get one free so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to made my first real cheesecake- none of that no-bake baloney for me!
I must confess that I found this quite a difficult dessert to make. The mixing and whatnot was easy, as was making the graham cracker crust. I consulted my bible The Joy of Cooking and thoroughly read the section on cheesecakes, paying close attention to the baking methods as I really did not want my cheesecake to crack.
I baked it on a high temperature for 10 minutes as per the instructions, and then for 30 minutes or so on low. I turned the oven off, opened the door and let it cool in the oven, again as per the instructions.
Stupid cake cracked. There was a giant fissure across the top, a veritable San Andreas Fault marring the beauty of my creation. Darn it!I left it in five minutes too long. I lied earlier, it was closer to 45 minutes. I didn't trust my instincts and assumed that I knew more than the experts of Joy of Cooking. I thought that it still looked too wet and jiggly in the middle and let it bake for longer. Turns out that there is a reason they tell you to only bake it until it's firm on the edges and wet and jiggly in the middle- it's cooling in a hot oven, it's going to finish baking then! Duh. Sometimes I am such a dummy.
I disguised the crack with some canned cherry pie filling. I would have preferred chocolate ganache or caramel sauce, but Christopher loooooves cherry pie filling and I couldn't be bothered to make it from scratch. Canned filling it is! Once the topping was on, it completely disguised my mistake and despite the petite snafu, my first cheesecake was quite delicious- light and fluffy, rich and decadent. I brought a few pieces for the girls at work and Chris and I each had two pieces. I gave a third of the cake to Tynna, because she is the real cheesecake lover in this family.
Not bad Shannon, not bad at all.
Metro had Philadelphia cream cheese buy one get one free so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to made my first real cheesecake- none of that no-bake baloney for me!
I must confess that I found this quite a difficult dessert to make. The mixing and whatnot was easy, as was making the graham cracker crust. I consulted my bible The Joy of Cooking and thoroughly read the section on cheesecakes, paying close attention to the baking methods as I really did not want my cheesecake to crack.
I baked it on a high temperature for 10 minutes as per the instructions, and then for 30 minutes or so on low. I turned the oven off, opened the door and let it cool in the oven, again as per the instructions.
Stupid cake cracked. There was a giant fissure across the top, a veritable San Andreas Fault marring the beauty of my creation. Darn it!I left it in five minutes too long. I lied earlier, it was closer to 45 minutes. I didn't trust my instincts and assumed that I knew more than the experts of Joy of Cooking. I thought that it still looked too wet and jiggly in the middle and let it bake for longer. Turns out that there is a reason they tell you to only bake it until it's firm on the edges and wet and jiggly in the middle- it's cooling in a hot oven, it's going to finish baking then! Duh. Sometimes I am such a dummy.
I disguised the crack with some canned cherry pie filling. I would have preferred chocolate ganache or caramel sauce, but Christopher loooooves cherry pie filling and I couldn't be bothered to make it from scratch. Canned filling it is! Once the topping was on, it completely disguised my mistake and despite the petite snafu, my first cheesecake was quite delicious- light and fluffy, rich and decadent. I brought a few pieces for the girls at work and Chris and I each had two pieces. I gave a third of the cake to Tynna, because she is the real cheesecake lover in this family.
Not bad Shannon, not bad at all.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)