Cherry-Balsamic Cheesecake Bars and Speed Blogging

Today is my Sister-In-Law's birthday and I wanted to bring a dessert with me to a dinner for her tonight, so I headed to the kitchen this afternoon and whipped up these Cherry-Balsamic Cheesecake bars.

Crust:
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt (I prefer Kosher, but we all have our issues)

Cheesecake Filling:
12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
1 egg
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or extract

Balsamic-Cherry Topping:
10 ounces cherries, pitted
4 ounces sugar or about 1/2 cup
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

1.  Add cherries, sugar and vinegar to a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil on medium-high heat.  Stir often and let boil for 13-15 minutes until the topping is starting to thicken.

2.  Add butter, granulated sugar, flour and salt to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until just starting to combine.  You can use a bowl and cut the butter in with a pastry blender if you don't have a processor.

3.  Spray a 9" x 13" pan with no-stick spray, put crust in and pat down.  Bake for 15 minutes.  I'm always bringing desserts here and there and I have to tell you just how excited I was to spot this nice disposable one in the market.

4.  Add cream cheese, sugar, sour cream, egg, flour and vanilla to the bowl of a food processor or blender and pulse until smooth.

5.  Pour the cheesecake over the warm crust (straight out of the oven is a little too hot).  Spread to the edges.

6.  Place dollops of the cherry topping every couple of inches over the top of the cheesecake.  I had a hard time with swirls before, but this time I poked the cherries a bit under the surface before swirling and had a better result.

7.  Bake for 25-28 minutes until the cheesecake is set.  Chill, because eating warm cheesecake is reserved for days when you are on the verge of hurting someone.

Do you ever have one of those weeks where you feel like every time you sit down you have to get back up? Well I've been having one of those weeks for the last few months (possibly years, but I do tend to be in denial from time to time).

I keep thinking maybe there is a better way to manage everything I have going on these days, perhaps speed blogging.  I could just hurl pictures of food at you every few hours and then let the chips fall where they may (although there is that whole law of gravity nonsense).

Say a prayer that these bars are cool before I have to run out of the house again.  (Too late, gotta run Hot Dog Dude is glaring at me it's time to go.)

Gina

The "Unofficial" Bay Area Cherry Report

It's the post all of you in the Bay Area have been waiting for.  Well at least all of you who are cherry crazy like myself and have been dreaming about this day all Winter.  If you were waiting on the post on how-to make ninja cookies; sit tight that one may be coming your way sooner than you think.

I took a drive this afternoon to scope out the fruit situation.  I had been hearing rumors that some of the stands were open and I had to confirm this for myself.  Didn't take long after I got off the main road to see with my own eyes the acres and acres of cherry trees all decked out in ruby cherries.  Where to start is always a consideration.

I stopped at one of my favorites (Maggiore) and was surprised at how few cherries were on their trees.  The girl working told me there should be more ripe soon, phew I will have to check back.

I did notice further down the road most all the orchards were open for cherries.  Bacchini's Fruit Tree not only had Brooks, Utah Giant, and Bing Cherries ready for picking but I saw people walking out with gorgeous blackberries. Making a note to get some of those blackberries stat.

I even crisscrossed over to the other side of town to Sellers Ave. where Nunn Better Fams and Laird are located. Both were open plus Smith Family Farms is right across the street, it's one of my personal favorite stops.

Although it's still very early in the season, it looks like it's going to be a good one due to our very warm Spring. It's worth going back and getting more varieties of fruit as the season goes on, but for the cherries; it's get there sooner rather than later.

All that fresh air made me famished, so in order to get my energy back up to write this post for you guys I cut myself a nice size chunk of this super tasty Banana (Vegan) Coconut Bread to accompany my afternoon tea.  So glad I stole this recipe from Jean, I didn't feel guilty at all for eating the whole loaf since it was Vegan.  Although wait a minute, I did swap out the applesauce for 2 eggs because I was out of sauce and added a small amount of chocolate.  Never you mind, I still don't feel guilty for eating it all since it was so good.  

Hope you all enjoy your weekend.  I'll be up late tonight planning my route of cherry attack for tomorrow.  If you need to plan your route of attack go to Harvest4you and download a map.

Gina

I gave birth to a baby shower cake!

Well I didn't really pop a baby shower cake out of my hoo-ha, but it certainly did feel like it.  Anyone that has ever made a large, over the top cake knows how the hours spent in discomfort can feel strangely similar to giving birth.

It always starts off innocently enough.  You start by entertaining absurd thoughts like, "Oh wouldn't it be wonderful if I had one of those amazing (low-maintenance) creatures for myself."

I mean really just how much of my limited resources could that tiny little thing suck up anyways.

I mean there is no way on earth that tiny little thing could need 7 pounds of butter and 4 dozen eggs.  No way!!

I'm absolutely positive that there is no way that after methodically sifting, mixing, and wrapping 7 cakes that any of them are going to be anything less than perfect.

Then there are the additional supplies those little babies need.  After all you can't buy the special items you are going to need for this baby in any old store and believe me once they get you in you are done for.  The "while I'm here" instinct kicks in immediately and before you know it you have a whole cart full of necessary (cough, cough) items.

Then you realize your sweet little cherub isn't quite dressed well enough and needs a little more pizzazz, so you decide a few little blingy doo-dads are in order.

The fatal flaw is that they need more, they just need more.

In your somewhat delusional state of happiness you decide if one is good, two has to be better.  Right?

Before you know it 1 has turned into 90 little labors of love.

After several days of little sleep you start to function at a pretty high level (it's a natural gift all moms possess).

Yet those nagging doubts of not being good enough (or moist enough) just won't leave your already crowded head space.

Sometimes if you listen to those crappy thoughts long enough they become a self fulfilling prophecy.

Yep it was true I gave birth to a tasty, yet a tad dry cake.  The only redeeming thing about the whole process is that if you give birth to enough cakes some of them are bound to come out as exemplary examples.

So I guess I will just have to press on and give birth a few more times until I'm happy with my offspring.  The sickest part is; I get to eat my subpar offspring.  Holy crap, what kind of sicko am I?

p.s.  Please don't eat your subpar offspring until I consult with my attorney to find out in which states that it is still legal.

Gina

Hazelnut Whole Wheat Scones with Maple Glaze and "Whoops, My Bad"

Have you ever been stone cold busted with peanut butter buttercream on your face?  The other evening I posted a picture on my Facebook of the banana macarons I was working on and Amzina instantly busted me out by commenting, "Heh, I think it's awesome that your last post said you were going to focus on easy food and then you happened to whip these up."  (Whoops, my bad!)

You see Azmina is a skilled and seasoned lawyer.  Armed with the following evidence "Easy crap to make for dinner", she didn't waste any time zeroing in on my truth twisting and extracting a confession out of me in a mere 2.6 seconds.  It spewed off my tongue faster than kale chips, "Obviously, I'm a liar."

Luckily for me I wasn't in a real court or right about now I'd be trying to figure out how not to shower for infinity. Instead I was thinking of inviting Azmina over here to interrogate my teenage daughter and her friends, I was also hoping instead of her hourly rate we could possibly work out some sort of cookies for services rendered type of agreement.

Seriously, she is that good.  After she busted me I was so riddled with guilt I was on the phone with my mom and felt the need to confess all sorts of things; like the time Hot Dog Dude came tumbling down the stairs and all I could do was stand there laughing before I realized I should probably ask if he's okay.

Or that I made the most amazing scones the other day and I was going to blog about them but my cuticles hurt and that really messed up my typing and so instead I just went shoe shopping.

Toasted Hazelnut Whole Wheat Scones with Maple Glaze

Or that I made both peanut butter buttercream and black sesame buttercream fillings, both were good, but the peanut butter made me feel special in a way I've never felt before.  

I also told her that when I lay my eyes on a cute cake stand; I can't just walk away quietly, instead I have to bring it home and load it up with baked good. 

I'm going to b.a.l's soon (bakers and liars anonymous, you sickos!).

Enjoy,

Gina

Chicken, Kale, Mushroom, and Cheese French Bread Sandwich

Do you ever just want something easy to make for dinner to compensate for lack of easy in your life?  I have my hand raised over here.  My weeks have been passing at warp speed, yet I still like to fix something for dinner I know we can sit down and enjoy together.  That is always a challenging task I might add considering my families diet seems to change on a daily basis.  

My normal self would say why not a six hour braised rack of something, but the saner version of me said, "How about just throwing everything into one delicious package!"  I kind of like her, I should probably listen to her more often.  I'm thinking she has a lot going on in the common sense department.

My mom always made a stuffed French bread sandwich for us with a ground, beef, spinach, and bread stuffing. My daughter really likes that version, but my husband insisted on grilling some steaks this weekend and he can only have so much beef (that is a seriously long story) so I decided to re-vamp the sandwich in a healthier way.

I was trying to sneak the mushrooms past my daughter, but she saw one and it was over.  I'm telling you, I'm thinking I'm just going to walk out to the curb and start giving away dinner to passer-byers instead of the rough regular customers I have.  If you share the same mushroom aversion as my daughter, feel free to leave them out.    

Chicken, Kale, Mushroom, and Cheese French Bread Sandwich
3 teaspoons vegetable or canola oil, divided
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small package baby portabella mushrooms or about 8, sliced
1 bunch kale, leaves only, chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 pound chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
4 ounces Monterey jack cheese, diced 1/2"
3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons brown mustard
1 loaf ciabatta bread or a regular French loaf

1.  Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

2.  Add 1/2 the oil to a large skillet and heat on medium-high heat for a minute or so and add the chopped onions. Stir and cook for 4-5 minutes until onions are starting to look translucent.  Add the garlic, stir and cook for an additional minute.  Add the mushroom, stir and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Add the kale and stir and cook until the kale is wilted.  Stir in the salt, pepper, and thyme and place the whole mixture on a plate.

3.  Place the skillet back on the heat, add the remainder of the oil and the chicken and cook until browned on both sides, about 4-5 minutes, you could also sprinkle the chicken with a little more salt and pepper at this point.  You don't need to cook the chicken through since you are going to cook it longer in the oven. Add the vegetables back to the skillet and add the cheese, stir until all the ingredients are combined. Remove from the heat and set aside.

4.  Cut the top off of the bread and remove the insides.  (I just set it aside for my daughter, turned out to be a good call).  In a small bowl combine butter and mustard and spread this mixture on the inside of the bread including the inside of the top piece.  Fill the bread with the chicken mixture.  Don't add all the liquid in the pan or the bread might get soggy.  Place the top piece of bread back on the sandwich.

5.  Wrap the whole sandwich in foil and place directly on the oven rack and bake for 40-45 minutes.

6.  Unwrap the sandwich and slice with a serrated knife.

You can easily get 4 good sized sandwiches.

I thought it was better than the original and healthier for sure; you will have to be the judge and let me know.

Enjoy,

Gina

Chocolate Butter Pecan Sandwich Cookies

Do you ever find yourself categorizing things in your life into the categories "worth it" or "not worth it"?  I'm constantly re-examining and eliminating non-essentials or re-working things so they work better for me.

For example stretchy pants;  I've been debating this very issue for the last 20 years.  They are totally "worth it" when it comes to being able to stuff yourself silly and not have the blood flow cut off to your brain as your jean waistband strangles your waist.  Yet on the other hand they are "not worth it" when it comes to alerting you that said waist is spreading faster than cold cookie dough in a hot oven.

Part of the problem stems from the fact life just gets faster and faster and I just get slower and slower.  I want to milk as much out of life as I can and try to find ways to fit it all in without anything squeezing out on the sides. (That last sentence seems somehow shamelessly puny.)

Oh to hell with the waistline, these cookies are so worth it, even though I had to re-write the recipe for you guys because I thought the original was a little hard to use.

Slightly adapted from The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook
Chocolate Pecan Cookies
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 large egg at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup toasted, cooled, and finely chopped pecans

Brown Butter Pecan Filling
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup toasted, cooled, and chopped pecans
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1. Chop 1 1/4 cups pecans in food processor and place in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake in a 350 degree F oven for about 7 minutes. Let cool.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar and cream together on medium-high speed until very pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl.

3. Add the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt, egg, and vanilla and mix on medium-low speed until combined. Stir in the nuts.

4.  Chill the cookie dough for 1 hour or longer before shaping.

5. When you are ready to shape the cookies preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Portion the dough using a 1/3 ounce cookie scoop or about 2 teaspoons dough per cookie. You should get about 36 cookies. Place the cookies 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets or silpats. Use your fingers to press them flat, about 1/4” thick.

6. Bake the cookies, one sheet pan at a time, until the cookies are cooked through and set, about 7 minutes.

7. Remove the pan from the oven and allow cookies to cool on the pan for at least 10 minutes before removing the cookies to finish cooling on a rack prior to filling.

8. To make the filling, first brown the butter. Put the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Allow the butter to melt and then continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the butter solids are browned and smell toasty, about 3 minutes or more. Watch carefully so the butter does not burn. As soon as the butter is a dark golden brown, remove it from the heat and pour it into a small bowl.

9. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the brown butter, pecans, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt and pulse until a thick paste forms, scraping down the bowl a few times.

10. To make the cookie sandwiches, turn one cookie flat side up and spread with about 2 teaspoons of filling and then top with another cookie, pressing gently. Repeat until all the cookies are sandwiched together.

On the home front, it's been yet another crazy week in which we added two more members to the family.  My brother and sister-in-law brought home twins from the hospital.  I made these cookies to help celebrate the twins arrival.  Being the Aunty to 19 nieces and nephews; so "worth it", especially when a teeny-tiny newborn wraps their little fingers around yours to greet you.

Sugar Cookies and Royal Icing Recipe

Enjoy,

Gina

Yosemite - Wait for me, I'll be back!

I hiked, I climbed, I beheld the glory that is Yosemite and I can't even begin to tell you how spectacular it was. Nature was hurling itself at me at every turn, each sight more breathtaking than the last.  I pushed my body to its limit (which isn't much) and I was sore from the task, but richly rewarded.

I rested my weary body each evening in the quaint Wawona Hotel.  I was so seduced by the front porch of our cabin, I watched the sunset there while sipping on champagne and eating plump strawberries.  I'm telling you, camping is hard work.  After I ran out of champagne, I had to walk at least 50 steps over to the main hotel bar to get another drink.

After a good night's rest, I packed my backpack with water, snacks, camera, maps and hand sanitizer (trust me on this one) and headed down to the valley to behold the Yosemite Valley I had only read about previously.

Spring in Yosemite means the falls are flowing.  The sight of Yosemite Falls as I climbed out of the car almost caused me to fall on my face.

I had to climb.  I had to get closer to the falls whose sweet song in the distance was calling me.  As I got closer, their sweet song gave way to a fierce roar.  The gentle mist I felt in the distance became a shower as I tried to get too close.  The falls have a way of telling you to keep your distance.

Not one to be dissuaded I followed the mist trail uphill 1000 feet on the lore that I would be greeted smack in the face by Vernal Falls.  As I climbed the granite stairs leading to the last portion of the falls, I felt the spray getting stronger and stronger and as I climbed higher and higher I started to realize just how high up I was.  It was hard to collect my thoughts at that moment; I was just there and in awe.

I had my heart set on climbing Half-Dome, but darn it you had to have a reservation to do that.  I just sat there and drank in the view.  If you slip a pair of binoculars in your backpack you can watch for climbers and wish it was you.

I thought maybe perhaps I'd go cool my heels in the hotel pool.  Yeah, no.  I think Half-Dome was less frightening.

Hot Dog Dude on the other hand had his own plans.  He told me, "Next time I kill a bear, I'm having it mounted like this!"  Being our anniversary and all I didn't want to be "Major Mood Killer" so I withheld my response.  "Over my dead body..."  Then I thought wait, "What if he did that to my dead body?"  Then the mood was totally ruined anyways.

John Muir wrote, "Yosemite Valley was by far the grandest of all the special temples of Nature I was ever permitted to enter..."

He also wrote, "The Yosemite trip only made me hungry for another far longer and farther reaching, and I determined to set out again as soon as I had earned a little money to get near views of the mountains in all their snowy grandeur, and study the wonderful forests, the noblest of their kind I had ever seen..."

Yosemite indeed made me hungry, hungry to return and stay longer.

Yosemite - Wait for me, I'll be back!  I'll probably even bring Hot Dog Dude with me too.