Pumpkin Cheesecake

Posted in Sunday Supper Series by

Yesterday was one of those rare Sundays where I woke up with absolutely nothing on my to-do list. It was wonderful to be able to spend the day doing things I wanted to do vs. things I HAD to do.

I decided that I was in the mood to bake something “Fall” themed to go along with a pot roast for dinner. I opened my favorite book of cheesecake recipes “I Love Cheesecake” by Mary Crownover and fell upon the Pumpkin Cheesecake.

Cheesecake is a delicate dessert that really requires a full 4-8 hours to perfect, so it was great I had my day free.

To start, set all your ingredients out until they reach room temperature. This is important as it can really mess up the end result. Also, preheat your oven to 350.

The recipe I had called for a sugar cookie crust, but I wanted something with more spice to match the pumpkin, so I bought some ginger snaps.

Run 20 cookies through the food processor until crumbly then combine 2 cups of the cookie crumbs with five tablespoons of melted butter until it has a thick texture.

Then press the crust into the bottom of a greased spring form pan until the entire bottom is covered.

To make the filling, start by beating 32 oz. regular cream cheese, 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, 1/2 cup regular sugar, 1/3 cup cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon vanilla and three tablespoons corn starch until smooth. Next add four eggs and one egg yolk one at a time, beating thoroughly after each egg.

Once smooth, stir in 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ginger, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves. Then stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract. This is the step that gives the cheesecake a TON of yummy fall flavor, so don’t skimp on the spices!

Finally, fold in 8-10 oz pumpkin filling. I prefer a less sweet and more savory cheesecake, so I opted for pure pumpkin filling vs. pumpkin pie filling. The difference is about 20 grams of sugar!

Pour the filling on top of the crust and spread around until even with a wooden spoon. Place it on a cookie sheet (spring form pans can leak) and place in the oven for 30 minutes.

While it’s cooking, whisk one cup of sour cream, 1/4 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla to make a yummy sour vanilla topping. Don’t skip this part…it really takes the cheesecake from good to WOW!

After the 3o minute timer goes off, take the cheesecake out and pour the sour vanilla topping on top. Carefully spread it around as far as you can to the edges. Don’t worry if it messes up that “perfect” cheesecake look…it’s more important that it TASTES good!

Turn the oven down to 200 and place the cheesecake back inside for 2 hours. Carefully run a knife around the edge of the pan to prevent the cake from cracking while it cools.

Turn the over completely off and let the cake sit in it for another 2 hours. Chill for 4-8 hours or preferably overnight.

We couldn’t wait that long (of course) and cut into ours about four hours into chilling, but the end result was still amazingly delicious.

The rich, spicy pumpkin taste perfectly crossed with the sour vanilla topping to create a lovely fall celebration in my mouth. I was so impressed with this cheesecake, I’m planning to make it again at Thanksgiving!

I can’t wait to get home to eat that last piece I saved for left overs. :)

The Return of Man’s Man (2.0)

Posted in Daily Musings, Dating, Love, Liz's Life by

A couple weeks ago Luke went on an all-boys trip to Colorado to climb Challenger and Kit Carson peaks. When he got home, he was like a kid on Christmas telling me about everything they did.

They camped outside under the starts, hung food up in trees to keep it from attracting bears, drank lake water, carried 50 pound packs on their backs for miles at a time, ate wild raspberries and even dug toilet “holes.”

I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you the activities on this trip are probably my worst nightmare, but there’s something oddly attractive knowing that my man is rugged, adventurous and well, MANLY.

All around me I’ve been noticing a shift away from the effeminate “metrosexual” male who gos tanning, has a “stylist” and can’t use a power tool. The new man, seems to be heading towards a more traditional guy’s guy.

Just look at who GQ named their International Man of the Year and who Esquire dubbed the “Last Alpha Male”…

John Hamm, aka every man’s idol, the uber-masculine Don Draper in Mad Men.

While I am certainly NOT a woman who thinks her man needs to”take care” of her, it’s still appealing to see Luke do things like insist on carrying my 50 lbs luggage or chop wood outside (true story).

I like this shift….with some caveats.

When describing an attractive man’s man, I certainly don’t mean to give kudos to the guys who don’t shower regularly, belch and fart in public or use the words “dude,” “brah,” or “This one time at the frat house…” on a regular basis.

The guy I’m advocating is the one who knows how to dress sharply, treat his lady well, live in a nice place AND talk sports, complete 20 push ups and maybe even summit a mountain.

What about you ladies? What “manly” thing do you love most about your guy?

Work Hard, Play Hard

Posted in Daily Musings, Liz's Life by

Phew! What a week.

The past seven days have been filled with some long hours at work preparing for a presentation that took place yesterday. It was one of those projects that really tested my ability to multi-task, keep track of details and maintain composure under stressful situations.

I’m happy to report that the presentation went off without a hitch and I learned A TON throughout the process. It’s pretty cool to have a job where you’re constantly being pushed to do new things and test your capabilities.

Although the past week has been stressful, it really couldn’t have come at a better time since we have a wonderful vacation coming up next week!

We’re jetting off to San Francisco to visit my sister and her husband for a week. We’re planning to spend some time in the city by biking over the Golden Gate bridge

Exploring the cute beach town of Sausalito.

Driving up to the nearby Redwoods.

and of course eating at the awesome restaurants they have.

That weekend, we’re driving down to central Cali to Pasa Robles for some hiking, winery visiting and just some general relaxing.

Finally, Luke and I are taking a day to ourselves to visit Napa Valley.

We found a great driver to be our chauffeur and wine guide for the day.

I cannot tell you how excited I am for this vacation. I haven’t taken a day off since our honeymoon and am looking forward to disconnecting from the daily grind and going into full relaxation mode.

I promise to take a lot of pictures and report back on our trip here. I’m also trying to round up a few guest posters while we’re gone. If you’re interested in contributing a post, shoot me an email! abattylife@gmail.com

I hope you’re all having a great week!