Key Lime Cheesecake

I found this recipe on Group Recipes and I knew I had to make it for Paul's birthday. It was pretty easy and extremely tasty!

The set-up

(I also purchased a few regular limes in case I didn't have enough juice. After my hand wore out on the small limes, I did juice one regular lime. There. I admit I sorta cheated.)

Getting the lime juice out of the itty-bitty key limes was not easy, but so worth it!


Recipe


* 1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
* 5 tablespoons butter, melted
* 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
* 3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 1/2 cup fresh lime juice (about 5 limes)
* 3 eggs
* whipped cream (for dolloping later)



1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

2. Make the crust by combining the graham cracker crumbs with the butter and 1 tablespoon sugar in a medium bowl.

3. Stir well enough to coat all of the crumbs with the butter.

4. Press the crumbs onto the bottom and about one half of the way up the sides of an 8-inch springform pan. You don't want the crust to to form all the way up the back of each slice of cheesecake.

5. Bake the crust for 5 minutes, then set it aside until you are ready to fill it.

6. In a large mixing bowl, combine creamcheese, 1 cup sugar, and vanilla. Mix with an electric mixer until smooth.

7. Add the lime juice and eggs and continue to beat until smooth and creamy.

8. Pour the filling into the pan.

9. Bake for 60-70 minutes (if the top of the cheesecake is turning light brown, it's done).

10. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

11. When the cheesecake has come to room temperature, put it into the refrigerator.

12. Once the cheesecake has chilled, remove the pan sides and cut the cheese cake into 8 equal slices (or size of desire). (I let mine cool overnight)

13. Serve with a generous dollop of whipped cream on top. Garnish with lime zest and slices of key limes.

The finished cake (I had plenty of limes leftover for garnishing - maybe a little too much on the garnish!)


The birthday boy approves!

Simple Berry Cobbler

Berry Cobbler
(Blueberry, blackberry, raspberry or all of the above!)

1 cup milk
1 stick butter melted
1 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 cup self rising flour (this is key!)
2 cups fresh berries (I used closer to 2 1/2)
Juice from 1 small lemon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Wash and drain berries (I used a mix of blueberries, blackberries and raspberries).

Butter a baking dish (I like to use a longer, shallower dish)

Whisk flour, sugar, melted butter and milk together in a bowl (makes a fairly thin mixture). Pour into buttered baking dish.

Add lemon juice to berries and a dash of sugar (if desired). Evenly distribute berries across the batter in dish (they will sink a little). Sprinkle sugar over top of berries.

Bake for about 45-55 minutes until light golden brown and bubbly. Serve with whipped cream and/or scoop of vanilla ice cream.

This recipe courtesy of many people - our mothers (yes, even mine!), old southern recipe books and The Pioneer Woman.

Grilled pineapple with honey citrus

Ok, I admit it, this recipe came from our new Weber grill cookbook. We tried it and LOVED it. It's a perfect end to a perfectly grilled dinner.



"Grilled Paradise" (The Weber Gas Grill Cookbook, 2007)

Glaze:
3/4 cup fresh orange juice (we used regular OJ)
1 TB honey
1 tsp fresh lime juice
2 tsp cornstarch

1 tsp fresh cracked pepper
4-6 slices of fresh pineapple

Optional - garnish with vanilla ice cream & mint

To make the glaze: In a small sauce pan combine the glaze ingredients and whisk until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until thickened, 1-2 minutes. Keep the glaze warm or reheat when ready to serve.

Season both sides of sliced pineapple with cracked pepper. Grill over indirect medium heat until well marked, 6-8 minutes, turning once.

Serve each pineapple slice with a scoop of ice cream and drizzle glaze over top.

Blueberries & Ice cream

It is an odd time of year to eat fresh blueberries, but thankfully Chile is in the midst of their warm growing season so you can enjoy! They are such a delight to eat on a cold, dreary winter day.

Paul discovered this tasty combo while working out in Kansas City, MO. Apparently they really love their pico di gallo, avocados and blueberries in ice cream out there.



1 package fresh blue berries
vanilla ice cream (lactose free for people like me - props my sweet husband who went out of his way to get it!)
1 bottle of blueberry/berry wine* (optional)
2 bowls
2 spoons (because you won't want to share!)

Scoop desired amount of ice cream into each bowl. Liberally top with fresh blue berries. Add splash of berry wine and enjoy!

*We used Chatham Hill's Blackberry wine since it was what we had on hand. If you're in the Triangle area, check out Chatham Hill near the RDU Airport. Their wines are wonderful!