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!

Grilled Summer Squash/Zucchini Vinaigrette

I found this recipe while looking for ways to cook summer squash & zucchini. We had been grilling them with a few spices/olive oil and red onions, which was quite tasty, but we needed something fresh. This recipe is delicious!




Grilled Summer Squash Vinaigrette

6 servings

Hands on: 5 minutes
Total time: 15 minutes

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 clove garlic, minced (I've used 2 cloves, crushed with a garlic press)

Pinch of cayenne pepper (I've used about 1/4 teaspoon)

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 1/2 pounds summer squash and/zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick slices

Oil for coating grill grate

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (opt)

Heat the grill to medium high, for direct-heat cooking. Mix the vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, cayenne, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Toss 2 tablespoons of this mixture with the squash in a medium bowl or plastic bag until evenly coated. Brush the grill grate with oil or cooking spray (Weber's is awesome). Put the squash on the hot grill, cover, and cook until browned and barely tender, about 6 minutes, turning halfway through. Put on a serving platter and immediately pour the remaining vinaigrette over the squash and serve (DO NOT ATTEMPT TO BASTE THE VEGGIES WITH THE MIXTURE ON THE GRILL - it will produce flames).

*Goes great with steak!*


Recipe By Elizabeth Lee | Wednesday, June 20, 2007, 12:19 PM

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Tomato Basil Salmon

This recipe was sent to me by my best bud Lu. I believe she found it on the awesome recipe exchange site "Group Recipes." It was a delicious weeknight dinner and it was too good not NOT to share. Enjoy!

Tomato Basil Salmon

Ingredients

• 2 (6 oz.) fresh boneless salmon fillets (on sale at Lowe's Foods this week!)

• 1 Tbsp. dried basil

• 1 tomato, thinly sliced

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil

• 2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese (or eye ball it - I made a nice crust of parm cheese - freshly grated)

-->I also added a dash of salt & pepper to the fillets before topping them with tomato



Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. Line a baking sheet with a piece of aluminum foil, and spray with non-stick cooking spray (or use the awesome non-stick aluminum foil).

3. Place the salmon fillets onto the foil, sprinkle with basil (and salt & pepper if desire), top with tomato slices, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese.

4. Bake in the preheated oven until the salmon is opaque in the center, and the Parmesan cheese is lightly browned on top, about 20 minutes.

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.

Cheeseburgers - oldmarrieds style

Yeah, so I posted a picture below and never got around to posting an actual recipe. So here goes (a little late for the big grilling weekend)



Cheeseburgers
1lb ground beef (we like ground sirloin or lean 90/10 or 93/7)
1/2 packet Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix (dry)
1 egg beaten
2 Tbs Montreal Steak Seasoning
1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
salt & pepper
4 buns

Toppings
2 tomatoes, thickly sliced
1 Vidalia (or sweet yellow) onion, thickly sliced
4 slices sharp cheddar cheese
Bunch of green leaf lettuce, washed & torn

Preheat grill to 400-450 degrees (pretty darn hot)

In a bowl, beat 1 egg and mix in the dry Ranch dressing and steak seasoning.

Add ground beef and mix well (hands work best!) Divide into 4 even sections and roll/flatten into hamburger patties.

Cook hamburger patties on the grill with a dash of Worcestershire sauce on each side (turning once) to desired doneness. Top with cheese last 45 seconds of cooking (will melt quickly depending on thickness of the slice)

While cooking burgers, place thick slices of tomatoes & vidalia onions on a grill sheet*. Season lightly with salt & pepper. Cook for 3 minutes per side, turning once.

Lightly toast buns on grill after removing burgers to rest.

Top with grilled onions, tomatoes and lettuce as desired and enjoy!



*Grill sheet