TWD- Tall and Creamy Cheesecake

This weeks TWD recipe was chosen by Anne of Anne Strawberry, one of my favorite food bloggers.  She chose tall and creamy cheesecake.  

At the end of most of her recipes, Dorie gives suggestions about altering the recipe.  This cheesecake has a TON of suggestions.  One of my favorite desserts of all time is key lime cheesecake with chocolate crust.  Since I made this for a Christmas party, I made regular cheesecake on a chocolate crust, since I think some people make not like lime....

I really liked this recipe.  It was relatively easy and VERY delicious.  The only not-so-fun part was the long cooking then propping the door open time following by cooling to room temperature and then refrigerating for several hours.  It's not a quick thing to make, but it's very worth the time it takes.

December Catch-up Post

I hope everyone had a great Christmas!!  Recently I've been cooking and baking, but not posting.  So, here is my catch up post, although it is a little hard to remember what all I've made....

First (I think) was CEIMB Curried Butternut Squash Soup.  I don't really love curry, but I LOVED this soup.  It was my first time to use butternut squash and I didn't know it's like a pumpkin inside.

This soup was very easy to make until the puree part.  I don't have an emulsion blender, so I used my normal blender.  When I started blending, the lid (which I was holding onto the base) flew off and the VERY hot liquid exploded everywhere, including on my wrists.  

Even though I probably wouldn't serve this as a main course soup, I really think I will make it many times.

Next was TWD Buttery Jam cookies.  I really liked these cookies.  I ran out of sugar and had to use mostly brown sugar, which my friend Julie liked even better than cookies made with all white sugar per the recipe.   I used raspberry preserves.

I did not make Real Butterscotch pudding, but I hope to make it soon.

Next is CEIMB triple chocolate cookies.  Brandon and I really liked these, but I thought they were best right out of the oven, unlike the buttery jam cookies, which I thought were better the next day.

I've already made the tall and creamy cheesecake and will post on Tuesday.  I am making cherry chocolate biscotti today. 

CEIMB Cornmeal-Crusted Roasted Ratatouille Tart

This weeks recipe was a ratatouille tart in a cornmeal shall.  This will be a boring post, but I really really loved this recipe and I will make it a lot.  I have already started thinking of other things to put in the delicious shells.  I can't wait to make this with fresh tomatoes!!!  Thanks, Wiivers (super cute name!!), for the great pick.

Grandma's All Occasion Sugar Cookies

This weeks recipe was chosen by Ulrike of Kuchenlatein.  This was my first time to make sugar cookies from scratch.  Even though this is the only picture I have, almost all of the cookies were iced stars.  I took the cookies to an ornament swap.  Anna Pike, I am SO sorry you missed it since you are one of my most loyal readers :-)  We missed you!!

I was scared about the dough because it was so crumbly I could barely form two disks, but these cookies are AMAZING!!!!!  And the dough is a 5 on my friend Cathy's lick-o-meter.  I like desserts as sweet as possible and these are pretty much all sugar.  The icing was great, too!!

Linzer Sables

This week's recipe was chosen by Noskos of Living the Life.  I LOVED these cookies!!  I was intrigued by the fact that the dough has equal parts crushed almonds and flour.  They were very yummy and the ground cloves made then a great Christmas cookie!!