[food] If I could have just one wish, it would be that cheesecake was calorie free!
Today has been an award winning food day!
For dinner tonight I made jambalaya. I love jambalaya. I make good jambalaya. hehe Here is my recipe:
Spicy Jambalaya
8 oz smoked ham, diced
12 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
8 oz smoke sausage, sliced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (14 1/2 oz) whole or diced tomatoes (cut up whole tomatoes; keep the juice)
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
1 cup chicken broth
1 Tablespoon dried parsley
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons prepared hot sauce (or to taste)
1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 lb fresh shrimp, shelled and cleaned
4 cups rice
Add all the ingredients, except the shrimp and rice to the slow cooker. Cover; cook on Low for 8 to 10 hours or on High for 3 to 4 hours. Add the shrimp during the last 30 minutes of cooking. Cook rice according to package directions. Pour over rice when ready to serve. Have the bottle of hot sauce ready for whoever wants it extra spicy.
For dessert, I made a cheesecake with a strawberry topping. Well the cheesecake was technically made last night, but was chilled in the fridge until it was time to eat it for dessert tonight. I have never made cheesecake before and am VERY impressed with the results.
I followed the directions for Chantal's New York Cheesecake and Supreme Strawberry Topping on Allrecipes.com.
For the cheesecake, I baked it in a water bath. I put two layers of tin foil on bottom/sides of the springform pan. I took a large baking dish and put the cheesecake pan (with delicious cheesecake) inside. I then filled up the dish with water so it was about an inch deep. This keeps the cheesecake from cracking. I only left it in the oven for 2.5 hours after it was done baking because I needed to go to sleep, but it turned out perfect.
I also used fat free sour cream and 2 packages of fat free cream cheese, two regular. I used 3 T of butter for the crust. The next time I'll probably make more of the graham cracker crust and put it on the sides as well.
The directions for the topping confused me, but I muddled through it. Here's how I ended up doing it: I cut up 1/3 of the strawberries and set the rest aside. I cooked the sugar/strawberries/vanilla as directed until the sauce thickened but then pureed all of it. Sliced the rest of the strawberries and mixed it all together. Chilled in the fridge and then topped the cheesecake this evening after dinner. I also had whipped cream on the side.
Whipped Cream
Ingredients:
1 cup whipping cream
1 pinch of salt
2 1/2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions:
Put the whipping cream and a pinch of salt in a bowl. (The salt helps the cream whip and doesn't change the flavor.) It's best if the cream is cold, straight from the fridge. If it's a hot day, you'll want to put the bowl in the fridge first until it's cold as well. Using beaters, beat the cream until it gets good and bubbly and starts to rise a bit. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla. Whip, whip, whip on high until it gets thick and at a whipped cream consistency. :)
For dinner tonight I made jambalaya. I love jambalaya. I make good jambalaya. hehe Here is my recipe:
Spicy Jambalaya
8 oz smoked ham, diced
12 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
8 oz smoke sausage, sliced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (14 1/2 oz) whole or diced tomatoes (cut up whole tomatoes; keep the juice)
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
1 cup chicken broth
1 Tablespoon dried parsley
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons prepared hot sauce (or to taste)
1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 lb fresh shrimp, shelled and cleaned
4 cups rice
Add all the ingredients, except the shrimp and rice to the slow cooker. Cover; cook on Low for 8 to 10 hours or on High for 3 to 4 hours. Add the shrimp during the last 30 minutes of cooking. Cook rice according to package directions. Pour over rice when ready to serve. Have the bottle of hot sauce ready for whoever wants it extra spicy.
For dessert, I made a cheesecake with a strawberry topping. Well the cheesecake was technically made last night, but was chilled in the fridge until it was time to eat it for dessert tonight. I have never made cheesecake before and am VERY impressed with the results.
I followed the directions for Chantal's New York Cheesecake and Supreme Strawberry Topping on Allrecipes.com.
For the cheesecake, I baked it in a water bath. I put two layers of tin foil on bottom/sides of the springform pan. I took a large baking dish and put the cheesecake pan (with delicious cheesecake) inside. I then filled up the dish with water so it was about an inch deep. This keeps the cheesecake from cracking. I only left it in the oven for 2.5 hours after it was done baking because I needed to go to sleep, but it turned out perfect.
I also used fat free sour cream and 2 packages of fat free cream cheese, two regular. I used 3 T of butter for the crust. The next time I'll probably make more of the graham cracker crust and put it on the sides as well.
The directions for the topping confused me, but I muddled through it. Here's how I ended up doing it: I cut up 1/3 of the strawberries and set the rest aside. I cooked the sugar/strawberries/vanilla as directed until the sauce thickened but then pureed all of it. Sliced the rest of the strawberries and mixed it all together. Chilled in the fridge and then topped the cheesecake this evening after dinner. I also had whipped cream on the side.
Whipped Cream
Ingredients:
1 cup whipping cream
1 pinch of salt
2 1/2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions:
Put the whipping cream and a pinch of salt in a bowl. (The salt helps the cream whip and doesn't change the flavor.) It's best if the cream is cold, straight from the fridge. If it's a hot day, you'll want to put the bowl in the fridge first until it's cold as well. Using beaters, beat the cream until it gets good and bubbly and starts to rise a bit. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla. Whip, whip, whip on high until it gets thick and at a whipped cream consistency. :)