Update!

So a lot has happened since my last post.....I have a new job! The company I interviewed for sent me an offer about two weeks ago, which I accepted. The husband and I will be moving to Washington DC area shortly (along with the dogs and probably Frankie the stray cat).

It's been a really busy few weeks, as I have been scrambling to wrap up my project and get everything organized to pass off to my old boss. I've also started coordinating our move (only 1400 miles to DC from Dallas!), and found a beautiful rental home that is dog-friendly. This will be our first time in a house, and it's got a huge backyard! We're very excited, and we've got so many big changes coming. :-) I'm really pumped about our new neighborhood, as there is an awesome climbing gym AND the grocery store has online shopping and delivery!

I'm dismayed at the salsa selection though......we may have to buy a case of our favorite salsa and move it with us, and then beg someone to send us more when our supplies are depleted. I simply can't go back to Pace or Tostitos salsa, it's like eating ketchup.

Anywoo, we're excited to get started. Our apartment is already a tower of boxes (which Frankie is gleefully diving in and out of). The bad news is I have been welcomed to the corporate world with a blackberry and a dell laptop (the horror!). I asked twice for a mac, to no avail. :-(

Peanut butter cup cheesecake with a brownie bottom

Yeah......this cheesecake was out of control. Just as B is a crab cake snob, I am a cheesecake snob. I have been grading cheesecakes on a 1-10 scale since I was a young teenager. My favorite cheesecake is a simple New York Style - I don't like fruit toppings or chunks of something else in the cheesecake. In my opinion, simplicity is best. A cheesecake has to have a nice firm crust, not soggy, and a fluffy yet firm filling, not too short, and not so tall that a single bite can't fit on a fork.

In recent years, I have ventured away from my strict plain cheesecake standards, trying flavors such as Pumpkin Ginger cheesecake with gingersnap crusts (a favorite for Thanksgiving), Peppermint cheesecake for the holidays, etc. B suggested a New York cheesecake to finish off our East Coast inspired super bowl menu, so I starting poking around looking for an interesting cheesecake to try.

As soon as I saw this one, I knew it was the one - it is just out of control! B absolutely loves peanut butter cups, so he flipped when he saw the recipe, and I knew I had to make it.

I found the recipe through a cheesecake contest on a different blog (www.culinaryconcoctionsbypeabody.com), and can you believe this recipe didn't even win? I would like to apply to be a judge in next years contest please!

So without further ado:

The original recipe can be found here: http://www.mmmmbrains.com/archives/2007_03.html#001218

Brownie Crust:

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter chips
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1-1/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 9-inch springform pan with butter.

2. Stir together butter, sugar and vanilla in large bowl with spoon or wire whisk. Add eggs; stir until well blended. Stir in flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; blend well. Spread in prepared pan.

3. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until brownie begins to pull away from side of pan.

4. Immediately after removing brownie from oven, sprinkle milk chocolate chips, peanut butter chips and peanut butter cups over brownie surface.

Cheesecake Filling:

2 lbs cream cheese, softened
5 eggs, at room temperature
1-1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup smooth peanut butter (not natural-style)
1/2 cups whipping cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
6 peanut butter cups, cut into quarters

5. Beat cream cheese in bowl of electric mixer until smooth.

6. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

7. Add sugar, peanut butter and cream; mix until smooth.

8. Stir in vanilla.

9. Pour filling into prepared crust.

10. Double-wrap springform pan with aluminum foil to prevent water seeping in.

11. Place springform pan into a larger baking pan.

12. Pour hot water into the larger pan so that the water comes 1 inch up the sides of the springform pan.

13. Bake at 325 degrees 1-1/2 hours, or until firm and lightly browned.

14. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for one hour.

15. Run a knife along the edge of the cake to loosen it from the pan somewhat.

16. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before decorating. I tend to make cheesecakes a day ahead to let things set.

Decoration:

6 peanut butter cups, cut carefully in half
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter cups

17. Remove cake from pan and put on a pretty plate.

18. Bring whipping cream to boil in a small saucepan.

19. Remove from heat and add semi-sweet and peanut butter chips. Stir, stir, stir until melted and smooth.

20. Drizzle over cake and then add peanut butter cup halves around the edge of the cake.

The recipe noted that there was a lot of extra filling, so I made a 10 inch cheesecake and a 4 inch mini cheesecake, and divided the batter among both. I also made half of the decoration, as the recipe noted this was more than needed for decoration. I also skipped the water bath step, and just baked in the oven.

I'm not sure if it was because I omitted the water bath, or if it's because my cheesecake was bigger, but I had to bake a little longer than the directions because it was still liquid in the center. We found the cheesecake to be on the dry side, perhaps this is due to my cooking it too long. However, it's definately a show stopper, and I will make this again (and try a water bath next time!).

The mini cheesecake came out perfectly, and will be shipped to Georgia as a surprise for my parents.

Lobster rolls and Spinach Salad

Continuing with our East Coast inspired Super Bowl menu, we decided lobster rolls were in order. I have never been a big lobster eater, but I have always wanted a lobster roll. B went to Central Market the day before the Super Bowl and bought 2 lobsters, saying that he felt like a celebrity at the fish counter, and requesting female lobsters with the hopes of scoring some roe.

There is great debate regarding how to dispatch of a lobster - some people just toss them straight into a boiling pot of water, some people chill them on ice so they are slower, and some people believe in using a knife in their skull before boiling or grilling them. B and I disagree on whether or not lobsters actually have nerve endings and are aware of their demise, so our compromise is the "lobster lobotomy" method, which I feel is more humane, and then I don't feel guilty for enjoying their tasty meat.

We didn't really use a recipe for the lobster rolls, and since B is a self professed crab cake snob, he adopted a similar method for the lobster roll. In his opinion, crab cakes should contain large chunks of meat, with minimal fillers, just enough to bind it together. He researched a lot about lobster rolls, and decided that a simple preparation was best.

He wanted to make homemade mayonnaise, but that ended in disaster (and mayo all over the walls, floors, B's shirt and jeans.....and an annoyed wife who had just finished cleaning the kitchen moments before) so we went with store bought mayo instead.

Lobster rolls:

meat from a 1 1/2 lb lobster (steamed in salted boiling water), shelled, chilled and cut into large chunks
lemon juice (~ tablespoon)
mayonnaise (a few tablespoons)

Toss ingredients well. We served the lobster roll on a split hot dog bun and a bed of lettuce.

Spinach, strawberry, and pecan salad (from www.cooks.com):

1 lb. fresh spinach, washed & dried
1 pt. strawberries, washed & halved
1/2 c. pecan halves, toasted

dressing :

1/3 c. raspberry vinegar
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. salt
1/2 c. sugar
1 c. vegetable or olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp. poppy seeds (we omitted these b/c I have drug tests for interviews coming up! Haha)

Combine dressing ingredients except the poppy seeds in a
blender. Add the poppy seeds by hand. Toss dressing with
spinach, strawberries and hot pecans. The hot nuts will
slightly wilt the greens.

We thought there was a little too much sugar in this recipe, it did not fully dissolve until we added more water. The salad was a nice fresh and light accompaniment to the lobster roll.

Mmmmmm crabs!

B's Grandmother serves some delicious crab toasts occasionally when we have ventured to the land of pleasant living to visit with her. If you're not from the East Coast, you have probably never heard of crabbies (my first crabbie was at Graw's house). They are lump crab meat, cheese, and butter on toast, served hot from the oven. This recipe called for toast, but we used english muffins because that's how Graw does it. We served crabbies to start our super bowl menu, inspired by East Coast type fare. It's a great appetizer, as it is quick and easy to make, and you can freeze them so you always have a lovely quick appetizer when unexpected guests stop by.

We adapted our version from a Paula Deen recipe.

8 ounces good white crabmeat, picked free of all shells (this is important, nothing is grosser in my opinion than biting into crab shell, ack!)
1 (5-ounce) jar Cheddar-horseradish spread (we used Kraft Old English)
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
Dash hot sauce or cayenne pepper
8 english muffins

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine crab, cheese spread, mayonnaise, garlic powder, butter and hot sauce. Divide mixture evenly over bread rounds and spread. Score each round into quarters and place on a baking sheet. Bake until topping is heated through and golden brown on top, about 10 to 15 minutes.

We felt that there was wayyyyy too much butter - not surprising for a Paula Deen recipe. They were tasty, but pretty greasy, and not the same as Graw's version. I think the next time we make these, we'll use more hot sauce and some Old Bay.

Corn Chowder with Sweet Potatoes and Ham

It's finally chilly in Dallas, which means it's below 50 degrees, and we actually need to turn on our heat. Due to my love of cream, and all things Williams-Sonoma, this soup recipe was begging to be made.

From the Williams-Sonoma Website

http://tinyurl.com/3akews

Ingredients:

5 ears of corn, husks and silks removed
3 tablespoons of butter
1/2 cup diced ham steak
2 1/2 cups diced yellow onion
2 red bell peppers, seeded and diced
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 large sweet potato (~1 lb) peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
2/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon hot-pepper sauce (like Tobasco)

Directions:

Strip off corn kernels from 3 ears of corn with a knife, set aside.

With the remaining kernels, score each strip of kernels with a knife along the length of the ear. Using the back of a knife, scrape down the length of the ear to squeeze out the pulp from the scored kernels. Set aside.

Melt butter over medium heat in a dutch oven, add ham and cook about 10 minutes until lightly browned. Transfer to a bowl using a slotted spoon.

Add onion and bell pepper to the pot, cover and cook 10 minutes or until tender. Add broth, sweet potato, and salt. Reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes, partially covered. Add ham and corn kernels, cover and cook 10 minutes or until potato is tender. Stir in corn pulp, cream, and hot pepper sauce. Cook until heated through, 3-4 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings. Makes 8 servings.

So here's my review:

Wow, getting the corn pulp was super messy - I had corn splattered on the walls! This is definately not a recipe to make mid-week, unless you have at least an hour to mess around in the kitchen. I think it could use more hot sauce, and we also added some fresh ground pepper. Next time it might be fun to throw in some peas, but B thinks they would get lost in the dish.

We served it with some biscuits, and I think a simple green salad would have gone with it nicely (but we were in a hurry and skipped the salad). It was of course a tasty soup, how can cream and ham and butter go wrong?