when life seems uncertain eat cheesecake...

haven't written in a super long time. life took some unexpected twists and turns but i am back on my feet and hungry as ever! i thought that this would be the perfect opportunity to share my cheesecake recipe. well it's actually my mothers. the second i take a bite of this cheesecake i am transported back in time. scene: my mother in the kitchen cooking for one of her legendary dinner parties. the dinners were always delicious- baked salmon with parsley sauce, perfectly roasted potatoes, buttered haricot vert and for the finale always 2 cakes with hand whipped cream! this cheesecake would make guests speechless. and if we were lucky enough there would be left overs which my mom and i would eat for breakfast the next day- her slice accompanied by a cup of coffee with a dollop of whipped cream... this cake is truly a comfort food for me. please enjoy and be warned-- once you make one of these, people, including yourself, will be begging for it on a regular basis...

new york cheesecake

you'll need a 9 inch cake pan with a removable bottom

for the crust:

1 1/2 cups matzo meal crumbs or bread crumbs (i do 1 cup matzo 1/2 cup bread crumbs)

1/4 cup raw sugar

6 tablespoons melted butter

mix the ingredients into a dough and line the cake pan with the mixture. put into freezer.

while the crust is in freezer preheat your oven to 375*

combine:

2 well beaten organic eggs

12 ounces organic cream cheese (at room temperature)

the recipe calls for 1/2 cup sugar but both my mom and i use less

1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 pinch of salt

beat the ingredients together with a mixer until the texture is smooth (you might end up with a few chunks here and there, that's fine)

remove the crust from the freezer and pour the cream cheese mixture into it. bake for 20 minutes.

remove the cake from the oven and dust the surface with cinnamon powder. then let the cake cool.

once the cake is cooled get working on the second layer.

preheat oven to 425*

combine:

1 1/2 cups organic sour cream

2 tablespoons ground raw sugar

1/2 teaspoon organic fair trade vanilla extract

1 pinch of salt

beat the ingredients together and pour onto cooled cake. bake for 5 minutes. remove the cake from the oven and let cool. then refrigerate your cheesecake for at least 6 hours (i find the longer it gets to set in the fridge the better it tastes-- in other words try to refrigerate it over night.)

'tis the season for squash...

had an impromtu dinner party last night... don't you just love it when friends stop by on a whim and you just happen to have just made a big piping hot bowl of pasta with butternut squash and opened a bottle of wine? it was like my fantasy come true!!!

the night before i had roasted some butternut squash in the oven (recipe below). butternut squash is perfect for the flu season as it is high in vitamin b6 which boosts your immune system. it's also high in carotenoids which help prevent heart disease, has been proven to help deter breast cancer and because of it's high antioxidant content can help reduce inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and asthma. and for you pregnant ladies-- butter nut squash can help healthy lung development in fetuses!

what i love about squash is how versatile it is-- you can just roast it and eat it hot as a perfect side dish to any meal, eat it cold in a salad, put it in the food processor and make a soup etc. i had originally made it to put in a salad with wilted winter greens and nuts but my husband begged for "real" food after he got back from the gym and so i made something up on a whim and it turned out very good!

oven roasted butternut squash

what you'll need:

1 butternut squash

2 tbs butter

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teasppn ground nutmeg

2 teaspoons rum

pinch of salt

preheat oven to 325*

cut the squash in half and clean out the seeds

distribute all the ingredients evenly among the two halves

place in baking pan

cover and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until you can easily poke a fork all the way through the squash

baste the squash half way through with the melted butter and rum mixture

my spur of the moment pasta sauce

what you'll need:

2 cloves chopped garlic

1 medium onion chopped

2 tbs butter

1 roasted butternut squash (chopped with skin removed)

10 crimini mushrooms chopped

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 cup chicken stock

touch of half and half

pepperoncini

salt and pepper

in a medium skillet melt the butter

once butter begins to brown add the garlic and onions

when onions are translucent add the butternut squash and sautee for about 10 min.

add the mushrooms and cook for another 3 minutes

then add the chicken stock, pepperoncini, ground cloves and fresh pepper

cook until most of the liquid has evaporated

then add your half and half

season to taste and serve over rigatoni pasta

... everyone enjoyed the meal and we finished off the night with a warm fudge brownie with vanilla ice cream. a perfect monday night!

My Cabbage Soup Recipe

had a day off from work today so i decided to make some cabbage soup. eating cabbage is a great way to detox your body because of it's high fiber content. it is also a great source for calcium, magnesium, vitamin c, zinc, potassium and vitamin a. this my recipe...

what you'll need:

2 tbs butter

1 medium onion chopped

2 cloves of garlic minced

3 small fingerling potatoes cut into small chunks

3 small purple potatoes cut into small chunks

2 bay leaves

4 cups organic free range chicken broth

2 cups water

1 white cabbage chopped

salt

pepper

pepperoncini

melt the butter on medium heat in a large stock pot until butter browns. add your garlic and onions stirring occasionally and making sure that they are saturated in the butter. you will soon have beautiful caramelized onions. add your potatoes and let them evenly brown on all sides. add a pinch of salt and let cook for 2 more minutes. then add your chicken stock, water, bay leaves a pepperoncini. turn the heat to high and bring mixture to a boil. add your cabbage making sure that it is all covered in liquid. turn heat down to low/medium and let cook for 2 hours stirring occasionally. season to taste and serve with warm buttery bread and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. bon appetit.

in the cold i crave cocktails...

to me the perfect winter cocktail is the "manhattan." imagine sitting in your cozy apartment full from a home-cooked meal relaxing on your couch with a drink in hand-- yes please! here is the recipe i use to make myself happy...

2 oz rittenhouse rye

1 oz carpano antica sweet vermouth

3 dashes angustura bitters

crack a couple ice cubes into a chilled mixing glass; add all your ingredients; top of with ice; stir and strain into a glass and garnish with a brandy cherry... yumm!

i am a huge fan of antica sweet vermouth. i often just drink it on its own with a couple ice cubes. it has a beautiful velvet texture with hints of plum and spices. i'm pretty much obsessed with it and always have a bottle in my fridge... the bottle is pretty too so you can use it as a vase or candle holder. enjoy.

Saturday at the Farmer's Market...

happy new years!!!

my husband and i braved the freezing cold temperatures (and i mean freezing with gusts of wind that nearly blew me over) and went to the market to get our groceries for the week. we bought beautiful purple potatoes, jerusalem artichokes and cabbage. can't wait to make a hearty soup with these ingredients tomorrow!

one of, if not my favorite, stands at the market is "hawthorne valley farm." they are not only organic but also biodynamic meaning that the farm is it's own little self contained ecosystem. in other words the farm has everything you could ever desire-- cheese, bread, veggies, pickled veggies, milk and meat-- all of which are of superior quality. their bianca cheese, a sort of richer version of farmers cheese, has become a staple in our fridge. jeremy, my husband, likes to mix it with black olives. in the summer i love chopping fresh chives from my herb garden into it. i was dying to buy some of their marrow bones but they were sold out-- will have to get there earlier next week. in my word marrow bones on buttery toasted bread is the perfect winter treat! for more info on their farm, their apprentice program and their products please go to their website at www.hawthornevalleyfarm.org

another favorite stand is "ronnybrook." their butter is incredible. i often use their salted butter for cooking and their sweet cream butter on my morning toast. this week i discovered their camembert-- oh what a happy discovery! no need for bread with this cheese. i've been munching on slices all day. my husband is also a huge fan of their half and half which he pours a few drops of into his espresso. for more info on ronnybrook farms go to www.ronnybrook.com

the gorgeous union square farmers market...

my first time...

this is my first post. ironically after i guiltily ate an avocado (not seasonal, not local, organic- yes)... the idea behind this whole blog is to show that eating is beautiful! as silly as that sounds. food should be savored and appreciated. one should indulge in it and find comfort in it. but most importantly one should respect it-- this means knowing where what you eat came from and how it came to be on your plate. as i go through this next year i will post about meals out, meals in, delicious cocktails and interesting articles i stumble upon as i try to live my life more consciously. i hope that you enjoy my blog and maybe one day we can sit around a table together and enjoy a meal. n