THE BEST NEW YORK CHEESECAKE

(It's so good the missing slice pictured below will be the size of your first taste) 

Awesome Cheesecake recipe sent to me by a friend. 

(Recipe came from Jim Fobel's Old-Fashioned Baking Book)

Ingredients:

5 large eggs at room temperature

2 cups (1 pint) sour cream, room temp.

4 8 oz. packages cream cheese, room temp.

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp.

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon zest

Generously butter the inside of a 10 inch spring form pan.

Wrap a double layer of aluminum foil tightly around the outside bottom and sides, crimping

and pleating the foil to make it conform to the pan. This will help to prevent water seeping into the pan when you put it into the bain-marie. ( roasting pan that the pie pan can fit into with a bit of room around).

Position the baking rack in the center of the oven: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the eggs with the sour cream until well blended. In a medium-sized bowl, beat the cream cheese with the butter until smooth and creamy. Add this to the egg-sour cream mixture and beat until smooth and creamy. Add the sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, lemon juice and zest and beat thoroughly, about 2 minutes.

Pour into the prepared springform pan and place in the roasting pan. Place in the oven and carefully pour in enough very hot tap water to reach halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Bake for 2 hour 15 minutes, or until the cake is very lightly colored and a knife inserted in the center emerges clean.

Remove from the water bath and carefully peel the aluminum foil from around the pan. Let stand at room temperature until completely cool, about 4 hours. Refrigerate, covered, until well chilled. For best flavor and texture, this cheesecake is best chilled overnight. 

( I couldn't wait. I ate a slice after the initial 4 hour cooling and I'm drooling just thinking about it. ) 

Japanese Ginger Salad Dressing

Ingredients:
1/2 cup soy oil (I use canola oil or veg. oil)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped celery
3 tbs + 1 tsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbs grated gingeroot
2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp lemon rind
1/2 tsp ketsup
1/4 tsp white pepper

Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth.
Store in tightly covered glass jar in refrigerator.
Lasts up to 1 week.

Almost Famous Soft Pretzels

My wife wanted me to make pretzels. So I went online and found this recipe.

It came from the Food Network Kitchen. 

The pretzels are really easy to make. Just make sure your yeast foams up when you add the liquid to it. I went through 2 packets of yeast before I decided to buy a new 3 pack.

The date on the first pack had an expiration date of 2018 but the yeast was dead.

Anyway once I got the new package it went well. 

These pretzels are so good you'll freak out.

Ingredients:
1 cup milk
1 package active dry yeast
3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
10 Tablespoons unsalted butter softened, plus more for greasing the bowl
1 teaspoon fine salt
13 cup baking soda
2 tablespoons coarse salt.

Making the pretzels:
Warm the milk in a saucepan until it's about 110 degrees. 
Pour it into a medium bowl and add the yeast. Let it sit for about 
5 to 10 minutes. (it should look foamy).
At this point if the yeast isn't getting foamy, dump it and start over.
Maybe the milk was too hot or not hot enough or your yeast is old.
Now continue:
Stir in the brown sugar and 1 cup of flour with a wooden spoon.
Add 2 tablespoons of the softened butter and stir.
Now add 1 1/4 cups flour and the fine salt to make a sticky dough.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding more flour
if needed (just a little at a time) until smooth but still slightly tacky, about 5 minutes.
Shape into a ball, place in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size. About 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees
Either grease a large sheet pan or use parchment paper. (paper is better for clean up)
Punch dough to deflate, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface.
Divide the dough into 6 pieces.
Roll and stretch each piece with the palms of your hands into about a 30" rope.
Form into a pretzel shape. (take the 2 ends, twist twice and creat pretzel shape)

Dissolve the baking soda in 3 cups of warm water ( a 7x11" baking dish works well for this)
Gently dip each pretzel in the soda solution, then arrange on the prepared baking sheet 
and sprinkle with the coarse salt. 
Bake until golden about 10-12 minutes.
Melt the other 8 tbsp of butter. 
When the pretzels are done brush lightly with the butter and let cool on a rack.

General Tso’s Chicken (from About.com

Not hard to make and really good. Serve with rice and you're set.

Ingredients:
    * 1 pound chicken thighs, boneless
    * 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
    * 1 egg, lightly beaten
    * freshly ground black or white pepper, to taste
    * Cornstarch, as needed
    * Sauce:
    * 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
    * 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
    * 2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
    * 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
    * 3 tablespoons chicken broth or water
    * 1 tablespoon minced ginger
    * 2 teaspoons minced garlic
    * 2 teaspoons cornstarch for thickening sauce, optional
    * Other:
    * 3 green onions (spring onions, scallions)
    * 5 to 10 small dried red chilli peppers, according to taste
    * 3 – 4 cups oil for deep-frying and stir-frying, as needed

Preparation:
1. Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes. Combine the chicken cubes with the egg, soy sauce, and pepper. Add enough cornstarch to nicely coat the chicken, using cooking chopsticks or your fingers to mix it in.
2. Combine the sauce ingredients in a bowl, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Set aside. Thinly slice the green onions.
3. Heat the oil in a wok to between 350 and 360 degrees Fahrenheit (175 - 180 degrees Celsius). Drop the chicken cubes into the hot oil, a few pieces at a time, and deep-fry until crispy (3 to 4 minutes). Remove the chicken cubes and drain on paper towels.
4. Drain and clean out the wok. Heat 2 tablespoons oil. When the oil is hot, add the sliced green onions and the dried chili peppers. Stir-fry until aromatic (about 30 seconds).
5. Add the deep-fried chicken cubes back into the wok. Stir-fry until the chicken cubes are browned (about 1 minute).
6. Push the chicken up to the sides of the wok. Give the sauce a quick restir and add into the middle of the wok. If you added cornstarch to the sauce, stir it continually for 1 - 2 minutes to thicken.
7. Mix the sauce with the chicken. Cook and stir for another 2 minutes, stirring, until the chicken is nicely coated with the sauce. Serve immediately.

If you like, you can thicken the sauce by whisking 2 teaspoons cornstarch in with the other sauce ingredients. For more sauce, increase the sauce ingredients by 1/2 (3 tablespoons dark soy sauce, 1 1/2 tablespoons rice wine, etc).

Serves 3 to 4

Honey Challah Rolls

3 1/2 to 4 cups Bread flour or All purpose flour.
2 packages active dry yeast (I use rapid rise)
1 1/2 tsps. salt
2 eggs

1 cup hot water (120 to 130 degrees)
2 Tbsps. Honey
2 Tbsps. oil
Sesame seeds

1. In electric mixer, combine 3 1/2 cups flour, yeast and salt blending well.
Separate one egg, set egg white aside.
Mis vigorously, then knead with dough hook for about 6 minutes, adding flour if sticky,
until smooth and elastic. Or turn out onto floured board and knead about 10 minutes.

2. Place in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover with plastic wrap and damp towel.
Let rise in warm place about 30 minutes.

3. Punch down, let rest 5 minutes. Divide evenly: shape into 16 balls.
Arrange in greased 9 inch layer cake pan. Working from outside in, place 10 balls around
perimeter, then 5 and 1 in the center. Lightly beat reserved egg white and brush over rolls.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Cover and let rise until doubled about 15 minutes.
Bake at 350 degrees about 22 minutes, until golden brown.
Serve warm.
Makes 16 rolls.

Guacamole

Get some tortilla chips and whip up this easy dip.

Ingredients:
4 avocados
1 garlic clove minced
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 tomato, finely chopped
1/4 cup red onion or yellow, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
3 hits of hot pepper sauce

Half the avocados, get rid of the pit and scoop out the inside
Roughly mash the avocado in a bowl
Stir in the lemon juice and garlic
Stir in the remaining ingredients

There ya go. Delicious and not too fattening.

Italian Sausage & Peppers

I found this recipe online and it's awesome!!!!

Ingredients:
2 tbspns olive oil or a few drizzles around the Large skillet.
(you'll need a lid)
6 to 12 hot or sweet Italian sausages.
1 garlic clove minced
1 onion thinly sliced
2 thinly sliced red peppers (about 1/4 inch slices)
1 thinly sliced green pepper
3 tblspns tomato paste
3/4 cup white wine
salt and pepper to taste

First heat the oil and fry the sausages on all sides till browned
Set browned sausage aside
Add the onions, garlic, peppers and saute a bit
make a small space and add the tomato paste.
Now stir it all up.
Mix in the white wine
salt and pepper (optional)
Slice up your sausage into 3/4 inch rounds or use whole
Add to the skillet and stir

Cook covered over low heat for 20 minutes or until
onions and peppers are tender

Serve on Italian bread, with pasta or over rice.
This is a winner!