April 13th, 2008
Seriously, you gotta see the animation
View the Animation!!
All things taste better drenched in salted caramel sauce… at least sweet things that is! While this cheesecake was freaking great on its own, the salted caramel just took the experience to a whole different dimension.
Every year when a certain friend of ours with an insatiable sweet tooth comes to visit we always make her a birthday dessert. Every year she asks for croquembouche and this year I finally said yes to making it. I had started my research and was nearly ready to begin baking when I received a call from our friend letting me off the hook. While I think she was feeling guilty for getting me to agree to make a laborious, traditional french wedding cake for her amusement…er, enjoyment, she claims that what she was really craving was cheesecake… cheesecake and caramel sauce! Two of my favorite sweet things ever. I couldn’t deny my friend what she really wanted, could I? So here we have it. Plain decedent cheesecake topped with gooey salted caramel sauce.
Classic Dreamy Cheesecake
For the filling
3 (8oz) packages of Philadelphia cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tbsp good vanilla extract
3 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
For the crust:
about 1/2 a box of Nilla wafers
1 stick (1/2 cup)unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Make the crust: In a food processor, blend the Nilla wafers until finely ground. Add the rest of the ingredient for the crust. Pulse the food processor until all ingredients are fully incorporated and small clumps appear.
Pour the cookie mixture into a 9-inch spring form pan. Evenly spread the crumb mixture around the pan then, using a flat bottomed measuring cup or glass, firmly press down on the mixture working all the way around the pan and up the sides to create an evenly thick crust.
Bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes or until crust begins to turn golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for half an hour before adding filling to the crust.
Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Make sure the highest rake is positioned in the middle of the oven.
While the crust is cooling, make the filling: Add the softened cream cheese to a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat the cream cheese with an electric beater or stand mixer at medium speed until nice and workable, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and continue to beat at medium until fully creamed together, another 1-2 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and beat until thoroughly combined and smooth.
Once the crust has cooled, pour in the filling and spread evenly through out the crust using a rubber spatula.
Place the cheesecake into a large roasting pan. Add enough water to the roasting pan to go halfway up the side of the spring form pan to create a water bath , being careful not to pour water into the cheesecake itself! Bake the cheesecake at 325 degrees for about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours, until completely set.
Carefully remove the pan from the oven and the spring form pan from the roasting pan. Allow the cheesecake to cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour. Transfer the cheesecake to the refrigerate and chill for at least 12 hours before serving. Goes great with salted caramel sauce. Enjoy!
Salted Caramel Sauce
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
2 tsp kosher salt
3/4 cup plus 1 tbsp heavy cream
Add the sugar, salt, and water to a 2 quart or larger non-stick sauce pan. Place the pan over medium heat. Stir the mixture continuously until nearly all of the sugar has dissolved into the water to create a nearly clear solution.
Raise the heat to high. Boil the sugar and water mixture over high heat until it reaches a solid shade of amber swirling the pan occasionally. Do not stir the mixture while it’s boiling. Do not try to touch the mixture. Some of the worst burns involve boiling sugar. This process will take a while, 10-15 minutes maybe, but do not walk away from the boiling sugar. Once the color starts to change it doesn’t take long to go from deep amber to burnt nasty sugar.
Once the deep amber color has been achieved remove the pan immediately from the heat and turn off the burner. Add the heavy cream to the pan. Be careful because the mixture will violently bubble up. Once the caramel has finished bubbling, place the pan back onto the turned off but still hot burner. Stir continuously with either a rubber spatula until all of the caramel has dissolved into the cream. While stirring make sure to scrape the bottom and corners of the pan so that all of the hiding caramel is incorporated.
Allow the caramel to cool for at least 30 minutes before eating or transferring to a different container. If making in advance, allow the caramel to cool completely before placing in an airtight container. I like to put all of my caramel sauce into squeeze bottles for easy application in the future. Caramel sauce can last, refrigerated for a couple of weeks. Before using, either warm the sauce or allow it to come to room temperature. Enjoy (thoroughly)!
Posted in recipes, dessert, Made By Amanda, | 33 Comments »
March 26th, 2008
Yeah I frenched that chicken
We’re eating frenched chicken drumsticks that were soaked in a sweet chile lime marinade for several hours then baked. The chicken was served with a quinoa salad composed of sauteed baby artichokes, shallots, Spanish chorizo, green onions, banana peppers, feta cheese, and a tangy lime vinaigrette.
A: there’s something about frenched drumsticks that i think just looks cute… like little lolly pops!
T: to me they look more sophisticated and exotic that way. Even if it is just chicken. And, they seem easier to eat. I think pretty much every chicken leg should be frenched.
A: i like to french chicken legs. 
T: now, are you talking about cutting tendons on the chicken leg, or are you talking about a special kiss involving your tongue? I’ll let that go unanswered. I will say though that I enjoyed rubbing my tongue all over these chicken legs… damn they were good! Just a touch of sweet, and they went awesomely with the quinoa salad. It was a thrilling meal I gotta say.
A: heheh you’re easy to please! i definitely liked it a butt ton though. the drumsticks were a little sweet, but they were also nice and savory from the smoked paprika and chile powders. i will definitely be using this marinade in the future. i used lime juice and zest in it then decided that i was going to bring that flavor out by dressing the quinoa in a lime vinaigrette.
They still look like little condoms
T: The salad was quite tasty in and of itself. The baby artichokes were delish, and the spanish sausage was fire. And by fire I mean very tasty. I give the meal a 4.84/5. I just gobbled it up- it was so good.
A: woah dogg. i know you said you thought it was da fire, but jeez! 4.84! that’s a huge score! like i said i totally thought it kicked ass and all but i guess i wasn’t feeling it quite as much as you. i give the meal over all a 4.43/5. frickin’ good, but it could still use some work. i actually thought the quinoa salad as a stand alone item was a touch overly lime-y. combined they married beautifully though.
T: they certainly did. That’s something you have a gift for. Making things marry well. They should call you the Minister of Food.
A: i hold services every night from…oh, 8pm to 9pm. (we eat late!)
T: very few divorces.
Sweet Chile-Lime Drumsticks
For the marinade:
juice and zest from 1 lime
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp hot new mexican chile powder
1/2 - 1 tsp red pepper flakes (vary depending on how spicy you like things)
1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 tbsp ginger paste
1/2 tbsp garlic paste
1 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tbsp canola oil
6 chicken drumsticks, frenched
kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
sealable plastic bag, gallon-sized
Add all of the ingredients for the marinade into a mixing bowl. Whisk to thoroughly combine.
Place chicken into sealable bag. Pour marinade over chicken. Seal the bag, making sure to remove as much of the air from the bag as possible (think vacuum-sealed!). If necessary, shake up the bag so that the chicken is completely coated with marinade. Refrigerate and marinate for 2 to 12 hours.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees farenheit.
30 minutes before cooking, remove the chicken from the fridge and allow to come to room temperature.
Line a sheet pan with alluminum foil.
Place chicken on the sheet pan.
Roast the chicken at 400 degrees for 45 minutes, turn the chicken once, half way through cooking.
Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Posted in salads, recipes, Made By Amanda, meaty mains, | 25 Comments »
March 19th, 2008
(no one was harmed in the eating of this shrimp)
Sick of corned beef and cabbage? Try shrimp and grits! We’re eating garlic-rosemary yellow corn grits topped with jumbo shrimp sauteed with lots of butter, garlic, sweet peppers, red onion, and crisp zucchini. To top it off, we sprinkled some green onions and crumbled feta over the top then called it a day.
A: helloooooo…ooooh…..ooooh… is there anybody out there?
T: we’ve been trapped under rubble for a month. We were hoping someone would come rescue us but nobody came  so we had to eat each other’s fingers and toes. And part of Amanda’s calf.
A: seriously guys! we’re typing this with our nubs. anywho, we’re back and we are eating well again!
T: yes. we. are. And these shrimp & grits are a great example of eating well. If you’re gonna do shrimp and grits, it helps to get some big fat jumbo shrimp- not some sissy little-
A: shrimpy shrimp
You know you want to eat it
T: yeah- shrimp that could have been grown in somebody’s living room fish tank. Those will not do. Not one bit. Well that’s pretty much all the advice I have.. you got anything?
A: don’t i always? i would have to say, making sure that your shrimp are as fresh as possible and not over-cooked! seriously… it only takes like three minutes to cook shrimp! also, don’t be afraid to ask the guy at the fish market to let you smell a shrimp before you buy it. it shouldn’t be too fishy and it definitely shouldn’t smell like ammonia.
T: These were some killer shrimp. And grits. And sauteed veggies. You cooked the shrimp absolutely perfectly- they were mega tender and super delish. I give this here meal a 4.4/5. It was tasty and well executed. It could have scored higher in originality, but I have no complaints whatsoever. What’d you think?
A: i agree. shrimp and grits are by no means original but this was a freaking good rendition of it. just rating off of my pure enjoyment level, i’m gonna have to give it a 4.68/5. i could eat this all the damn time. i really can’t stress enough that getting the best quality, freshest shrimp makes all the difference in the world. these were top notch. and boy did i pay for it! they were 12 count (meaning 12 to a pound) and they weren’t the biggest ones offered. there were also colossal-sized which were 8 count and $24.99/lb. hmmm now that the dollar isn’t worth shit, i guess that might actually sound cheap to anyone living in… oh… say canada even!
T: Or Europe, perhaps? I can’t imagine paying 3 bucks for a singular shrimp! I could eat 2 carnitas tacos for that! 1 Shrimp or 2 entire tacos. That shrimp better be stuffed with… 2 tacos or something. Ay. Let’s not even get started on crawfish prices 
Killer Shrimp, Veggies, and Grits
For the grits:
2 cups whole milk
2 cups of water
1 tsp canola oil
1 1/2 tbsp garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
For the shrimp and veggies:
1 lb fresh jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp canola oil
1/2 red onion, sliced
5 small sweet peppers, sliced into rings (i don’t’ know the exact type of pepper but they are small and come in red, orange, and yellow)
1 zucchini, sliced into half-moons
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
crumbled feta
green onions, thinly sliced (garnish-optional)
Add the canola oil to a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Once hot add garlic and rosemary. Saute for about 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the milk and water to the saucepan. Heat until close to a boil, stirring frequently to ensure that the milk on the bottom of the pan doesn’t scorch. Once the liquid has nearly come to a boil (the milk may begin to froth up) slowly add the grits to the pan while constantly whisking. Reduce the heat to low. Stir in a liberal pinch of kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Allow the grits to simmer, stirring occasionally, until nearly all of the liquid has been absorbed. At this stage, taste the grits and season as necessary with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
While the liquid for the grits is heating, place a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the butter and canola oil to the pan. Season both sides of the shrimp with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Once the pan is nice and hot add the shrimp to the pan in a single layer, making sure not to overcrowd the pan. Saute the shrimp for about 1 minute per side until nearly cooked through (shrimp only take about 3 minutes to cook through total). Remove the shirmp from the pan and set aside. Return the pan to the stove.
Reduce the heat to medium. Add the sliced onions, sweet peppers, and rosemary to the saute pan. Saute for about 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are starting to turn translucent and the peppers are soft. Add the zucchini to the pan. Season the veggies liberally with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Saute zucchini for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until just cooked through. Add the garlic and saute for another 1 minute. Taste the veggies and adjust seasonings as necessary with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Hopefully the grits will be ready at about this stage. If the grits are not yet ready, reduce heat to low and keep warm until then. If the grits are ready, add the shrimp back to the saute pan and allow to finish cooking/heat through, about 1 minute more.
Serve a large spoonful of the grits in a bowl or plate and top with about 1/3 of the shrimp and veggie mixture (make sure to get some of the buttery goodness at the bottom of the pan in every serving). Garnish with crumbled feta and sliced green onions. Serves 3 hungry people. Enjoy!
Posted in recipes, seafood, Made By Amanda, | 12 Comments »
March 6th, 2008
Okay, okay, maybe I don’t really mean “the same thing” but we have done this meme before! A week or so ago we were tagged by the fabulous Leena to do the “5 things you don’t know about me” meme and as always we were quick to procrastinate and slow to get around to publishing!  This time around I thought it would be fun to get Tyler involved since I’m always the one giving away the personal goods.
Note: we wanted to see what our offspring would look like if we had kids… as you can see from the photo above it would not be pretty. As a service to the world and ourselves we are NOT having kids.
5 Things You (Probably) Don’t Know about Tyler:
1. I couldn’t swallow pills until I was a teenager… I just had a mental block man, it wouldn’t go past my tougue…it sucked. the first pill I ever swallowed was a tiny little red Sudafed, and even that took lots of water.
2. My first crush was on Rudy from the Cosby show. when I was 4 years old, and I convinced my parents to name our first dog Rudy in her honor.
3. I once wore a shirt for seven months straight - it was damn ugly. Actually it was purchased for my halloween costume and then I was like - screw it, I’m done dealing w/ wardrobe decisions. now I wear jeans and a white shirt every day. this is the result of 12 years of Catholic school.
4. I went to 12 years of Catholic school. (no girls, brown shoes, you know what i’m talking about.) Thank god that’s over with.
5. I have a cyst on my back named Jerome. nah, it’s not really named Jerome, but it has been there for a few years, and I couldn’t think of anything else to say.
And now…
5 Things You (Probably) Don’t Know about Amanda:
1. for a couple of years in college i didn’t brush my hair and just wore braided pigtails all of the time… which did indeed lead to having a couple of dreaded pieces of hair. i also used to have coca-cola red hair with yellow and orange highlights to look like fire. don’t worry, now my hair is back to the natural burnt-potato chip dark blond brushed state. i actually have to be slightly presentable working as a personal chef/estate manager. working in the back-of-the-house you just have to be clean(ish) with your hair tied back and covered. no style required.
2. to follow up on style, i don’t really pay attention to fashion or what i’m wearing. if it’s comfortable and i think i don’t look like a complete dork in it, i’ll wear it. i’m not too concerned with matching… at least when i’m not at work!(i just read tyler’s 5 things… i wonder if our lack of interest in wardrobes is part of what makes us so right for each other?  )
3. i’m an npr junkie! i’m not a fan of most of the music played on the radio although i am a huge fan of music. while i like some of pretty much all genres i’m a particular fan of bluegrass (not country), jam bands, prog-rock, funk, blues, femme rock (the likes of ani and the indigo girls)… and of course i grew up on the alternative music of the early nineties.
4. this year will be my 10 year class reunion from high school - and i fully intend not to go. really, what’s happened in ten years that could have drastically changed the people. at 28 we’re all still pretty much kids, right? now maybe if it was the 20 or 30 year reunion i might be interested. this year i’d like to waste that travel money on a leisurely trip up the california coast (with a high school friend!) ending in arcata, ca to visit another high school friend.
5. i have the (horrible) ability to waste hours while playing games online. i put that all on having an overnight job in the past where i had nothing to do for six and a half hours everyday. i particularly love puzzle games involving words and numbers.
Posted in non-food, | 12 Comments »
February 13th, 2008
Quiche my arse.
Quiches are an oldy but a goody and we’re taking advantage of that oldy tonight. Dinner consisted of mini-quiches in puff pastry shells with crumbled feta, pepperoni, sauteed crimini mushrooms and leeks, and a sprinkling of italian blend cheese. To lighten the meal up a bit we served a basic romaine salad along side.
T: Ooowee these things were rockin’! It’s been forever since you made any tasty little quiche things, and I’m glad to see them back again. Yeah!
A: no joke! when we lived in baton rouge i was on a quiche kick. there was a period where i was making at least one quiche a week! that’s a bit out of control but they’re just so damn tasty.
T: They really are very very tasty. Are they tricky to make?
A: not at all. for these i even used egg substitute so it was even less work -
T: woah woah… wait a sec. Egg substitute? I’m afraid. Those things tasted good, but I’m still a little afraid of what an egg substitute might consist of.
Millions of quiches… quiches for me
A: actually it’s 100% egg, but not eggs in the shell, you know? i didn’t want to brand drop but i used egg beaters. it’s mainly egg white with a touch of yolk i think.
T: ok, so it would have been the same to just take out the yolk of real eggs?
A: yup. you could do that, but this is way easier. all i had to do was shake and pour.
T: You shook and poured well I must say. I give these a 4.7/5. I could eat these every day… for at least a couple of months. They were so flavorful, and had a great texture too. I like the flaky outsides. The pepperoni really set them off though. What’s your rating?
A: i agree with you, i loved the crap out of these things. just simple quiches in puff pastry shells but still taaaastyyyy. I give ‘em a 4.6/5. the pepperoni and feta went great with the sauteed mushrooms and leeks. i was a little apprehensive about using egg beaters initially but it worked out great. i don’t remember why i got off the quiche kick but it looks like i might be back on.
T: hell. yes. Bring it. Hey, just a thought- these might be good for your brownbag lunches, huh?
A: actually, while you were typing earlier i was thinking exactly that! or for both of our breakfasts. they would be great for a grab and go any time! dude. i can’t tell you how utterly sick of ham on wheat sandwiches i am. like take vomitously sick and multiply it by a billion and that’s how sick of them i am.
T: Been there done that. I’ve reached that point with ham, turkey, and pb&j in the past. Move on, Amanda, and don’t look back. You’ve made your last crappy ham sandwich. Rejoice.
A: i’m starting the “freedom through mini-quiches” movement! are you on board?
T: uhh… actually I’ve got a lot going on.. you’ll have to handle up on that one yourself. 
Coming Soon. And by soon we mean not soon.
Posted in recipes, Made By Amanda, breakfast/brunch, | 23 Comments »
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