Red Velvet Cheesecake

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This is such a tasty recipe!!  It has both of my favorite things combined into one! Red Velvet Cake (my FAVORITE!) and Cheesecake (another love of mine!).  I adapted this recipe from a cheesecake brownie recipe that I found online and Diva'sCanCook's Red Velvet Cake recipe (which is the BEST one I have tried so far! Check her out) .

  I use her sercret ingredient, Coffee and/or Vanilla Cup Cake Cappuccino from QuickTrip!  If you are a coffee drinker, (especially since its getting cold) you will probably have coffee already on hand! 

  Before I even begin the recipe, I MUST say, this is served better COLD!!! 

  I can't stress that enough!  The cake is so good that you will want to eat it before its chilled, but the cheesecake portion won't be ready yet!!  So wait wait wait!  This is a pretty quick and easy recipe,, so if possible, make it later in the evening, so you can put it in the fridge overnight, and sleep while it's chilling instead of torturing yourself lol!!

Now on to the recipe!

Ingredients:

• 2 large eggs
• 1 stick of unsalted butter
• 1 cup  granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup  unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon red food coloring
• 2 Tablespoons of Vanilla Cupcake Cappachino or Coffee(Any vanilla flavored coffee like beverage would work....Plain coffee works well too :-) ) 
• 3/4 teaspoon white vinegar
• 3/4 cup  all-purpose flour 
• 8 ounces  cream cheese, softened 
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Spray your pie pan with a nonstick spray like Bakers Joy. 

**These are optional steps, but to me, they make the process go by smoother when you measure out/prep some things.  Note: You can bypass this and go straight to the recipe and just measure as you go.**

Prep Steps:

1.  In a small bowl (i use a plastic throw away bowl), whisk your two eggs together.

2.  Melt your Butter in 30 second increments. Set aside in a medium bowl (this is the bowl you will mix your RED VELVET BATTER in)

3.  Measure out your 1 cup of sugar and 3/4 cup of Flour and set aside(I normally keep them in whatever i measure them in to save washing dishes.  

Doing these things first helps the process go along smoothly and fast.

1. In a small bowl, beat the 2 eggs together. Melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second increments until melted.  **PREP STEP**
2. Stir in 1 cup sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, cocoa powder, salt, food coloring, Coffee/Cappuccino  and vinegar. Mix them in this order BY HAND!!! 
3.  Whisk in the eggs, then fold in the flour until completely incorporated. 
4. DO NOT OVERMIX!!!
5.  Pour the  batter into prepared pie pan, leaving about 3-4 Tablespoons for the top. You do not want to do much more than this, or you won't see much of the cheesecake to get that swirl effect.
6. Now, in a different bowl (medium sized or large) With a hand-held mixer on medium speed, beat the softened cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar, egg yolk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla in a medium bowl until completely smooth - about 1 minute. (I normally leave my cream cheese on the oven top , while preheating , so it gets really soft and makes it super smooth!)
7. Dollop spoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture on top of the prepared batter. Cover with the last few Tablespoons of batter. Glide a knife through the layers, creating a swirl pattern.

NOW ON TO THE OVEN!!

1. Bake the Red Velvet Cheesecake for 30-45 minutes  or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  I normally cook it for 30 minutes then check the cake portion to see if it comes out clean.  Then I cook it for 10 minute increments after that (if needed) until the pie is done.  Everyones stove may be a little different, so I advise cooking it for 30 minutes then adding time by 5-10 minutes as needed.  Just make sure to keep check on it!!
2. Allow it to cool for about an hour, then place it in the fridge overnight.  A small slice of heaven awaits you in the morning! Enjoy!

Sriracha & Garlic Grilled Shrimp

       I love grilling so much, especially in the summer time.  Preparing this much shrimp ahead of time allows me to have planned meals (read:keeps me from eating junk food lol)  througout the week.  I use these as a side, or for a quick salad.  I normally grill one batch the first day and let the second  batch marinate overnight and grill it for something rich like Shrimp Alfredo (recipe coming soon :-) 

This is a really simple yet very flavorful recipe.  It's quick and easy to make and most of the items you probably already have in your kitchen.

Ingredients:

1 cup olive oil                


2 Tablespoons of Parsley(dry or fresh)

2 tablespoons Sriracha

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined with tails attached

Vegetables:

I used tomatoes, Bell Peppers, and Zucchini's.  I didn't actually eat any of them besides the Zucchini's.  The rest were just for added flavor (the tomatoes because they were pretty and i needed to use it up lol)  But use whatever vegetables you like!

Other Tools Needed:

Wooden skewers

(MAKE SURE TO SOAK YOUR SKEWERS FOR 30 minutes before grilling to prevent burning)

                                   Directions                            

1. In a mixing bowl, mix together olive oil, parsley, Sriracha hot sauce, garlic, tomato paste, , salt, and black pepper. Pour  marinade into a large resealable plastic bag with shrimp. Seal, and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour (or more).
2. Preheat grill for medium-low heat. Thread shrimp onto skewers, piercing once near the tail and once near the head. Discard marinade.
3. Lightly oil grill grate. Cook shrimp for 5 minutes per side, or until opaque. ENJOY!

Grilled Jerk Chicken

This was my very first time trying out Jerk Chicken. This recipe is a mix of a few recipes that I came across.  I hope you enjoy!!

Ingredients

2 lbs skinless chicken breast (or thighs)

1/2 cup white vinegar

2 habanero peppers

1 red onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

2 large limes, juiced

4 green onions

2 tbsp bourbon whiskey

1/4 cup Sugar

1-2 Tbs Soy Sauce

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp thyme leaves

4 dashes ground cinnamon

4 dashes allspice

2 tbsp fresh grated ginger

2 tsp garlic

2 tsp molasses

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

The first thing we will do is prepare our sauce.  I used a mini-ninja (i think thats what its called) to chop up and blend my jerk seasoning.

Place your vinegar, Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO), Sugar,  Habanero Peppers(I removed the seeds from one of them), Soy Sauce, Bourbon Whiskey, Molasses Garlic , Ginger, Allspice, Cinnamon, Red Bell Pepper, Green Onion, Thyme, Salt and Pepper.  

Blend until smooth.

NEXT....The Chicken!

1. Make sure you dry your chicken well after cleaning and use a knife to poke holes into each breast.
2. Place your chicken in a container and pour a genourous amount of Jerk Sauce over it.  You can reserve some of the jerk sauce for basting later.
3. Marinate for a minimum of 1 hour (overnight for the maximum flavor!)
4. Place the chicken breast on your grill and grill until done(Check out the video for a few tips on grilling).  (I baste my chicken during the first half of cooking).