Getting Back Into The Groove

 I felt out of place the other day in my own kitchen. I took a few months off away from baking and blogging and I almost forgot how to do it! I post pics to my Instagram (monica_h30) account daily, but it's been awhile since I've actually picked up my DSLR to photograph a recipe with the intent to blog. It was exciting and kind of nerve wracking at the same time. Even hubby was surprised at what I was doing. It turns out, blogging is kind of like riding a bike. Or I assume it is, it has been YEARS since I actually got on one :-) I pulled props from around my kitchen and out of my vintage glass stash and it all came together. 

These scones came about because I had really ripe berries and heavy cream to use up. I put my spin on it and did things a little differently than the original recipe and they turned out delicious. They're also quite patriotic looking with their red, white and blue-ness! Once cooked, the strawberry flavor intensifies and produces little pockets of  jam-like goodness. The scone itself is barely vanilla and tender, with crunchy sugared tops. Enjoy with a pat of butter or whipped cream (or "keem" as Hayden likes to call it) and more fresh fruit. These are perfect for long, lazy weekends. 

Happy Memorial Day! 

StrawBerry and Cream Scones
adapted from Smitten Kitchen

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• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• 1 cup chopped ripe strawberries
• 1/3 cup fresh blueberries
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup heavy cream plus more for brushing the tops
• sanding sugar or turbinado sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, sugar and salt together. Mix to combine.

Add the cubed, cold butter to the flour. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut the butter into the flour mixture until the butter is pea sized and the mixture is crumbly. 

Gently stir in the strawberries and blueberries so that they are coated in the flour mixture. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla extract just until the mixture comes together. 

Place the dough onto a floured work surface and knead two to three times until a mass is formed, being careful not to over work the dough. Pat the dough into a flat disc about 10-inches wide and about 1-inch thick. 

Using a sharp knife, a bench scraper or a pizza wheel, divide the round into 8 equal triangles. Place the triangles onto the parchment lined baking sheet, about 1-2 inches apart. Brush the tops with additional heavy cream and sprinkle with sugar. 

Bake for 17 to 20 minutes or until the scones are golden brown. Cool slightly before serving. 

Makes 8 scones. 

This little booger hovers over me while I'm taking photos in the kitchen. He could not wait til I was done so he could dig in. I set my camera down and he helped himself to several fingers full of "keem". Then he said "take picture" and stuck out his tongue. He was very proud of himself! How could I resist those eyes and that curly top?

Learning To Like New Things

I loathe making chiffon/angel food cakes and Swiss rolls so I was not so thrilled when this cake was chosen as the winning cake to be baked by The Cake Slice Bakers. In fact, my friend Maranda from Jolts & Jollies and I both held our breath and hoped this cake wouldn't be the winning cake because it seemed so labor intensive BUT in the end it was so much easier than I ever expected. Despite my reservations, this cake was a complete success and really quite DELICIOUS. It's also really pretty and that's always a plus. There are lots of photos in this post, bear with me. 

This is not your ordinary roll up cake. Firstly, you make your own butterscotch sauce (butter, sugar, cream) then you add some of that to freshly whipped cream to make the filling. It then gets spread on the cake and rolled up with sliced almonds scattered throughout. You cut the cake into four pieces and roll it up around itself until you have something that looks like a giant cinnamon roll. And who doesn't like giant cinnamon rolls, especially when the tender cake is the dough and it's filled with salted butterscotch cream?! 

I haven't always liked butterscotch. It wasn't until recently that I started to like it. I always assumed that butterscotch was nothing more than those little golden candies my grandpa used to carry around in his pockets. Why didn't anyone tell me it was like a cross between gooey, sticky toffee and caramel? Man, this stuff was good! The recipe below makes 1 1/2 cups of sauce but only one cup is needed for the filling. You can drizzle the remaining sauce over the cake or on ice cream, or in coffee or just stick your finger in it and lick it. oh yum! Make this! 

Butterscotch Cream Roll-Up 

from Vintage Cakes via Cooking By The Book

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Butterscotch Sauce:

1/3 cup unsalted butter

1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon whisky

1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

Cake:

1 cup sifted cake flour

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

½ cup canola oil

4 egg yolks, at room temperature

¼ cup water

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

6 egg whites, at room temperature

¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

Filling:

1 ½ cups cold heavy cream

½ cup natural sliced almonds, toasted plus more for this outside of the cake, if desired

To make the butterscotch sauce: Melt the butter over medium heat in a large heavy-bottomed sauce pan. Dump in the brown sugar all at once and stir with a wooden spoon to combine. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture begins to simmer and changes from a wet sand consistency to a liquid that fives off a lovely molasses smell and looks like taffy, approximately 3 minutes from the time it comes to a simmer. Drizzle ¼ cup of the cream into the mixture and vigorously blend the cram into the sugar and whisk in the remaining cream. Turn the heat up to medium-high and allow the sauce to boil, whisking occasionally, until it has darkened, about 8 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and allow the sauce to cool for a few minutes before adding the whisky, vanilla, and salt. Refrigerate until cold.

To make the cake: Spray a 12 x 16 inch jelly roll pan with nonstick baking spray (with flour), line it with parchment paper, and then spray the parchment paper with more nonstick baking spray. Center a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 325⁰F.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and ¾ cup of the sugar in a large bowl, then whisk the ingredients by hand. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, yolks, water and vanilla. Add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients and briskly stir with a rubber spatula until just smooth.

In the clean bowl of stand mixer fitted with the clean whisk attachment, whip the egg whites on medium speed until frothy. Add the cream of tartar and gradually increase the speed to high, whipping until the whites just form a soft peak. With mixer on medium speed, gradually add the remaining ¼ cup of sugar in a slow stream. Return the mixer to high and continue whipping until the whites just begin to hold firm, shiny peaks.

With a rubber spatula, fold a third of the whites into he batter, using as few strokes as possible. Add the remaining whites, folding until incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula. Place the pan in the oven. Bake the cake until it springs back when lightly touched and is barely golden in color, 16 to 20 minutes. Cool the cake on a wire rack until it reaches room temperature.

To make the filling: Begin by placing the bowl of a stand mixer and its whisk attachment in the freezer for 5 minutes. Fit the cold bowl and whisk to the mixer and whip the 1 ½ cups of cold heavy cream and 1 cup of the cold butterscotch sauce together on low speed until the ingredients are blended. Gradually turn the mixer up to high speed and whip just until the cream holds soft peaks but is not yet stiff.

To assemble the cake:  Keep the cake in its pan and orient the pan so the longer side is closed to you. Cut the cake with a serrated knife into four equal pieces measure 4 by 12 inches. Cut through the underlying parchment paper with a pair of scissors in the same places that you cut the cake so you have four quarters of cake [with parchment paper attached] that can each move independently.

Leaving the cake in the pan, spread a bit more than half of the butterscotch cream evenly over the cake and sprinkle with the toasted almonds. Refrigerate the remainder of the cream while you roll up the cake.

Here comes the fun part: rolling the cake! With the pan still oriented with the longer side closest to you, lift up the nearest edge — both cake and paper — of one of your 4 strips. Using the parchment paper as the cake’s support, begin to tuck the cake into a roll and continue tucking [and peeling away the parchment paper] while gently rolling the cake away from you into a roll. Place the rolled cake upright on a serving plate, so the spiral of cake and filling is visible at the top. [Don’t worry, it gets easier from here.]Lift the next cake strip, using the parchment paper to support it, and wrap the strip around the roll on the serving plate, beginning where the outside edge of the first cake left off, in order to create a bigger roll. Continue with the next two strips, beginning the wrap where the last left off, to make one enormous rolled up cake.

Finish by frosting the sides with the reminder of the cream [you might need to give the cream a few turns with a hand whisk to stiffen it up], leaving he top free to show of the spiral of cake and cream. If you desire, you can pat more almonds into the sides of the cake. Refrigerate the cake for at least 1 hour and up to one day, lightly wrapped in plastic. Just before serving, warm the remaining butterscotch sauce and drizzle it over the individual servings.

Well wrapped and refrigerated, this cake keeps up to 3 days. 

Tastes Like Home

I don't remember my Grandma baking very much when we were kids. She was an excellent cook and made the best pot of beans, skillet fried chicken and potato salad, just to name a few. I always loved her potato salad just after she made it when the potatoes were still warm and soft. She always saved a bowl for me to enjoy at room temperature while the rest of it went into the refrigerator. In July, we took a road trip and visited my cousin for his 1st birthday and stayed at my grandparents house. On our last night there we had a cookout and I was able to enjoy her potato salad again. It's little things like that that take me back to my childhood. My mom still makes potato salad, and while it's similar (and delicious), it's not my grandma's. 

This little guy had a field day playing with the ice cream maker. When he thought I wasn't looking, he'd stick his fingers in the top and sneak a few licks of gelato. At one point he even climbed up onto the island and tried to put his face into the machine. You could say he's a fan of this rice gelato, just like his momma. 

When my grandma did make "dessert" it was often a bowl of atole de arroz, which is kind of like rice pudding but not as rich or creamy. It's more of a rice porridge, made with white rice, sugar, water, milk and cinnamon sticks. During the summer months, a man would walk all over town pushing a cart of Mexican popsicles, called paletas. We called him "The Paleta Man" :-). And just like the ice cream truck, we'd hear him ringing his bell, run outside and flag him down as he approached our house. We would make our requests and he'd reach into his mint green chilled chest and pull out colorful treats on sticks. I liked the fresh strawberry and the rice paleta the best. The rice paleta was milky, creamy, lightly sweetened and had a dusting of cinnamon on it. What made it different from the rest was that it had nibbly bits of rice in it. I loved that. 

When I came across this recipe for Rice Gelato from The Perfect Scoop, I knew it would be making an appearance in my future. The original recipe called for adding strips of orange zest to the rice mixture, but cinnamon sticks seemed more up my alley. It's what reminds me of home, so that's what I used. I also added a bit of ground cinnamon to the mixture after the rice was cooked. The smell of the sweet rice cooking filled the house like perfume. This gelato is much creamier and richer than anything my grandma ever made, but this is gelato after all, and it should be creamy. The rice softens and plumps up during the cooking process- half of it is blended really finely and the other half stays whole for optimal texture.While this dessert is frozen and is great on an end of summer day, there's something about it that comforts and soothes the soul. And that to me, is the best of both worlds. 

Rice Pudding Gelato 

adapted from The Perfect Scoop

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• 1/2 cup Arborio rice
• 3 cups whole milk
• 3/4 cup sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 5 large egg yolks 
• 1 cup half-and-half or heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

In a 2 quart baking dish, mix together the rice, milk 1/4 cup of the sugar and the salt. Add the vanilla bean and cinnamon stick and cover the dish with aluminum foil. 

Bake for 1 hour. Remove the rice from the oven and remove the foil. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup sugar, then continue to bake the rice, uncovered for an additional 30 minutes.

Remove the rice from the oven a second time, remove the vanilla bean and cinnamon stick and briskly whisk in the egg yolks at once. Then whisk in the half and half or cream, round cinnamon and nutmeg.

Puree half of the rice mixture in a blender or food processor until finely chopped. Then stir it back into the cooked rice.

Place the rice mixture in the fridge until completely chilled. Then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions.

NOTE: This gelato freezes really hard. Let it sit out at room temperature for about 10 minutes before serving, if necessary. 

Because Sometimes You Just Need Pie

Pie is just one of those comforting desserts that warms your heart and soothes your soul. It doesn't matter if it's warm from the oven crumb topped apple pie or pucker up cool and tangy key lime pie eaten al fresco in the middle of Summer. Pie is just a comfort food, for me at least. So last month when we (The Cake Slice Bakers) were faced with the challenge to make a peanut butter and chocolate mousse "cake" I knew I'd be turning it into a pie. I use the term "cake" loosely, because there's not one part of this recipe that goes into the oven. You start with a cookie crust, layer in some fluffy peanut butter and chocolate mousse and glaze it with a healthy dose of deep, dark and rich ganache. Sounds good, right?

Peanut butter and chocolate go hand in hand. Most people love that combination, I've just never been a huge fan of it. I know you're all looking at me like I'm crazy, but it's true. I love peanut butter and I love chocolate, separately, on their own, not together. My brother LOVES it though so I made this pie for him. Lately we've all been dealing with some financial stuff. It seems everywhere I turn someone is. This economy is just rough and you do what you have to do to get by. If you're not struggling in some way, kudos to you! For my brother, he had to sell his beloved truck. He is a car "collector"- his favorites being old Cadillacs. He needed some cash flow and this truck needed to find a new home. He was kind down in the dumps about it so this pie was made for him. It was a "I'm sorry this economy sucks and you had to sell your truck, but I still love you" kind of pie. And sometimes we all need that. 

In fact right now, I could use about a dozen of these kinds of pies. If you're in the same situation, consider this pie for you! There are several steps to make this pie and several dishes to wash! There's a bowl for the crust, one for the whipped cream, another two for the mousse layers and another for the glaze, plus a food processor a saucepan and any measuring tools and spatulas. But is it worth it? heck yes! It seems rather lengthy and involved but each step is fairly simple and straightforward. It just takes time and patience but in the end you'll be rewarded with a creamy and decadent pie sure to warm your heart even if you never turn the oven on. 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Pie adapted from The Cake Book by Tish Boyle

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For The Chocolate Wafer Crust: 

• 1 1/2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs (I used Oreos, with the filling scraped out)
• 5 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

For The Peanut Butter Mousse: 

• 2.5 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
• 2/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream

For The Chocolate Mousse: 

• 2.5 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 2 oz. milk chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 3 Tbsp whole milk 
• 3 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

For The Chocolate Glaze: 

• 3 oz. semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

To Make The Chocolate Crust: In a medium bowl, stir together the cookie crumbs and the melted butter. Stir until well combined. Pat the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch deep dish pie plate. Refrigerate the crust while you make the peanut butter mousse. 

To Make The Peanut Butter Mousse: In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter at medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the powdered sugar and mix until well blended. Add the peanut butter and salt and mix until well blended, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Set bowl aside while whipping the cream. 

In a large clean bowl, beat the heavy cream with an electric mixer at high speed until soft peaks form. Gently fold 1/2 cup of the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture until almost blended. Fold in another 3/4 cup of the whipped cream until completely blended and no white streaks appear. 

Scrape the peanut butter mousse into the prepared pie pan and spread it into an even layer. Refrigerate while you make the chocolate mousse. Cover the remaining whipped cream and refrigerate ready to use. 

To Make The Chocolate Mousse: Place both chocolates in the bowl of a food processor and process until finely ground. Leave the chocolate in the food processor. 

In a small saucepan, combine the milk and sugar and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently until the sugar dissolves. With the food processor running, pour the hot milk through the feed tube, and process until the chocolate is completely melted. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the vanilla extract, and process until well blended. Scrape the mixture into a medium bowl. 

Using a rubber spatula, gently fold 1/4 of the reserved whipped cream into the mousse. Fold in the remaining cream until completely blended. Scrape the mousse onto the peanut butter mousse layer and smooth the top using an offset spatula. Refrigerate the pie while making the chocolate glaze. 

To Make The Chocolate Glaze: Place finely chopped chocolate into a medium bowl. 

In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a boil.  Pour cream over the chocolate and let sit for a few minutes. Add the vanilla, then gently stir until the chocolate is completely melted and the glaze is smooth. Do not over mix or you'll incorporate air bubbles. Let the mixture cool at room temperature for 10 minutes before using. 

Pour the cooled glaze over the chocolate mousse layer. Using a small metal spatula, spread the glaze evenly over the top of the pie. Sprinkle the top with peanuts if desired, for garnish, before the glaze sets. 

Chill the pie for at least 2-3 hours before serving. Loosely cover pie and store any leftovers for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. 

Road Trip Recap and Breakfast For Dinner

We headed out last Friday for a road trip to see family last weekend. I was concerned about travelling with Hayden but in reality he was wonderful and I could not have asked for a better travel companion. We did have some hiccups along the way, but surprisingly they had nothing to so with Hayden. We loaded up the truck and piled everyone in. We got about two hours out of town and started having issues with our vehicle. Out of nowhere it overheated and we found ourselves on the side of the road in the blistering heat, with white smoke pouring out the tail pipe and fluids bubbling under the hood. Not good. 

My brother and Mr. H saved the day and we barely made it to the nearest Ford dealership, only to be held up there for 3 hours. We had lunch, the service department diagnosed the problem and we tried to track down a rental car to get us to our destination. Long story short, our 9 hour strip turned into 13. Hayden got (understandably) restless about two hours out so we stopped, stretched our legs and got some dinner. Once we got back on the road he passed out and was peaceful the rest of the way, though we were all crammed into a minivan and uncomfortable. We made it to my grandma's house nearing midnight and had a great weekend. We ended up staying an extra day than planned but we got to visit family that we hadn't seen in years, including my new cousin that's only 3 weeks old. Love. 

The trip back home was a little less exciting but we were all so tired, hot and easily agitated. I don't think I've ever been so happy to back in my own home- I forgot how good it smelled and how great the A/C works :-). All this to say, that we survived our first road trip with the boy. And don't tell Mr. H, but I'd do it all over again just to spend more time with my family. I guess now it's time for me to talk about this breakfast casserole. It's delicious and I've made it several times over the past few months. I've made it with different meats and cheeses and it's always a hit. I make the full recipe and we eat on it for about 3 days, for either breakfast or dinner, and never tire of the leftovers. That's a rarity. 

Breakfast Casserole adapted from Confabulation In The Kitchen

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• 1- 20 oz. bag  Simply Potatoes shredded hash browns
  
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
  
• 1 lb. sausage, cooked and crumbled (ham or bacon works well too)
  
• 2 cups grated Cheddar cheese
  
• 5 large eggs
  
• 1 cup half n half or heavy cream
  
• A few dashes of hot sauce
• salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Place potatoes in a large bowl. Pour melted butter over potatoes and stir until well-combined. Line  anungreased 9x13-inch casserole dish with buttered potatoes, and press to make a crust. Bake 20-30 minutes or until potatoes are just crisped and brown on the edges. Remove dish from oven and set aside.

In a medium bowl whisk eggs, half n half or cream, hot sauce, salt and pepper.

Sprinkle sausage over potato crust then sprinkle the cheese over sausage to create even layers. Pour egg mixture over ingredients. 

Bake 12-20 minutes or until the eggs are set in the center and the edges are golden and bubbling.

One Cannot Survive On Sweets Alone

We interrupt this sweet fest to bring you a savory, very tasty meal! No, there's not any a stick of butter and a cup of sugar in this recipe, but it is darn delicious so don't go yet! I've wanted to make Penne with Vodka sauce for years now. I once saw Rachael Ray make it on her show and she said this meal would turn your boyfriend into your husband. Well, I don't know about all that, but this recipe is a keeper and the men in your life will love it. I didn't plan it this way, but it might be a good dish to celebrate Father's Day too. 

Uncle Aaron and Hayden acting silly after nap time

Y'all, I've been crazy busy lately. I know I say that a lot, but this little guy is wearing me out! He's such a little busy body and is into EVERYTHING these days. He grabs and must touch all things around him. He's crawling and rolling all over the place and exploring. He pulled the DVD player out of the entertainment center the other night and as of the 1st, when he turned 9 months old (how is that possible?!) he cut his first tooth and discovered his boy parts. heehee :-) See, I told you he's been busy! He's also been experiencing some separation anxiety and had been ultra clingy which makes night time tough because he's waking up several times a night looking for me, which results in a sleepy baby throughout the day....and a sleepy momma.

I have been cooking and baking, but haven't really been picking up my camera other than to take pictures of Hayden. I've made this vodka penne a few times now and it goes so fast there's never any leftovers. As you've guessed it, there is vodka in the sauce. I bought a small inexpensive bottle since it's not something I drink, but it's been the perfect size for this recipe. This recipe takes a basic marinara sauce and kicks it up with the addition of the vodka, which adds a smoky robust flavor to it. It's just so full of flavor but you don't really taste the strong aspect of the alcohol- it just blends so nicely. It's slightly spicy and garlicky and just so good. Have I mentioned that already?

Vodka Penne / Penne alla Vodka

adapted from Lidia Bastianich via Picky Cook 

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• 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1 12 oz can tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 6 - 8 garlic cloves - minced
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup vodka plus 2 tablespoons to put in at the end
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup Parmesan
• 1 teaspoon all purpose seasoning  ( I used Emeril's Essence)
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1 pound penne - cooked just shy of al dente

In a large pan, heat the olive oil and saute garlic and red pepper flakes until fragrant. Add crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce, all purpose seasoning, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Let simmer for 5 - 6 minutes.

Add the 1/2 cup of vodka and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add cream, butter and Parmesan and stir to combine. Let simmer for a couple minutes. Add the final 2 tablespoons of vodka.

Drain the pasta and add to the sauce. Let cook in sauce for few minutes.

Serve with additional Parmesan.

Serves 6 - 8

The first time I made this recipe, I made it as written, and then the times after that I added cooked and crumbled Italian sausage to it. My husband is a big meat eater so he, of course, loved this addition. However you make it, it will be good. Serve it with a big crisp green salad, some crusty bread and pour yourself a glass of wine and enjoy!

A (No-Bake) Cheesecake Redux

Mother's Day is a week from Sunday. That's only 10 days away- can you believe that?! Last Mother's Day, I took my mom out to lunch and a day of shopping when I felt a strange movement in my lower abdomen- a tickle that I hadn't felt before. It happened a couple more times then it finally donned on me that it was Hayden kicking me! It was such an awesome feeling and a moment I will never forget. I love that that was the first time I felt him moving inside me. From then on, he just kicked, kicked, kicked and he still does. He loves moving his little feet. 

This Mother's Day will be a special one too because it's the first one as a mother to a living, breathing, beautiful baby boy. I don't care if I get breakfast in bed, whether or not we go out to eat or if I get any gifts wrapped in bows. Hayden is my gift and he's all I need. Well, him and his Poppa. I need him too :-)

I made this no-bake cheesecake a couple years ago with lemon curd and I made it again last month for Easter, only this time I used a jar of Key Lime Curd that I picked up from a Williams-Sonoma Outlet awhile back. You can certainly make your own from scratch if you prefer, I just think a jarred curd is easier. This cheesecake would be a welcome addition to any Mother's Day menu. You bake the crust to set it, but the cheesecake filling is set up with gelatin in the refrigerator so you don't have to worry about overbaking it which means no cracks! and there are no water baths to fool around with. It's also ultra creamy and fluffy and it can be made a couple days in advance. It was light and mousse like and reminded me of key lime pie, but without all the pucker. 

Make this cheesecake for a special Momma in your life, or heck, treat yourself for being so awesome. You could also pass this recipe onto one of your kids and have them make it for you. Yup, that's what I'd do :-). 

 Lime Curd Icebox Cheesecake adapted from HERE
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Crust:

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• 3 Tbsp. sugar

Filling:

• 1/3 cup prepared lime or lemon curd
• 1/4 cup fresh lime or lemon juice
• 1 envelope (2 3/4 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin
• 24 oz. (3 bricks) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1 teaspoon grated lime or lemon zest
• 3/4 cup sugar
• pinch salt
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream, room temperature

Garnish: 

• 1/3 cup prepared lime or lemon curd (more or less depending on your preference)
• whipped cream

For the crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and adjust an oven rack to the middle position.

In a medium bowl, combine graham crackers, sugar and butter. Mix until combined. 

Press the mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch spring form pan. Bake the crust until it is lightly golden brown, about 8-10 minutes. Cool the crust completely on a wire rack before filling.

For the filling: In a small bowl, put the 1/4 cup fresh lime or lemon juice. Sprinkle the gelatin over the top and let it stand until the gelatin softens, about 5 minutes. Microwave the mixture until it is bubbling around the edges and the gelatin dissolves, about 30 seconds. Set aside.

In a large bowl with a handheld mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese, lime or lemon zest, sugar, and salt until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl, about 2 minutes. 

Slowly add the cream and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the gelatin mixture and 1/3 cup of the prepared lime or lemon curd. Beat until the mixture is smooth and airy, about 3 minutes. Pour the filling into the cooled crust and smooth the top.

For the decorative topping: Using a teaspoon, dollop the remaining curd on top of the cheesecake and lightly drag a pairing knife or skewer through the lines to create a marble appearance. Alternately, you could pipe the curd (I put the curd into a Ziploc bag, snipped the corner and piped) into lines or swirls and drag a skewer through it to make other decorative patterns.

Refrigerate the cheesecake until set, at least 6 hours. Remove the sides of the pan, cut into slices and serve.

Serves 12

I mentioned that I made this cheesecake for Easter but I also wanted to show you what my Mom made. She made a Pineapple Angel Lush and served it with fresh berries. It was really light and tasty. Click HERE for the recipe if you're interested.