Kitchen

[adoreqvc]

Yesterday my Fiance' and I smoked Boston butts and pork shoulders, and have plenty leftovers even after all the company left. My backyard looked and smelled like a great Texas BBQ joint.

I made plenty so everyone took portions home with them of everything, so my Fiance' and I will be enjoying the leftovers today, which consist of the following:

Pulled pork sandwiches with piled coleslaw Texas style on lightly toasted buns.

Our sides are Greek Villagers Salad with tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, anchovies, kalamata olives, and crumbled feta cheese in an oil vinegar Greek oregano and dill salad dressing I made.

Texas style cole slaw, potato salad, and garlic pickles.

Dessert is plenty of leftover Texas peach cobbler home made of course, along with my homemade Cheesecake Factory White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cheesecake. This cheesecake always comes out so delicious.

My Fiance and guests raved about everything, especially the desserts.

if anyone cares to re-create the Cheesecake Factory White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cheesecake the recipe is below, and I also posted how I make my very own Raspberry Sauce since I do not care for the heavy sweet taste of raspberry preserves........Enjoy and please also post your lunch menus as well.

Below is the copycat recipe. I've noted the changes I made. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
Crust
1 1/2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs, such as crumbled Oreo cookies (filling removed)
1/3 cup butter, melted

Ingredients For Cheesecake:

some water for the water bath in the oven.
4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
5 eggs
4 ounces white chocolate, chopped into chunks

Whipped Cream on top is optional

My Own Homemade Raspberry filling:

Ingredients:

12 ounces fresh or frozen raspberries.
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 and 1/2 cups of sugar.

Directions for Raspberry Sauce Filling:

On stove place in a pot 12 ounces of fresh or frozen raspberries and on low heat with a potato masher mash the raspberries just until they produce some juice and are not pulverized.

Microwave sugar in a pyrex cup for 1 minute to 1 and 1/2 minutes on high.

Cook raspberries on low stove top setting for about one minute, then raise the gas up to medium and the mixture will gently bubble. Now take the microwaved sugar and add it into the mixture slowly constantly stirring with a spoon to incorporate, then place gas on high, and add all the remaining sugar to the raspberries and boil on high for 2 to 3 minutes to thicken the raspberry sauce.

Then add the lemon juice, and let it boil until it thicker and completely coats the front and back of a silver spoon. It should be thickened and not run but be able to slowly gently drizzle off of the spoon. When it does the raspberry sauce is done.

Directions for cheesecake:

Prep Time: 20 mins Total Time: 1 1/2 hrs

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

2. Create a water bath by placing a large pan filled with about 1/2-inch of water into the oven while it preheats.

3. Measure 1 1/2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs into a medium bowl. Mix in 1/3 cup melted butter. Press the crumb into a 9-inch spring form pan that has been lined on the bottom and side with parchment paper. Use the bottom of a drinking glass to press the crumb mixture flat into the bottom of the pan and about 2/3 the way up the side.

5. Wrap a large piece of foil around the bottom of the pan to keep the cheesecake in the water bath. Put the crust in your freezer until the filling is done.

6. Use an electric mixer to combine the cream cheese with the sugar, sour cream, and vanilla. Mix for a couple minutes or until the ingredients are smooth and creamy. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Whisk the eggs in a medium bowl and then add them to the cream cheese mixture. Blend the mixture just enough to incorporate the eggs.

7. Remove the crust from the freezer and sprinkle 4 ounces of white chocolate chunks onto the bottom of the crust. (I did not use any white chocolate at all).

8. Pour half of the cream cheese filling into the crust. Drizzle half of the raspberry sauce filling over the entire surface of the cheesecake batter. Use a butter knife to swirl the raspberry into the cream cheese batter, but do not let the knife penetrate to the bottom where the cookie crust rests. Pour the other half of the cheesecake batter into the pan and again drizzle the remainder raspberry filling over the top and swirl with a knife.

9. Carefully place the cheesecake into the water bath in the oven. Bake for 12 minutes at 475 degrees, then turn the oven down to 350 degrees and bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until the top of the cheesecake turns a light brown or tan color. (DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR AT ALL).

10. Remove the cheesecake from the oven to cool. When the cheesecake is cool, use the foil from the bottom to cover the cheesecake and chill it in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, but I chilled it overnight.

11. Before serving, sprinkle the entire top surface of cheesecake with 2 ounces of shaved white chocolate, or if desired like I did just use a pastry bag and pipe fresh whip cream rosettes all around the border diameter of the cheesecake. Then in the middle pipe in a circle of rosettes, and in the center of that pipe in one very large whipped cream rosette.

Honestly the presentation was stunning, and the taste was out of this world.

I hope you will try the Cheesecake recipe I provided and let me know when I return from abroad how it was. I know you will all be pleased if you try it. The taste is exactly like the original Cheesecake Factory version, and I have made this cheesecake along with their other Cheesecake Factory versions, but this one is my absolute favorite.

Now I hope my friends will post their lunch menu's for today, and wishing everyone a lovely Wednesday.

[Just Plain Crazy]

Hi adore,

Just wanted to pop in to congratulate you on your engagement and sending you a lifetime of happiness. Glad you both have found each other to spend your lives together.

nothing special here for lunch, most of the time Mr. Crazy doesn't make it home for lunch so it will be leftovers if he does. Has to be something quick. I made too many lunches only to have him not have time to stop for lunch.

Have a great day

JPC

[adoreqvc]

Hi JPC,

Bless you and many thanks for your kind engagement congratulations wishes. That was so lovely to read. It made us both smile.

As ladies sometimes we find ourselves eating alone for many reasons, and just grabbing something fast for lunch for ourselves. Nothing wrong with that because I would do the same thing.

I usually have plenty leftovers on hand not to have to cook if I don't want to, and I also love eating out.

Sometimes it is easier to just allow someone else do the cooking.

Going out for Lobster with a fully loaded baked potato and salad. Dessert will be my desserts leftover from yesterday.

My Fiance insisted I get out of the house for a while tonight and relax.....and for that I also feel very blessed.

Hope you have a lovely Wednesday, and many thanks for your lovely reply.

[luvdoodles]

Wow, if I ate all that for lunch I would be useless for the rest of the day. Sounds like a great dinner menu though. I just graze all day and hubby is not here for lunch. Can't wait to try the cheese cake, we both love it. Thanks for sharing.

[adoreqvc]

Hi Luvpoos,

I could not help but smile at your reply.

I have exercise equipment in my home and use it daily when I am at home, and when abroad I walk and get plenty exercise, so I am still trim, and not over weight.

I have always shared my love for good cuisine, and do truly enjoy entertaining and sharing with others.

The dinner menu we are really looking forward to this evening.

I hope you will try the cheesecake recipe since it is very delicious and quite easy to prepare.

The hardest part is just eating one slice......"bet you can't eat just one"....I usually have 1 1/2 slices since it is so delicious.

Enjoy my friend, and many thanks for your very nice reply.

[adoreqvc]

Just wanted to mention the Lobster House we chose for dinner had a clean tank full of Lobsters, but they were not active at all.

Hostess said they were tired, but we could not help overhearing another couple who also looked at them and discussed the radiation seafood poisoning occurring in many oceans now, and including here in the U.S. Pacific Ocean, and Alaskan waters, as well as in Canadian Waters.

We all left and my Fiance' and I went to a steak house instead.

[adoreqvc]

My Fiance asked for this again and just left to get the ingredients.

Yes that cheesecake is so delicious, and well worth the effort.

I bake and he rewards my efforts, by playing the piano.

[adoreqvc]

We are off again for more sightseeing abroad.

Thanks for all the fun, and lovely QVC cyber interactions.

When I return again I will check back in, and until then I will keep all my QVC pals in my daily prayers.......and God Bless.

[Sammijo10]

On our lunch menu today is chicken pesto panini. I'll be using think chicken cutlets we grilled last night, put store bought pesto on the bread, add some fontina cheese and perhaps a couple of basil leaves, tomato on mine, no tomato on DH's and grill in the panini maker.

We received the gadget for a wedding present 8 years ago thinking 'Oh boy, this will take up space in the basement', but we use it nearly every single day!

So that's what's for lunch today.