Dearest Readers,

Please forgive my absence. I honestly can not recall how how quickly three months went by.  I know I’m bad at blogging, especially this year. I honestly have wonderful posts to share, but due to lack of time and sometimes (laziness) I neglect this home of mine. I hope to make up the time in the up coming posts.

A rainbow after a rainy afternoon in Amasya, Turkey

This summer has been pretty busy for us.  It started of with a wonderful and a very short trip to Turkey and that is where I my heart this summer.  I don’t know if was because my parents were in Turkey with us, after 22 years or  because I loved and enjoyed myself so much that we did not want to come back.  Since our return,  every weekend we  traveled to new places and made new discoveries. Here are a pictures from our adventures this summer.  Hoping you all had and are having a wonderful summer.

Iskender @ Haci’s in Samsun, Turkey

Kiyamli Pide – Meat Pies in Bafra, Turkey

Multi Flavors of Turkish Ice Cream, Samsun, Turkey

Various Kinds of Baklava, Samsun, Turkey (Sobiyet, Walnut Baklava & Pistachio Rolls)

White & Red Cherries, from my grandfather’s garden. Kadikoy, Yalova, Turkey

View of Manhattan from Long Island City, NYC

Cheesecakes have become staples in our household, not a week goes by and my husband begins to ask when I’m making cheesecake again.  The funny thing is I haven’t made one single pan of cheesecake since this past summer. Rather I have been making desserts that either use cream cheese in the fillings and or frosting. (He has been wanting tiny cupcakes! I’ve not gotten around to it.)

I took advantage of Christmas weekend to make his wish come true.  I also made him wait a  day and half to sink his teeth into the cheesecake.  I sort of over baked mine by about 10 minutes and this caused the cheese cake to crack.  Towards the end of the cooking time watch the cheese cake carefully to avoid this, if it happens that is okay it is still all good.  I can assure you mine was.  

I was to post this recipe before we left for vacation to Brazil, I put everything together unable to post due work load towards year end.  We are still in Brazil as I type this recipe and I can not wait to get back to NY to make another batch. I hope that you all had a wonderful New Year and I hope that 2011 will be even better one.  I myself have big hopes and dreams about this blog in this New Year, I hope that you will come back and visit me often.

LOW & LUSH CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE
                   Adapted from Baking From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan

Ingredients:

FOR THE CRUST
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

FOR THE FILLING
1 1/2 pounds (three 8-ounce packages) cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
3 large eggs, preferably at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and slightly cooled

GETTING READY:Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8 1/2- or 9-inch springform pan and put the pan on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.

TO MAKE THE CRUST: Stir the crumbs, sugar and cinnamon together in a medium bowl. Pour over the melted butter and stir until all of the dry ingredients are uniformly moist. (I do this with my fingers.) Turn the crumbs into the pan and, with your fingers, press the crumbs evenly over the bottom of the pan and as far up the sides as they’ll go. Freeze the crust for about 10 minutes.

Bake for 10 minutes, only until the crust is lightly set and just tinged with color. Cool on a rack or refrigerate while you make the filling. Keep the oven at 350 degrees F.

TO MAKE THE FILLING: Cut each bar of cream cheese into quarters and toss the pieces into a food processor**, along with the sugar. Process, scraping down the bowl 2 or 3 times, for a full 2 minutes. You’ll see how dramatically the cream cheese changes; it will look like white velvet at the end of its beating. Add the eggs, vanilla and salt and give the batter 4 longish pulses, the scrape down the bowl and pulse 2 more times. Pour in the chocolate and pulse and scrape a few times to blend the batter well.

Remove the bowl from the processor and rap it hard on the counter a couple of times to de-bubble the batter. Scrape the batter into the cooled crust.

Bake the cheesecake for 35 to 40 minutes if you are using a 9-inch pan or 45 to 50 minutes if you are using an 8 1/2-inch pan. The top should be puffed and set, but if you tap the pan gently, the center of the cake will still be a little shaky–that’s just fine. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and allow the cheesecake to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 8 hours or for up to 3 days.

Run a blunt knife between the crust and sides of the pan, then open and remove the sides of the spring form.

STORING: Wrapped well, the cheesecake will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. It can be frozen for up to 2 months; defrost, still wrapped, overnight in the refrigerator.
**Instead of a food processor I worked with a handle hald mixer and this worked just as well.

Similiar Postings:
Cheesecake with Minted Blackberries
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Plain Cheesecake

See, last year around this time I was in Turkey and I never really got to blog about our wild trip to Turkey, because I pregnant.  When you are pregnant everything is an excuse, OH how I miss those days!!!  Recently I was going through our pictures and I realized, I totally forgot to post these amazing pictures of this amazing dish that is VERY popular in Turkey.  It is is known as Menemen and is similar to a dish known as Shakshuka.  See the ingredients list is similar but they we prepare it and cook it is completely different.  The best place to eat Menemen is in Cakalli, Samsun, Turkey.

My husband grew up in and lived in Samsum, Turkey which borders the Black Sea.  His family still lives their today.  It is a beautiful city, rich in culture, history and of course food.  My husband’s uncle owns and operates a family style stop and rest family restaurant in Cakalli, Turkey.  Ah the view from this place is amazing, it sort of sits on mountain top and the view from the back patio of the restaurant is breathtakingly beautiful. 

Looking at those pictures, made and still makes my mouth water. I hunger for it, I am really sorry I had one whole pan by myself and moved on two a second pan, but it was too much to finish.  All I can say is it is finger licking, double dipping DELICIOUS!

What makes this dish stand is several things:

1. Farm Fresh Tomatoes

2. Farm Fresh Eggs

Ingredients & Preparation as follows: **Dish must be prepared in an aluminum pan**

 
Butter & 2 farm fresh green peppers

 
Tomatoes – yes the chef you about 5-6 tomatoes – skin removed

Butter, pepper & tomato sauteing away, a sprinkle of maras/urfa “hot” pepper flakes – optional

 
Continue to cook until the tomatoes are completely broken down.
Add in about 2/3 cups of kashkaval cheese – cut into chunks.

Add in the eggs – chef use 2 eggs per person - one whole egg and one egg yolk

The final dish – go ahead rip of a chunk of that Turkish Pita Bread and dunk it in.

MENEMEN – SHAKSHUKA – SAMSUN TURKEY STYLE
        Serves 2

• 1 long sweet green pepper – chopped
• 1/2 stick of unsalted butter
• 4 -5 small to medium tomatoes – skin removed & chopped
• 1 tablespoon of maras/urfa pepper*
• 2/3 cups of grated or chopped into small pieces of kashkaval cheese
• 6 eggs – 2 eggs per person
• salt and pepper for seasoning

1. Heat a cooking pan, add in butter and chopped peppers and let saute 2-3 minutes.
2. Then add in the chopped tomatoes and continue to saute, for about 5 – 7 minutes, until the tomatoes are completely soft.  Using the back of a fork breakdown the tomatoes, where it resembles a sauce like texture.
3. Add in the chopped/grated kashkaval cheese.
4. In two bowl, crack 3 whole eggs and 3 egg yolks. 
5. Add the eggs into the sauteing mixture and stir using a fork until the eggs are completely incorporated into the mixture.  Add salt & pepper for taste & mix.
6. Cover and let sit on medium heat for about 5 minutes until the eggs are completely cooked.
7. Serve hot or warm with nice dipping bread. Like Turkish Pita or a hearty Italian loaf.

Photo: Winter Snow Storm 02/10/2010 

Lately life has been so busy lately, I’ve had no time to catch up and time just keeps flying by.  I’ve got so much on my to do list, I’m taking each day as it comes. Don’t worry I’ve not forgotten you at all, I promise I will back very very SoOn.