Grandma's No Bake Cheesecake

Grandma loved cheesecake. I have already posted about Grandma's Ricotta Cake and Grandma's Italian Cheesecake, both excellent cheesecake variations. In her recipe collection, Grandma had four copies of this No Bake Cheesecake recipe, so she must have loved it. I think that I know why. It is super easy, and, in the heat of summer, having a cool and delicious dessert without having to turn on the oven is the best.

This recipe calls for a graham cracker crust. It is so easy and so much tastier to make a homemade cookie crust, I recommend taking the few extra minutes to make the crust instead of using a store bought crust. I used traditional graham crackers, but other cookies could be used and would be very delicious. Next time that I make this recipe, I might try using some chocolate cookies for a chocolate crust.

No Bake Cheesecake

• Graham Cracker Crust
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 (8 ounce) cool whip, thawed

Beat the cream cheese until soft and smooth. Add in sugar. Blend in sour cream and vanilla. Fold in the cool whip. Spoon the mixture into the prepared crust. Chill for at least four hours. Enjoy!

Grandma's Artichokes

Eating artichokes can be very challenging. I remember Grandma making artichokes, but finding them so intimidating that I often did not eat them. But artichokes are so delicious, especially the heart, that every now and then, they are worth the extra effort. And, when they are in season, you can easily find them in most grocery stores.

Grandma's recipe card for artichokes is typical for Grandma, in that it contains very little information, but probably just enough for Grandma. So, in order to make these artichokes, I relied on my memory and also a google search to supplement the limited information in Grandma's recipe. When enjoying the artichokes, you can use any variety of dipping sauces with any seasonings. I prefer lemon butter, but other dipping sauces could be good. The recipe below calls for two artichokes because that is about what will fit in an average saucepan. But you could easily make just one or many more.

Artichokes 

• 2 artichokes
• clove of garlic, optional
• bay leaf, optional
• parsley, optional
• cheese, optional
• vinegar, optional
• oil, optional
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• lemon

Prepare the artichokes by using scissors to remove the ends of the petals. Then slice about one half inch off the stem and use a vegetable peeler to peel the stem. Rinse the artichokes under water and open the petals a little to get water into the artichoke. Put about an inch of water in a sauce pan and place a steamer basket in the pan. Add a slice of lemon to the water and any desired seasoning, such as a clove of garlic or a bay leaf. Place the prepared artichokes into the steamer basket and cover the pan. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 25 to 45 minutes or until the outer leaves can be easily peeled. Then, melt the butter. Squeeze some fresh lemon juice into the melted butter. Alternatively, a dipping sauce can be made with vinegar, oil, and seasonings.

To eat the artichoke, remove the outer petal and dip the fleshy end into the lemon butter. While gripping the other end of the petal, place the fleshy end in your mouth, bite down and pull the petal out to remove the fleshy portion of the petal. Discard the petal and repeat with all the petals. Once all the petals are removed, use a spoon or a knife to scrape away the fuzzy part (the choke) that is on top of the heart. Dip the artichoke heart into the lemon butter and enjoy. The stem is also good, but can be a little bitter. Enjoy!

Devil's Food Cake

On July 29th, MDS turned 39. To celebrate this milestone, we had the usual birthday dinner of Mock Chicken Cordon Bleu. And for dessert, I made cupcakes from this delicious Devil's Food Cake recipe. Now, you could use a boxed mix, but this recipe is so easy, there is no reason to use boxed mixes. Most cake recipes are versatile enough to make in any size pan by adjusting the baking time. I went with cupcakes for this recipe because sometimes when I was a kid, Mom would make cupcakes for birthdays. For frosting, I simply used nutella. The resulting cupcakes were excellent.

July is also the birthday month of my Godfather, Jim O'Brien. Recently, Mom and I were able to make the trip to Lafayette, Indiana to visit Jim and his wife, my Godmother Eileen. I brought some of these cupcakes to celebrate Jim's birthday. Of course, it brought up old memories of the many birthday cakes that Mom made when we were kids. Below is a picture of Jim, Eileen, my brother Joe, my sister Megan, and me. It appears to be Thanksgiving, due to the pumpkin pie and apple pie, but may also be a celebration of my first birthday due to the candle in the apple pie.

Devil's Food Cake 

• 2 1/2 cup flour
• 1 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/4 tsp. soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 1/4 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 3 square unsweetened chocolate, melted
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Mix flour with sugar, soda and salt. Place shortening, softened to room temperature, in a mixing bowl and stir to soften. Sift in the dry ingredients. Add 1 cup milk. Beat for 2 minutes with a mixer. Add eggs, melted chocolate, vanilla and the remaining milk. Beat one more minute. Pour batter into greased pan. If using 2- 9-inch prepared pan, bake for 35 to 40 minutes. If using cupcake pans, bake for 17 to 23 minutes. Allow to cool before frosting. Enjoy!

Spinach Goetta

Recently, Chris, MDS and I took Mom to Autre Monde, an amazing restaurant in Berwyn. When I was growing up in Riverside, it would have been hard to imagine such an inventive restaurant taking hold on Roosevelt Road in Berwyn, of all places. The menu at Autre Monde focuses on fresh ingredients and meals made from scratch. When we were there for a Sunday brunch, we shared a number of dishes, including delicious cinnamon rolls with an orange glaze and a lovely white wine sangria.

But, what caught Mom's eye was a dish I had never heard of called Goetta, pronounced "Getta." I have not spent any time in Cincinnati, so I was not aware of the cult that has formed in that city around this popular breakfast dish. Goetta is a bit like a potato pancake, except that it is traditionally made from steel cut oats and pork. Now Autre Monde had a vegetable variation of Goetta made with spinach. Mom loves vegetables, so of course, our table had to try the Spinach Goetta. We loved it. To come up with the recipe, I did some research, but only found recipes for the pork variety. But, I think that the recipe below approximates Autre Monde's recipe. Goetta requires preparation. Much of the work is done the day before because it needs to sit in the refrigerator. And, if you make a big batch, you can store some in the freezer for another day. Someday, I might get to Cincinnati to try the real deal, but until then, I will enjoy my Spinach Goetta.

Slow Cooker Spinach Goetta 

• 4 cups water
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1 cup steel cut oats
• 1 cup chopped spinach
• 2 Tbsp. dried minced onion
• 1/4 cup cooking oil

Bring water, salt and pepper to a boil in a slow cooker set to high. Stir in steel cut oats, cover and cook for 60 minutes. If using frozen spinach, allow the spinach to thaw and drain. Stir in the spinach and onion, reduce heat to low and continue cooking for 30 to 50 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer the mixture into a loaf pan lined with plastic wrap. Cool in the refrigerator overnight until firm. 

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cut the refrigerated mixture into thin slices. Cook slices on each side until evenly browned. Enjoy!

To store Goetta slices before pan-frying, use wax paper between each slice. Goetta slices can be stored in the refrigerator for about one week. If freezing Goetta slices, thaw the slices overnight in the refrigerator before using.

Ice Box Rolls

My siblings are serious about bread. If there is a table full of Buckleys at a restaurant, one basket of bread will never be enough. Waiters are often surprised by how fast we can eat bread. We were lucky as kids in that we often had Mom's freshly baked bread. Mom's recipe box has so many bread recipes in it, it feels like I might never run our of new breads to try.

These rolls are super easy to make. The dough does not require kneading and can be made in advance, so that all you need to do is shape and allow time to rise before baking. When I made these rolls, I made some small that could be nice as dinner rolls. I also made some rolls larger that would be great for sandwiches. The rolls are delicious, so give them a try.

Ice Box Rolls 

• 1/3 cup shortening
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 envelope yeast
• 4 cups flour

Cream shortening and sugar. Add boiling water and salt. Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water with a dash of sugar. When the first mixture is lukewarm, add the yeast and the egg. Stir well, add flour one cup at a time, mixing well to make a soft dough. Store the dough in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Shape the dough into rolls, place on a cookie sheet. Allow to rise about two to three hours. Bake for 10 minutes at 425. Allow to cool. Enjoy!

Chocolate Spice Cake

This cake is easy to make and very delicious. The "spice" in this cake is cinnamon and coffee, which makes for a unique chocolate cake. I was a little worried that the young nieces and nephews would not like the "spice" aspect of this cake. But, when I recently brought this cake to Mom's it was a hit. So consider making this cake recipe as a way to spice up the standard chocolate cake.

This recipe calls for a 13X9 pan, which makes it easy to take to a party to share with others. But, like all cake recipes, you could easily make this into a good looking layer cake or cupcakes. This cake does not need any frosting, but I decided to give it a standard chocolate icing. Other frostings would be good too, but I really liked the chocolate overload from the chocolate icing.

Chocolate Spice Cake 

• 1 stick butter
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup strong coffee
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time and beat well. Add sifted dry ingredients in thirds alternating with buttermilk, coffee and vanilla. Beat until smooth after each addition. Turn into greased 13X9 pan. Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes. Allow to cool. Enjoy!

Chocolate Frosting

I know some folks find making frosting to be intimidating. There are some frostings that are a bit more challenging, but this frosting is as easy as could be and quite delicious. Homemade frosting is just so much better than canned frosting. Once you master an easy frosting like this one, go ahead and try the more challenging frostings.

I used this frosting on the Chocolate Spice Cake. It could easily be used on just about any cake. The recipe made enough frosting to easily frost a 13X9 pan cake and would work for a layer cake or other cake sizes. I ended up using electric beaters to get this frosting smooth.

Chocolate Frosting 

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 3 1/2 cup confectioners sugar

In a saucepan, melt butter. Remove from heat after melting and add cocoa and salt. Stir in milk and vanilla. Put all sugar in a bowl. Add chocolate mixture to sugar. Mix at medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add one tablespoon more milk, if needed, for good spreading consistency. Frost your favorite cake. Enjoy!