Recipe: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

 

I have already made a few recipes from this cooking magazine (read those blog posts here and here), but I hadn't attempted to make any of the pumpkin cheesecake recipes. I've actually never made cheesecake before. I didn't have a springform pan, but I just bought one at Marshall's, so I thought I'd give it a try.

Ingredients

Crust

• 2 cups finely crushed chocolate sandwich cookies
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Cheesecake

• 3 8-oz. packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1 cup pumpkin
• 4 eggs
• 1.5 cups miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. For crust, in a bowl combine crushed cookies and butter. In a 9-inch springform pan, press crumb mixture onto the bottom and a1/2-inch up the sides of the pan. Bake 12 minutes or until set. Cool completely on wire rack.
2. Meanwhile, for filling, in a large bowl and using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, sugar, flour, and pumpkin pie spice on medium speed until combined. Add pumpkin and eggs; beat just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
3. Pour batter into the crust-lined pan; bake 10 minutes. Reduce oven to 250°F; bake 60 minutes or until cheesecake is set around the edges and center slightly jiggles when gently shaken.
4. Remove cheesecake from oven and cool completely in pan on wire rack. Without releasing the sides of pan, use a narrow metal spatula or table knife to loosen sides of crust from the pan. Loosely cover cheesecake; refrigerate at least 6 hours or up to 24 hours. 
5. To serve, use narrow metal spatula to again loosen sides of crust from pan. Carefully release and remove sides of the pan. Place cheesecake of serving plate. Store cheesecake, covered, in refrigerator.

I already had my doubts about this little project. For one, I never bother to make my own pie crust, because it's such a pain (and it has already been perfected by Pillsbury, Oreo, and Keebler). But those pre-made crusts are meant for regular pies, not cheesecake. So I just bought the Oreo kind and slipped it into the bottom of the pan. I knew it was a gamble, but I was not about to slave over making my own crust; I completely skipped step #1. And because of my impatience, I didn't wait for the cream cheese to fully soften. It had been sitting out for about 10 minutes, and I just went ahead and started mixing it with the other ingredients. So the texture was a bit more chunky and not as smooth as it should have been. I also may not have had enough pumpkin (I just used what was left in the can from a previous recipe), and I didn't have miniature chocolate chips, so I used regular-sized ones. Needless to say, I was a bit worried about how this was going to turn out.

After the cake had chilled in the fridge for about six hours, I removed the springform pan. As expected, some of the pumpkin part of the cake was hanging over the lip of the crust, since I didn't shape the crust into the bigger pan. But that was a minor issue. The cake hadn't solidified in the center. I don't know if I didn't cook it long enough (I baked it for an hour) or if I just hadn't given it enough time to set in the fridge. So the presentation was totally lacking (hence why I didn't NOT include a photo of it here). But at the very least it tastes good. It definitely tastes more like chocolate than pumpkin, so maybe next time I would use fewer chocolate chips, and maybe even use a graham cracker crust instead. 

So, not my best work, but not a horrible effort for the first time making cheesecake. But maybe I'll treat myself to getting a slice of pumpkin cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory...

Musical: Once Upon a One More Time [SPOILERS]

Image found here

As soon as I learned there was such a thing as a musical based on Britney Spears' songs, I knew I HAD to get tickets. I immediately emailed my friends to see who wanted to go with me, and three of them jumped at the chance. We were going to have so much fun at this show!

Wine by the fire? Oh yes!

We met up at Urban Roast for dinner before heading to the Shakespeare Theatre Company's Sidney Harmon Hall. If you haven't tried this restaurant yet, you must go! Each table outside gets its own firepit, so you can enjoy your drinks and meal by the fire (and roast s'mores!). It was a Wednesday, so the house wines were half off. $4 glasses of wine? Sign me up! And their empanadas are so good. I get them every time I go. Then after dinner, we walked the few blocks over to the theater. 

When we first walked in, there is a big globe holding a feather (later you learn it's a quill). This quill is the famous one that has written all of the fairy tales, and the "narrator" of the stories keeps it hostage. The whole plot of the play is that the classic princesses (Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, etc.) begin to question their stories, with Cinderella (played by Briga Heelan) taking the lead. Why is the story always the same, with the Prince saving the day? Why don't the princesses have any autonomy in their own tales? The musical was written by Jon Hartmere; he was an elementary school teacher at one point, so he was familiar with many of the fairy tales, and he wondered what we were teaching our children, especially little girls, about their place in the world with these traditional tales.

The princesses! Screen shot from here.

The princesses have a "scroll club," where they read when they aren't called to "the set" to perform when their own stories are being read. Image found here.

While asking if there could be "more," Cinderella (or Cin/Cindy, as she's called) meets the Original Fairy Godmother (or the "notorious OFG," played by Brooke Dillman), who was banished from the fairy tale world for stirring up trouble. The OFG gives Cinderella a copy of Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique, and the princess' world is turned upside down. Then she lets all the other princesses know about the book ("a scroll with numbered pages"), and the fairytale world goes crazy. 

We learn that the Fairy Godmother's real name is Elizabeth, nickname Betty. Everything comes full circle! Image found here.

The princesses begin to learn more about their universe and what is wrong with it. They realize that Prince Charming (Justin Guarini, from American Idol!) is cheating on all of them, and even Rapunzel (played by Wonu Ogunfowora) sees that there is a set of stairs she can climb to leave her tower! The princesses go on strike and start start popping up in each other's stories, which messes up the stories when the narrator (played by Michael McGrath) is trying to read to children. Cinderella even meets the little girl who is reading the book (Adrianna Weir, so cute!), and they start reading The Little Mermaid together. When the mermaid loses her voice, the little girl says something like, "I don't like that part," and it was just gut-wrenching; none of us like when a woman must lose her voice for a man! The narrator tries to banish all of the princesses, but Cinderella saves them all. Female empowerment wins!

Even the evil stepmother (Emily Skinner) and the stepsisters (Tess Soltau and MiMi Scardulla) get their hands on the book. Image found here.

There are so many things I loved about this show. First of all, it combines Britney Spears, princesses, and feminism. Um, yas queen! That is everything. And the music was phenomenal. So many of the actors had great voices, especially Aisha Jackson (Snow White) and Morgan Weed (the Princess and the Pea). I loved recognizing each of the songs, but I also liked how the production changed some of the words to fit this particular story. I couldn't tell you which was my favorite song! I also appreciated how inclusive the show was. There were actors from many different races and backgrounds, and the story even portrayed one of the other princes as a gay man who falls in love with Clumsy the dwarf (Raymond J. Lee). There was a chat with some of the cast members after the show, and they recognized the diversity of the cast, but also felt that everyone was chosen for their roles because they were the best fit. It sounds like the whole cast really bonded during COVID and have formed their own little quarantine family. This show was supposed to open in Chicago in the spring of 2020 (which of course didn't happen), so this December in DC is really their first true go at this performance!

While Prince Charming and Cinderella make a beautiful couple, the script has switched! Image found here.

I wish there were videos that I could share with the singing and the dancing, but they aren't available yet for this brand new show!

Want to learn more? Read this excellent piece from The Washingtonian. Want to see the show for yourself? Tickets are still available for performances through January 9! Buy your tickets here.

Recipe: Pumpkin-Pecan Cookies

 

Earlier this week, I wrote a blog post featuring a recipe for baked pumpkin pie pudding from "The America's Favorite Pumpkin Recipes" from Centennial Kitchen. The very next day I wanted to try another recipe!

I love pumpkin cookies; my go-to recipe is usually Nestle's pumpkin spiced and iced cookies, which include chocolate chips. But I wanted to try something new.

Ingredients

• 15.25-ounce package yellow cake mix (i.e. one box)
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1 cup vanilla frosting
• Ground nutmeg or cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly create cookie sheets with shortening; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, cinnamon, ginger, and 1/2 tsp. nutmeg.
3. Add pumpkin and butter. Using an electric mixer, beat on low to medium speed until well combined. Stir in pecans.
4. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls two inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. Bake 11-12 minutes or until set and light golden brown around the edges. Cool on baking sheets 1-2 minutes, then transfer cookies to wire cooling racks to cool completely. 
5. Spread frosting on cooled cookies; sprinkle with additional nutmeg or cinnamon.

I did change many things about this recipe, mostly out of laziness. I don't have nutmeg or ginger, but I do have pumpkin pie spice, so I used one teaspoon of that along with the ground cinnamon. I also didn't put in the nuts (since many people are allergic), and I didn't ice the cookies since they are easier to store/freeze without the icing. 

My baking scoop helped make my cookies perfectly round!

The cookies are yummy, and I love their fluffy texture. But I do think they would taste better with chocolate chips in them. The Nestle recipe calls for two cups, which I think is too much; at that point, the chocolate overpowers the pumpkin. But one cup is good in that recipe, and I think it would be in this one, too. Plus, I think more people would like chocolate chips in their cookies rather than nuts!

Recipe: Carnation Cheese Puffs

After making pumpkin bread pudding the other day (read that blog post here), I had some leftover evaporated milk. I hate to let things go to waste, so I looked up recipes that use this ingredient. The Carnation website has all sorts of ideas, and their recipe for cheese puffs needed only 1/2 cup of evaporated milk, which was exactly what I had left!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup butter, cut in small pieces
•  3/4 tsp salt
•  1/4 tsp pepper
•  1 cup all-purpose flour
•  4 eggs
•  1 cup grated old Cheddar cheese
•  2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
•  Pinch ground nutmeg (optional)

Directions

  1 :  In a saucepan, combine evaporated milk, water, butter, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in flour all at once, stirring until dough forms a ball. Return to medium heat, and cook, stirring for 2 to 3 minutes.

  2 :  Remove from heat and transfer dough to a bowl. Cool mixture 5 minutes. Add 3 eggs, one at a time, beating each one in completely. Beat the fourth egg separately and add approximately half of egg (use remaining beaten egg to lightly brush puffs). Stir in both cheeses and nutmeg.

  3 :  Drop dough (about 4 across and 6 down) in 1 ½ tbsp mounds onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush lightly with remaining beaten egg. Bake in a preheated 400ºF oven for 28 to 30 minutes, until puffed and golden brown. Remove to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

In the first step, my dough didn't just make one big ball; it was a bunch of little ones. And I only used cheddar cheese, but it wasn't "old," and I may not have used enough of it. While I think my cheese puffs look the part, they really have no taste at all. Maybe I needed more cheese, or more salt and pepper, or something, but they kind of don't taste like anything. So disappointing! I guess if I were to eat them with a gravy or sauce, it wouldn't matter. But if I make these again, I'm definitely doing something differently!

Recipe: Baked Pumpkin Pie Pudding

Before Thanksgiving, I visited Balducci's and came across the "America's Favorite Pumpkin Recipes" magazine created by Centennial Kitchen. While I normally would not pay THIRTEEN dollars for a magazine, I do love all things pumpkin, so I figured I would treat this magazine like a cookbook and use it throughout the years every fall.

I flipped through it, and everything looked so good! I wanted to start with a recipe that sounded easy to make and for which I already had most of the ingredients. Their recipe for a baked pumpkin pie pudding fit that description perfectly.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups canned pumpkin (essentially one can)
• 1.5 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• Pinch of baking soda
• 2 tbl. pumpkin pie spice

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450° F. Pour melted butter into a 9-inch square baking dish; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whish together eggs, pumpkin, 1 cup sugar, evaporated milk, flour, vanilla, salt, and baking soda. Pour mixture into the prepared baking dish.
3. In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and pumpkin pie spice; sprinkle over pumpkin mixture. Bake 30 minutes or until center is set.

This was very easy to make! I think my main complaint is that two tablespoons is A LOT of pumpkin pie spice. It's normally sold in a very small jar (just over one ounce, which is about a thing of nail polish), so this one recipe probably used up half of my jar. And I'm not sure the recipe even needs that much; I think one tablespoon would have sufficed.

But the finished product was delicious! It's certainly good on its own, but I enjoyed mine with some ice cream on top. Quick, easy, and yummy: what more could you ask for?

The Metropolitan Ballet's "The Nutcracker"

Image found here

Every year since 2011, I try to see the ballet of The Nutcracker. I was originally going to see it at the Kennedy Center, but their performances are usually during the week of Thanksgiving, and this year I was traveling. But I recently learned about a local company, the Metropolitan Ballet, which features many students from the DMV area. I knew it wouldn't be the same as seeing a professional company like the Joffrey or Ballet West, but I'd still get my Nutcracker fix.

The performance was at Montgomery College's Robert E. Parilla Performing Arts Center. Google Maps directed me to the campus' technology building, so I did make my way through and around buildings for a while before I finally spotted a map and made it to the right place just in time. 

Claire Gotzman, above, played Clara the day I saw the show. Image found here.

As usual, I took notes during the intermission and afterwards on what I thought of the performance. Here are my thoughts:

• Some of the dancers wore masks, and some did not. I'm not sure if it was a personal preference thing, or the larger groups had to because they were together... Clara was the only character who started out wearing a mask but removed it later. It was a little strange to see performers in masks, but then again, COVID-19 is still a very real threat right now. 
• Since a lot of the dancers were young students and this isn't a world-renown company, of course the dancing wasn't the best. Many of the kids seemed to be off the beat of the music, which is kind of crucial to good dance! Even some of the older dancers, like the snowflakes, were not cohesive in their movements; if the group is not in sync, even if only one person is off, it brings the whole group down. Amr Farouk Mohyeldin as the Snow King almost missed his lift! But I do think Claire Gotzman who played Clara has some potential. While her pantomiming was a bit over-the-top, she was very graceful and seemed quite talented. I also thought the prince, played by Shady Mohamed, was one of the stronger dancers (and was giving me total Regé-Jean Page à la Bridgerton vibes). Some of the dancers were technically sound, like Nicole O'Keefe as the columbine doll or Ava Garzan as the French marzipan, but I wasn't getting the joy and grace from them like I expect from ballerinas; it was more like they were just going through the motions.
• I was pleasantly surprised to see so many women playing roles that are traditionally played by men. I assume this is because not many men continue to do ballet unless they become quite successful at it, while women who love to dance keep doing it. I really liked Jennifer Hausdorfer as Drosselmeyer, and women also played the role of the soldier doll and the nutcracker.
• None of the costumes blew me away, but again, I wasn't really expecting much from a local company. But some of the costumes really didn't do it for me. The little boys at the party in the beginning looked like race horse jockeys (and played their trumpets like trombones; so distracting!), and Ashley Gray as Dew Drop looked like she was wearing a child's leotard. No tutu or anything!
• I wasn't a fan of their interpretation of the mice. Little kids were playing the mice, which is fine, but some of their dance included wiggling their butts at the audience and other characters, which I thought was very weird and almost inappropriate. I also didn't like that one of the mice was actually SHOT by a cannon and had to whimper her way across stage; no one wants to see an animal, even a fake one, wounded (plus, with all of the school shootings going on, I just thought this was in poor taste). I think this could have been done in a better way.
• I also though many of the "Kingdom of Sweet" dances left something to be desired. The Spanish Chocolate dance really didn't seem that flamenco-inspired, and both the Chinese Tea and Russian Candy Cane dances I felt were short and awkward. I do love the music of the Arabian Coffee part; it always makes me think of the dancing fish in Fantasia (video clip here). But in this version, it was mostly a bunch of girls doing yoga moves on stage, like three-legged dog and standing splits. I also think the midriff costumes, while certainly traditional, are harder to pull off when you aren't a professional ballerina; I'm all for body positivity, but I do wonder if some of the young women felt uncomfortable having to wear tummy-baring tops.

This is by far my favorite interpretation of the Arabian Coffee dance:

But all in all, I was quite pleased with the performance. Seeing as I came in with low expectations, I did enjoy myself, and thought most of the dancers did a pretty good job for mostly students. I was pleasantly surprised, and I am glad I didn't miss my annual Nutcracker tradition!

You can see some more photos and videos on the Metropolitan Ballet's Facebook page. If you would like to see this traditional holiday ballet but don't want to pay a high price, you can still buy tickets to see this local show for this coming weekend!