Recipe: Peppermint No-Bake Cheesecake

 

I saw a similar recipe on Instagram and was inspired to make it for the holidays. I ended up finding this recipe on the Cincy Shopper blog, and since we had (most of) the ingredients, my mom and I went with this one.

Ingredients

Crust:

• 22 Oreo Cookies
• 3 tbsp melted Butter
• 1 tbsp Sugar

Filling:

• 16 oz softened Cream Cheese
• 16 oz Heavy Cream
• 1 cup Sugar
• 1/4 cup Powdered Sugar
• 1 tsp Peppermint Extract
• 6 drops Pink Food Coloring

Directions

1. Crush Oreos in food processor and add melted butter and sugar.
2. Press mixture into bottom and partway up sides of springform pan.
3. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes to firm.
4. Beat cream cheese and sugar until well mixed. Set aside.
5. Whip heavy cream and powder sugar until stiff peaks form.
6. Fold and blend cream cheese mixture into whipped cream mixture.
7. Add food coloring and peppermint into filling mixture.
8. Pour/spread into pan.
9. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or until firm.
10. You can garnish with dollops of whipped topping and crushed peppermints if desired.

My mom made the crust while I was out, and since she didn't have the recipe in front of her, she just put crushed up Oreos in the bottom of a pie plate without any butter. This meant that when we served the dessert, even after being in the freezer for a while, the bottom crust just stayed in the glass; it didn't stick to the filling or vice versa. BUT it still tasted good!

Instead of mint extract we used creme de menthe liqueur (and used more of it since the flavor isn't as concentrated as an extract would be), and we didn't bother with the food coloring. We also included some of the cream from mint Oreos, since my mom had chopped up the cookie part already! This along with the minty liquor gave the cake a pale green color. We did put crushed peppermints on top for a little festive look.

I was making this for a get-together, and I didn't have four hours to let it cool in the refrigerator. So instead I popped it in the freezer for half the time, and that worked! This cheesecake is delicious, and I would definitely make it again. But instead of step #5, I would just use Cool Whip. That way you don't have to clear your mixing bowl for two different steps!

New Year's Resolutions

Image found here.

New year's resolutions seem to be falling out of favor, but I enjoy making them. I like giving myself goals to achieve or creating a guide for myself to live by for the next year. Now that I have started a new chapter in my life as a married woman living in Florida, I feel like a re-set is a great idea for creating the life I want for this new beginning! 

Here are my new year's resolutions in 2025 (in no particular order):

These are some healthy potato nachos I made! You can find the recipe here.

1. Eat healthier. This is a nicer way to say "lose weight." Not that I particularly feel overweight, but I know I could be better to my body and eat foods that are nutritious, not just tasty. This is very difficult when I have SUCH a sweet tooth: I LOVE desserts. I think part of this was instilled in me when I grew up, because my dad always had to have dessert after dinner, whether it was cookies or ice cream. So now I like to have dessert every day, too! Having a sweet or two every now and then is okay, but I've been going overboard lately. My husband is better about it because he doesn't buy sugary things; if treats aren't in the house, he can't eat them. But I like to have sweets available should a craving come over me, but now that means I have two half gallons of ice cream sitting around and any baked goods I make myself (or ones I've bought from Crumbl). 

So first of all, I need to stop buying sweets. I have already started weaning myself off of Crumbl, so that's good. Secondly, if I do want a dessert, I just need to change the portion size. I never feel guilty eating ten M&Ms after lunch at work; that's so small! It's more like when I eat a good-sized piece of pumpkin pie five days in a row after I baked the pie to begin with. Less is more in this case!

Along with eating less sugar, I also want to eat more nutritious foods in general. Now that I go into an office every day, I have to get back into meal prep, which I haven't truly done since pre-COVID. And while noodle casseroles are quick and easy for that, pasta drenched in alfredo sauce is not exactly healthy. I want to try new recipes with mainly proteins and veggies, and just natural ingredients in general (maybe I'll use Hello Fresh for inspiration). I don't want to make boring meals of chicken-veg-rice, but healthy versions of food I like, especially Mexican and Indian cuisine. Thank goodness for the endless recipes I have at my fingertips with the internet!

AND I want to drink less. Alcohol is a poison in the end, and is full of empty calories. It's so easy to drink though when you're at a party or out to dinner at a fancy restaurant. I find myself drinking almost every day, and even if it's just one glass/drink, I feel like that's too much. I can also tell myself I'm saving money every time I go out to eat and don't get a drink along with my meal. I won't put a number on it, but I will try to be more conscious about my drinking and just go for seltzer water instead.

Image found here

2. Exercise more. This sort of ties in with #1. Before I moved to Florida, I was working out two times a day regularly, alternating between Pure Barre and Orangetheory (whichever one I didn't take in the morning was the one I took at night). But since I have moved, I spend so much of my time commuting that I have a harder time being able to work out as often as I'd like. I have already bumped down my OTF membership to just eight times a month instead of unlimited, and I frequently find it difficult to make even that happen! And while I do have a gym in my community, most of the classes offered are held during the day when I work, so I only occasionally make it over there to ride the spin bike for 45 minutes. 

So next year, I am going to attempt the Pure Barre Platinum Barre Challenge. I have never tried this before even though I have been a client for years and have now been teaching since August of 2023. The challenge is to take 15 classes every month, so 180 classes for the year. I think I can do it! I already take class about three times a week (i.e. the weekday mornings when I'm not teaching), which means I would only have to take three extra classes on top of that. The past few months I have been trying different gyms, like F45 and Barre3, but for next year I will focus on Pure Barre so I can complete this challenge!

Me with some of my Theta sisters in DC. I miss them!

I grew up with Rachel and Marshall, so they are some of my oldest friends!

3. Keep in touch with friends better. Now that I have moved, I have to make more of an effort to stay in touch with my friends. I can no longer email them about meeting up for dinner or seeing a show together. I actually had a similar resolution many years ago: I spoke with a friend on the phone who didn't live near me once a week. And I did it! So if I did it before, I can do it again. But just like trying to schedule times to meet up, it can be tricky to match up calendars for even a phone call. I have been trying to talk to people when I'm in the car (since it usually takes me almost an hour to get home after work), so maybe I will just lean more into that. Even quick calls are better than letting friendships slip away!

Me with the Ladies of Umbria (i.e. the women who live on my street!)

4. Create lasting friendships with new people. In hand with staying in touch with my friends back in DC and elsewhere, I would love to make true friends down in Florida. My husband and I have been SO lucky to have already met so many wonderful people. Our street is very social, and our neighbors frequently host parties; they always invite us and make us feel welcome. I have also met other people through a local synagogue, the Junior League of Sarasota, and the fitness community.

But most of these friendships are surface-level, which I guess makes sense, since I have only known everyone for a few months. But next year, I hope I can hang out with more people in smaller groups, rather than large parties, to really get to know them. I am going to aim for doing a double-date twice a month (unless a neighborhood party is scheduled and we know we'll see them there), and aim for more ladies' dinners, particularly after my workouts (now I could actually get to know some of the women from Pure Barre instead of just taking class with them!). Friendships are one of those things that you get what you put into them, and I want to put a LOT of effort into making new friends so I feel like I have a full circle of support in my new home of Florida. 

Image found here

5. Less screen time, more reading. This kinda of goes against #6 (see below), but ever since I started my Instagram account, I find myself getting lost in the scrolling, especially before bedtime. I tell myself I'll only look for ten minutes, and then I look at the clock and it's well past my bedtime! So next year, before I even climb into bed, I am going to turn my phone off. That way, when it's time to turn in, if I'm not quite sleepy yet, I will read a book or magazine. It's better not to look at the blue light of a screen before you go to sleep anyway, and I am very embarrassed by the low number of books I have read since moving to Florida six months ago (umm, I think it's two).

I brought so many novels and non-fiction books with me in the move, so I better start reading them! I have nature books, lots of (auto)biographies, and just brainless fun books. After a month or two into the beginning of COVID, when we all realized the pandemic was going to last longer than we ever imagined, I told myself to read more, and I did. I only read books by female authors, and I really liked setting this mini-challenge for myself. I truly love reading, and I just need to carve out more time for it. Just like with exercise: if it's important to you, you'll make the time. I think my first book of the new year will be Amy Poehler's Yes Please. I lugged it all around Italy with me and never opened it up, so I'm going to read it for real this time!

Gotta fill up my Instagram profile!

6. Continue to build my Instagram presence. While I want to stop staring at my phone right before I go to bed, I do want to stay active on my newest platform. I started my Instagram account before I moved so that my friends at home could stay in touch and see what I'm up to. And it's been working! I love seeing all the little hearts from people liking my photos or their comments on my posts. But as a Millennial, I'm in between an older generation that doesn't care about social media and a younger one who LIVES online. I don't naturally think about taking a photo wherever I am, but I want to get better about that. This is especially true when I do social things: I have been to SO many parties and yet didn't take any pictures! So in 2025, I want to work on recording my shenanigans through photos and posting them online. Similar to this blog, Instagram can act as an online diary for me to remember all the fun things I've done and the wonderful times I've spent with many amazing people. 

There are other things I'm tempted to add here, like going to Shabbat services once a month. But I want to set myself up for success, and this list is already somewhat daunting. Hopefully I can make all this happen!

Recipe: Cranberry Orange Buttermilk Breakfast Cake

 

My mom found this recipe on Pinterest (originally from the Lynseylous blog) and wanted to make it while we were together for the holidays. The recipe was pretty easy, and it was delicious!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup + 1 tbsp sugar, divided
• zest of 1 orange
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 cups fresh cranberries, washed and dried

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray an 8x8” or 9x9” pan with cooking spray and set aside.
2. Toss cranberries with 1 tablespoon of flour and set aside.
3. Combine remaining flour, salt, and baking powder to a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
4. Place butter in a bowl and beat until smooth. Add 1 cup of sugar and lemon zest and beat until light and fluffy.
5. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until just combined.
6. Alternate between adding some of the flour mixture and some of the buttermilk to the batter until all mixed together.
7. Add the cranberries and gently fold in using a spatula.
8. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with remaining tablespoon of sugar. Place in the preheated oven and bake about 35 minutes, increasing time as needed.

We didn't have buttermilk, and while we could have added vinegar to the milk to make our own buttermilk, we didn't bother. But plain milk worked fine! We liked how moist the cake was, and the fruit flavors are just right. My mom liked the recipe so much she said she'd definitely make it again!

Recipe: Cottage Cheese Brownies

I have been seeing lots of healthy recipes on Instagram featuring cottage cheese. I don't really like cottage cheese on its own, but I figured it can't taste too bad if it's main into a dessert, right? I couldn't find the exact video I saw online, but I googled "cottage cheese brownies" and found this recipe from Matt's Fit Chef. With only four main ingredients, I figured it had to be pretty easy!

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup cottage cheese
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 scant cup cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup and 1 tbsp granular sweetener (I just used regular white sugar)

Optional Ingredients

• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp coffee powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• Chocolate chips chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and fold a 7-inch x 7-inch brownie pan with parchment paper.
2. Add to a blender cottage cheese, egg, cocoa powder and granular sweetener. Optionally, add baking powder, coffee powder, and a pinch of salt. Blend until all ingredients are combined into a smooth brownie batter.
3. Transfer cottage cheese brownie batter to the prepared pan, and optionally sprinkle with chocolate chips on top. Bake in hot oven for 22 to 30 minutes – mine took 25 minutes. Let cool completely at room temperature before slicing.
4. Once cooled, seal and store in the fridge for a maximum of 4 days.

I think I did include all of the optional ingredients except the coffee powder (What is coffee powder? Ground-up coffee?), and I don't think the chocolate chips are optional. While they make the brownies less healthy, they taste MUCH better with the chocolate chips (and look cuter, too). And they last WAY longer than just four days in the fridge; I made mine weeks ago and only just recently finished the last one (and it tasted fine!).

Are these the yummiest brownies you've ever had? Absolutely not. They are not fudgy or fluffy; they actually are kind of grainy. BUT the fact that each normal-sized brownie is only about 100 calories is really nice. I never felt guilty about eating one, and they still satisfied my sweet tooth. I don't think I'd make these for a party or share them with others to show off my baking skills, but I might make them for myself again. 

Recipe: Turkey Pot Pie

The first turkey I've ever cooked myself! I tore through the skin to put rosemary under there (not as neatly as planned).

While I did not officially cook for Thanksgiving, I did get a free Butterball turkey from BJ's, so I had to do something with it! So the morning of Black Friday, I put my 17-pound bird into the oven to cook for FOUR hours. After I let it cool, I began thinking about how to use all that meat. We were already getting a little tired of turkey after hosting my family for early Thanksgiving the week early and then having more of it on the actual day of Thanksgiving. But I couldn't let this bird go to waste! I immediately started looking up recipes, and I found one recipe for turkey pot pie from AllRecipes.com that sounded delicious. I had to try it!

Ingredients

• 2 cups frozen peas and carrots
• 2 cups frozen green beans
• 1 cup sliced celery
• ⅔ cup butter
• ⅔ cup diced onion
• ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon celery seed
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 ¾ cups chicken broth
• 1 ⅓ cups milk
• 4 cups cubed leftover cooked turkey
• 2 (14.1 ounce) packages pastry for a 9-inch double-crust pie

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425˚F.
2. Place frozen peas, carrots, and beans in a saucepan with celery; add enough water to cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until celery is tender, about 8 minutes. Drain.
3. While vegetables are simmering, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add flour, salt, pepper, celery seed, onion powder, and Italian seasoning and whisk until a paste forms, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in chicken broth and then milk until incorporated; bring to a simmer and cook, whisking constantly, until sauce thickens, 3-5 minutes.
4. Remove thickened sauce from the heat; add cooked, drained vegetables and cubed turkey and stir until filling is well combined.
5. Set out two 9-inch pie dishes. Fit one pie pastry into the bottom of each dish. Spoon 1/2 of the pot pie filling into each dish, then lay remaining pie pastries over top. Pinch and roll the top and bottom pastries together at the edges to seal. Use a sharp knife to cut several small slits in each top pastry to allow steam to release while cooking. Place pies on baking sheets.
6. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Check the top crusts for browning; if they are browning too quickly, cover with aluminum foil. Continue to bake until the crusts are golden brown and the filling is bubbly, 15-20 more minutes.
7. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes before serving.

I simplified the recipe (as usual). I thought I had seen other recipes that used cream of chicken soup in pot pie, and I realized that's what step #3 is here. So I grabbed a can of cream of mushroom soup (I figured my husband would never be able to taste the mushroom in a pot pie!), along with frozen veggies that you can microwave in the bag for four minutes, and saved myself more than ten minutes! 

One thing that is confusing about this recipe is the use of plurals in steps #5 and #6. Yes, there are two pie crusts, but there is only one dish, and you only lay one over top (not two "pastries"). And it's only one top crust that could potentially brown, so I don't know why the recipe reads "crusts." So I had to read this a few times to be sure I wasn't completely confused on what I was supposed to do. 

I did not end up eating the pie the night I made it, but the next day (after microwaving a piece, of course), it was DELICOUS! I already love pot pie anyway, and now that I've made it myself, I will definitely make this recipe again, either with turkey or chicken!

Recipe: Irish inspired Potato Nachos

We were invited to not one but TWO Thanksgivings last Thursday, so we decided to watch the first football game at the one house and then see the second game (and have real dinner) at the second house. The second hostess insisted we didn't need to bring anything, so I just brought some mini pies from Crumbl (which are so cute and yummy!). But for the first house, I wanted to bring some good football-watching food. I found this recipe on the Clean Food Crush blog, and I had never heard of healthy nachos before. I thought this was a cool alternative, and it didn't seem too difficult.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds russet or Yukon gold potatoes
• 2 Tbsps avocado oil, or olive oil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• sea salt and black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 4 slices nitrate-free bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 vine tomato, chopped
• 1/4 red onion, peeled and diced
• 1 Tbsp chopped cilantro, scallions, or parsley leaves

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 400˚ F. Rinse and scrub potatoes thoroughly to remove any dirt. Pat excess moisture with a paper towel or allow to air dry.
2. Slice potatoes into 1/4-inch thick, even, rounds and place them in a large bowl (may want to use a mandoline for even slicing.)
3. Season your potatoes with oregano, thyme, sea salt and black pepper, drizzle oil on top.
4. Gently rub and toss to get them coated evenly.
5. Place the potatoes onto a large baking sheet (or 2) in a SINGLE layer and roast for 20 minutes until golden and crispy, flipping once during roasting.
6. Once the potatoes are done, carefully remove from the oven and transfer to a skillet or oven-safe dish. I covered mine with parchment for easy clean up!
7. Sprinkle cheese on top and bake for additional 6-8 minutes until cheese is nice and melty. To assemble your nachos, add a generous dollop of yogurt in the middle.
8. Crumble crispy bacon on top, then sprinkle with tomatoes and onions as shown.
9. Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro, scallions, and/or parsley and serve immediately.

I didn't follow the recipe to a T, and I didn't use all the ingredients. I don't eat bacon, and I used sour cream instead of yogurt. I also just topped my "nachos" with cheese, sauteed yellow onion and bell pepper, and sprinkled in a little green onion. I did season the potatoes with LOTS of cumin so that they would taste more like real nachos. And even though it was a little tedious flipping the little potato slices one by one, they turned out to be really good (although they got cold very quickly, so microwaving was necessary later). This could be good for a Superbowl party, I think!

Recipe: Dump-and-Bake Chicken Alfredo Casserole

Image found here

Get ready because I'm going to be posting LOTS of recipes this week! It's that time of year when you're hunkered down at home because the nights are chilly, it's the holiday season, and you've got LOTS of leftovers (and lots of football to watch, too!).

I made this casserole recipe from the Seasoned Mom blog, less to do with the reasons listed above and more because I think casseroles are great for meal prep. I have to go into the office five days a week with my new job, which means I eat the majority of my lunches (and actually my breakfasts as well) at work. So I have to prepare ten meals a week just for that! And casseroles make it easy. And this recipe is easy, too, with only three steps!

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) package uncooked rotini pasta
• 22 oz jar Alfredo sauce (about 1 very large 22-ounce jar or 1 ½ 15-ounce jars) (~ 2 ½ cups total)
• 3 cups chicken stock (or substitute with chicken broth)
• 2 cups diced or shredded rotisserie chicken (or other diced cooked chicken)
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic (about 2 large cloves)
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (or Italian blend cheese)
• Optional garnish: Parmesan cheese and chopped fresh herbs, such as basil, oregano, or parsley

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. In a large baking dish, stir together uncooked pasta, Alfredo sauce, chicken stock, chicken and garlic. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.
2. Uncover; give the pasta a good stir. At this point you should check the pasta to make sure that it is al dente (firm but with a tender bite). I have had good luck with the 30-minute cook time; however, some readers have noted that it required about 10 or 15 minutes longer. If it’s still too hard after 30 minutes, just cover the dish and return to the oven until pasta is al dente. Then move on to the next step. Sprinkle mozzarella over the top.
3. Bake, uncovered, for 8-10 more minutes, or until the cheese melts. Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan or fresh chopped herbs if desired.

I love that not only could I just throw everything together, but I didn't even have to cook the pasta first! I did not bother with the herbs, but I did realize later that this recipe has ZERO vegetables in it. It's already not healthy because of the alfredo sauce, but no veggies?! So when I've been eating a portion, I top it with a third of a bell pepper (diced) before microwaving it. I guess you could also make a side salad, but that's too much work (the opposite of this recipe!).