My First-ever Blueberry Cheesecake!

Conquer your fears! That's the motto that came to my mind today after I've tasted my first-ever baked blueberry cheesecake. I've been wanting to bake a cheesecake for more than a year now, but my fear of not making it right stopped me from doing it before yesterday. All I could think of was that, what if I mess it up, the ingredients will be wasted. I have also the tendency to get discouraged right away, so if I don't make it right the first time chances are I won't be motivated to do it again. So I've planned to do it and then chickened out, so it was postponed and postponed until this week I decided to try it out, no matter what the outcome is.
So yesterday, I finally had the guts to do it. I researched on various sites on cheesecake recipes and got my cookbook to get some tips on how to bake a great cheesecake. I combined the different ideas I read and put it into fruition in my recipe.
Being a first-timer, I had some mishaps along the way,Lol! I forgot to grease the pan with a cooking spray before putting the crust mixture. I already tried pressing the crust on the pan when I read on my cookbook to at least spray the pan first so when you take out the crust it will be easy and the cake won't stick. So I have to take out the crust mixture from the pan and do it all over again. Sprayed the pan and then put the crust mixture and pressed it into the pan,voila! Done with the first part, a little problem but I'm learning along the way.
I was a little worried at first with my mixer because I have only a hand mixer. I didn't know if it could handle mixing a thick mixture like the cream cheese. Because I remembered with my previous hand mixer it overheated,LOL! Well what did I expect with a $10 dollar mixer,lol. Anyway, it fared well to my surprise, I guess becuase it has more power than the previous one,thank God. So another worry solved.
Everything went well with the cream cheese mixture and the crusy so I started baking it. I was so excited about it that I keep opening the oven. I was afraid it might get burnt. But later on I realized my mistake. Opening the oven a lot will make the top of the cake crack, from what I've read. Another lesson learned for a first timer, so I made a mental note to make
research on how to prevent cracks on my cheesecake next time. but it wasn't such a major issue though, I got lucky I was planning on a blueberry topping, so the topping covered the cracks. So my cheesecake seemed perfect to look at with the topping on it:-)
The hardest part in baking your cheesecake for the first time is the waiting. I had to wait overnight before I'll be able to know how my cheesecake taste like. the reason for the long wait is because I have to refrigerate the cheesecake first. But the wait was all worth it, my husband said. This morning when we tasted it, it was very good. It came out really well, was very creamy.I was so happy it turned out as I expected it to be. It may not be visually perfect but the taste was divine. It goes well with coffee!:-)
So I guess, I conquered my fear and made the right decision. And now I can't wait for my next cheesecake adventure!
Here are a couple of photos of my masterpiece. Enjoy!

Deviled Eggs

Puto Cheese for New Year!:)

Beef Chuck Roast Recipe

Last Wednesday, we did some grocery shopping and I found some very good chuck roast at Sam's Club. I haven't cooked some roast in a while, so I thought of making it this week. So I bought 2 pieces of beef chuck roast about three pounds each.

I cooked it yesterday and it came out really well. I slow-cooked it for about an hour an a half. The meat came out really soft and very tasty. My husband and son liked this same recipe that I cooked before. I usually cook it with sauteed potatoes on the side or with egg noodles or any pasta.

I love roast beef because I can cook a big piece of meat and then it will last until the next day. My husband can have something for lunch at work, too! And the good thing about it is that the next day it even tastes better. I guess because all the juices and seasonings are soaked by the meat already. So here's a recipe for beef chuck roast, you can vary the seasonings according to your preference.

CHICKEN CURRY

Philippines has some Indian cuisine influence, this is visible in some of the Filipino dishes which include a curry seasoning. Curry is sometimes used in dishes with chicken, beef, pork and vegetables cooked like a stew. Here is a chicken recipe with curry seasoning and added with coconut milk to make it creamy.

COCONUT MACAROONS

INGREDIENTS:

1 pkg. 14 oz. unsweetened coconut flakes or approx. 5 1/3 cups
3 eggs
1 can condensed milk
3/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients.
Mix it very well.
Put into greased paper cups(small) and bake it for at about 15 minutes or until it turns golden brown.


                

CLASSIC YEMA or MILK CANDY

 I was craving Yema these past few days. I remember when I
was in elementary and high school, I used to buy Yema from my
classmates. It is so addictive. You can't stop eating it. I don't know what makes it so addictive, must be the milk. My classmates sell it for .50 cents before, ha ha, now I don't know how much one cost. I remember using my whole allowance to buy it. Anyway, that's enough reminiscing, ha ha. So going back to my craving, since I don't know how to make it, I asked my cousin how to make it. She told me the procedure how to do it
 and I made it yesterday. I'm so glad it came out really
good and perfect. Not too hard and not too soft either, just perfect. My son and hubby can't stop eating it. So my craving was satisfied.

Anyway for those who don't know what Yema is, it is a sweet
concoction made of milk and sugar, which is from the classic recipe. But nowadays, yema has already evolved and more ingredients are added. But I still like the classic recipe, which I will be sharing now with you. It is not so complicated to make. It is very easy, and does not need a lot of ingredients. The closest taste you can compare it with are caramel candies. Though, I guess here in the US these are really called caramel candies. The slight difference will be the kind of milk being used. And these are not so dense and as hard as caramels. So for those who are yema lovers, here is a recipe for you. Please leave a comment if you like it. Thanks!

SWEET BABY BACK RIBS

I always like to munch meat from a bone.It's so much fun to eat while holding the bone in your hand and just bite the meat off it,ha ha. Call me a cowgirl. Anyway,because of that ribs is one of my favorite food to eat. I tried to browse for some good recipes for ribs and was drawn to this one since I've seen this on TFC,on "Life Pinoy Style" by Ron Bilaro. So I went to there website and I saw the recipe , tried it and I loved how the ribs turned out. My hubby and son loves it because the meat just falls from the bones. My mother in-law tried it,too and she asked for the recipe for it.So thanks to Life Pinoy Style for sharing this recipe. It is now one of our favorite family recipe. You can eat it with sides, like mashed potato, macaroni salad, or for Filipinos like me, with rice. Here is the link to the Sweet Baby Back Ribs. Enjoy!