What is new? (with recipes)

Well nothing to exciting has been going on around here. Ryan is still studying all the time and Lilly and I are hanging out trying to keep busy. I have been trying to improve my dinner menu and made this amazing quiche the other night. It was so good I had to take a picture.

Speaking of cooking, Thanksgiving is right around the corner. We are excited to head to Pittsburgh this year. I made a trial run of my triple layer chocolate pumpkin cheese cake. I was worried that it would not turn out because I have not made it in years. But it was sooooo good.


As for Lilly she is as cute as ever. Her little personality is just blooming. We have a lot of fun together. Here we are playing in the leaves at the zoo. She thought it was so funny when they would crunch under our feet.



And finally dress up. Lilly came out the other day with this outfit on. She was so proud of herself. Then she got on her little scooter and said "bye bye" as she drove away!



Here is the link to the Quiche it has a hashbrown crust but I think it is really good.



Double Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake

Serves 12
Active: 45 min/Total: 2 ½ hr (plus 1 hr cooling in the oven and at least 4 ½ hr chilling)

Planning tip: Cake can be completed up to 1 week ahead. Cover and refrigerate.

Crust
1 ½ cups purchased chocolate cookie crumbs
½ stick (4 Tbsp) butter, melted

Filling
3 bricks (8oz each) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese (Neufchatel), softened
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp cornstarch
3 large eggs
½ cup reduced-fat sour cream
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup (6 oz) milk-chocolate chips, melted and cooled
1 cup canned 100% pure pumpkin
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 cup (6 oz) semisweet chocolate chips, melted and cooled

Chocolate Glaze
3 oz bittersweet baking chocolate
2 Tbsp stick butter
1 Tbsp light corn syrup

1. Heat oven to 350 F. Coat an 8-in. spring form pan with nonstick spray. Have ready a roasting pan larger than the spring form pan.
2. Crust: Put crumbs in a small bowl; stir in butter until evenly moistened. Press firmly over bottom of pan. Bake 8 to 10 minutes until set. Cool on rack. Wrap outside of pan with heavy-duty foil. Reduce oven temperature to 300 F.
3. Filling: Beat cream cheese, sugar and cornstarch in a large bowl with mixer on medium speed until smooth, scraping sides of bowl several times with a rubber spatula. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, just until blended. Beat in sour cream and vanilla. Divide batter evenly between 3 medium bowls. Sir melted milk chocolate into 1 bowl; pour on to crust in an even layer. Whisk pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice into another bowl of filling. Carefully spoon over chocolate layer to cover, then gently smooth into an even layer with an offset spatula (take care batters don’t run together). Stir semisweet chocolate into remaining batter. Carefully spoon over pumpkin layer; spread carefully as above.
4. Set spring form pan in center of roasting pan. Place roasting pan in oven rack and add boiling water to come halfway up sides of spring form pan.
5. Bake 1 ½ to 1 ¾ hours until set, but center still jiggles slightly when shaken.
6. Turn off oven (leave door closed); let cake cool in oven 1 hour (if cake hasn’t pulled away from sides of pan, carefully run a thin knife around edge of pan, to release cake). Remove foil. Cool cake in pan on wire rack. Cover; refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
7. Chocolate Glaze: Stir ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat; cool slightly.
8. Remove pan sides; place cake on serving plate. Spread glaze over top to edge (some may drip down side of cake). Refrigerate until glaze sets.