Kitchen day!

[Marthe48]

No reason, I'm just in the mood to cook and bake. It looks like it'll be a quiet holiday, and I'm looking forward to being on my own.

I had lots of leftover ingredients, so I found a recipe for a baked cheesecake with ricotta cheee. It's about halfway through the baking time.

I went out with my daughter yesterday and stopped at an Asian market. They had anise. I read awhile back that if you cook anise with onions, it'll taste like beef, so I can finally experiment I also got a couple of eggplants, and will probably make a casserole with it. I have spaghetti sauce and also tikka masala sauce. Still making up mu mind.

I have my starter out, so I will make a loaf of sourdough to bake either this evening or tomorrow, depends on how nicely it rises.

After a short break, back to the kitchen, my happy place today

Here's to a meaningful weekend

[CrispyQ]

1. Wow. I've never heard of cheesecake with ricotta.

I love ricotta! I think it would be a little lighter than cheesecake with all cream cheese. ???

The anise-onion thing sounds interesting, too. Have fun!

[Marthe48]

6. My friend told me about ricotta cheesecake a long time ago

I didn't think I liked ricotta, so I didn't try it. It turns out, I do like ricotta. I got a container and used some for the ravioli lasagna and had half of it left. The cheesecake turned out good.

One of my friends wanted to me up for dinner, so I won't have the eggplant casserole today. I did have a slice of the cheesecake when I got home. It's got a moist creamy texture. It is pretty, too. No crust. I took a picture earlier:

[Diamond_Dog]

2. Sounds good, Marthe!

I have to be in the mood to cook and bake, but I feel as though in general I do a good job of it. I’m enjoying it a lot less lately due to sciatica and a sore arthritic shoulder.

I *do* cook dinner most every night. Fridays are pizza nights.

[Marthe48]

9. I keep hoping your aches and pains will go away

I had sciatica pain years ago, and luckily got treatment that healed it and advice so I didn't have it again. Do what you can and pace yourself!

[Old Crank]

3. Just made a cheese cake yesterday.

I love making different things for our Chinese friends. They took home a couple of slices. Bless them for saving us the calories.

Here we can only get the Phili cream cheese in the tub. But it seems to work both in plain, lemon, and pumpkin versions I make. Here the German style is a little courser in texture.

[Marthe48]

8. We mentored 3 Chinese students for a few years

and they loved cheesecake. I made a baked cheesecake they loved. They asked me to show them how to make it, so I did. It was a recipe I got from a 70s recipe book called The Weekend Chef. The recipe was work intensive, and I saw they were overwhelmed. We got through the process. Later in the year, they invited me to their apartment and made dinner for me. One of the students said they made cheesecake, but smiling, she held up a Philadelphia No Bake cheesecake package, and said, "Easier than yours!" lol

[NJCher]

4. Great Way to Spend the Day If You Ask Me!

I'm pretty sure I've made cheesecakes with ricotta cheese before. As a matter of fact, I think Mollie Katzen's vegetable cheesecake recipe might be made with ricotta. I've made that recipe many times.

Let us know how the anise/onion combo tastes!

I am always envious when you say you're baking bread. I am far too lazy to do that but there is nothing like a house with the aroma of fresh baked bread. Not to mention the first bite of the freshly baked bread!

I spent the morning at various gardens, adding compost to my young plants. I wanted to do it before the rains started coming, which they have already.

Christopher Kimball's "Milk Street Television" is on. I've watched 3 30-minute shows: one on cakes, another on enchiladas, and the one I'm watching now is about cooking eggs various ways, such as deviled eggs or soy eggs.

[Marthe48]

7. You might envy the bread, but I long for your garden veggies!

I used to garden, but have developed allergies to leaf mold and other things that didn't used to bother me. When I read your posts, I am living vicariously!

I make soy eggs pretty often. I have one in the fridge right now. I love those. I make pickled eggs once in awhile, if my family is home. I like the soy eggs better, but they all like the pickled eggs.

I took a picture of the cheesecake:

[NJCher]

10. Beautiful!

It would be ideal for various toppings, too, but delicious as a standalone dessert.

Re garden, I was remarking to my brother, who is putting in an herb garden, that herbs alone are terrific to have around. The simple addition of dill to a salad, oregano to a sauce, or chives or tarragon over a fish filet is so simple. Yet when you look at the price of herbs at the store, it is prohibitive to buy more than a few.

I've never had soy or pickled eggs! I plan on trying them. I learned so much from those 3 shows I watched.

[NJCher]

5. yep, it is ricotta!

Link to vegetable cheesecake recipe.