Andes Mint Cheesecake

I have mentioned before that a few of the recipes on this blog were inspired by my Mom's baking. This recipe is one of those. We didn't have it that often, maybe only three or four times, but every time we did I remember loving it. It actually was one of my first experiences with cheesecake, and every cheesecake I have had since I compare to this one. After talking with my mom about it, I learned that the original recipe came from the (unfortunately) no-longer-in-print magazine McCall's, specifically from the December 2004 issue.

The texture is silky smooth, and the flavor divine. I love it because the mint flavor is just strong enough to be dominant, but subtle enough to not be dominating.

In fact, I love this cheesecake so much that I figured out how to make it in a smaller size just so I could justify making it for myself. If you are also so inclined, I will include the ingredient amounts for a 6-inch cheesecake at the end of the recipe.

As a note, the original recipe called for 1 1/3 cups coarsely chopped Andes mints. I don't know if you have ever bought Andes mints before, but to get enough for the recipe you need about 3 boxes, which will run you around six bucks. On the other hand, a 10 oz bag of Andes mint chips only costs around $2.50, and is more than enough for this recipe.

Trust me, if you make this recipe you will fall in love with it, and if you bring it anywhere don't expect to take home leftovers, because it will be completely gone.

Sugar Cookies

For some reason sugar cookies just seem to evoke the feelings of childhood in adults. Maybe it's because I only can remember eating sugar cookies when I was barely tall enough to see over the table, or because stamping out sugar cookies reminds me of small hands. But for whatever reason, sugar cookies just seem to mean childhood.

A while back I worked for a bakery and learned some fun things about baking cookies, which when combined with what I learned during my food science classes in school, hopefully let me make a good recipe for you.

Feeding my Toddler

So I must admit that I have come to a realization over the past few months that Jayson has been eating solid foods by himself: kids are messy eaters.
Yes, I know that this goes without saying, but I don't think I realized how messy kids can get. Maybe it's because I always only saw kids who weren't messy eaters? I don't know. But I used to worry so much about keeping Jayson clean while he ate that we kept him from a lot of foods like soup, refried beans, and other messy foods like that. But those foods are also good for him to eat. So what is a parent to do?

Give up, that's what!

Chocolate and Caramel Chex Mix

This is another one of those recipes that I would love to claim for my own, but cannot: I stole it one from my older sister. February of 2011 my sister Delsa developed her own version of General Mills' Turtle Chex Mix. In her own words:

I love the turtle chex mix you can buy at the store, but it's expensive. So today I created my own recipe (pretty similar). I made it in a small batch,I think, but these are the approximate proportions that I used. Be warned, it is addicting, but delicious.

I have been making it for parties and for family ever since, but have made a couple changes to adapt it to my tastes. It's been a long time since I had the "official" version, but this one is tasty enough that I don't miss it at all.

Gourmet Boiled Cookies

I can remember making boiled cookies for a long time. They were always delicious: moist, chewy, peanut buttery, and just a little bit sticky. And to me, they were always "boiled cookies." It wasn't until I got to college that I found out that the rest of the world had a different name for one of my favorite cookies: no-bake cookies.
Then when I was in Switzerland serving my mission for the LDS church, I got a real craving for the cookies, but didn't have the recipe. So I borrowed one from a friend, and tried it out. The result was not anything like what I remembered. They were grainy, hard, and overloaded with chocolate.
After I got married, there arose the occasion to make my beloved boiled cookies for some friends, and just for fun I decided to spruce the recipe up a little. The following recipe is the result.