There are going to be some changes around here (more about that later), one of which is my new participation in Felicia's (from the Geeky Blogger Book Blog) new Foodie Friday's meme. She started this meme to combine her two faves--books and cooking. Seeing as how I share those loves AND cooking decreases my stress, I couldn't contain my excitement. I could kill two birds with one stone. It will be the perfect addition to Reflections of a Bookaholic as other content will slow and I can document the cooking I will do as I attempt to decrease the stress of bar prep.
Here's MY plan...
I've wanted to review cookbooks for sometime but I never quite knew how to accomplish it. I'm going to try 1 to 2 new recipes a week (for a month) from a cookbook and end the month with a review of the cookbook. This way I hope to give a more balance review after trying a few recipes.
I'm so excited because I'll be cooking and talking about books at the same time. Yess!
First Cookbook up?
Are you excited? I hope so... Just in case you can't wait, here's a recipe for No bake Nutella Cheesecakes that I stumbled on top on on Pinterest and I just love it!!! Mel from Mel's Kitchen Cafe adapted this recipe from My Baking Addiction.
I made them during during finals when I was on a study break and all my friends loved them. They went so fast that I had to bake another batch so the hubby could give them a try.
NUTELLA CHEESECAKES
6 Servings (Note: I stretched this to extra mini cheesecakes and it made 12 servings)
INGREDIENTS:
Crust: 18 Oreo cookies, (Note: I definitely used more. I wanted my crust a little thicker)
crushed into crumbs
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Cheesecake:
12 ounces cream cheese, (Note: I actually used 1/3 fat free cream cheese)
1 cup nutella (chocolate hazelnut spread)
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
Garnish:
Extra sweetened whipped cream, optional
Crushed oreos or chocolate curls, optional
DIRECTIONS:
In a medium bowl, stir together the Oreo cookie crumbs and melted butter. (Note: I don't scrape out the cream in the oreos but that isn't what the recipe calls for. It's a personal preference) Evenly divide the crumbs between your individual serving dishes and press into the bottoms of the dishes to form a crust layer. Glass dessert cups work well for this, as well as mini-trifle dishes; you could also use a mini-cheesecake pan or simply small glass bowls.
In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until light and smooth. Add the nutella and mix until combined and smooth. Add the vanilla and mix to combine. In another medium/large bowl, whip the cream and powdered sugar together until medium to stiff peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the whipped cream into the cream cheese/nutella mixture until well blended and no streaks remain.
Spoon the filling into individual serving dishes on top of the crust. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving, at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours.
If desired, garnish with additional whipped topping, chocolate shavings, and/or toasted, chopped hazelnuts.
