That steak really looks good Alexa and the Bernaise held up great. I made the citrus cheesecake Sunday but we only finally got around to eating some tonight. It really was an excellent cheesecake. I'll make it again. I didn't put the sour cream on top of the cheesecake, in case I wanted to make the lemon curd for it. Also, instead of just zest I used the juice from the Meyer Lemon and the lime. I also added a tablespoon of cornstarch to make up for the added juice. Classic Cheesecake [modified] Serves: 8 to 10 servings This is a classic cheesecake -- velvety, rich, sweet and so satisfying. We are major fans of a thin sour cream cap on top of cheesecakes; it's the perfect balance to this rich cake. Ingredients Crust: 6 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs 2 tablespoons granulated sugar Pinch fine salt Filling: 2 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar 1 1/4 cups sour cream 6 large eggs, lightly beaten 1 tablespoon vanilla paste (see cook's note) or extract 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest [used zest from 1 Meyer lemon] 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest [zest from half an orange] [added zest from 1 lime] As said above I added the juice from the lemon and lime plus a tablespoon of cornstarch dissolved in the juices. Topping: 3/4 cup sour cream 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar 1/4 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract Berries, optional Directions Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. For the crust: Melt the butter, covered in the microwave, in a medium microwave safe bowl, or a saucepan. Brush a 9-inch springform pan with some of the butter. Stir the remaining butter together with the crumbs, sugar, and salt. Press the crumb mixture over the bottom of the pan, taking care to get the crust evenly into the edges. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Cool. Wrap the bottom and up the sides of the pan with foil and put in a roasting pan. For the filling: Beat the cream cheese on medium speed with a hand-held mixer until smooth. Add the granulated sugar and beat just until light and fluffy, scraping the sides of the bowl and beaters as needed. Slowly beat in the sour cream, then eggs, vanilla and both citrus zests; take care not to over whip. Pour into the cooled crust. Bring a medium saucepan or kettle of water to a boil. Gently place the roasting pan in the oven (don't pull the rack out of the oven). Pour in enough hot water to come about halfway up the side of the springform pan. Bake the cheesecake for about 1 hour and 10 minutes---the outside of the cake will set but the center will still be loose.[Mine took almost 1hour and a half] For the topping: Stir together the sour cream, confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Spread over the top of the cooked cheesecake and return to the oven for 5 minutes. Turn the oven off, cook the cheesecake in the residual heat in the oven for about1 hour. This gentle finish minimizes the risk of the dreaded crack in your cheesecake. Remove cheesecake from the roasting pan to a rack. Run a knife around the edges and cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight. Bring cheesecake to room temperature 30 minutes before serving. Remove the springform ring. Dip a knife in warm water, wipe dry before slicing each piece. Serve with berries, if desired. Notes We love vanilla bean paste. It has intense vanilla bean flavor in a convenient paste form. It's a great way to add great flavor and distinctive vanilla flecks without having to use a whole bean. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My note: Do let it set in refrigerator for time suggested. It's a very creamy cheesecake.

The other day I ended up throwing out a pie pumpkin because I could barely cut it. It was like cutting rocks. I've never used one before so I don't know if that was typical or if mine was old. Maybe it is normally that hard and that's why most people buy canned pumpkin? I even sharpened by knife but still it was almost impossible. The acorn & butternut squash both cut like butter in comparison, so I don't think it was my knife. It was nothing like carving a Halloween pumpkin. I decide to quit before I ended up having an accident with the knife. Does anyone know if my experience was normal or if I had an old pumpkin? At this point, I will never attempt to use a pie pumpkin again. They're dead to me.

Rhome, if you'll be doing this more often than not, purchase some different sized open glass containers - think the smaller pyrexes and pie plate types. Give them a light spray of a cooking oil like Pam. Line them with plastic wrap, and place the food inside after it cools. When the food is frozen, you can pop the contents out and finish wrapping them as an individual or "for two" servings. I usually then put a second covering of stick free foil. Label, placing like packets in one zip lock bag. Then your glassware is free to re-use. This is good for when you need a larger size than a muffin cup provides. When they are ready to eat, they can grab these packets out of the freezer and place them on a plate (and you can give them the same exact container it was frozen in making it easier still). When the food just stars to defrost in the microwave, they can remove the plastic and finish heating. I know we shouldn't be microwaving with plastic, but you only do it till the food just starts to defrost and releases from the plastic - it's not even getting really hot. If you use the whole wheat noodles, you can make simple pasta dishes that are non tomato, with a very light, low fat cream sauce on them and those freeze well too. As for the meatloaf - I have a recipe which calls for putting lots of finely chopped carrots and zuchini into the mix, and it really helps to get those extra veggies in. I mean you can put a LOT in there and it's really good. I second soups! So easy to cook and they freeze so well.

Hey, I did not see any asparagus last night. (wasn't looking) but it would be obvious if featured. Entering, i was distracted by the artichokes. Surprised they looked so good. Did not want or buy. Lucky for me escarole was one dollar a giant head and locally grown. Bought two. So misunderstood. It's in the endive family like radicchio. Very hardy in the garden and survives a few light frosts. The thick/lush green leafy parts keep the core from the sun so the hearts are white and less bitter. Always tucked near heads of lettuce but iceberg it isn't. @Daisy. You will have to do a test. All our stovetops are different and our sauté pans. I'm on gas burners and use a big heavy white ceramic pan. Easy enough to lift and wiggle or use a wooden spoon. I also have a big stainless heavy bottomed braising pan w/lid that works for a large batch. I also have Lacinato Kale AND collards. We'll have this for a light dinner tonight while I'm elbow deep in chopping anyway. Use it as a test run so it will be a 'park walk' tomorrow. Tonight I'll probably saute a slice of bacon in a blurb of avocado oil, add garlic, take out bacon, add loosely chopped rinsed and 'wet' escarole leaves, med heat, cover to steam, then add slices of the white core/heart and slivered kale and collards, toss and cover...3-4 min, done. (kale and collards have been previously massaged with lemon/olive oil.) Toss in a mustard lemon vinaigrette. Garnish with bacon, slivered golden beet and watermelon radish. Tomorrow I'll 'tart it up' with pomegranate and toasted/spiced garbanzos, prosciutto crisps instead of bacon. Just a bit. ...dressing/stuffing has wild mushrooms and lamb sausage, so enough things are on the heavy/rich side.