Berry Bliss Cheesecake!!!

If you find delight in mixed berry goodness over cheesecake then you will

 LOVE

this Berry Bliss Cheesecake!!!

All made in the incredible Instant Pot. So delicious.

Recipe found here at This Old Gal.

For the topping I used about 1.5 cups of Wyman's frozen Mixed Berry's...

Get a 1/4 cup of sugar and mix them with the berries and pour over the cheesecake.

Enjoy!

The Cheesecake Post!

I really wanted to make something extra special for my hubby's birthday!

His favorite is oreo anything so of course I had to make an Oreo Cheesecake.

You can't live in Japan and not love Pocky! Well at least that's how it is for the Fish Fam. So I was excited to make a Strawberry Pocky Cheesecake! Let me tell you these Okinawan strawberries are out of this world delicious. The Pocky is a pretzel stick dipped in a chocolate or yogurt of all sorts! Japanese love coming up with all kinds of flavors. I'm sure you can find them around in the States at your local Asian Grocery Store.

For you gingerbread lovers I think you'll love Martha Stewarts Holiday Gingerbread Cheesecake. Smells divine.

Check them out in the individual posts...

Strawberry Pocky Cheesecake

This Old Gal's New York Cheesecake is a classic and I was so excited to pair it with delicious Okinawa strawberries and oh so good Japanese Pocky. Yum Yum. 

I love love how it turned out! So beautiful.

I'm not lying when I say that these strawberries gown here in Okinawa are some of the best that I've ever had. They are the perfect sweetness, tenderness, and texture. They melt in your mouth and all you can say is wow! Not kidding.

All you have to do to get some is come to Okinawa, Japan! Ha!

When you eat out and buy cheesecake it can be pretty expensive for a slice. That's not the case when you make it yourself! I will say these strawberries made this the most expensive cheesecake of the three I made! Strawberries are in season right now and depending on where you buy them you pay $5-7 for the small pack above. The way Japanese grow and take pride in their fruits and veggies is awesome. They pick the best of the best and package it so nice and neat! Which end up being more expensive, but you look at it and want to buy it because it looks so lovely and good! Well, that's how it is for me anyways. Lol!

If you live in the States you can most likely find Pocky at your local Asian Grocery store. So go out and buy some and make that cheesecake!

Yum :)

Strawberry Shortcake w/ Coconut Whip Cream

While out grocery shopping I've noticed all the strawberries coming out on the shelves. And since the weather has dramatically warmed up I couldn't resist wanting to make this!

We had some guests over and after our meal enjoyed this awesome treat outside while the kids played and everyone (but me I enjoyed my Maple Pie Cocoroon) enjoyed the weather and delicious dessert that was on the back of my Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Sugar bag. One of my kids requested these for their birthday cake. I make my own Coconut Whip Cream to top it off!

Frontera's Famous Strawberry Shortcakes 

By Chef Rick Bayless

Ingredients

For the shortcakes:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp Wholesome Sweeteners Fairtrade Organic Sugar (divided use)

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 stick chilled unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

1 large cage-free organic egg

1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp buttermilk (divided use)

1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract, preferably Mexican

1/4 cup grated semi-sweet or Mexican chocolate

For the topping:

1 qt strawberries, hulled

1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp Wholesome Sweeteners Fairtrade Organic Sugar, divided use

1 to 1 1/2 cups heavy (whipping) cream

Wholesome Sweeteners Fairtrade Organic Powdered Sugar, for garnish

Directions

To make the shortcakes: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Measure the flour, 1/4 cup of the sugar, the baking powder and the salt into a food processor. Scatter the chilled butter evenly over dry ingredients. Pulse the processor 10 to 12 times (1-second pulses) until the butter is in tiny bits. Add the egg, 1⁄3 cup buttermilk, vanilla and grated chocolate. Pulse the processor 7 to 8 times until the soft dough just comes together. 

Turn out the dough onto a well-floured board and press together to form a disk that is ¾ inch thick. The dough will be very moist. With a floured 3-inch biscuit cutter, cut out 4 biscuits. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Gently bring the scraps back together and pat out the dough again. Cut two more disks and transfer to the baking sheet. Brush tops with the remaining 1 tablespoon of buttermilk, then sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake for about 18 minutes, until the biscuits are lightly browned. Cool.

To fill and serve: Thinly slice the strawberries and scoop into a medium bowl. Gently mix in 1/4 cup of the sugar. With an electric mixer, beat the cream and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar (using the whisk attachment if available) until the cream holds soft peaks. 

Just before serving, split each biscuit as you would a bagel. Top the bottom layer with a generous dollop of whipped cream, spoon on a portion of the strawberries (and any of their juices), then set the top in place (or off slightly off to the side, to show off the strawberries more). Sprinkle with powdered sugar and you’re ready to serve.

Recipe source

Chef Rick Bayless of Frontera Grill and Topolobampo, Chicago, IL

*We don't drink cows milk (just occasionally), so no buttermilk for us. Luckily, I've discovered how to substitute with a diary free option. In a bigger measuring cup put one tablespoon of white vinegar and then add your dairy free milk (I usually use coconut milk) until it reaches 1 cup. Mix and let it sit for five minutes and then it out "Buttermilk" is ready to use!

*Next time I'm going to sub coconut oil for the butter. Yum. 

Enjoy :)

Christmas Fruit

We were assigned to bring some fruit to a Christmas party and you know those neat fancy fruit trees?

I wanted to make one of those, but it failed because I didn't have enough fruit!

Being that the one grocery store in our area never has a good selection and worse since it's winter the pickings were slim, oh so very slim.

I have these cute little mini cookie cutters and so I used them for the pineapple and made this fun fruit salad.

It was worth the $6 I paid for the 1lb of strawberries, I guess :)

Kale & Beet Spaghetti

I had some beets to use so they were thrown into our dinner.

Beets always give a nice and vibrant color that I love.

Also in the mix is kale, turkey meat, and fresh parmesan cheese.

Side salad topped with yummy organic strawberries.

GF Waffles & Strawberries

These waffles are my favorite.

They are gluten free and I switch out a few ingredients...

• Instead of sugar I add a ripe mashed banana, maple syrup, or no sugar at all.
• The first time I made it with oil and yuck it wasn't good.
• So, I add Ghee instead & oh my goodness they are so much better.
• For milk I add rice milk or water.
• I also can't have eggs. So I use either chia or flax seed meal substitute.
• I used my dry grains blender to make the chia/flax seed meal and then add 1T to 3T water.  

I make different batches with blueberries and/or  Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips (dairy, nut, soy, & gluten free).

But, I usually enjoy them just plain w/ some ghee on top.

 Hodgson Mill, Inc. w/ Whole grain...millet, sorghum, & brown rice flours.

I have officially been diagnosed with a gluten sensitivity. So, gluten-free everything it is.

I actually haven't eaten gluten since last summer, so luckily it isn't a big deal for me.

I was grain free for 5months, but I'm glad I'm not doing that anymore!

Some variations...

The raspberries are super yummy.

Organic raspberries mixed with a little bit of squeezed lemon, maple syrup, and cornstarch.

Add in the occasional breakfast bacon...

Or a poached egg and bacon.

Poached eggs are my favorite.

So, is this Organic Sunday Bacon from Applegate.

This bacon is organic, humanely raised, and free of added nitrates/nitrites.

Check out this article from Mark's Daily Apple for good reason to purchase and consume good bacon.

Definitely pricier, but when consumed occasionally it's worth it for our family.

Onto the next...  

My sad attempt at making naaniskadii, Navajo Tortillas.

  Awe man, this is one gluten thing that is hard to go without!

Nonetheless, it'll work.

Strawberry Chia Jam

This jam is so incredibly easy!!!

No Sugar & Pectin-free

Use fresh or thawed frozen fruit.

Add some Chia Seeds.

Opt. sweetener...

Raw Honey, Maple Syrup, Stevia, etc.

Put it all in a blender and then right in the fridge,

so the chia seeds will gel and thicken it up.

Recipe here. I used way less raw honey.

It's great and the kids like it!

 

Simple Blueberry Jam recipe here.

Coconut Pineapple Smoothie

Just a few simple ingredients...

One whole freshly cut pineapple, 1/2-1 cup Unsweetened Coconut Milk, & ice if desired.

Oh yeah, super good!

Pineapples have a powerful enzyme bromelain. Bromelain helps with inflammation, swelling, & treating sore muscles. Bodybuilders know how important it is to get bromelain into their bodies to recover. For me it's awesome to juice or eat fresh pineapples when I have sore calves and muscles from ballet. Fresh pineapples also helps build strong bones and helps with indigestion and acid reflux. Can't go wrong when choosing a wholefood like pineapple, just go easy on it and don't eat too much at one time. Good facts here.

Especially, with fresh cut up strawberries!

Coconut Pineapple Stawberry Popsicles

From our smoothie leftovers we put the rest into the Popsicle holders and into the freezer.

 So so so good!

Cinnamon Frech Toast

For dinner my kids wanted french toast! Aspen Mills Honey Whole Wheat Bread has wholesome and simple ingredients: %100 stonegound wheat flour, water, honey, salt, and yeast. I have a funny tummy and this bread doesn't make me sick, as long as I only have no more than a couple slices. The best price is at Costco two for $4.99. This loaf of bread at your local grocery store is quite expensive when paying for just one loaf around $4+. This is a Utah company and may only sale locally.

We whipped up some organic eggs with almond milk and cinnamon. After cooking we enjoyed them with organic maple syrup and strawberries.

冰棒 Bing Bang

 My kids love to make "冰棒" Popsicles from our smoothies!

 Cherries, pineapple chunks, blackberries, strawberries, coconut ice cream, and water. These Popsicles are especially good to make for teething babies. They love it on their swollen gums.