My Blog = My Life: cake

If you need to make an impression but are completely intimidated by the idea of baking a real cheesecake, this recipe will stop the show. I've made it many times and love the silky smooth texture, the way it slices perfectly, the combination of vanilla and chocolate, the richness of the cream, and how versatile it is for decorating. Not to mention that it can be whipped up the day before and stays good for a really long time.

That is, if you haven't eaten already.

You'll need: Crust: 1 1/2 cups of crumbled Oreo cookies 3-4 Tablespoons melted butter Chocolate Layer: 2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin 2 Tablespoons cold water 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips Vanilla Layer: 2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin 2 Tablespoons cold water 1 2/3 cups heavy whipping cream 1/4 cup sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions: Crust: Mix cookie crumbs and melted butter together. Pat into a 9" spring form pan. Set aside.
Chocolate Layer: In a small saucepan, bring cream to a simmer. In a separate small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over cold water; let stand for 1 minute. Add to warm cream and stir until gelatin is completely dissolved. Stir chocolate chips into remaining warm cream until melted. Stir in gelatin mixture and remaining cream. Pour on top of crust. Cool in fridge for 45 minutes or until firm.
Vanilla Layer: In a small saucepan, bring cream and sugar to a simmer. In another bowl, sprinkle gelatin over cold water; let stand for 1 minute. Stir into cream until gelatin is completely dissolved. Add vanilla. Carefully spoon over chocolate layer. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until firm.
After removing the sides of the spring form, you can garnish this beautiful dessert any way you like. In the picture shown above, I simply rubbed some more Oreo cookie crumbs onto the sides. Using several thin strips of waxed paper, I created a lattice stencil on the top of the dessert, sprinkled on some more crumbs, and carefully removed the strips of paper. Then I added a "haystack" of chopped chocolate covered peppermint sticks.
I've also served this with a fresh strawberry sauce made by pureeing strawberries and sugar in the blender for a fresher taste. Be creative-the possibilities are endless!

*GF Variation: Simply use Gluten-free cookie crumbs instead.

The hardest part about being gluten-free, according to my dear husband, is missing out on baked goods that taste good. Bread, cake, cookies, donuts, muffins... nothing quite tastes as wonderful as things made with white flour.

Then I discovered the Easy Peasy Cinnamon Muffins in Trim Healthy Mama. Brad said he hadn't had a muffin that good since he started eating gluten-free two years ago! I've made a couple of alterations to the original recipe and apparently we have a winner! Brad takes two in his lunch every day to work and never tires of them. The kids love them too.

Gluten-Free Cinnamon Raisin Muffins (adapted from Trim Healthy Mama)
Time: 15 minutes plus baking
Servings: 24 small muffins or 12 large
Ingredients:

• 3 eggs and 3 egg whites
• 3/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp water
• 3 Tbsp. coconut oil
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups ground golden flax seed
• 1/2 cup finely shredded, unsweetened coconut
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 4 Tbsp. cinnamon (not a typo!)
• 12 tsp of Truvia (or 1 cup sugar)
• 1 cup raisins

The Round-up:

• Food - 3 out of 5
• Decor - 3.5 out of 5
• Service - 3 out of 5
• Overall - 9.5 out of 15

________________________________________________

Several months ago a food-loving group was created on Facebook. Its name was the "Cathedral Village Needs a Cheap Breakfast Place", or something like that. It seems that the Village just hadn't been the same since the Quality Tea Room shut down several years back.

I quickly joined the group, as did several hundred other Regina folks (What did we ever do before Facebook groups became the new face of activism, by the way?).
The Facebook fan page continued to grow, many of its members calling for a cheap plate of hash browns and bacon... like now.

Well, some wishes do come true.

The Mercury Cafe and Grill opened its doors in April. The place seemed to spring up overnight on the corner of 13th and Robinson streets in a spot that has housed numerous other restaurants.

The Mercury is a diner, no doubt about that. From the bright red vinyl booths to the formica and chrome tables, stepping into The Mercury is like stepping back 50 or 60 years in time. The Mercury is also under the same ownership as Regina's well-loved Novia Cafe, another all-out diner. This is a good thing -- who better to start a new diner than the folks who run one of the city's oldest and best?

I've been to The Mercury twice now, once for breakfast and once for supper. It's hard to find the right word to describe both experiences. It wasn't fantastic, but it wasn't horrible either. Perhaps satisfactory is the right word.

Weekend breakfast bustles and hustles in The Mercury. If you're not there by 11 on a Sunday, you're going to wait in line for awhile. Granted, The Mercury could easily jam a few more tables into the dining room in order to shave some time off the waiting game.

Your choices for breakfast are classic standbys: bacon and eggs; hash browns; pancakes; an omelette. You get the picture. Now, is it cheap? That depends on your definition of cheap. Most items run around the $8-9 mark, plus the cost of coffee and/or juice. I've had cheaper, but I've also had more expensive.

Service can be a little disorganized, but hopefully the servers work that out amongst themselves as the restaurant irons out the operating wrinkles. We had to wait 30 minutes for any food to hit the table at breakfast, almost enough to push us to the breaking point, but not quite. Fortunately, our waitress took good care of us in the meantime.

Now let's talk about supper for a moment. Once again, there are few surprises on the evening menu. Nachos; chicken wings; chicken fingers; burgers; clubhouse sandwiches; and grilled cheese are a few of the choices.

We ordered up a plate of nachos to get things started. With a $10 price tag, we pictured a nice platter of cheesy chips and veggies. We couldn't have been more wrong. A dinner plate with a puny pile of nachos on it was what we got. Even worse: the scarce bits of cheese on the chips were overcooked and rubbery. Epic fail, my friends. Epic fail.

Next up: the burgers. Now this is where the action is at. Tender homemade beef patties are smooshed between fresh buns with all the fixins. I went for the Mushroom Swiss. Big Willie had The Mercury Burger (two patties with fried onions, mushrooms, shaved ham, Swiss and cheddar cheese). All burgers come with a side. We went for the french fries and they were done to perfection.

Big Poppa (my dad) went for the open-faced Hot Turkey Sandwich... which came with hot chicken, oddly enough. But he got past that.

All in all, The Mercury offers up decent food in a comfortable room. The motto seems to be: come as you are, eat what you will. Now if they'd only fine-tune the nachos and up the portion size for most of the breakfast menu, we might have a sure-fire winner on our hands.

(no website)

These recipes are reprinted with permission from the authors.

Just Like Wheat Thins Crackers | Trim Healthy Mama,
I had my doubts about this recipe. "Just Like Wheat Thins?!" Yeah, right. You need refined flour and sugar to achieve that kind of deliciousness, don't you? Apparently not. These crackers are amazing and taste like the real thing I can't seem to keep our house stocked though - they disappear quickly!

• 3/4 cup flax meal
• 3/4 cup almond flour
• 2 egg whites
• 2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
• 1 Tbsp. parmeasan cheese
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• dash of black pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder
• 1 Tbsp olive or coconut oil
• 1/2 tsp baking soda

Fooled Ya Pizza | Trim Healthy Mama,
I've always felt bad for Brad who used to eat cardboard-like gluten-free pizza crusts while we enjoyed the gluten packed version! I had heard rave reviews about this cauliflower crust from other mamas on the Trim Healthy Mama plan and decided to give it a try even though it sounded pretty gross. Boy, was I wrong! Our entire family enjoys it just as much as the real thing! You'd never know cauliflower was the magic ingredient!

• 1 bag (16 oz.) frozen cauliflower (I used fresh)
• 3/4 cup egg whites
• 2 cups skim mozzarella cheese
• sea salt and other seasonings (I used Epicure's Pizza seasoning blend)
• pizza sauce and other pizza toppings (I used pepperoni, green pepper, red onion, cheddar and mozzarella cheese)

Add egg whites and pulse again.
Add cheese and other seasonings (sea salt, Italian seasoning, onion and garlic powder). Mix ingredients together well with a spatula.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and grease well. Spread crust mixture evenly across cookie sheet. Bake at 450 for 20 minutes. Cool.
Add pizza sauce and toppings and broil until toppings are done (I baked it at 400 for 8-10 minutes).

Peanut Squares | Trim Healthy Mama,
These squares are so yummy! A combination of sweet and salty, we enjoy them as a snack and a dessert. They're gerat to give along with a meal to a new mom too.

• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts, chopped
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 2 tsp Truvia
• 1 pkg cream cheese, softened
• 10 tsp Truvia
• 2/3 cup peanut butter
• 3/4 cup whipping cream

While crust is baking, beat cream cheese and second measurement of Truvia together until light and fluffy. Add peanut butter and beat some more.

In a separate bowl, beat whipped cream. Fold into cream cheese mixture and spread over cooled crust.

Place in refrigerator to chill until set.

Cheeseburger Pie | Trim Healthy Mama,
This is probably our #1 favorite supper on the plan. It's all the goodness of a cheeseburger without the bun. You would never miss it! This is so satisfying and delicious. I make once a week in place of burgers on the barbie.

• 2 lbs of ground beef
• 3 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 6 oz. grated cheddar cheese
• pickles, tomatoes, red onion
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup mayo
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• sea salt
• ground pepper
• 6 oz. grated cheddar cheese

Chunky Cream Pops | Trim Healthy Mama,
This frozen dessert reminds me of my favorite ice cream, President's Choice Chocolate Fudge Crackle... except it's waaaay healthier, made with good fats and no sugar. We love this treat. It's Brad's favorite of all the desserts I've made from Trim Healthy Mama so far.

• 1 batch of Skinny Chocolate
• 2 8oz. blocks of cream cheese
• 10 tsp. Truvia
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 heaped Tbsp. peanut butter

Spicy Chicken Wings, pg. 323

Taco Salad, pg. 347

Special Agent Brownies, pg. 383

Trim Healthy Pancakes, pg. 223

In the interest of full disclosure, some of the links in this post are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I receive an affiliate commission. I only recommend products I use personally. Your purchases through these links help support Growing Home. I humbly thank you for your support.

This recipe is a low-fat, absolutely decadent-tasting, cheesecake-like dessert that keeps you full, healthy, and satisfies your sweet tooth! When I first discovered it in Trim Healthy Mama, I said, "Where have you been all my life?!"

I win The Best Mom In The World award when I serve this to the kids for breakfast. They think they're getting dessert!

This recipe comes from Trim Healthy Mama and is reposted with permission fro the authors.
Cottage Berry Whip
Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 5-6
*For THMer's, this is an E, S, or FP.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups (1 container) low-fat cottage cheese
• 2 cups mixed berries
• Truvia or NuNaturals to taste (when I make this for the kids, I use honey as the sweetener)

Hi ya peeps! Here I go again with another week of my Flea Market Finds. This week I found this interesting concrete garden bench featuring a rams head for $40. I thought it might make an interesting base piece for my peacock for use in different vignettes. Ummmm haven't quite gotten around to the vignette thing yet... but I'm working on it!

I also found this darling pair of 1920's petite wedding cake chandeliers for $90. They were sitting in the case at an antique store in pieces with an asking price of $125. Because the crystals had been mostly removed I couldn't tell how many (if any) crystals were missing? I made the offer and took the chance figuring they wouldn't be hard to replace. Turns out there were only 6 absent... so YAY me!! *winks* Wouldn't they look sweet in a bathroom or maybe over a kitchen island? I also found the faux topiary in the white pot for $5. I need to replace the pot with another more rustic one, but it'll do for now.

Close up

And the other

I also found this cute velvet jacket for $25. A little pricey for me but I loved all its ruffled details

Even the back has the ruffled detail. Isn't it cute?

And finally this large antique harvest basket for $15. I'm not quite sure what to do with it? But I loved its patina.

So here are all my finds for the week. Not as many as usual but I really like them all.

Thanks so much for dropping by! Please leave me a comment. I'd really love to hear from you!
I'm joining these wonderful parties! Linda at A La Carte for"

Courtney at French Country Cottage for:

Cindy at My Romantic Home for:

And my sweet friend Laurie from Bargain Hunting And Chatting With Laurie for:

I've had some wonderful surprises this last week and I'd love to share them! Starting with the sisterhood award from my dear friend and cyber sister Ann from LIFEATANNSPLACE / A sweeter kinder more loving person I've yet to meet! So if you haven't visited her blog... You really should! Thank you so much Ann! This means the world coming from you!

Here are the rules for this award: 1. Put the logo on your blog or post. 2. Nominate at least 10 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude! 3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post. 4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog. 5. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award. So my choices for this award go to: 1. Chari at Happy To Design 2.Mary Ellen at megardengal 3.Laura Lu at Hidden Promise 4. Gloria at Happy To Be 5.Linda at royaltouch 6.Debbie at Confessions of a Plate Addict 7. Michelle at Chocolate and Marmalade Tea 8. Kathysue who doesn't have a blog yet (but should! Lol !) and is another wonderful cyber sister! 9. Chrissy at The Apothacary Shop 10. Marty at A Stroll Thru Life And then... I came home 3 days ago and found a large parcel on my front porch. It was a very special package from my dear friend Mary Ellen at megardengal. Ya see I was visiting her blog as I often do, when I spied her new and fabulous header picture! HERE Well my heart skipped a beat while looking at her wonderful vignette featuring the neatest old wire cloche! And she shared with us that she had another if anyone would be interested? As well as a couple of crowns. Well I jumped on that cloche faster than you could say "SOLD!" But alas I was not quite fast enough to claim any of the wonderful crowns *sighs* So I did what any blogger in her WRONG mind would do... I cried "WAAAAHHHHH... I moped... I begged Mary Ellen to find me another one... We're talkin ' crowns here after all! And anyone who's read my blog for any length of time KNOWZES I LOVEZES THEMS!!! Must HAVEZ THEMS!!!... NEEDZES THEMS NOW!! Well Mary Ellen, God bless her heart, found a couple more and sent them to me along with the fabu wire cloche! So I'd already started to open the box when I realized... Hey!... This is the stuff that blogs are made of!! So I quickly grabbed my trusty camera and snapped away *winks* This was what greeted my eyes... And what could it be?? I mean, I know I asked for two crowns and a cloche... But this doesn't look like either of those... you can click on any of the pictures to enlarge em!

And look at how charmingly it's wrapped! In old music pages and gold angel thread!

It's the most darling little picture holder made from a piece of vintage silverplate ! And not just ANY silverplate, but a fork belonging to one of Marys dear friends Millicent. Mary made it herself! Mary I love it sooo much! Thank you!

Look at how perfectly it works for this small painting!

Digging back in the box I spied this... Now I know what this is!

It's my new (old) wire cloche!! So now I can create a vignette just like Marys! Yippee!! Hooray!!
Ummmm how did she do that again?
OK lets see... I need a little birds nest (with bird and eggs)... some old ribbon and lace... A charming 19th century drawing of some sort... Moss... A silver tray... Pedestal cake stand... Yikes! It never dawned on me when I saw her fabulous vignette that I didn't really HAVE any of that stuff!

Well I'll just put that on the back burner for now and move on to the crowns! Yeppers ! That's what I'll do! And maybe I'll find some inspiration... somewhere... Here is crown #1. I did happen to find a birds nest and even a 19th century french Jesus... But since I used em for the crown I still didn't have anything for the cloche...

Here's crown #2. Very regal dont'cha think? Reminds me of those old Imperial Margarine commercials lol ! Remember them? Da da da da !! And a crown pops on their head after taking a bite of YUMMY margarine!Lol!

So's I had to scramble for somethin '... anything! To place under the cloche. I finally gathered a few of my vantines incense burners, another moss ball and a little column stand from the Goodwill and VOILA!... OK it doesn't look remotely as cool as Marys *winks* But after all she's a vignette queen and this stuff just doesn't come easily for me! I'll just have to keep finding inspiration from y'all! After all imitation is the sincerest form of flattery! Right?... Ummmm OK?... Come on naw ????!... Well I'm gonna COPY Y'ALL AND THAT'S THAT! Lol !!*winks*

So here's my composition all together! The cherub is a recent ebay find. I just love him!

Isn't he just the cutest little gipper ?!! Love those chubby little legs!*winks*

And not that you probably want to see another shot of my mess... But for those crazy friends of mine who do... Here's my vignette at a distance hehe !

I also received my very first blog prize!! Some sweet gift tags from even sweeter Crystal over at Olive Rue! If you haven't visited her blog, you MUST!! She's a photographer and takes the most beautiful dreamy romantic shots! Just enchanting! She also sells a variety of these tags if you are interested. Here are a few she selected for me. Aren't they cute?!! Well of course they are!! They have cherubs on em!! *winks*

Thank you so much Crystal! And thanks y'all for stopping by my attempt at vignetting! Lol !! (Yes I know it's not a word! But when has that ever stopped me?!!) *winks* And last but definitely not least, Mary gave me this small jar filled with her homemade candied lemon peel as a little treat. Yummy-O-Ramma !! I had the hardest time NOT eating all the candied peel before I took the shot! Needless to say, there had been twice as much when I received the little bugger... And now that my shoot is finished, it's GONE BABY GONE!! You can get Marys recipe HERE if you're interested in making some yourself... And please send some more to me!! *winks* Vanna

• 3-Ingredient Chocolate Fudge
• 10 Healthy Snacks Children Love
• Aunt Martha's Coffee Cake
• Apple Brownies
• Chewy Peanut Butter Bars GF
• Cinnamon Raisin Muffins GF, THM
• Cinnamon Roll Squares
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars GF
• Peanut Cream Cheese Squares GF, THM
• Pumpkin Sheet Cake
• Pumpkin Streusel Muffins
• Raspberry Oatmeal Bars
• Snicker Snackers GF
• Toffee Crunch Blondies
• Two-Bite Brownies GF, THM
• White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Bars

• 5 Things to make with Rhubarb
• Cottage Berry Whip GF
• Chunky Cream Pops GF
• Cream Puffs
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Cheesecake GF
• Raspberry Peach Crumble GF
• Tuxedo Cream Dessert

Appetizers:

• All-Day Apple Butter GF
• Guilt-Free Peppermint Patties GF, THM
• "Just Like Wheat Thins" Crackers GF, THM
• Roasted Red Pepper Butter GF, THM

• Good Morning! Breakfast Smoothie GF

• Best Gluten-Free Pizza Crust EVER! GF, THM
• Cinnamon Raisin Bread
• Cinnamon Raisin Muffins GF, THM
• Coconut Oil Banana Muffins
• "Just Like Wheat Thins" Crackers GF, THM
• Pumpkin Streusel Muffins

• Good Morning! Breakfast Smoothie
• Honey Cinnamon Granola

• Grandma Kroesbergen's Cookies

• Cottage Berry Whip GF, THM
• Chunky Cream Pops GF, THM
• Cream Puffs
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Cheesecake GF, THM
• Tuxedo Cream Dessert GF

• Boerenkool Met Worst GF
• Cheeseburger Pie GF, THM
• Chicken Broccoli Casserole
• Fooled Ya Pizza GF, THM
• Gourmet Mommy's Pizza Recipe
• Linguine with Garlic Sauce GF, THM
• Real-Good Chili GF, THM
• Spinach Quiche
• Spinach Bacon Breakfast Bake GF, THM

• Bacon-Cheese Topped Chicken GF, THM
• Coconut Curried Chicken GF, THM
• Classic Homemade Burgers GF, THM
• Easy Chicken Parmesan GF
• Homemade Sausage GF
• Honey-Mustard Lemon Chicken GF

• Broccoli Raisin Salad GF
• Crunchy Quinoa Salad GF, THM
• Sensational Salad and Dressing GF, THM
• Strawberry Spinach Salad GF, THM
• Taco Salad GF, THM

• Beautiful Beet Soup GF
• Cream Of Broccoli Soup GF
• Old-Fashioned Chicken Soup GF, THM
• Tomato Spice Soup GF, THM

• 3-Ingredient Chocolate Fudge
• 10 Healthy Snacks Children Love
• Cinnamon Raisin Muffins GF, THM
• Coconut Oil Banana Muffins
• Peanut Cream Cheese Squares GF, THM
• Pumpkin Sheet Cake
• Pumpkin Streusel Muffins
• Raspberry Oatmeal Bars
• Snicker Snackers GF
• Two-Bite Brownies GF THM

• How A Single-Income Family Can Afford A Whole-Food Diet
• How I lost 40 lbs Post-Partum
• How To Boil a Perfect Egg GF
• How To Give Your Baby A Healthy Start on Solid Foods GF
• How To Make Gluten-Free Cream Soups GF
• How To Make Your Own Taco Seasoning GF

This week alone, I've received two requests for this delicious recipe, given to me by my former Young People's leader. Here are six great reasons why every one falls in love with it:
1. It's quick to prepare. Aside from baking time, this cake can be whipped together in 5 minutes flat, though everyone will think you're a highly experienced baker and spent a good part of your day making it. :)
2. It's stays moist and tender for a loooooong time. The orange juice and vanilla pudding help make this one of those melt-in-your-mouth cakes. Even at room temperature, it stays good and moist for a least a week.
3. It can be frozen. And, it even slices well when frozen. Within minutes from taking it out of the freezer, it's ready for consumption without the risk of getting an "ice cream headache."
4. It uses only 7 on-hand ingredients. No special trips into town. This cake can be made any time from your pantry staples.
5. It's economical. This cake costs $4.44 to make ($0.22 per serving)-that's when the ingredients aren't on sale. If you have your own cow, chickens, and orange tree, it's even cheaper. ;)
6. Everyone loves it! This is an excellent cake to give away, serve with a cup of coffee, or as a dessert. I've never met someone who didn't like it. Most people rave about it and the recipe gets requested often.

Batter: - 1 box of yellow or golden cake mix - 1 box of instant vanilla pudding (4 serving size) - 4 eggs - 3/4 cup of orange juice - 3/4 cup of melted butter
Cinnamon Sugar mixture: -1/2 cup brown sugar -1 tsp cinnamon

In a large bowl, combine the batter ingredients with a mixer until smooth. In a smaller bowl, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together.

Alternate layer in a greased bundt pan beginning and ending with a little of the cinnamon sugar mixture. Layer 1: Cinnamon sugar. Layer 2: Batter. Layer 3: Cinnamon sugar. Layer 4: Batter. Layer 5: Cinnamon mixture. I like to swirl in the cinnamon mixture by dragging a toothpick through the layers.
Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Cool.

Sometimes I add a glaze by mixing lemon juice and icing sugar together and drizzling it over the cake. I think it makes the cake look prettier and the lemon complements the orange juice really well too.