Chocolate Amaretto Cheesecake

From Vijaye, Ashley, and Ashley's mom: I think it comes out better with Ashley's mistake personally.

Crust: Combine 1 package ( 8 ounces) chocolate wafer cookies, crushed, with 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup melted butter and 1/4 tsp. cinnamon. Press into a 9 inch spring form pan. Chill.

Filling: Beat 2/3 cups sugar and 2 eggs until fluffy. Gradually add 1/2-3/4 lb. cream cheese, softened, until lumps are gone.
Melt 8 ounces semi sweet chocolate, cool slightly, and add to sugar mixture.
Add 2 ounces amaretto liqueur and 1 cup sour cream, beating constantly.
Stir in 4 tbls. melted butter. Mix well and pour into crust.

Bake at 375 for 20 minutes, cool 15 minutes. Spread with topping and bake at 425 for 10 minutes. Chill overnight.

Topping: Combine 1 cup sour cream, 1/4 tsp. cocoa, 2 tbls. sugar, and 1 tbls. amaretto liqueur. Mix well.

I just realized that I only used 1/2 lb. of cream cheese (remember: I was making it at midnight and my math isn't good even when I'm wide awake).
That explains the light creamy consistency of the filling. The extra 8 oz. makes it a little denser. I think my mistake turned out ok!

Understanding the kitchen

Guido:
"Things (about cooking) I wish I had known years ago. I wrote this up for my younger brother and sister so they wouldn't have to learn it on their own like I did. Neither of them cook much right now. Y'all probably know all of this stuff, but it might be useful.----
Things I wish I had known years ago. My cooking abilities have improved dramatically in the last year or so. There are certain things that have been a major influence on my improvement and other things that have just made my cooking life a lot better. I wish someone had pointed these things out to me years ago. Maybe I wouldn't have eaten so much crap if I had known about them.

1. Good Eats - Holy s***! Good Eats, I know I'm not alone saying that Alton Brown kicks ass. If you don't already know this, Good Eats is a cooking show on the food network hosted by Alton Brown. It's kind of a mix between Mr. Wizard, Bill Nye, MacGyver, and Julia Child. Wow, what a combo. What's important about this show is: A. He teaches you about why you need to do certain things and B. It's not boring.
2. Cooks Illustrated - A cooking magazine that doesn't suck. I've always hated cooking magazines (along with cooking shows) because they are always showing beautiful photos of dishes and long-ass recipes that assume you already know everything about cooking and require odd ingredients that not everyone can find (or cares to look for). Cook's Illustrated is great because they test many different recipes for the same dish and tell you exactly how to make it, and they tell you what you can substitute if you can't find every ingredient.
3. Cast Iron Skillets - I used to think that Calphalon cast-aluminum pans were the best but I recently got a Lodge Cast-Iron Skillet and I'm totally blown away. It really is much better than what I was using. It's extremely heavy and takes a long time to heat up, but once it's hot it stays hot. I can add cold water to the mixture and it continues to stay hot. And it's non-stick. It's not that crappy non-stick coating that eventually starts sticking, it's that extremely thin layer of oil that you've baked onto it when you season it. Oh yeah, that brings up care and maintenance. You have to take better care of this than your $100 copper skillet. You have to keep it seasoned, you can't use soap to clean it, and you have to keep it dry so it doesn't rust. But I guess since it's only $15 from Amazon you don't really have to worry if you screw up.
4. World Spice Merchants - I used to pay for $5 for each spice or herb at the supermarket, and they were usually small and old, and many times I couldn't find what I needed. At World Spice Merchants I get fresh spices and herbs for 5 to 10 times cheaper and I can find whatever I need. I've even bought some tins to keep them in.
5. Honing steels - It took me a long to realize that my knives were getting dull. I never realized that I could keep them very sharp with a small piece of metal. Probe Thermometers mean I stop cooking exactly when I'm supposed to."

Credits to Guido Bartolucci for contributing this piece. Another useful resource is the following book. What Einstein Told his Cook. http://www.amazon.com/What-Einstein-Told-His-Cook/dp/0393011836/

Kiran's Killer Bean Dip

This is a great recipe for a BBQ or for the super bowl which is this weekend.

First sautee an onion and add a pinch of Garlic Powder. Add Coriander powder - 2 teaspoons. Add chili powder 1 teaspoon. Then add 1 can red kidney beans and 1 can black beans. Keep coking on medium heat. Next add fresh tomatoes chopped and salsa (3/4 a bottle is usually about right). Next add shredded cheese 8-12 oz (the mixed mexican blend is good otherwise cheddar is essential to the recipe). Melt cheese and turn off the heat.

Take one bunch cilantro and chopp finely. Add to mixture. Add half a lime and salt to taste. (Optional - add avocados as well)

This is a crowd pleaser. Make sure to have plenty of chips or other dippables around.