Andes Mint Chocolate Cheesecake

This week has been a whirlwind of a week! Work has been busy, I am getting a new roommate in a few days so my current roommate has everything in disarray for his move, I got a precious new niece, I FINALLY got my Christmas time off approved and bought a plane ticket to see said niece (and the rest of the family), and in the midst of it all I am still finding my zen in the kitchen. This week I made Andes Mint Chocolate Cheesecake for my friend, Kelly's, birthday. I LOVE cheesecake. I LOVE chocolate. I LOVE mint. Put it all together and you have a party in your mouth!

Andes Mint Chocolate Cheesecake

Crust:

2 cups finely ground Oreo cookie crumbs

1/2 cup butter, melted

Filling:

3 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese

2/3 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 cup melted semi-sweet chocolate

1 cup chopped Andes Mint candies

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tsp. vanilla

Crust:

Mix cookie crumbs and melted butter until well blended. Press mixture into a 9” spring form pan. Bake at 375°F for 7-8 minutes. Cool and fill with pie filling. Take out and turn oven up to 450°F.

Filling:

Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs one at a time. Mix well after each one. Add chocolate, Andes candies, sour cream, and vanilla. Pour over crust.

Bake at 450°F for 10 minutes. Turn oven down to 250°F and bake for 35 minutes more. Turn off oven and leave in for 1 hour. Don’t open door. Put cheesecake in the refrigerator and chill for 4-5 hours.

Stay tuned for next week's Pumpkin Swirl Brownies. So. Good. 

I wish I had a silent "S" in my name!

My little niece, Isla Jolee, has arrived. Isn't that a great name? It is pronounced "Eye-luh" not "Iz-luh". I love the fact that her name has a silent "S" in it. I wish my name had a silent "S" - Tamaras - it has flare :)
At any rate, after a long nine months for Tim and Malee - including a couple of months on bedrest, she is finally here, safe and sound. She weighed in at 8 pounds and is 20 1/2 inches long. I am kind of going crazy here knowing that my precious little niece is halfway across the country and it will be two months until I get to see her. laaaaame! Anyway, here are some adorable pictures:

They were taken with a cell phone and texted to me so they aren't the best quality, but they're all I've got! Congratulations Tim and Malee!!!

Speaking of Fall...

I am absolutely loving the fall! The weather is all cool and cloudy and it is definitely October. Just when I come to terms with Southern California's wimpy version of fall and embrace it, I am reminded of what REAL fall looks like! On Facebook, many people from my hometown in Idaho are posting pictures that are making me so jealous! I mean seriously, don't you wish you could be there?!?

There is snow on the mountains and the trees are turning - gorgeous! October is also the month of my family's annual Steelhead fishing trip up in Shoop, Idaho. I have only been able to make it home one year for the trip but I loved it and am jealous every year. What I wouldn't give to be camping in the Rocky Mountains right now! Here are a couple of pictures I snagged from my sister-in-law:

I totally miss my family! So excited to see everyone at Christmas. YAY!!! Now off to light my pumpkin spice candle and pretend it is fall here. 

Pretty Fall Colors

So, my degree is in Interior Design. I spent four years designing hypothetical spaces in school then four months designing real spaces at a design firm before the economy took a nose dive. I am now in the corporate world doing corporate things with very little artistic outlet. Don't get me wrong, I love my job and I am VERY thankful that I am able to pay the bills even though life doesn't look like "The plan".

However... I yearn for a creative outlet. My recent interest in cake decorating has been fun and I really love the cool things I am learning. I also find culinary art to be really fulfilling. Making an amazing dessert or savory dinner satisfies that need to create. But, I have to say, I still get the itch to design living spaces! Consequently, various rooms in my apartment get redone from time to time. I kind of wonder about the timing because it is very odd. Last year, I got sick for about a week and the next week I redid my bathroom. Coincidently, last week I was sick all week and then I got a sudden burst of energy and redid my kitchen this week. I wonder if I react against the inactivity of being sick or something. Weird.

Anyway, so I repainted my kitchen cabinets and the walls in my kitchen and dining room. Before you go looking at the pictures I will tell you that my favorite season is Fall and I live in Southern California that doesn't really have much of a Fall (or any season, for that matter). It is quite sad, really. I find that my home decor is pretty much all Fall colors: golds, greens, browns and orange. I suppose I am trying to simulate seasons that I am not actually experiencing. So my kitchen and dining room now look very much like a Fall day. I kind of love it!

Here is my kitchen before:

And here is my kitchen after:

Here is my dining room before:

And here is my dining room after:

I am REALLY happy with how it turned out. The cabinets now match all the rest of the wood in my house and pulls everything together. It also just feels warmer. I am all about warm and cozy right now. Gearing up for the holidays (I know... already!) Speaking of, here are two more "Fall things" that are totally awesome:

Trader Joes mini pumpkin bouquets. My favorite thing about October - LOVE THEM!!!

And this delightful recipe I found on Pinterest to make my house smell amazing!

one orange

1/2 cup cranberries

1 Tbs. whole cloves

3 sticks of cinnamon 

a pinch of grated nutmeg 

Quarter the orange.  Put all the ingredients into a crock pot or a saucepan.  Fill pan with water.  Place on the stove on the smallest burner, on the lowest setting.  Refill water as needed.

This stuff is awesome. My house looks and smells like Fall should. Now if only the leaves would actually change...