High Altitude Homemade Cheesecake

Number One Husband decided that he wanted to try baking a cheesecake. He decided on a New York style cheesecake. I helped out a bit. We had both been out in the sun for hours replacing a coolant distributer on our vehicle. Ugg, what a job that turned out to be. We were hot and tired and dirty afterwards. I wore flip flops and burned my toes and the tops of my feet. I put on a long sleeve shirt and a hat before I burned anywhere else, but I didn't take my feet into consideration.

Number One Husband asked me to put out the ingredients that needed to be room temperature in the morning, so there was no changing our minds about baking the cheesecake. It had to be done. We both got cleaned up and rested a bit before taking on the cheesecake.

Baked graham cracker crust.

Cream cheese filling. 

The cheesecake took 10 hours to cool and another 8 hours
to chill in the refrigerator.

Lovely, just lovely.

We are ready to have our first slice.

I made homemade whipped topping.

I'm glad that he wanted to try making it. He did a fantastic job.

This rich and thick cheesecake is by far the best cheesecake that I have ever had. I could not eat a whole slice. It was just too rich for one sitting for me. The whipped cream was delicious too. I made extra for Chai and hot chocolate. What a special treat. 

I sliced the rest of the cheesecake and topped it with whipped cream. I then placed the slices in the freezer to freeze before wrapping each slice individually. I think that I will make some chai and top it with whipped cream this evening. 

I did not include the recipe due to the fact that not everyone reading my blog is living at 9000 feet. A simple search will give you a plethora of recipes for the type of cheesecake that you want to make. 

I just found out some really good news last night. My really good friend, Ms. M, that moved away several years ago has purchased a home about 45 minutes away. Yea! I am very happy for her and am excited to be able to hang out again. If the timeline works out, I may be able to keep her little dog while she is moving.  

Shalom,

Mrs. Smith

Outside My Window

We had a wonderful thunderstorm with wind and rain yesterday. Rainwater poured down the driveway towards the house. More rain is heading our way. The water was soaked up by the ground in a short amount of time. 

We have had the threat of storms almost every day for weeks, but the clouds finally let loose its precious cargo over our area.  

Shabbat Shalom,

Mrs. Smith

Roasting Barley for Barley Tea

I'm always looking for a healthy hot beverage without caffeine. In Japan and other Asian countries, barley tea is a household staple. It is served hot or cold. It is an affordable alternative to decaffeinated teas and coffees. 

You can purchase roasted barley, but it is so easy to roast there is really no reason not to do it yourself. You can also control the flavor by roasting the barley to a light roast, medium roast or dark roast. I did a light for Number One Husband and a medium roast for myself. 

Instructions: 

Place the amount of barley you want to roast in a hot pan set on medium-high setting. Stir continually to keep from burning and insuring an even roast. Continue roasting until desired outcome is reached.

Directions: 

Place 1 heaping tablespoon of roasted barley in a tea infuser and place into a cup of boiling water for 10 minutes or longer. Add more or less barley to increase or decrease the flavor. If desired, add a sweetener of your choice. Serve hot or cold. For larger amounts, a percolator or a French press may be used. 

Number One Husbands light brew.

I prefer a darker roast.

Here are the different roasts that I made for both of us.

I will probably try a darker roast for myself next time. I like really bold tea, so I think that I will like a darker roast. I added just a small amount of honey for a sweetener. It was a nice hot beverage before bedtime. 

Barley Tea Benefits: I am not a doctor, so do your own research.

Antioxidants

Digestive health benefits

Anti-inflammatory properties

Anti-bacterial properties

Aids in sleep disorders

Weight management

Circulation

Skin health

Boosts immunity

Other beneficial compounds

Shalom,

Mrs. Smith

Scriptures and Pictures

 

The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the Lord hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. Nahum 1:3

Shalom,

Mrs. Smith

Shabbat Shalom - Missing Winter!

 

I was just thinking how much I miss the winter months. Especially after a 90-degree day. We had a storm move through that produced a lot of lightening and a small amount of rain. This sparked three wildfires. The smoke is thick. I'm not sure if we will be able to open our windows in the evenings to cool things off. Hopefully we will get some much-needed rain over the weekend. 

Shabbat Shalom!

Mrs. Smith

Homemade Tamales

I did it! I made homemade tamales. I only took a few pictures because I was not prepared to do a tutorial of the whole process. It turns out that it hit a whopping 90 degrees yesterday. I planned on steaming the tamales late in the evening, but it didn't matter. It was hot and I was hot and a bit fussy.

I started by preparing the homemade chicken broth early in the morning. I planned on doing this in the sun oven; however, our clear sunny forecast tuned into an unplanned 90-degree cloudy day. At 11 pm last night it was still 80 degrees inside the house and 70 degrees outside. Due to the lack of sunshine, we had to run the generator with the windows closed until bedtime. 

Soaking corn shucks

Blurry picture of the green chili sauce

Shredded chicken breast

Green chili chicken filling cooking together

Preparing the masa. 

Dry ingredients

This is the steamer that I used. Number One Husband has picked
out a tamale steamer. I imagine he will be buying it soon.

The tamales are finally done.

I ended up with 34 tamales.

We made green tamales using pepper jack and Colby jack cheeses. 

Now that I know what to expect I can streamline the process of making tamales. I will share the step-by-step instructions the next time I make them. The tamales turned out delicious! Very flavorful. We tried a couple before packaging them. 

Lunch

I have to laugh about it now that it's over. I was so hot and frustrated. Number One Husband was trying to be helpful, but I just wanted to get it done. I had a giant mess. Chunks of masa were flying out of my mixer. There was a lot of masa in this recipe. I had to finish the masa by hand. 

The melted cheese stuck in the tiny holes in the steamer. I had to use a toothpick to clean the cheese out of the holes. As you can see the steamer is huge. Having the right tools would have made this task a lot easier, but it was worth it. I was ready for bed once the clean-up was complete, and the house cooled down. I slept like a baby. 

Shalom,

Mrs. Smith