Chocolate, Cheesecake and Bailey's!

 

I love cheesecake and chocolate. For St. Patty's Day, I found a sexy cheesecake recipe using Bailey's Irish Cream, is made with a chocolate crust and a has creamy chocolate filling. It's from Ali Martin, over at Gimme Some Oven. 

This decadent dessert is time consuming to make, but if you're like me you'll find the time spent is relaxing. Pop on some good tunes and let's get baking!

Chocolate-Irish Cream Cheesecake

•  prep time: 15 MINUTES
 
•  cook time: 70 MINUTES
 
•  total time: 85 MINUTES
 
•  yield: 12 -16 SLICES 

CRUST INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 cups chocolate graham cracker (or chocolate cookie) crumbs
• 1/3 cup powdered (confectioner’s) sugar
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup (half a stick) butter, melted

CHEESECAKE INGREDIENTS:

• 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened (I used 1/3 less fat)
• 1 1/4 cups white sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup Bailey’s (or other Irish cream liqueur)

CHOCOLATE GANACHE INGREDIENTS (OPTIONAL):

• 1/2 cup heavy cream (or half and half)
• 4 ounces dark chocolate

INSTRUCTIONS

1. * Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, mix together the cookie crumbs, confectioners’ sugar and 1/3 cup cocoa. Add melted butter and stir until well mixed. Pat into the bottom of a 9-inch well-greased springform pan. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes; set aside. Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees.
2. * In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, white sugar, 1/4 cup cocoa and flour. Beat at medium speed until blended and smooth. (Try not to over-mix!) Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Blend in the sour cream and Irish cream liqueur; mixing on low speed until blended. Pour filling over baked crust.
3. * Optional: To prevent cracking in the cheesecake, I’m a big fan of water baths! Just fill a 9×13 (or whatever size) glass pan halfway with water, and place it on the bottom rack while the oven preheats, and then while the cheesecake cooks.
4. * Place the cheesecake in the oven on the shelf above the water bath, and bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 250 degrees, and continue baking for 60 minutes.
5. * With a knife, loosen cake from rim of pan. Let cool, then remove the rim of pan. Chill for a few hours before serving.
6. * Optional: To prepare the ganache, place the chocolate chips in a bowl. Then heat the cream (or half and half) in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until it is almost boiling.
7.  Remove from heat, and pour over the chocolate chips and let sit for 30 seconds. Then stir until the chocolate chips have melted and are mixed in well. Pour over the top of the cheesecake, and sprinkle with chocolate chips or chocolate shavings if you’d like.

Give Me Some Sexy Cinnamon

I love Cinnamon. 

Did you know it is not only warming, comforting and healthy, but also SEXY?

Cinnamon is a scent commonly known to seduce with it's aphrodisiac qualities.

It is said that the Queen of Sheba used cinnamon to mesmerize King Solomon. 

So it has power. 

Gram cooked with cinnamon often and would always say, "The way to a man's heart is through is stomach." Maybe that old saying holds more truth than we thought.

Bread Pudding is a popular item at my house.

However, this delightful treat can be a sexy food.

Try serving this as breakfast for your lover but expect to spend the day in bed.

Prepare this bread pudding ahead of time so that in the morning, 

all you have to do is turn on the oven. 

Cinnamon-Swirl Breakfast Bread Pudding

4 eggs
1½ cups milk
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ loaf day-old bread, cut into cubes
¼ cup pecans, chopped
Nonstick cooking spray
Maple syrup

In a large bowl, whisk eggs and milk. Add the brown sugar, vanilla extract, and cinnamon, and whisk until all the ingredients are completely incorporated. Stir the bread and pecans into the egg mixture. Coat an 8-inch-by-8-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Pour in the bread pudding, and cover with foil. Let sit in the refrigerator at least one hour and up to overnight. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake the bread pudding, covered, for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, and bake an additional 10 minutes, until the pudding is browned. Serve hot with maple syrup.

 

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My favorite cinnamon is Vietnamese Cinnamon. It's a bit stronger with an amazing flavor. (Rumor is... it's the same cinnamon used in the famous Cinnabon rolls.) AKA Cassia Cinnamon. Quality cinnamons are available per ounce online. However, some health food or natural food stores will bottle it. I pick mine up from Those Nature People. I visit the Frankenmuth location of Those Nature People for my bottle. 

They also make a Cinnamon Roll Blend that is suburb!

Sexy Tea for Fall

 Flavors of fall are starting to arrive but let's not talk about pumpkin spice. Let's talk about something a little more sexy. Sit on my porch for spell and enjoy some Red Roobios.

Red Roobios (pronounced ROY-boss) herbal tea is made from a South African broom-like grass. It has a beautiful, sensual golden red color with a drool-worthy flavor. Hubby brings me tea from all over the world on his travels and red roobios is often one of the ingredients. I love the woody, earthy taste with hints of vanilla and cinnamon. Red Roobios is often paired with spices and dried fruit.

My gal pal, Nicole, introduced me to a new tea today and it's become one of my favs!

Good Earth Sweet & Spicy herbal tea is a all natural with the warm flavors of cinnamon and orange. The one I tried is the true herbal blend with no caffeine, there is another made with black tea. You can drink the herbal blend like black tea by making it stronger (darker) and adding milk, cream or sugar. A great substitute if you're cutting back on coffee.

This tea can be enjoyed hot or cold, but I think it's perfect for fall served warm. The color matches changing leaves, pumpkin pie, apples and squash. I plan to enjoy a cup while curled under a wool blanket on my porch with my honey.

Besides being delish... Red Roobios has some wonderful health benefits.

Orgasms and the Egg McMuffin

Now who would have thought that something as simple as food could increase or decrease the benefits of sex?

Egg McMuffin: A bacon and egg McMuffin may seem like a very unhealthy meal choice, but for sex this food combination is very beneficial. It contains zinc which helps keep the woman lubricated and the ingredient that the man needs to produce semen. It also contains a B vitamin that helps trigger explosive sneezes and orgasms.

Well, I'll be damned.

(Text messages between author and her hubby.)

Me: Have you left the store yet?

Flyboy: Just got in the truck. Sitting in the parking lot. 

Me: Good

Flyboy: Did you forget something? Need me to go back?

Me: I need you to stop at McD's and pick up a couple Egg McMuffins. They serve breakfast all day.

Flyboy: ????????

Me: Just do it. 

Flyboy: Okaaaayyy ????

Me: I'll explain when you get home. Trust me... you'll like it. *wink, wink*

Flyboy: Are you working on your blog again? And just two muffins?

Me: Yes and Yes. I don't want to get fat.

Flyboy: *thumbs up* I know a way to work off those extra calories. *winky face*

Me: *kissey face*

Son #1: I'm at work and you're not very subtle. *gagging face*

Son #2: Ewwwwww

Son #3: Ah... this is the family group chat if you didn't notice. But...get 2 McMuffins for me and I'll pretend this text never happened.

Me: No McMuffins for you! You're too young.