Saturday, July 09, 2011

Six years?

I can't believe it sneaked past us... a couple of days ago, the 6th anniversary of this site passed us by. Yikes, boy does time fly! I didn't actually realize it until a reader sent us an e-mail asking if we were going to make anything special for it - oops, guess not! Even though we didn't make a new dish to celebrate, I do have a couple new recipes we've made recently that are worthy of being noted. The first being what we made for this week's Wednesday Treat Day - Mini Cheesecake Tarts.

You will need a fancy pan for these, but I suppose you could always try and use a muffin tin - if you go that route, you would want to line that pan with paper liners to ensure the tarts will pop out. The almond-laced crust is lovely - crisp and nutty, but still tender to cut through with a fork. You can top the individual creamy vanilla tarts with whatever suits your fancy - we went with raspberry jam and three plump fresh raspberries on each. Blueberries are flooding the farmers' market here and I imagine a blueberry compote with some sort of lemon infusion would make a killer topping.

I'll link you directly to the site where we found the next recipe - Black Forest Ham Rolls. I have Dan's site loaded into my rss reader and saved this idea aside just as soon as I finished the post.

These cheesy spiral rolls are prepared using a homemade dough made with bread flour and one of Jeff's favorite flours - rye! To boost the flavor in the dough, butter softened onions, seasoned with caraway seeds to toast along the ride, slide into the dough to mix in with the other liquids. When the dough has rested and been stretched out, a solid layer of grainy mustard is slathered on, followed by shreds of Emmental cheese and chopped pieces of Black Forest ham.

Rolled up (à la cinnamon roll fashion) and sliced into chunky rounds, you can arrange them on the baking sheet a couple of ways - while we did them single file (about an inch or two away from one another), you could also shingle them together in two lines or a large ring. There are no measurements for the fillings, so we just followed our instincts - you don't want too much of any single ingredient as you may have a hard time rolling the log or keeping them together while slicing. Jeff and I both thought these were exceptional, especially hot out of the oven with the golden gooey cheesy oozing all over - they also reheated well, making for a snazzy lunch the next day!

38 comments:

  1. Happy six years! That must be about 20 years in regular time.

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  2. Happy Blog Anniversary! Congrats on the 6 years.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  3. Congratulations on 6 years of wonderful posting and recipes.

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  4. Congrats! I think I've been reading and enjoying your blog almost that long. You need to post a top 6 recipe list!

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  5. Happy 6 years Joe!! Yours was actually the first food blog, well, the first blog, I ever read.
    Love those little cheesecakes you have there! I actually got one of those pans and am loving the single serving portions. I don't think I'll ever go back to a full cake!!

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  6. What an acheivement! 6 years is a long time..and lots of deliciousness along the way I am sure.

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  7. Congrats!!! I really enjoy reading what you two are up to from time to time. Keep up the good work, and we all look forward to many more years.

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  8. Joe, Congratulations on your 6 years. I would like to say a big "Thank You" to you. You have shared some amazing recipes with me. My family has enjoyed so many holiday treats these past few years. You have inspired me to try new things and the results have been great. When my family tasted one of your posted recipes and asks for the recipe I say I got the recipe from my friend Joe!! Congratulations!!

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  9. Congratulations! Six years of blogging, that is amazing. For me it is the first time I see your blog and it looks very good with very nice recipes.

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  10. Congratulations of six amazing years of inspiring us all and making us more than a touch hungry!

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  11. Congrats on 6-yrs, Joe!!
    Yours definitely was the first food blog I followed way back & now I couldn't imagine missing it with my morning coffee! I just love your writing style & all the stories about you, Jeff & the kids/pups!
    Thanks for six great years & here's to many more!

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  12. Wow, SIX years? Congratulations! 4 1/2 years ago you inspired me to start my own food blog, so THANK YOU! Glad you're still going. :)

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  13. Wow--congrats on the 6 years! That is quite the accomplishment. Thank you for all of your posts and recipes...I am sure it is a lot of work, but it is much appreciated!!

    Courtney

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  14. Congratulations on 6 years! I've gotten so many great recipes from your blog - it was the inspiration to start my own in fact. :) I always look forward to what you'll cook up next.

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  15. Happy belated blog anniversary, Joe! I must admit I was a much better reader/follower before I started a family, but I'm determined to improve. AND those rye and caraway and ham rolls sound exceptional!!!

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  16. Joe (and Jeff, Max, and Dora)

    Congrats on 6 years! Yours is the top blog on my RSS feed screen and I have found so many wonderful recipes thanks to you.

    Thank you for sharing your culinary adventures with us!

    Michelle

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  17. Happy belated 6 year Anniversary! Those cheesecakes look delicious, the almond crust is especially calling my name! You have a lovely blog indeed :)

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  18. Congratulations! Hope you stay for many more years. I have been so inspired by your recipes over the years. Some are family favorites now.

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  19. Are the "boys" on an extended vacation in Mickeyville?


    Gourmet Jane

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  20. Jane - You don't know how much I wish that was true! We've been ridiculously busy with life - I'm still making plenty of recipes, but finding no time to take pictures, let alone write about them!

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  21. Joe -I'm so glad you're still cooking! Was getting a little worried! Congrats on 6 years. Still my favorite food blog!

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  22. Congrats on 6 years and hoping life settles down soon...I miss your posts!!!

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  23. Congratulations on 6 years Joe! Hope you will be back to posting soon!!!

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  24. This post made me hungry! :)

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  25. You're not calling it quits are you?
    Hope all is well. I keep wondering about you and hoping you're busy and that nothing is wrong.
    Best wishes and congratulations on six years of wonderful blogging. You've been an inspiration.
    Sue

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  26. Sue - Thank you! We're just busy (no time to take pictures really, barely enough time to make food to eat!) - we'll see if we can get back into the swing of things or not soon.

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  27. Hope you are back posting soon. I miss reading your blog. Wishing you the best with your busy lives!

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  28. Seems like 6 years since your last post! Hope all is well. :-)

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  29. Life has gotten in the way of me checking in regularly but you're still my most favoritest food blog! I hope you're up and running again soon, and I hope all is well!!

    Val

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  30. Joe,

    Come back!! We miss you!!!!!!

    Donna

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  31. Joe, I agree...you are missed!
    Taking a break is understandable though after six years.....we just hope it won't be permanent. Your blog is the best!
    regards,
    Victoria

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  32. Thanks!

    Hopefully we will be wrapping our projects up in the next few weeks and life may begin to settle down again. Some down time would be nice!

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  33. I hope you guys are doing okay...I have been missing seeing your posts!

    Courtney

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  34. Hope you had a nice summer and that will come with yummy Fall recipes Joe :)

    Hélène

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  35. missing your posts.....hope you will be up and running again soon!

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  36. Just thinking about you and hope you are well. Can't wait for future posts (I'm already thinking about your holiday baking!).

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  37. Congrats on six years! That's fantastic.

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