The Dessert Blog

Adore chocolate? Enjoy cheesecake? Think rich chocolate cheesecake is the best one can do to get to the incomparable ideal of delicious? You’re not alone! I believe that there are many like you and me out there: “chocolate cheesecake lovers of the world, unite!” In honor of chocolate cheesecake and all of its lovers, I have collected the following list of the most important uses of chocolate cheesecake in everyday life.

1) Holidays and Hard Days

Chocolate cheesecake is unquestionably the perfect finale for both good days and bad days. Is there any better way to finish your holiday get-together than with a creamy chocolate cheesecake? Whether partying with family or friends, whether the evening has gone without a hitch or full of holes, whether the main course was mouth-watering or stale, providing cheesecake at the end of the holiday meal that all your guests will go home talking about what a wonderful and talented host you are!

Likewise, I can think of few ways to perk one up at the end of a rough day than a tasty slice of chocolate cheesecake. Let all your cares and worries melt away with that first bite of heaven

2) One, Two, Three Times a Day

Anyone who was disciplined enough to let that last slice of chocolate cheesecake stay until morning knows just how splendid cheesecake is for breakfast. Cold cheesecake with milk is a perfect way to start off your day. Chocolate cheesecake is also an invaluable addition to any lunch menu. And little, I believe, needs to be said about the compliments cheesecake makes to even the least appetizing dinners! If you still haven’t had enough, try having some chocolate cheesecake for dessert, or even your midnight snack.

3) Monday, Wednesday Friday, and Any Other Day of the Week

Is it just me, or is that temptation for some chocolate cheesecake always around during the start of the week? And who can resist dipping in for some chocolate cheesecake at the end of a long, hard work week? But why only indulge yourself on Mondays and Fridays when you have other days that you can treat yourself to more chocolate cheesecake?

Well chocolate cheesecake lovers, if this doesn’t make you feel a little better about your admirable obsession for an admirable dessert, then consider this: you can get your cheesecake sugar-free (yes, even chocolate cheesecake)! Just look online for sugar free cheesecake stores and have your daily dose of cheesecake without any of that pesky guilt!

1. Love pie? King Tut Agrees!

Pies are no spring chickens! They’ve been being devoured for thousands of years. It’s thought that the origins of the pie are based in Egypt and were originally filled with honey, nuts and fruit - pretty well in keeping with the pecan, coconut, apple, chocolate and cherry pies that we have come to love today. Travelers from Greece, brought the recipe home to Europe and from there it spread to Rome, then on to Britain, then to North America and somehow found it’s way onto my plate!

1. How Much Pie is Too Much PIe!

On average, every adult American will eat 6 slices of pie this year.According to Wikipedia, the most recent survey has the current population at 306 Million of which 73% are adults. That’s 223,380,000 people who are all going to eat 6 pieces of pie… that’s 1 Billion, 340 Million, 280 Thousand pieces of pie…the USA loves pie! Pie has penetrated American culture so deeply, that the term “As American as Apple Pie” is common place. As reported in a recent study by Crisco, Americas favorite pies are as follows. Starting with the most popular, Apple, pumpkin, pecan, banana cream and cherry. 18% of men say their wife cooks the best pie while only 2% of women are willing to admit their husband’s pie is superior!

1. The Upper Crust

Pie is one of the few foods that can lay claim to its own official organization! You don’t hear much about the vegemite committee of America, but sure enough The American Pie Council is alive and well. “Designed to raise awareness, enjoyment and consumption of pies”, the APC organizes several annual events including the National Pie Championships and National Pie Day (which by the way is January 23^rd – mark your calendars!) Membership has 3 levels – Amateur, Professional and Commercial and entitles you to a tart shell full of benefits not least of which is the official newsletter – Pie Times (of course it is…)

 Love pie? You deserve to try the best Southern Pies in America! Check out America’s Best Pie

I never let our cupboard run empty with good, ol’ maple syrup. My kids adore the stuff, especially with their favorite breakfasts. They have it with their wholemeal pancakes, corn cakes, French toast, or even just plain toast. I was afraid after a point that I was being to easy and giving them too much sugar (this is a problem because I have a MAJOR sweet tooth and I can’t stay away from the sugar myself even). When I looked into it I was shocked to learn that out of everything maple syrup can be one of the best sweets to be given to children that is readily available. A benefit is that it has less calories then a person would think, and has far fewer amounts of sugar than honey does. Another good thing is that it contains a small amount of zinc and manganese which are two essential minerals for peoples bodies, building the immune system and antioxidant defenses.  

What should I have done when I knew I deceived my little picky children by giving them something sweet and tasty when it is actually quite healthy? To get it started simply!

Now I use pure canadian maple syrup to add to things like squash, on fries, or even on “maple and banana sandwiches” in place of peanut butter. My children really like organic maple butter with toast or wedged between stacks of corn cakes or pancakes.An easy way to make maple butter is to blend a pound of normal butter with 1/2 a cup of maple syrup, then just stick it in the fridge and use it as you like.As a special treat for kids (and to make them eat oatmeal cookies) I just take normal (or low fat) oatmeal cookies and glaze them with a maple glaze. To make the glaze, just combine 1 C pure canadian maple sugar, ¼ C confectioners’ sugar, 1 tsp maple extract, and ¼ C unsalted butter in a pan, medium-heat until just about to boil, then dip or brush the top of your cookies with the glaze while it’s still hot. Let cool before serving (tip: the cookies taste better the next day).

Here’s something to keep in mind when you go shopping, really look for organic and pure maple syrup instead of picking up cheap flavored and colored synthetic syrup. The former may be pricier but since it isn’t diluted by other ingredients, you get a richer, earthier flavor, which makes it worth the extra penny. Also, the lighter the color, the more subtle the flavor. Reserve the darker, amber-colored variety for cooking.Lastly just like any food you need to make sure you only eat a moderate amount of maple syrup (even organic sweeteners can be bad) and please please brush those little pirly white teeth!