Yummy Blueberry Cheesecake

Delectable blueberry cheesecake.....for me there isn't a more satisfying dessert than a sumptuous slice of cheesecake. My whole family loves cheesecake so I have made different varieties through the years - from no bake, to plain, white chocolate, dark chocolate, with green tea, one with nutella, etc - you name it. While I haven't totally exhausted all kinds of cheesecake - we are always willing to try something new.

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This post was meant to be published last month when the blazing summer sun was in all its glory. However, since we were on a holiday break certain adjustments had to be made. Since we regularly feature photographic travel journals in the blog as well, I decided to devote the month of  August to that and I think it worked out well as I managed to actually finish all the travel posts pretty much within the time frame. Hurrah!!! If you wish to see these posts, you can find them here.

Hush Puppies

It is getting a little cooler in the morning now, I certainly feel that in the air. While I hate to say goodbye to summer, I welcome the cooler weather, too. I guess, after experiencing a heatwave in Europe while we were there this month, air conditioning and cooler weather in the US was very much a welcome relief! Indeed, it is when you travel that you realize how much you miss the comfort of home and certainly aircon!!! LOL. :)

Cooking, on occasion, is a shared chore between my husband and myself. I am so glad for that because there are times when I am not able to cook and when that happens, I am not worried because I know that hubby has a few recipes up his sleeve that he can easily whip up for the family. Sometimes, he just feels like giving me a break, too and then he cooks his favorite recipes that we all enjoy. On other times, things are just hectic and that's when I need an extra hand in the kitchen to help speed things up and that's when he is so handy, too!

Like in this particular day, a few days ago, when we were all set to leave for the UK for a holiday. Our flight was in the evening but we still had to make it early enough to the airport which was in New York so things really got busy in the morning with all the last minute packing and, of course, preparations for breakfast. Thankfully, hubby and the kids came to the rescue! We divided the chore - kids set the table as usual while hubby and I set off to make the food.

We had some food we needed to eat up before we left and we didn't want to just throw them away. We had some assortment of food - quinoa, fresh tomatoes, eggs, bacon and kale. I felt like we were in Chopped trying to figure out what to make with these ingredients. Thankfully, my creative and quick-thinking husband decided he would make quinoa with some scrambled eggs and bacon - which I thought was a fabulous idea! I decided I had to do something with the kale and so my kids would eat it (they had to anyway!) I thought I'd make it a bit more palatable by adding some bacon and garlic. So in the end, we had a delicious breakfast as you can see in the photo - it all came out well. It was a sweet ending as all the food that needed to be used up were not wasted and put to good use. And most of all, I have this quick and easy Kale dish for you to enjoy. Only 3 ingredients to make this tasty and somewhat healthy side dish (it's got Kale!)! Experiment on the seasoning and use either some soy sauce or oyster sauce to replace the salt and pepper to make an Asian-flavored side dish! Enjoy!

Sautéed Kale with Bacon and Garlic

By: Manila Spoon
August 8, 2015


Who says Kale cannot taste good? Add some bacon and garlic and you're all set - Sauteed Kale with Bacon and Garlic. Naturally, gluten-free and low-carb!

Ingredients

• 3-4 Bacon strips
• 3 Garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
• 2 packs (5 oz each) Baby Kale
• Salt and Pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. In a wok or a large skillet, cook the bacon until it has rendered its fat and has turned crispy. Break the bacon into bits. Set aside.
2. Pour out the bacon grease from the pan but leave about 3 tablespoons for cooking. Saute the garlic cloves briefly until aromatic.
3. Add the kale leaves, stir and cook until wilted. This doesn't take very long perhaps about 3-4 minutes depending on how tender you want the kale to be. Season with salt and pepper. If you fancy some Asian seasoning instead, replace the salt and pepper with soy sauce or oyster sauce, to taste (about 2-3 teaspoons).
4. Transfer to a serving plate and garnish with the bacon bits. Enjoy immediately.

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cooking Time: 10 Minutes
Total Time: 15 Minutes

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