As mentioned earlier, I had a whole Sunday afternoon to spend some time on preparing some new meals. I came across this Goat Cheese Cheesecake and had to try it. I had never made a cheesecake before (I even had to buy a spring-form pan just for this), but it turned out well!

Here is the recipe by Anne Burrell on Food Network:
Goat Cheese Cheesecake

I forgot sour cream at the store, so substituted it with some plain yogurt (the closest thing I had), and didn't miss the sour cream at all. When finished, I topped it with candied walnuts and drizzled honey. Yum!

My first blog post ever! I'm excited to get started sharing inspirations and creations.

Yesterday, Sunday, I was in the mood for making a nice dinner and a homemade dessert. I had the whole afternoon, was feeling patient and wanted something that I don't usually make. So I decided on a Chianti Braised Stuffed Meat Loaf (courtesy of my parents/ Ultimate Italian Magazine 2010), and Goat Cheese Cheesecake for dessert (above).

Ingredients:
2 lbs ground beef
2 eggs lightly beaten
2/3 C. shredded Parmesan
1/2 C. seasoned bread crumbs (*see tip below)
1/2 C. chopped green onions
3/4 C. fresh basil, chopped & divided
2 cloves minced garlic
1/4 C. tomato paste
1/4 tsp. salt Chianti or other dry red wine
1 C. Mozzarella
1/2 C. chopped, toasted pine nuts
1/2 C. chopped sun dried tomatoes

Directions: Preheat oven to 350. In large bowl, combine eggs, Parmesan, bread crumbs, green onions, 1/2 cup of chopped basil, garlic, tomato paste, salt and 1/4 cup wine.

Next, add ground beef to the bowl and mix well. Set aside.

For the cheese filling, in bowl combine 1 C. shredded Mozzarella, pine nuts, sun dried tomatoes, remaining basil, and a few tablespoons of wine (if desired.) Mix well and set aside.

Divide the meat mixture in half. In 9x13 rectangular baking dish, pat 1/2 the meat mixture into a 9x5 rectangle, building up the edges to allow room for filling. Then spoon in the prepared cheese filling. (Note: the cheese is mixed with wine, which is why it looks a little un-appetizing right now, but you don't even see it after the top layer goes on!)

Next, top with remaining 1/2 of meat mixture, making sure to seal the edges and reshape the loaf if necessary. Pour 1/2 C. of wine into dish on each side of loaf.

Bake, uncovered, 50-60 minutes, or until it reaches 160 degrees in center. Top with mozzarella cheese and a few table spoons of wine the last few minutes of baking.

I served it with oven roasted potatoes and onions, and a green salad.

*tip: I didn't have seasoned bread crumbs, so to my plain bread crumbs, I added a sprinkle of dried parsley, thyme and oregano, salt and pepper.
** When making this, I missed a few of the cheese filling ingredients, which is why mine looks a little bleak! It still turned out well, but would be better next time with all the ingredients.