ArcaMax

Firsts...

Happy New Year everyone!

I was up in north-eastern Wisconsin over the holidays. It was cold and snowy. Most of our activities took place indoors. There are only so many Christmas cookies you can eat (although my sister-in-law Kathy makes fabulous cookies) and watching TV gets boring, so what to do?

Wii!

I got to play my first Wii games just last week.

I know, some of you are thinking, “Wow, this woman is so far behind the curve!”

And others of you are saying “What’s a Wii? Was that a typo?”

I’m not much for sitting in front of a TV playing video games. I think it’s a complete waste of time. I have a hard enough time sitting through a football game with my husband without reading a magazine. I just can’t dedicate that much time without learning something. And you can’t read and watch video games, so they never come up on my radar. I’m also sort of a neat-freak so the thought of boxes and wires, and paddles hanging around my living room gives me the jitters. I’d have to put it all in a drawer after each time I played and that’s just not practical. At least football has instant replay in case I miss something exciting while I am reading.

Wii was a new experience. Usually in Wisconsin we go to a bowling alley to bowl. This time we were doing it in front of the TV using the Wii. Because I had back surgery my body isn’t quite ready for a 12 pound bowling ball hanging off my arm and tugging on my back, but a light weight wand is fine. I could bowl! It really has sort of an authentic feel to it, minus the weight of the ball. I had a great time.

Then we played Mario Wii. We had a version where the characters are driving through all sorts of race courses. One of the courses takes them through the shopping mall at hair-raising speeds. I was given a little steering wheel so I could “drive”. I never gripped a steering wheel so hard in my life! I got cramps in my fingers!

Most of the time I was around, there were at least two people in front of the TV playing one of the Wii games. You could hear screams and giggles at all hours. Everyone had a great time and we almost got some real exercise. I know, my gluteus maximus was strained the next day from the bowling!

So that was a “first”.

This year for my New Year’s Resolutions I think I’m up for setting up some more FIRSTS. Maybe my first trip to Brussels. That would be fun. Or a first dip in a lake I’ve never swam in. Or a first time to try a certain beer. Or a first time to shop in a particular store. I don’t know. I just sounds like “firsts” could be a fun way to set some goals that help me break out of my normal routine. But first….

For your FIRST recipe of the year I’m offering up a cheesecake that you can eat while on The Zola Diet during the ZReboot phase. It’s yummy and feeds 12 if you are having a party. Everyone at our party cleaned their plates.

Low Carb Cheesecake with Macadamia Crust and Fresh Berries

Ingredients:

3/4 cup of macadamia nuts crushed (you can use other nuts too, like walnuts or pecans)

3 (8oz) packages of full fat cream cheese (room temperature)(do not use low-fat cream cheese)

3 whole eggs

17 packets of stevia (natural sweetener that subs for sugar)

1 Tbl of vanilla extract

1 tsp of almond extract

For the topping:

3 half pints of raspberries

1 half pint of blackberries

1 packet of stevia

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

When you crush your macadamia nuts be careful not to turn them into “nut butter.” You can use a food processor but do it with gentle pulses. You can even have a few bigger bits for texture if you want.

Spread the crushed nuts in the bottom of a 10-inch springform pan. No oiling necessary.

In a mixer add the cream cheese and the eggs. Blend until good and mixed. Add the stevia and the two extracts. Whip this on med- high until the whole mixture is very smooth. Pour it over the nuts. Spread the batter gently so it extends to the edges.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes. You’ll look for the edges to get a nice golden color. The cheesecake can still have a bit of a jiggle to it but it should not be sloppy. Turn off the oven. Leave the door open and let the cheesecake cool for 15 to 20 minutes before removing it.

The trick with cheesecakes is cracking. Don’t worry if this one cracks on top because you are going to cover the cracks with a mound of berries so no one will know. Some theories say cool the cheesecake completely in the oven to prevent cracks. Doesn’t always work. Some say after the open oven door cooling method, take it out and let it finish cooling to room temp before putting it in the refrigerator. Sometimes this works. Sometimes, not so much.

I try to do both but then sometimes it cracks in the refrigerator 'cuz it got too cold too fast. So I always have a plan for covering cracks. This time it’s the berries.

Store the cheesecake in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

About 30 minutes before serving, take it out of the refrigerator to take the big cold out of it. You’ll taste your cheesecake MORE if it’s not so cold. Run a knife around the edge of the cheesecake and unmold and place on a large platter or cake stand. At the same time put your berries in a big bowl. Sprinkle the Stevia on top and gently stir to mix the berries and Stevia. This will mascerate them so they will give up juice and become shiny. Let the berries sit at room temperature to do their magic while the cheesecake is warming up a bit on the counter.

When ready to show off your cheesecake, mound the berry mixture on top. The berries look best piled high in the center. The berries can sit like that for awhile before serving. If you leave it too long they will get all juicy and sink more into the cheesecake or juice will run down the side, but that’s not all bad either!

Cheers
Enjoy,
Zola

Send email to Zola at zolacooks@gmail.com.