Chocolate Cheesecake

Chocolate Cheesecake
1 cup chocolate graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
3 – 8 ounce cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1/4 cup flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup heavy cream
10 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
2 tablespoons orange liqueur
3 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
1/4 cup sliced almonds
Oven Temp ~ 350° Bake Time ~ 55 minutes
Pan Type ~ 9" springform pan

Preheat Oven.

Place chocolate graham cracker crumbs in a medium mixing bowl. Add the sugar and mix well. Melt the butter, pour over crumb mixture. Stir until well blended and press firmly into bottom of pan. In a large mixing bowl beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar and mix well. Add the eggs one at time beating well after each addition. Add the flour and salt blend until smooth. In a small saucepan melt the chocolate with the cream stirring constantly. Slowly pour melted chocolate into cream cheese mixture while beating on low speed with electric mixer. Stir in orange liqueur. Pour into pan and bake for the allotted time. Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool. Melt second amount of chocolate and drizzle over top. Sprinkle with sliced almonds. Refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.

Serves: 12 - 14

This is just to whet your appetite for our upcoming cookbook. The editing is nearly done and then it will be sent off to the printers. We have almost 200 yummy recipes!!! In just a few weeks it will be time to start taking pre-orders.

"The Marines" on PBS

Director John Grant's documentary examines the culture of being a marine. Included: recruit training during boot at Parris Island, S.C.; a tour of the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle, Va. Also: comments from retired general Michael Hagee.

It will air here on February 21st at 8:00 p.m.

Find your station here.

I'm looking forward to seeing this. You can sign up for an email reminder on the website. I did, so hopefully I will remember to watch.

Another Great Recipe!

Here's another great recipe. This one is from Becky. I think it will ship really well and our Marines will love it.

Sweet n Spicy Nuts

1 egg white

5 cups/ 24oz Nuts

1 tbsp Pumpkin pie spice

1 Tsp Water

1 cup sugar

Beat egg white and water till frothy in a large mixing bowl. Add nuts and toss until nuts are coated. In a separate bowl, combine sugars and pumpkin pie spice. Pour over nuts while tossing.

Spread nuts in the baking dish in a thin layer.

Bake for 20 minutes @ 350. Cool 5 minutes. Spread over was paper. Serves about 32 servings.

Enjoy

First Recipe

Here's the first recipe contributed by Tanya. She's been a busy gal lately hasn't she? I can't WAIT to try it! I wonder how many points this is on Weight Watchers? Good thing it's for the Marines and not me!

Chocolate Fudge Recipe

4 & 1/2 Cups Sugar

1 Large Can evaporated milk

1 - 10 oz package marshmallows (miniature works best)

1 - 12 oz package chocolate chips

5 ounces of Hershey candy (Buy the big bar and break the squares off, in the one pound bar each square is approximately one ounce)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups chopped nuts if desired.

Very lightly butter a large sheet cake pan and set off to the side.

Cook the sugar and evaporated milk in a large sauce pan for 4 & 1/2 minutes after it comes to a boil - stirring constantly. Have someone watch the clock as this cook time is very important.

When the 4 & 1/2 minutes boiling time is up, immediately add the remaining ingredients and stir constantly until all the marshmallows and chocolate is melted and you have a smooth texture to your mix. You will have to work fast as the mixture begins to cool as soon as you add the other parts.

Pour into the sheet pan and let spread out over the entire bottom of the pan and cool. After about 20 minutes you can score the top of the candy about 1/8" deep. Score it in about 1 inch square pieces. This will help with cutting it later. After about an hour you can go back and cut it all the way through with a warm knife.

Line the bottom of an airtight container with wax paper and place a layer of cut fudge pieces on the bottom of the container, separate each layer of fudge pieces with another layer of wax paper to prevent the fudge from sticking to the other layers. If you want to wrap the pieces of fudge individually the new press and seal paper that is out works wonders and is easy to use.

This recipe was used during WWII to send fudge to the soldiers in their care packages. Enjoy!