Do not burn this cake!!! Cheesecake Factory's Carrot Cake Cheesecake Recipe

Okay, I'll have to make an exception: this recipe is way too good to be left in the oven unwatched, so I grab a book and sit on the kitchen floor instead of wandering off as usual until a something-is-burning-smell wafts past me. Of course I set a timer most times when I cook or bake, because of my addiction to reading and terrible short term memory, but then I forget to bring it with me into another room...
But now, let'sopen the curtain for The Best Ever Carrot Cake Cheesecake --

Ingredients for the ***cheesecake***:
16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp flour
3 eggs

***Carrot Cake***
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 can (8.5 ounce size) crushed pineapple, packed in juice, drained well, reserve juice
1 cup grated carrots
1/2 cup coconut
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

***Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting***
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 Tbsp butter, softened
1 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Tbsp reserved pineapple juice
Preparation:
In large bowl of electric mixer, beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Beat in flour, eggs and vanilla extract until smooth. Set aside.
Meanwhile, prepare Carrot Cake:
In large bowl, combine oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla extract; mix well. Stir in dry ingredients; mixing well. Stir in drained pineapple, carrots, coconut and walnuts.
Spread 1 1/2 c. carrot cake batter over bottom of greased 9 or 9 1/2" springform pan. Drop cream cheese batter over carrot cake batter by spoonfuls; top with large spoonfuls of remaining carrot cake batter. Repeat with remaining cream cheese batter, spreading evenly with a knife. Do not marble with a knife. Bake in preheated 350 degrees F oven for 50 to 65 minutes or until cake is set and cooked through. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate. When cake is cold, prepare Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting:
In a bowl of electric mixer, combine cream cheese, butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and reserved pineapple juice. Beat until smooth and of spreading consistency. Frost top of cheesecake. Refrigerate 3-4 hours before serving.
Cook's notes: Don't skimp on the ingredients (and don't use store brand or generic). Use regular cream cheese, real butter, and pineapple packed in juice, not sugar syrup. You will be glad you did. (Recipe found on Cheesecake Factory's website).
Well, my friend Paula made this amazing cake for my birthday and dropped it over that night. It's basically creamcheese cake baked inside a carrot cake and tastes so good that you'd think you died and went to Cheesecake Factory heaven. Needless to say, I hogged it.

Kitchen fires

Here is what happened to a Facebook friend of mine: She's originally from Germany where they use Celsius instead of Fahrenheit. The first time she baked a cake in America she set the oven for 175C which translates to 350F (Celsius = (Fahrenheit - 32) x 5/9.). But she was in the States, where 175 is too low to bake anything. She couldn't believe that eight hours later the cake was still runny…

What to do when your oven catches fire, let's say, because your Thanksgiving turkey dripped its juices in the open flames below, which is what happened to me last year. ehem. Turn off the oven, let fire burn out. Turn oven back on. It will smoke for awhile but lessen when all the grease is burnt up. Or it should.

Here is what I did: Scream FIRE!! Evacuate pets. Leave husband unnotified in shower upstairs. Tell daughter to find fire extinguisher. Panic.

This wakes up brother-in-law who nodded off on the couch and who then stumbles into the kitchen to see what's up. Hands in pockets, he proceeds to give above mentioned advice. Other family members arrive from out of town. Husband still oblivious in shower. Pets come in from back porch to greet guests and check pockets for treats. Oven catches fire again because pan has holes. Turn oven off and let burn out. Good thing I started cooking early. A week later we read in the paper that a house burnt down because their oven caught fire. I told my daughter I am so glad this happened after our episode because I would have totally completely freaked out. We were certainly lucky that time.

How to extinguish an oil fire in a pan. Smother the oil/grease fire with a wet towel. Do not pour water on it!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QykIqRBSNkI&feature=related

Water would make it spread rapidly. Smothering it takes away oxygen, fire goes out because it needs fuel and oxygen. Take one away and it goes out.  

Bring it to a burn...

How to salvage food with visible burn marks:

Cookies: - scrape off black parts, frost or dip in chocolate
                - fill with frosting and turn into cookie sandwiches
                - tell family they're supposed to be that way
Hot dogs: - trim off black parts
                 - smother with condiments
                 - tell family they're supposed to be crunchy
Pizza: (if left in oven too long, cheese topping turns dark)
            - take off 'sheet of cheese crust', either use as snack or discard.
              Sprinkle new cheese on top and bake 5 more minutes.
            - say it's supposed to be that way
Cake: - easy. Scrape off, use extra frosting
Meat: - cut off ashy parts, but remainder of meat will be too dry.
             Shred it and add bbq sauce or gravy a la Sloppy Joe.
Spareribs: - are best when they're crispy, right before they burn!
Sausage: - off the grill okay to be a little burned
Hamburger patties: - too dry to eat once burned, so use for street hockey pucks
to entertain guests during barbeque
Bottom of pot: - boil water with baking soda for easier cleaning

Any other ideas from my readers?
          

Ultimate caramel treats and a couple tips on how not to burn certain things

How not to burn the rolls for Christmas dinner: Don't let two women at once into the kitchen, drinking wine (thanks to Debbie Smith and her sister, Julie Wooden).
How not to burn Brownies: Don't use a dark pan and don't set the oven on 350, set it on 325!
Yet: correctly burned sugar becomes caramel. Here is the best ever recipe for it (from the CA milk advisory board):
Walnut Caramel Squares
1 cup flour
1/2 cup butter
3 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup chocolate chips
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1 cup whipping cream
2 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, melted
To prepare crust: (Preheat oven to 350 degrees)
Combine flour, 1/2 cup butter and 3 Tbls suar in a medium bowl. Mix with a fork until well blended. Press into a lightly greased 9-inch square pan. Prick with a fork and bake until lightly browned, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Let stand 2 minutes, then spread chocolate over crust.
To prepare filling:
Place 11/2 cups sugar in a heavy saucepan, cook and stir over low heat until melted and caramel colored, about 20 minutes (stay with the pot!!). Stir in corn syrup, 1 cup butter and cream. Cook over medium heat until mixture reaches 240 F on a candy thermometer (I just guessed, before I bought a candy thermometer). Remove from heat and stir in walnuts. Immediately pour over crust, smoothing to make an even layer. Drizzle with melted chocolate and refrigerate until firm. Don't leave in fridge too long or it will get too hard! Cut into small squares to serve. Makes 16 servings.

This caramel recipe is unbelievably good! It takes a lot of patience to wait until the sugar caramelizes, so obviously I don't make it very often, because I have a life. If you don't have a life and share this treat, at least you might make some friends to get a life.

How the blog came to be

As an author, I read, write, tweet, facebook and blog, to connect with my readers and get books into print (besides my full-time job). I'm not saying I don't have time to cook, I'm saying I don't have time to stand around the stove waiting for the meal to simmer, cook or boil.
When my husband comes home and sees the kitchen light on, he worries.
"Did you cook dinner tonight?"
"Um, yeah."
"Oh no!" he groans. "What did you burn now?"
One day he suggested a title for my next project: Burnt - The Cookbook
I liked the idea, or better yet, the title, and decided to start out with a blog. If it turns into a book, so be it.