Chocolate Cheesecake Squares

These are delicious and give a cheesecake taste in a small portion, if you can stop at one square!

Cookie Base:

Cream
1/2 cup shortening with
1/2 cup sugar (white, brown or a mixture)
Add
1 beaten egg and mix well

Measure
1 cup all purpose flour and add
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Add
1 cup of miniature dark chocolate chips
and press mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan.

Cheesecake topping:

Beat with an electric mixer
2-8 oz packages of cream cheese with
2 eggs and
1/2 cup sugar

Spread cheese mixture over cookie base and sprinkle top with
1/2 cup of chocolate chips

Bake at 350F for 30-35 minutes. Cut into squares when cool.

Pickled Carrots

This Vietnamese inspired pickle is adapted from a recipe seen here at Tea's Blog, Tea and Cookies. I love the fresh rice rolls from Salad King which I featured in this post. I have used fresh carrots, but these pickled ones are better. I used daikon and carrots, but don't really care for the taste of daikon and will use carrots only in the future.

Method:

Thinly slice carrots (/daikon with a sharp knife or mandoline. Do not use a grater. Pack carrots in a 500 ml jar. I used two carrots for this quantity.

Mix 1/2 cup vinegar, rice or white
2 tbsp sugar or sweetener
1/2 tsp salt

Pour over the carrots. Add water to cover the vegetables.

Let it marinate for at least 24 hours before adding to salads or fresh rice rolls.