White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake.

Now that I'm done working, I have a lot more time to cook/bake.  You'll be seeing lots of food posts over the next few weeks!    
If you love cheesecake then you'll drool over these.  
(Originally from ALLRECIPES.COM).  

Ingredients:

• 1 cup chocolate cookie crumbs
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen raspberries
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 cups white chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup half-and-half cream
• 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, mix together cookie crumbs, 3 tablespoons sugar, and melted butter. Press mixture into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan.
2. In a saucepan, combine raspberries, 2 tablespoons sugar, cornstarch, and water. Bring to boil, and continue boiling 5 minutes, or until sauce is thick. Strain sauce through a mesh strainer to remove seeds.
3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). In a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water, melt white chocolate chips with half-and-half, stirring occasionally until smooth.
4. In a large bowl, mix together cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time. Blend in vanilla and melted white chocolate. Pour half of batter over crust. Spoon 3 tablespoons raspberry sauce over batter. Pour remaining cheesecake batter into pan, and again spoon 3 tablespoons raspberry sauce over the top. Swirl batter with the tip of a knife to create a marbled effect.
5. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until filling is set. Cool, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 8 hours before removing from pan. Serve with remaining raspberry sauce.

You can also put them in cupcake liners and make cupcake sized cheesecakes like these.  Just bake it for about half the original time (about 30 minutes).  Enjoy!

The blog post where I cram several posts into one.

1.  Daniel and I got to meet up with my friend Allison and her husband while they were vacationing here on the island!  Allison is my friend from high school and we hadn't seen each other in years so it was great to catch up!

2. We hiked up to PCC Falls while mom & dad (Bridge) were here last week.  Their trip went by way too fast and we wish they could have stayed longer.

3.  Double rainbow!  

3.  We had a great time hiking to Maunawili Falls with some friends.   

4.  May the odds be ever in your favor!

The movie was incredible!  I loved it.  I was really impressed with how close it was to the book.  Perhaps I can talk Daniel into taking me again next week.  :)

Sunday Lunch.

One thing I miss about Utah is the Wisconsin cauliflower soup from ZUPAS. It is pure creamy goodness.  I'm not even a fan of cauliflower, but this soup is AMAZING.  The recipe is originally found HERE.  

Wisconsin Cauliflower Soup

2 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk**
1 1/2 cups water**
1 can (13 3/4 to 14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth
1 head (2 1/2 pounds) cauliflower, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup Pepper Jack cheese, shredded

**Can substitute 1 can {12 oz} evaporated milk and 2 cups water for the 2 cups milk and 1 1/2 cups water.

In a large saucepan, melt margarine or butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook until golden, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Whisk in flour and salt. Gradually stir in milk, chicken broth, and water. 

Add cauliflower and heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer until cauliflower is tender, about 15 minutes. 
In blender (with center part of blender cover removed to allow steam to escape), blend cauliflower mixture at low speed in small batches until very smooth. {Don't let this step deter you from making the soup! Blending it is really easy and so worth the extra 3 minutes. The most annoying part are the added dishes!} 
Return cauliflower mixture to saucepan; heat over medium heat until hot, stirring occasionally. Remove saucepan from heat; stir in mustard and 1 1/2 cups cheese until melted and smooth. Serve soup with remaining cheese as a garnish.  (I added bacon on top as well.  Everything is better with bacon).   

Now for the bacon avocado grilled cheese sandwich...
We just piled pepper jack cheese, cooked bacon, avocado, and tomatoes onto some bread and grilled it all together in a sandwich maker.  Be sure to butter your bread before putting it on the grill.  It's super easy and delicious.  Soup and sandwiches are the perfect combo!

On the home front.

Here are the last of the pictures from DELDEN'S visit here.  These pictures were taken around Laie and north shore.  

We loved having Dora and Kelden here!  I wish they would have stayed longer.  There were so many more things that we wanted to do but didn't have time for.  Adventures never stop in Hawaii.  

Clark & Monique.

Check out this maternity shoot I did of our friends Clark and Monique.  Now up on the PHOTO BLOG!

The day we did a lot of stuff.

We started off they day by waking up at 5 in the morning.  It's a miracle that I got out of bed that early.  
First, we watched the sunrise at CHINA MAN'S HAT.  It was totally worth waking up before the crack of dawn so we could capture this moment.

Afterwards, we went for a drive.  And of course, I had to stop for some pictures.

We stopped by LANIKAI beach and walked around with the soft, powdery sand between our toes.  The water really looked that turquoise.  It is one of the most beautiful beaches I have been to.

We hiked the MAKAPU'U LIGHTHOUSE TRAIL and enjoyed the amazing view from the top.  

Then we went snorkeling at HANAUMA BAY, which is probably the best snorkeling spot on the island.  

Don't worry, I still have MORE pictures of DELDEN'S stay here.  Stay tuned.    

Somewhere off the side of the road.

While DELDEN was here, we did a lot of adventuring.  We went on drives around the island, stopping whenever and wherever we wanted.  We found some awesome places with really cool scenery.  Here's a little taste of what we saw.

Kevin & Camille.

Picnics on the beach are so romantic.  Check out this engagement session on my PHOTO BLOG!