Arroz con Leche *recipe edited*

I couple of months back I posted up a recipe for arroz con leche that I found online, I do love that recipe but it didn't turn out as creamy as I liked so I instead came up with another way to make it and it's a much more simple recipe. 

Arroz con leche

1 1/2 cups rice 

6 cups of milk (I used whole milk)

2 cinnamon sticks

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 cup condensed milk

*orange peel or orange zest

*1-2 cups of milk

In a pot add the milk, cinnamon sticks, ground cinnamon and rice. Turn the stove onto medium high heat and bring the mix to a low boil, make sure to watch the pot because it will boil over quickly if you aren't paying attention. While you are bringing it to a boil make sure to mix it so the rice doesn't get stuck to the bottom.

After about 7-8 minutes the mix should start to boil, mix again and then turn the heat low (on my stove I turned it down to a 2). Cover the pot and let cook for about 10 minutes (again make sure you stick around to make sure it doesn't boil over) there will start to be more rice than liquid, stir again making sure to scrape the bottom of the pot. Let cook for another 10 minutes, by this time the liquid will be almost gone and you can take it off the heat. Add in the condensed milk and vanilla, mix and serve while warm, you can sprinkle a little more ground cinnamon ontop. 

*I usually add in an orange peel or orange zest to my rice pudding to give it a subtle zing to the pudding but I didn't have oranges so I omitted them this time, but if you do add in the orange peel place it in the pot at the same time you place in the cinnamon sticks to let the Orange flavor develop in the rice pudding and remove when you are ready to serve. 

*Also if you like your rice pudding a little creamier just add 1-2 more cups of milk when most of the liquid is evaporated, mix in the milk and let it cook for another 5 minutes before removing from heat and adding the rest of the ingredients. 

Guava Cheesecake

I found this absolutely delicious recipe for a New York cheese cake a while back and it has been my go to recipe ever since. Around thanksgiving with my younger sister pregnant with her first baby and my husband acting like a pregnant woman with his cravings, both begged me to make them a cheesecake but to incorporate guava into it and of course I couldn't say no to a pregnant woman...or my husband. I made a few alterations to the original recipe like adding a crust and not using multiple bowls {I mean who really wants extra dishes to wash}. The site for the original recipe also gave me a great idea on how to prevent leaks into the springform pan using a crockpot liner. If you are planning on making this for a dinner or party make it a day or two ahead of time so you give it enough time to chill in the fridge {cheesecake is always best the next day}.

Guava Cheesecake 

3 cups of vanilla wafers 

8tbsp + 2tbsp unsalted butter room temp 

4 8oz packs of cream cheese room temp

5 large eggs room temp

1 pint sour cream room temp

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 tbsp corn starch 

2 tsp vanilla extract 

2 tsp lemon juice 

2 tsp lemon zest

1/2 package of a 14oz guava paste

1/4 cup water 

Preheat the over to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. 

In a food processor add in the vanilla wafers and 2 tbsp of butter. Blend the two together until the cookies are fully crushes and start to clump together. Press the crumble into the bottom of a springform pan and let chill in the fridge while you make the cheesecake mix.

In a bowl mix the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Mix in the sour cream and eggs one at a time until smooth. Next add in the sugar, cornstarch, vanilla extract, lemon juice and lemon zest. Set aside the mix and start on the guava mix.

In a small pot add the water and chop up the guava paste into small squares. Cook on medium heat, stir until the guava  paste has dissolved and the mix no longer has any lumps. Now you can either mix the guava mix with the cheese cake mix so you get a nice taste of guava in each bite or you can spoon pieces of the guava mixture into the cheesecake mix once the cheesecake mix is in the springform pan and use a tooth pick to lightly swirl the guava and create a nice marbled patten.

Place the cheesecake and place it into the crockpot liner then roll down the sides so that it doesn't touch the cheesecake. Grab a large casserole dish or pan that will be able to fit the springform pan inside to create a water bath for the cheesecake. Now fill the casserole dish with cold water so that it reaches about halfway up the pan. 

Place it into the preheated oven and bake for 2 hours and 15 minutes or until you can place a knife in the middle and it comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool for about 2 hours on the counter. Once cooled, cover and place in the fridge to set overnight. 

Recipe adaptation from http://foodforahungrysoul.blogspot.com/2010/12/new-york-cheesecake.html?m=1