The (Wo)Man Who is in the Arena

Theodore Roosevelt 1910:

"It is not the critic who counts, nor the man who points how the strong man stumbled or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly... who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at best, knows the triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.

Tie-Dyed Red Velvet Cheesecake Recipe

Tie-Dyed Red Velvet Cheesecake Recipe

by Nicole Weston

... It has a red velvet cake layer at the bottom instead of a more traditional crust and once it has been baked, the cake is topped with a cheesecake mixture and baked again. The colors in the cake are all produced with food coloring, including the red velvet cake layer. The best way to start here is by using a boxed cake mix.

Here is the recipe:

Tie-Dyed Red Velvet Cheesecake
(adapted from 101 Things to do with a Cake Mix)
Red Velvet Crust:
1 box Red Velvet Cake Mix (or white cake mix with red food coloring), prepared according to box directions.

Pour 1/2 of cake mix into a greased 9-inch springform pan and bake according to the directions on the box for a 9-inch layer cake. Discard extra batter.
Allow cake layer to cool completely in the pan. Set aside.

Cheesecake:
16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
2 large eggs
1/4 cup sour cream
food coloring

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar,
vanilla and almond extract until smooth.
Beat in eggs one at a time, then add in sour cream.
Divide mixture into 5 small bowls and add the following
colors to each one: pink, yellow, blue, green and purple.

Pour batters onto cake base in the 9-inch springform pan.
Do not swirl too much, so the colors will be clearly visible.
Bake 35 minutes, until the center is just about set when you jiggle the pan.
Allow to cool completely and refrigerate before serving.
Run a knife the cake to release it before removing sides of pan.
Serves 12.

recipe from kathyeats.com

Baked Oatmeal Snack Bars

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups rolled oats
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 3/4 cup dried fruit (I used 1/4 cup cranberry trail mix, 1/4 cup raisins, 1/4 cup chopped dried "just banana" from TJ’s)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1.25 cups skim milk
• 1 egg or egg substitute
• 1 tsp vanilla

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350*
2. Mix dry ingredients.
3. Mix wet ingredients.
4. Pour wet into dry. Stir to combine.
5. Pour into a 9×9 baking dish either coated in cooking spray or lined with parchment.
6. Bake for 40 minutes.
7. Cut into 9 squares.

Makes 9 servings . Each bar is appx. 165 calories, 3 grams fiber and 5 grams protein.

You can double the recipe and use a 9×13 baking dish. While delicious, the only sweetness in these comes from the dried fruit. Add in 1/4 - 1/2 cup brown sugar if you like.

The variations are endless: cranberries, coconut, all kinds of dried fruit, nuts, etc.