Monday, April 7

Brownie bottomed cheesecake topped with fresh berries and a balsamic reduction. Husbands are pretty great. Or at least mine is. Want to know what makes my husband super? 1) He goes to the store at 6:00 am to buy me tampons when I am  out. Seriously, as if tampon purchases are not awkward enough... try being a dude and having to do it.

2) He tells me that I am  beautiful on days I am  too tired to care about makeup and clothes. He might even compliment me on the weird layered sun dress, yoga pants,  running shoes and sweatshirt look I rock. He also thinks it is super sexy when I wear red wool knee socks over my leggings with clogs. (Kidding... he actually makes fun of me for that one.)

3) He spends at least an hour every night talking over my super duper exciting day filled with cupcakes and diapers. And he actually cares about the Asshat who left me a mean comment on Facebook.

4) He goes to work every day to make a comfortable living so I can stay home and pursue my passions and spend time with the kids.

5) He will eat all the food I prepare.... even when it is really shitty and gross. (I have at least 1 flub a week...)

6) When I try showing off and kick the soccer ball over the fence, which then makes the kids cry because it was their new ball (soccer mom of the year!)... he will un-nail the privacy fence and climb through pricker bushes to retrieve it.

7) He will watch hours of Special Victim's Unit and The Good Wife because he knows I love it.

8) When I have an anxiety attack over my current work load, he tells me to take the weekend off and relax. When I get worked up there is no one that can make me feel calm again except for him. See? He is pretty much the best. Tampons. Seriously. To repay him for all the awesomeness he brings to my day. I made him this cheesecake. My thought was that I'd bring it into his work and share it with him... but then I remembered he doesn't like cheesecake. And then I messed it all up slicing and decided to keep it.

Wife of the year.

For the Brownie Layer:
1/2 cup of butter
2 oz unsweetened bakers chocolate
2/3 cups granulated sugar
2 tbs plain Greek yogurt
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup all purpose flour

For the Cheesecake:
3 8oz packages of cream cheese, room temperature
3 large eggs
1 tbs vanilla extract
1/4 cup greek yogurt

1lb of fresh strawberries
3/4 cup balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small pan over low heat add the butter and chocolate for your brownie layer and melt. Remove and cool just slightly.

In a mixing bowl mix egg with, yogurt, sugar, salt until incorporated. Mix in the melted butter and chocolate. Fold in flower.

Spread into the bottom of a lightly greased 9-10inch springform pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick is inserted and comes out clean.

While the brownie layer bakes, prepare the cheesecake filling.

In the bowl of your electric mixer whip cream cheese with sugar until light and fluffy. Add in eggs one at a time, mixing completely before the addition of the next.

Mix in vanilla extract and greek yogurt.

Pour and spread evenly over the brownie layer.

Return to oven and bake for 40-50 minutes or until the center jiggles just slightly. If it starts to crack you are over baking it.

Turn oven off, crack and allow cheesecake to cool slowly to room temperature.

Refrigerate over night.

To assemble, hull and wash berries, place on top of the cheesecake.

Heat vinegar over low heat and bring to a low boil. Slowly cook until it has reduced in volume to about a 1/4 cup or is thick and syrup like.

Drizzle over the top of cheesecake and serve.
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