Aloha!

We had Hawaiian Luau day at work last week. We all had to make something to bring in. I found a recipe for Pina Colada Cheesecake, it was incredible! I made a 9" one to bring to the office, but I had extra crust, filling, and topping so I made Jesson a little baby one in a ramekin. I took a picture because I am slightly obsessed with my food creations. The recipe is below as well.


PINA COLADA CHEESECAKE

This cheesecake is baked in a water bath, which allows it to cook at a slower, more even temperature. The texture was so nice-light, almost fluffy. Not the heavy dense cheesecake you might be used to. It is really a nice recipe. A hint-if your springform pan isn't completely watertight, be sure and wrap a couple of layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil around the pan to prevent water from seeping in and making the crust soggy.

Crust:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
½ cup shredded coconut, toasted
1 stick butter, melted
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix together the crust ingredients and press into bottom and up sides of aa 8 or 9” springform pan. (Wrap heavy duty foil around bottom of pan, 2 layers, so the water bath doesn’t seep into the crust.) Set in the refrigerator while you make the filling.

Filling:
3 8oz packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup coconut milk(I used the thickest part from a can of coconut milk)
½ teaspoon lemon zest
1 vanilla bean
½ teaspoon coconut extract(can omit if you don’t want a stronger coconut flavor)
3 tablespoons dark rum

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Begin to boil a large pot of water for the water bath.

Combine the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl if using a hand-mixer). Cream together until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Be sure to scrape down the bowl between each egg. Add coconut milk, seeds scraped from the vanilla bean, lemon zest, coconut extract and rum. Blend until smooth and creamy, but do not overbeat.

Pour batter into prepared crust and tap the pan on the counter a few times to bring all air bubbles to the surface. Place the pan into a larger pan and pour boiling water into the larger pan until halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan.

Bake 45 to 55 minutes, until it is almost done. This can be hard to judge, but you’re looking for the cake to hold together, but still have a lot of jiggle to it in the center. You don’t want it to be completely firm at this stage. Close the oven door, turn the heat off, and let rest in the cooling oven for one hour. This lets the cake finish cooking and cool down gently enough so that it won’t crack on the top. After one hour, remove cheesecake from the oven and carefully lift out of the water bath. Let it finish cooling on the counter, and then cover and refrigerator until overnight.

Topping:
1 cup finely chopped fresh pineapple
¼ cup sugar
1/3 cup water
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1/8 cup rum
½ cup toasted coconut
½ cup toasted macadamia nuts or pecans, chopped

Place pineapple in a small saucepan. Stir the cornstarch and sugar together and add to the pineapple. Heat to boiling. Cook and stir until clear and thick, about 2 minutes. Take off heat and cool. Add the rum and stir until combined.

When topping is cool, spread over top of cheesecake and sprinkle the toasted coconut and chopped nuts on top.

Ooops

Jesson and I grocery shop in cycles. We'll usually go to the store, load up on everything, and then not go again for 3 weeks or so. This means that by the end of the three week cycle we're getting pretty low on everything. Recently, when that happened, we were grilling one of the last steaks we had for dinner when my mom called. She had made dinner and wanted to invite us over. You didn't have to ask us twice, it was bound to be better than whatever we were going to try and put together. So we headed over and had a great time. As we are leaving, Jesson says, "I don't think I turned off our grill..." In the excitement of having real food not cooked by us we left the house and completely forgot about the steak we had been making. By the time we got home, it was fairly well done. Below are the results.

Living a Nightmare

As a horse owner, there are a few things that you live in fear of. Colic, torn ligaments and tendons, nails through hooves, trailer accidents, etc. The last in that list happened to me on Saturday. I hope it never happens again. It was easily the most helpless I have felt in my entire life. Here is what happened.

My friend Jan and I were going about two hours north of here to Misty Morning Hounds to compete in a Hunter Pace. It is a 5 mile course that is timed but you do not know the time when you start out, you have to go at the pace that you think is most reasonable. The team closest to the Pace time wins.

We met at the barn at about 5:30am and fed our two horses and got everything packed into the trailer. We loaded the boys up and headed out. We had gone about 5 miles and were almost to the interstate when we felt a small bump. We looked at eachother and Jan eased off the gas and gently applied the break. That is when all hell broke loose.

The trailer must have come off the ball on the hitch because all of a sudden the truck was shoved from behind (by the 5-6K pounds of trailer and horse behind us!) and was spun almost 180 degrees, so that we were now facing into oncoming traffic. The trailer jack knifed and then whipped around behind the truck, breaking all attachment to the truck at that point (safety chains included) The trailer then took off on its own across the six lanes of traffic and headed straight towards a curb, house, and irrigation ditch all at once. All I could do was watch my horse in this death trap as it flew towards the other side of the road.

Jan and I were both fine. We jumped from the truck and she ran for the horses while I grabbed the phone and called 911. Amazingly enough, both boys were completely fine and were munching their hay when we got to them, muttering about crappy women drivers. The pictures tell the rest of the story, except that we couldn't get the horses out of the trailer! The bottom of the trailer was too close to the ground and the ramp wouldn't open. A few beatings with a crow bar later by one determined tow truck driver and we were able to get them out.

It all started on the left of this picture near that tree. That is where the trailer hit the truck and spun us around. Then the trailer flew across all these lanes of traffic and ended up in the ditch.

When we got over to it, this is what we saw. That is Reno's butt on the right for those of you that wanted to know. You can see how close it got to these people's house. There was apparently a woman working in her office in this corner of the house, so thankful the trailer stopped where it did!
This was the view of the left side of the trailer. The front was crumpled in and the hitch was buried in the ground. This is why we buy STEEL framed trailers!
This was the view from the other side of the trailer. You can see how far off the ground the trailer actually was. This was about 3 1/2 - 4 feet off the ground.

This was what the boys did while they waited for us to bust them out. Notice that Copperfield took way more advantage of the hay net than Reno! If they had been in there much longer, we were going to make Reno share some of his! Also, in this picture you can see there is no bar in front of Reno. When we loaded him there was a steel bar there. With the "sudden stop" he crashed through the bar and it was laying on the ground.

Engrish

Mom ordered Dad a motorcycle jacket for his birthday. It came from Thailand and this is the note that was inside:

Jesson in the News

Jesson has been practicing a form of martial arts called "Krav Maga" for over 6 months now. They did an article on his gym and though he wasn't quoted in the article, they used a picture of he and his instructor practicing. Below is the picture with the caption and then the full article. Enjoy!

Jesson Bateman, 27, and Steven Faison, 23, warm up with some krav maga techniques as instructor Steve Del Castillo looks on.

Premier Martial Arts of Tampa teaches Israeli fighting system krava maga

By Mike Camunas, Times Staff Writer In Print: Thursday, March 26, 2009

LUTZ
Defense wins games. • That's an old saying in sports. And though in the krav maga classes hosted by Premier Martial Arts of Tampa, there are no games or sport applications, it can, however, win a battle. • In some cases, the battle of life or death.

"Its only purpose is to get home alive at the end of the day," Shihan and instructor of krav maga Steve Del Castillo said. "It really is a practical self defense technique. Everybody needs self defense nowadays, and this is one that keeps you on the defensive."

Krav maga (pronounced krahv magah) is used on a day-to-day basis by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) including their Special Forces Units, Israeli police and Internal Security branches. In the United States, it's used by the NYPD, the FBI and the U.S. Armed Forces. It originated in the 1930s by Imi Lichtenfeld, its primary founder, who fled Czechoslovakia to the British Palestine Mandate, now Israel, where it was further developed by the defense forces.

The form is more of a survival system, considered to be a modern street-fighting system, designed to be used against armed and unarmed attackers. This form uses a variety of punches, kicks, chokes, bear hugs, headlocks, grabs and defenses against multiple attackers and assailants armed with any sort of weapon. During the class, participants will team up on each other, as well as use plastic handguns to simulate situations.

But krav maga isn't about going all Steven Seagal on someone. It's more like going all Jackie Chan.

"My old instructor used to say, 'Not real pretty, but real hard,' " Del Castillo said. "It's not quite as much of an art as it is martial. It's a fighting system used to defend yourself, not beat someone up."

Columbus Blue Jackets?

Buddy and I went to the Tampa Bay Lightning vs. the Columbus Blue Jackets game this past Tuesday. Apparently they are an official NHL team. We had never heard of them. We think they meant to call themselves the Yellow Jackets and just got confused. We didn't care because our seats were 7 rows from the glass! The game was very close but the Lightning managed to pull it off 2-1 in overtime! Buddy and I both had a ton of fun!

On March 20th and 21st my Mom and I went to Time Out for Women in Orlando. It is put on by Deseret Book and has become an annual tradition of ours since the event started back in 2003. There are inspirational speakers and song writers and it truly does feel like a time out from life. For those two days you rememer why we're here and where we're going and what is important in life. You also remember that, no matter how you were feeling when you first got there, we are all daughters of our Heavenly Father and are stronger than we think. There are still a few events left this year and, if you've never been, I can't recommend it enough. Here is a link to their website to see if there are any events in your area: http://deseretbook.com/time-out

This year, there was a new presenter there by the name of Mark Mabry. He is a photographer who did an entire series on the life of Christ. His pictures are amazing, but, the stories that go along with each of them are equally amazing. The presentation he gave was very humbling as was his own personal story. It reminded me that we each have internal work to do and that we each have talents to magnify. Here is a link to his website and more information about his photographs which have been assembled into a book called "Reflections of Christ": www.reflectionsofchrist.org

New Job!

I started a new job about two weeks ago, on March 16th. I work for USAA in their Member Relationship division. I love my new job! Here are a few of the perks:

On Site Gym: This is not just any gym. It is amazing, state of the art! All the treadmills/stair steppers/elipticals have their own flat screen tv's with headphone jacks and DVD players, so you can watch whatever you want while you are working out! They have work out clothes there for you that you just throw down the laundry shoot when you are done. They have a sauna and showers with shampoo, conditioner, body wash, hair spray, hair gel, blowdryers, straightners, q-tips, cotton balls...you name it! They said they don't want anyone to have any excuses not to work out! Plus they have group fitness classes before work and a few during the day so you can go on your lunch breaks. Two days last week, during lunch, I took a yoga class. Too cool!

The Cafeteria: Yes, yes, I love food. But this is not regular cafeteria food. This is gourmet, fresh salad and pasta bar made exactly how you want it! The menus change all the time and there are always healthy options. Plus, the healthier you eat, the cheaper it is! For example, there are three fresh soups everyday and the healthy soup is always cheaper than the other two. Even in the vending machines, the water is cheaper than the Diet Coke which is cheaper than the regular Coke. They said they want to encourage people to make healthier eating choices. If you don't feel like eating in the cafeteria, you can eat in one of the two break rooms on each floor that overlook the lake.

Covered Parking: There is a six story garage with plenty of parking for everyone. This may not seem exciting to some people, but for those of us that have walked out to our cars in the middle of July in Florida only to have our skin melt the second we got in, you know how exciting covered parking is! Plus, during the rainy season this summer, I will not need my umbrella! Yay!

Flexible Schedule: Once my training is over I will be moving to a four day work week. I will go from driving over 300 miles per week to only driving about 160 and I get a whole extra day off!

So those are the highlights of my new job. In this economy I am very thankful to be employed, but even more thankful given my new working conditions!

4 Years and Counting!

February 18th marked our 4th anniversary. We both agreed that it feels like we just got married yesterday but at the same time feels like we have been married forever, if that makes any sense!

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day this year started with Jesson surprising me with a beautiful bouquet of yellow Tulips and a very sweet card that said "I Love You".

That evening Jesson and I went to a cooking class with my parents. The class was a ton of fun and the food was amazing! Below are pictures of each of the courses.

We started with an oyster shooter. It was a single oyster in a cream sauce. I am not an oyster fan but I thought it was fantastic!

Next was a round of Camembert cheese that had been warmed and melted in the oven with sauteed wild mushrooms and walnuts on top. We ate that on top of a thinly sliced french bread.

Our first main dish was a pasta with a lobster cream sauce. Those are fresh chunks of lobster on top of the pasta, they just melted in your mouth!

Next was a thinly sliced, herb rubbed steak over a bed of arugula with a dressing of olive oil and lemon juice with fresh shaved parmesan cheese.

For dessert there was a chocolate cupcake with creme fraiche, a balsamic reduction, and fresh berries.

We all had a great time and will hopefully be going back for another class soon!

Big Cat Rescue

Jesson has started volunteering at the Big Cat Rescue right here in Tampa. Their website is: www.bigcatrescue.org and their purpose is:

"Big Cat Rescue, a non profit educational sanctuary, is devoted to rescuing and providing a permanent home for exotic (i.e. wild, not domestic) cats who have been abused, abandoned, bred to be pets, retired from performing acts, or saved from being slaughtered for fur coats, and to educating the public about these animals and the issues facing them in captivity and in the wild.

The sanctuary is home to the most diverse population of exotic cats in the world, with 16 species and subspecies of wild cat represented among more than 100 residents. These include tigers, lions, liger, leopards, cougars, bobcats, lynx, ocelots, servals, caracals and others, many of whom are threatened, endangered, or now extinct in the wild."

Below are some of the new "friends" that Jesson has made at the rescue:

Sabre the Black Leopard:
Aspen Echo the Cougar:

Zeus the Siberian Lynx:

Cheetaro the Leopard:

China Doll the Bengal Tiger:

Grace the Ocelot:

Zabu the White Tiger:

Cameron the Lion:

Hockey Night in.....Tampa?

Jesson and I have had the chance to go to two different hockey games here in Tampa recently and have had a ton of fun! The first was the Islanders vs. the Lightning (Tampa won!). The second was the night before our 4th anniversary, the Lightning were playing the Chicago Blackhawks, who were Jesson's favorite team growing up. The Blackhawks won in the end, but not before Steve Stampko's of the Lightning scored a hat-trick!

West Edmonton Mall

While we were in Canada we took a day trip up to Edmonton, about 3 hours to the north. We visited Jesson's Aunt Kirsti and Uncle Brad as well as their little girl Skye. While there, we went to the West Edmonton Mall, which has a pirate ship, water park, skating rink, and much more all inside the mall! Below are a few pictures from "West Ed" as it is known.

Christmas Day 2008

Christmas Day was spent with the Novaks here in Tampa. The day after Christmas we flew to Calgary to spend 10 days with Jesson's family. Once again, we are so thankful that we were able to spend time around the holidays with both families!

Ryan had fun with his wrapping....
...and shared some of it with Nano!

The boys all put together Ryan's new computer.

Buddy hugged Mom, it was a rare event!

One of the gifts I gave Jesson was personalized Jones soda Rootbeer.

Jesson and I always take a day and go to Banff when we are up in Canada. On our way back to Calgary, we stopped in the small town of Canmore and got dessert at a small French restaurant. It was good and, due to the poor weather, we were the only ones there so we had excellent service!

We had strawberry crepes with chocolate sauce...

...and maple terrine with maple sauce.

Jesson had the change to play hockey the night before we left. He has not gained weight, those are hockey pads!

Christmas Eve Ride

On Christmas Eve Nano came out to the barn with me and took a spin around the pasture with Reno and I, and then decided that he needed to ride on Reno as well! He puts his front paws up on Reno's front legs and I can lean down and pick him up and put him in the saddle. Reno is a very good and patient boy to stand still for all of this! Jesson came out with us to take a few pictures. It was a great way to spend the morning.

It's a race! I wonder who will win...

Reno congratulating Nano on a well run race!

Time to go back to the barn. Nano was too tired to walk!

The face of a very happy dog!