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Dorina Lazo Gilmore-Young

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Chai Cheesecake: Add a little spice to your celebration

I’m a chai lover. If you haven’t had chai, it’s a tea using Indian-inspired spices. The word chai literally means tea. This tea feels very fall to me – full of cinnamon, cardamom and ginger. Everyone mixes their chai a little differently. Chai lattes are very popular and often make the drink list at local coffee shops. My daughters and I have been drinking chai together for years. I have a small group of mama friends, and we lovingly call ourselves the “Chai Sisters.” We raised our babies together, and whenever we gather, we drink chai.

A few years ago, I entered a baking contest at the Big Fresno Fair. My Chai Cheesecake recipe won second place in the Malt-o-Meal Creations contest. The crust was made from crushed cereal made by Malt-o-Meal. I made a couple of cheesecakes to perfect the crust and Chai filling mixture. The following recipe was the result, although I tweaked this crust so you don’t have to specifically use that cereal. This cheesecake has half the sugar most recipes require. Instead, the spices mixed with cream cheese give this cheesecake it’s depth and more nuanced flavor.

My family and I had fun heading down to the Big Fresno Fair and watching the judging. Surprise, surprise – 100 percent of the entries were desserts. The judges did deliberate. They announced the winners and my “Chai Cheesecake with Honey Nut Crust” was awarded 2nd place and $50. I was honored to stand next to Pearl, the first place winner. She was the sweetest older lady who was blind and had entered 20 other desserts in the fair as well. Her Raspberry Crunch Pie deserved first!

This Chai Cheesecake has become one of my signature desserts. My daughter Meilani, who fell in love with chai at probably age 4 at a Chai Sister gathering, requested this cheesecake for her 8th grade promotion celebration this week. I happily obliged to make it – mostly so I could lick the bowl.

Ingredients:

4 cups almond flour (or Trader Joe’s cinnamon graham crackers, crushed)

1/4 cup organic sugar

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

4 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup organic sugar

4 cage-free large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon cardamom

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoons cinnamon

½ pint whipping cream

1 tablespoon organic sugar

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix together almond flour or crushed graham crackers, sugar and butter oil in a bowl. Press into the bottom of a greased (round) 9-inch spring form or other cake pan and bake for 10 minutes to set. Remove from oven and cool.

3. Meanwhile, blend softened cream cheese and sugar with hand mixer. Make sure the cream cheese is very soft before you begin. Otherwise, the cheesecake will be lumpy instead of smooth.

4. Add eggs one at a time and blend until mixture is smooth.

5. Add vanilla, ginger, cardamom, ground cloves, ground nutmeg and cinnamon to the cream cheese mixture.

6. Pour over crust. Smooth top with a spreader.

5. Bake for one hour. (DO NOT open oven while your cheesecake is baking. This can cause cracks in the top. Resist the urge. You can turn on your oven light and check on your cheesecake. If the top starts to crack, remove immediately.)

6. Remove and cool. Chill at least two hours before slicing.

7. Whip cream and add 1 tablespoon of sugar. Spoon a dollop on top of cheesecake slices with a sprinkle of cinnamon.

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May 22, 2020 Categories: GeneralTagged: dessert, food stories, recipes

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Meet Dorina

Aloha, friend! If you love stories, you are in the right place. I write about grief, glory, running, food, and more. I hope these words inspire you to chase after God’s glory in your life today!

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🥂Shawn and I celebrated our fifth anniversary this weekend with another epic running + foodie adventure. 🏃🏽‍♀️This time we stayed ...

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🥂Shawn and I celebrated our fifth anniversary this weekend with another epic running + foodie adventure. 🏃🏽‍♀️This time we stayed closer to home and hiked three waterfalls - Red Rock Falls and Corlieu Falls on the Lewis Creek Trail and the new-to-us Chinualna Falls at Yosemite National Park!
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The weather was pretty amazing for January! ☀️ Grateful to live so close to all this glory and for some much-needed quality time with my hot hubby! 🏞 
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We were reminiscing about the fun anniversary running adventures we have had through the years together: {Swipe left for a few pics from the past!}
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4️⃣ Along the Embarcadero and piers in San Francisco
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3️⃣ Up to the top of Airport in the Sky on Catalina Island
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2️⃣ Along the Pacific Coast to Fiscalini Ranch in Cambria 
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1️⃣ Across the Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii Volcanos National Park on the Big Island of Hawaii
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Yes, we are crazy! In love! 💞 Friends, we are not promised tomorrow so date your spouse, get outside, and chase His glory today! 
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✨”We will rebuild,
reconcile and recover
in every known nook of our nation,
in every corner called our country
our people ...

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Jan 21

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✨”We will rebuild,
reconcile and recover 
in every known nook of our nation, 
in every corner called our country
our people diverse and beautiful will emerge 
battered and beautiful. 
When day comes, 
we step out of the shade 
aflame and unafraid.
The new dawn blooms
as we free it.
For there is always light. 
If only we’re brave enough to see it. 
If only we’re brave enough to be it.”✨
-@AmandascGorman
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Listening to these spoken words tonight 
as my girls and I make an Inauguration meal
and watch history unfold.
It seems appropriate that on this
of all nights we chose 
to travel to India through
the passageway
of our own kitchen.
.
We knead and roll,
lift and tuck
the samosa dough.
Our hands work together
in a kind of rhythm and dance.
We sway in the aroma of spices -
turmeric, garam masala,
chili pepper and sea salt -
All ingredients are welcome here - 
peas, carrots, onions, potatoes.  We wait for the the Instant Pot to whistle
Let freedom ring - 
and swirl cream into
butter chicken sauce.
We pour cups of chai,
and I cup my three girls freckled faces.
I look into their almond eyes
and see courage, 
smell cardamom, and spoon sugar.
We dream of the day when
girls wearing pearls and caramel skin 
will be welcomed as world leaders. 
And someday is here.
.
We close our day with
prophecy and poetry.
.
Amen.
.
.
.
#inauguration2021
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We love Pastor Josh Hawley’s perspective on running your own race and staying in your own lane.  In Season 2,  Episode 2 of the #WalkRunSoar podcast @hawley.josh encouraged us to pivot away from comparison and run our race to the best of our abilities for the glory of God.
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🎧 Listen to Season 2, Episode 2 of the Walk Run Soar podcast anywhere you play your podcasts! 📺 We also have a YouTube version if you like to see facial expressions! 
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✈️ This year our family is traveling the world from the comfort of home. We are sharing stories, recipes, and resources in case you would like to join us and explore a country and culture along with us. The goal is simply to make memories and explore the world through food, books, music, and movies. You have freedom to make this experience your own! 🌎
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This week we would like to invite you on a “trip” to Armenia. My mother-in-law’s family is originally from Armenia so we invited Grandma Chris and Grandpa Larry to join us for this adventure. We picked out a few recipes to try making from scratch and Grandma picked up some favorites from Nina’s Bakery, which is one of the top spots in Fresno for Armenian delights.
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My late husband Ericlee Gilmore’s great-grandpa was Garabed Bedrosian. He was born in 1883 into extreme poverty in Armenia. His father died when was 9, and he helped his mother to care for the family of five children. Three years after his father’s death, Garabed witnessed the Armenian Genocide. Many were killed. His own village was set on fire, but the family managed to escape to the home of an uncle in a different village.
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When the crisis passed, they returned to their home to see what was left. Through that winter, Garabed watch his brothers and sister pass away. He and his mother were the only survivors. {For the full story of how Garabed and his family immigrated to the United States, check out my blog at www.DorinaGilmore.com}
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For our Armenian feast, Grandma Chris made her signature pilaf. I made chicken kebabs, hummus, and paklava with my girls. The rest we ordered from Nina’s Bakery. As Grandma Chris describes it, this is a legit Armenian bakery complete with the grandmas in the back rolling the dolma. Yummy!
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🏃🏽‍♀️Hey, friend! If you are a walker or a runner who has a hunch that running and faith are intricately connected, you’re in the right place.
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If you’re a runner who wants to accomplish your physical goals, but also longs for a more personal connection with God, then we
need to chat.
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If you’re a runner who deep down wants your training to engage the body, mind, soul, and spirit, I am with you.
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If you have ever felt out of breath or stuck in life, I am here to help you find new strength to press on. I can certainly relate.
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My heart is to run alongside you this year and help coach you to connect with God, develop muscle memory, and catch a second wind to soar to the finish line. Whether you are a walker or a seasoned
runner, my new book Walk Run Soar was designed with you in mind.
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In this 52-week experience, I encourage you to read one devotional at the start of each week, and then spend time journaling and taking the faith steps throughout your week. Let’s walk, run, and soar together in 2021!🏃🏽‍♀️
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👉🏽More details at www.DorinaGilmore.com
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