{Fathers Day Part 2} Celebrating My Dad

I am blessed to be surrounded by many wonderful men and boys in my world. On fathers day I get to celebrate my husband, father in law and father, what a lucky girl! ;)

After a lunch with my wonderful in-laws, sunday evening saw a celebration at our house for MY dad.

Due to the busy day, I had the table set and meal ready to go into the oven thanks to my brother who helped out whilst we were at lunch.
I was searching my mind for an idea that would make the table seem 'festive' and 'masculine'. In the end I came up with a NO cost option that fit the bill. I put some sand from the sand pit into a vase, stuck a few big twigs in it and dangled mini newspaper planes from it. Created a sort of placemat/ tablecloth from brown paper (I got for $1 from the treasure shop).

This is how it turned out:


















Upon reflection, I would have written name places on the paper and left pencils on the table, cause the paper just begged for 'doodles' and writing on.

After the gift giving, we got ready for a feast.
The main meal was a delicious lamb and pork roast with smashed potatoes, roasted beetroot, asparagus, corn and it was a colorful and delicious meal.

The hero really was the dessert though. My dad loves coffee and cheesecake. So a mocha cheesecake with fresh berries seemed just the dish!







This recipe from taste.com.au was a winner!

Ingredients:
Melted butter, to grease
1 tbs instant coffee granules
1 tbs hot water
200g Arnott's Choc Ripple biscuits
125g butter, melted
200g milk chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 x 250g pkts cream cheese, at room temperature
1 x 395g can sweetened condensed milk
250ml (1 cup) thickened cream
1 punnet of strawberries to serve on top (instead of the whipped cream suggested)

1. Release the base from a 22cm (base measurement) springform pan and invert. Brush the pan with melted butter to grease. Line the base with non-stick baking paper, allowing the edges to overhang. Secure the base back into the pan.
2. Combine the coffee and water in a heatproof bowl. Set aside to cool slightly. (I made an espresso instead ;)
3. Place the biscuits in the bowl of a food processor and process until finely crushed. Add the butter and process until well combined.
4. Transfer to the prepared pan. Use the back of a spoon to spread and press firmly over the base. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill.
5. Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (make sure the bowl doesn't touch the water). Stir with a metal spoon until the chocolate melts and is smooth. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool. Add coffee when cool and stir.
6. Meanwhile, place the cream cheese, condensed milk and cream in the bowl of a food processor and process until the mixture is smooth.
7. Add the chocolate and coffee mixture to the cream cheese mixture and process until well combined.
8. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and use the back of a spoon to smooth the surface. Place in the freezer for 8 hours or until firm.
9. Remove the cheesecake from the freezer and set aside for 20 minutes to stand.
10. Use an electric beater to beat the extra cream in a bowl until soft peaks form. Spread the cream over the cheesecake and top with shaved chocolate to serve. [this step seemed a little too rich, so I just put a punnet of strawberries on top and it was delicious.]

Yum! I hope you all had a great day celebrating the men in your world.

Lauren x



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