Snowing, sun and warming later and a Chocolate Pecan Cheesecake to try out

Good Morning Augusta

This morning we have snow giving way to clearing skies for this afternoon with some sunshine. High will reach 37°F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph.

Tonight we'll have clear skies and a low around 20°F. Winds will be light and variable.

The readings from my weather instruments are:

Humidity is 80%, the Dew Point is 21.4°F and the outdoor temp is 27.3°F.

The wind direction is   North between 0.1 MPH and 0.2 MPH, generating a wind chill of 27.3°F.

The Relative pressure is 29.84, the Absolute pressure is 29.64 and rising with a weather graphic indicating sun.

The UV rating is 0 out of 16, Sunrise is 6:34 a.m. Sunset is 5:12 p.m., Moonrise is 8:06 a.m., Moonset is 8:11 p.m. and the moon phase is Waxing crescent being 7% illuminated.

The RAW METAR readings from Augusta's airport are:

SPECI KAUG 181212Z AUTO 34006KT 3/4SM -SN BR VV016 M04/M04 A2999 RMK AO2 P0001 T10391044

Visibility is 0.8 miles / 1.2 kilometers with clouds above this snowy mess somewhere.

We received at least 4 inches of snow over the past 24 hours and it's still coming down. It's still winter folks.

Space weather for today is:

Today's Solar flux is 70, the solar wind speed is 590  Kilometers per second and the chance of a solar storm is west

1%.

My second cheesecake recipe for this week has pecans as well as chocolate in it. Okay, I'm hooked. 

Chocolate-pecan cheesecake

PREP TIME: 15 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 50 minutes

SERVINGS: 8, or 2 chocoholics.

3 Tbsp bran cereal crumbs
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ c + 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
½ tsp instant coffee
⅓ c boiling water
8 oz fat-free cream cheese, softened
4 oz reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
½ c fat-free ricotta
⅔ c confectioners' sugar
2 eggs
1 egg white
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
½ oz bittersweet chocolate, shaved
2 Tbsp finely chopped pecans

1. POSITION an oven rack in the bottom third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Coat the bottom and sides of an 8" springform pan with cooking spray. Combine the cereal crumbs and cinnamon in a bowl. Sprinkle evenly over the pan bottom. Set aside.
2. COMBINE the cocoa powder, coffee, and water in a bowl. Stir until smooth. Set aside.

3. COMBINE the cream cheeses and ricotta in an electric mixer bowl. Beat at medium speed until smooth. Add the sugar. Reduce the speed to low and beat to incorporate. Add the eggs and egg white one at a time, beating until blended. Add the vanilla extract. Blend until smooth. Add the cocoa mixture and stir until completely incorporated. Pour into the prepared pan.

4. BAKE for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the outer edges are set but the center still jiggles. Sprinkle the chocolate shavings and pecans evenly over the cheesecake. Return the cheesecake to the oven and bake for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the chocolate melts.
5. REMOVE to a rack to cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Remove the sides of the pan and cut into 8 wedges.

NUTRITION (per serving) 168 cal, 11 g pro, 19 g carb, 12 g sugar, 1 g fiber, 6 g fat, 2 g sat fat, 270 mg sodium