Simple Cheesecake

          It's supposed to get cold again this week, following a couple of unseasonably warm days. I really don't mind very much. I kind of enjoy the cold, as long as it's dry. Either way, winter weather always puts me in the mood to bake. Last weekend my sweet tooth started missing the holiday goodies. Being rather late in the evening, I took stock of the pantry and proceeded accordingly. I had all the fixin's to make one of my husbands favorites: cheesecake.
          This is a very simple and relatively fast recipe. I had no ready-made pie crust, but I did have a pack of graham crackers. I did something I hadn’t done in years: I made one from scratch. I needed to look up the recipe in good old Betty Crocker, it had been so long. I was really glad for my Cuisinart when it came to turning the crackers into crumbs. I only had half a bag of chocolate chips, and soft cream cheese, not a brick. Even so, the cake turned out just fine. The only difference I noticed was that the chips sunk through the softer batter and created a chocolate layer at the bottom. 

Chocolate Chip Cream Cheesecake
Heat oven to 350°

2 - 8oz. packages cream cheese, softened (light is ok)

½ cup sugar

½ tsp. vanilla

2 eggs, slightly beaten

½ cup chocolate chips

1 graham cracker or chocolate cookie pie crust

Mix cream cheese, sugar and vanilla on medium speed of electric mixer. Add eggs and beat until well blended. Stir in the chocolate chips. Pour into crust.  Bake at  350° for 40 minutes. Cool completely before slicing.

You can substitute peanut butter chips or white chocolate chips, if you prefer. For a double chocolate cake, add a tablespoon of chocolate syrup in with the sugar and omit the vanilla.

Graham Cracker Crust

1½ cups graham cracker crumbs

2 tbsp. sugar

5 tbsp. melted butter

Combine crumbs and sugar in the bottom of a pie pan. Stir in melted butter until completely moistened. Press crumbs against bottom and sides of pan to make a crust. 

December Birthdays

           Our family is heavy on December birthdays. My oldest son, my daughter, my niece, and my granddaughter all celebrate within a two week window, between the 9th and the 20th. With all those birthdays, and all the sweets that are around this time of year, it's a challenge to come up with something different. Being holiday time, it's also good to stay on a sane budget. Doing parties at home is a good start. Using discount stores and Goodwill also helps.
           Last Monday, Jordan turned six. At her request, she had a fancy "Mad Hatter" tea party, complete with all the trimmings. Jordan insisted that the invitations said "fancy", just to make sure...of course, Laura assured all the moms that fancy dress was optional.
          So, twelve little princesses in party dresses decorated dollar store easter hats with colored feathers and silk flowers. The only boy, 7-year-old cousin Jett, in shirt and tie, had a top hat to decorate. One of the moms helped with hot glue, another gave age-appropriate manicures, and another styled hair. When everyone was finished creating, we had a fashion parade through the house.
          Then it was time for snacks and presents. The tables were set with purple plastic tablecloths, white paper doilies, several borrowed teapots, and "crystal" teacups, actually re-
purposed punch  cups. Refreshments were hot cider, finger sandwiches, (cucumber with cream cheese, and peanut butter & jelly), and candle topped chocolate-cherry cupcakes.
         As usual, Laura out did herself with the cupcakes. Her creation was a combination of two recipes, and was absolutely delectable. With her permission, I'll share her version with you. A bit labor intensive, but rivals anything from a bakery.

Chocolate-Cherry Cupcakes
Makes about 24 cupcakes

Heat oven to 375f

1 box chocolate fudge cake mix
1 2/3 flat black cherry soda (or amount equal to water in mix directions)
1 30oz. can cherry pie filling
1 pint heavy whipping cream
24 maraschino cherries

Prepare cake per box directions, substituting cherry soda for the water. Fill paper lined cupcake tin about 2/3 full. Bake as directed.

When completely cool, use a sharp paring knife to cut a small hole in the top of each cupcake. Fill each with two cherries and a bit of pie filling sauce. Replace the cake plug.

Whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Using a frosting tip, pipe whipped cream in a swirl to frost each cupcake. Top with a maraschino cherry. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.