Great Big Fat & Happy Cheesecake with Fresh Blueberry Topping

                                                                           

As you can see this is one impressive Cheesecake & in the photo below you can tell this is serious Cheesecake!

This is impressive, delicious & not hard to make!

Cheese Cake Crust:

3 Cups Graham Cracker Crumbs, I just just crush 1 & 1/2 Sleeves of Graham Crackers

2 Heaping TBS Sugar

Dash of Salt

1/2 Cup Melted Butter

Combine dry ingredients n the bottom of your spring form pan. Make a well in the middle of the mixture & pour in the melted butter. Stir well. Now press the mixture into the bottom & up the sides of  the pan. The crumbs will reach a little over 1/2 up the sides of your pan & that is what it should be, not all the way up to the top. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. Remove & fill with your cheesecake mixture. I mix that up as the crust bakes!

CHEESECAKE FILLING:

4, 8 ounce blocks Cream Cheese softened to just room temperature

5 Eggs Beaten

1 Cup Sugar

Dash of Salt

2 TSP Vanilla

Beat the soft cream cheese, beat in the sugar & salt. Beat i eggs one at a time & beat until well beaten, soft & fluffy. Spoon into your prebaked crust. Smooth over the top gently. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes, lower temperature to 325 & bake 1 hour. Turn off oven crack open the door & let cheesecake sit in the oven for 1 hour. Remove from oven & chill. Let chill overnight or at least 6 hours. Once chilled remove cake from the spring form pan. Mine is a non stick & it easily come out of the pan. If using a regular spring form pan slide a knife around the edges to loosen. Now top with the fresh blueberry filling.

FRESH BLUEBERRY FILLING:

1 Pint Blueberries washed & stems removed

2/3 Cups Water

1/3 Cup Sugar

2 TBS Cornstarch

Dash of Salt

Cook blueberries the water until you see dark blue coloring in the water & the berries are bubbling. Stir Salt, sugar & cornstarch all together & the rapidly stir this into the berries. Cook & stir until mixture is bubbling & thick.  Remove from stove & let this cool down about 1/2 hour. Now take the cheesecake out of the refrigerator & spoon berry mixture of the cheesecake leaving the out rim as an edge for that delicious blueberry topping. Chill. Once chilled SERVE! 

Black Raspberry & Chocolate Muffins!

                                                                       

Oh my word, my two favorite flavors in one amazing muffin! Moist, intense with chocolate & juicy berry, this is one wonderful muffin! 2 ways to make these, leave berries whole & stir them in or do like I did this time, mash & strain berries through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth to remove the seeds!

2 Cups Flour

1/2 Cup Baking Cocoa

1 Cup Sugar

1 Tablespoon Baking Powder

1 Tsp Salt

2 Eggs Beaten

1 Cup Plain Yogurt

1/4 Vegetable Oil

1 Tsp Vanilla

1 Pint Black Raspberries, mashed & strained through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth OR leave berries whole.
OPTIONS TO ADD: 1 Cup Chocolate Chips, 1 Cup Chopped Nuts, almonds would be nice, or 1 Cup White Chocolate Chips

Stir the dry ingredients together , now add the yogurt, beaten eggs, vanilla & oil. Stir with a heavy spoon until combined do not over stir, just get a nice wet batter. Now either fold in those whole berries or stir in the berry puree. Preheat oven to 400. Either spray your muffin pa for 12 muffins or line with cupcake paper liners. I prefer to just spray my pan. I find paper liner a mess to peel & just a nuisance but that is just me! Now divide your batter evenly among the 12 wells. Bake for 20 minutes. Test to be sure the muffins are done. & Remove from oven. Let rest in the pan for about 3 minutes & then dump out onto a clean surface. Place each muffin upright & glaze with the following glaze a option of course!

MUFFIN GLAZE:

1/3 Cup Butter

2 Cups Powdered Sugar

1 Tsp Vanilla

Dash of Salt

2 TBS Hot Water

In a heavy saucepan melt butter add the vanilla & salt & stir. Now stir in the powdered sugar. It will be thick & lumpy, no worries. Now add very hot water 1 tablespoon at a time & stir until you get a syrup consistency, Cook stirring to a full boil. Remove from heat & brush hot glaze onto the hot muffins. Let cool & then YUM! 

Old Fashion Glazed Applesauce Cake

                                                                       

What a delightfully moist cake loaded with spices. This reminds me of a cake my Grandma Miller would have made! 

1&1/2 Cups of Sugar

1 Cup Shortening

2&1/2 Cups Applesauce, if using unsweetened add 1/2 Cup more sugar to the recipe

1 TSP Vanilla

1 TSP Cloves

1 TSP Allspice

2 TSP Cinnamon

1/4 TSP Nutmeg

1 TSP Ginger

4 TSP Baking Soda

1 TSP Salt

4 Cups Flour

Optional: 1 Cup Chopped Walnuts, Pecans or Raisins  I did not use them this time!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Beat Sugar, shortening, Vanilla  & Applesauce all together, it will be lumpy, no worries, it will be just fine. Stir all dry together (not the raisins or nuts) then slowly add dry to the applesauce mixture beating on low speed until all is combined. Then beat on high until well blended.  Now stir in by hand any of your options you choose, use nuts & raisins if you like! Once all is combined pour or spoon mixture into a bundt, angelfood cake, or a 9x13 UNGREASED pan!  Bake 45 minutes up to 1 hour test by inserting a clean knife or toothpick into the baked cake. No wet better on the knife or pick means the cake is done. Remove from oven & let cool 10 minutes then dump out that cake onto your serving plate. Immediately brush liberally with the following glaze that is still hot from the stove.

GLAZE: 

1/3 Cup Butter

2 Cups Powdered Sugar

1 TSP Vanilla

Dash of Salt

Melt butter on the stove in a heavy saucepan, Stir in sugar & vanilla. Now add just enough hot water until you get a syrupy texture glaze. Add about 2 TBS of the water doing 1 TBS at a time until it is like pancake syrup thickness! Now brush on the cake with a pastry brush or spoon over the cake. Once cake is cool this glaze gives a sweet crunch to each bite! It should, it is my glazed donut glaze recipe! As you all know I just love my glaze! Options instead of glaze could be Vanilla Frosting, or dust with powdered sugar, or just leave the cake plain with no topping! Vanilla Ice Cream along side this cake or a dollop of whipped cream would be nice too!

Cinnamon & Sugar Blonde Brownies

                                                                           

Why haven't I created these long before this is beyond me! After Chocolate, Cinnamon is my next all time favorite flavor. These are full of sweet & spicy, with a nice chewy brownie texture. OH, warm with some vanilla ice cream would be perfect! But just as they are, these Blonde Brownies are spectacular!

This recipes make a 9x13 inch pan of goodness!

3/4 Cup Butter Melted

2 Eggs Beaten

2 Teaspoons Vanila

1 & 1/2 Cup Sugar

1/2 Tsp Baking Soda

1/2 Tsp Salt

2 Cups Flour

2 Tsp Cinnamon
Additional options, stir in 1 cup of your favorite, chopped nuts, coconut for you coconut lover, raisins, Cinnamon Chips or White Chocolate Chips

5 TBS Sugar to sprinkle over the top

3 Tsp Cinnamon to Sprinkle over the top

Spray a 9x13 pan with baking spray & pre heat your oven to 350 degrees

Now, stir all the dry ingredients together except for the cinnamon & sugar to sprinkle over the top. Now into your dry ingredients add the beaten eggs, vanilla, & the melted butter. Stir until well blended. This will have the consistency of wet sand but sticks together! Now pat it into your prepared pan. Now either stir the cinnamon & sugar together & sprinkle it over the top or  do like I did & sprinkle the sugar over the top then sprinkle the cinnamon over the sugar. Bake 30 to 35 minutes! Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or at roon temperature. Sweet Cinnamon & Sugar Goodies!