Prepping for the holidays: Easy Peasy Cheesecake

Hello again!

Guess what I realized this week... 

Thanksgiving is only two weeks away!!!!!!

How did this happen? I have no idea. But here's the deal: I've got folks coming to town for Thanksgiving and I need to get on my hostess "A" game stat.

I took this (slight) panic as an opportune chance to get in a little practice. And what goes best with panic/stress? 

So in order to de-stress satisfy my inner fat kid while also getting in a little Thanksgiving practice, I decided to bake my first real, made from scratch cheesecake. 

A few weeks ago, my hubby bought me an amazing gift: 

(cue angelic music)

And let me tell you, since then I seem to have been overtaken by the spirit of Julia Child. Except shorter... and not quite as loud... or rich... or amazingly perfect at cooking. 

But at any rate, I've been finding any excuse to bake and use recipes that involve a stand mixer.

The aforementioned hubby LOVES cheesecake, and for a man that is not in to most desserts, that's really saying something. I have attempted the instant/no-bake boxes cheesecake versions before, but let's face it, those are not real cheesecakes. 

So I logged on to my never-fail source for great recipes: Pinterest, right? Wrong! Foodnetwork.com. Though I adore Pinterest, the fact that Food Network's reviews from users tell the real story behind the recipe is what has always helped me produce good dishes when the pressure is on to be perfect.

And on this day, the recipe I followed (rated 4.5 stars out of 5 by users) was courtesy of the Food Network Kitchen, so I knew it would be good.

...and it is. Oh. Em. Gee. It is. 

Let's get started. 

Here's what you'll need to create your own Dee-ee-Licious cheesecake:

Ingredients

Crust:

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 tablespoon sugar

Filling:

16 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

2/3 cup sugar

1 cup sour cream

5 large eggs, room temperature

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions

Go ahead and get that oven cranking to 350 degrees. Make sure your rack is in the middle of the oven.

Then, take the cream cheese and 5 eggs out of the fridge so they can warm to room temperature.

Now let's make the crust. 

If you have a food processor, or one of these bad boys with a processor attachment:

(Cuisinart smart stick=amazing)

then break your graham crackers in half, place them in your processor, and give them a good spin until they have no more large pieces in them, just a nice, uniform crumb size throughout. 

If you don't have either of these, do not fear! Just place your graham crackers in a heavy duty freezer bag and pound out your stress using your fist, a meat tenderizer, or the bottom of a heavy glass. The results are the same. 

Then, place your graham crackers aside and grab your half a stick of butter. 

Am I the only one that always has to double check the wrapper that 4 tablespoons is half of the stick? Can't ever seem to remember that one.

Melt the butter in the microwave for about 30-45 seconds or so in a small bowl. 

Add the graham crumbs to the melted butter bowl and mix until all the crumbs are moist. 

Press the crumb mixture into a 9-inch springform pan to make an even layer across the bottom like so: 

Bake at 350 until the house smells amazing and the crust is golden brown. 

Yummo.

Set the crust aside to cool.

Turn the oven down to 325 degrees and get ready to make some creamy deliciousness in the form of your filling.

Add your cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer. 

(A mixing bowl and a hand mixer will work too.)

Turn your mixer on medium until the cream cheese is smooth.

Scrape down the sides. Resist the urge to lick the spatula.

Get your 2/3 cup of sugar ready. 

Turn your mixer on medium-low and gradually add the sugar in, mixing until fluffy and decadent.

Scrape down the sides again (ok, go ahead and lick the spatula. I won't tell anyone) and then add in your cup of sour cream. 

                                  

Mix on medium until well combined.

Scrape down the sides, then turn the mixer on low to add your 5 eggs one at a time.  

                             

            

Let the mixer do its thing between each egg until you can't see yellow streaks.

Oh. Yeah.

Scrape down the sides one more time, then add in your 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1/2 cup of heavy cream.

                         

               

I'm beginning to realize just how much of my money goes to Harris Teeter's store brand...

Next, spray the sides of your springform pan with cooking spray (I used the kind made for baking, but regular spray oil would work just the same). 

Now comes the fun part. Pour your cheesecake batter into your crust.

       

             

Place your wonderful creation in the oven for 40-50 minutes, until the middle is still wobbly but the sides are golden brown.

I know waiting is hard, but try not to sit in the floor and stare hungrily at it while it bakes. 

Do the dishes, watch an episode of (insert Netflix show here), stand by the oven and sniff the air, put off making a lesson plan. 

When the timer goes off and your house smells like the holidays got here early, resist the urge to take it out of the oven. 

Yes, you read that right. 

Lots of recipes suggest taking it out and cooling it on a rack. This might work for you, if you keep your house nice and toasty. If you are anything like us, your house stays around 65 degrees or lower, which will cause your cake to crack. 

Like this: 

Learn from my mistakes. Do not have a sand-dollar themed cheesecake because it cooled too fast. 

I did some research after I pulled up my big girl panties and stopped being disappointed at my "spaghetti-stain"ness in an otherwise "champagne" baking experience, and there's some cool science involved with why this happens.

...I won't bore you with that here. 

Mainly, do not cool your perfect cheesecake on a rack. 

Do this instead: 

Leave your cheesecake in the oven.

Turn the oven off.

Crack the oven door so that the heat escapes.

Warm your hands over the cracked oven because you keep your house really cold in the winter.

Remember that cuddly Netflix marathons are better when the heat is turned down.

Look forward to a cuddly AND cheesecake-filled Netflix marathon later. Yuuuuummmmmmm.

Once the cake has fully cooled down (this will take an hour or so), cover the whole pan with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge to set 6 hours or overnight.

This takes a lot of willpower, I know.

And I won't judge you for having cheesecake for breakfast. 

When the time has come for cheesecake bliss, run a knife around the edges of your springform pan to make sure the cake is separated from the rim. 

Remove the rim and slice a big fat piece of that gorgeous decadence for yourself.

                       

                   

Top with strawberries, raspberries, whipped cream, pumpkin fluff (recipe here), or whatever your little heart desires. Or just eat it au natural. 

Full disclosure, I had a second piece after the piece in this picture. Then another piece later that night. 

And I'm going to go have another piece after I post this.

It's just that good. 

Well? What are you waiting for?! Go make it yourself and see!

I hope you enjoyed today's how-to. Even if you're not gearing up for a house full on the holidays, treat yourself to a little homemade goodness. It'll taste even better because of the love you put into it, trust me. 

Thanks for reading! Now go get your bake on.

When Your Dogs Are Your Children

When Your Dogs Are Your Children

Everyone knows those people. The ones who are obsessed with their dogs. The ones that "should really head home soon so we can let the dog out." The ones who posted one too many pictures of their pets on Instagram this week... ok, they posted five this week. Five, within seven days. We get it. Your dog is cute. But did we really need to see what your dog looked like sleeping on the couch with you, sitting in the yard with a ball, walking on a hiking trail, sleeping (again), and running on the beach? How do you even have the time to do all those things with your dog? Why would you bring a dog on all those trips with you? Wouldn't you have more fun without having to lug a pet around? 

For folks that think of their pets as their children, the answer is always no. Leaving their dog(s) at home, or with a friend, or (shudder) boarded somewhere is as unfathomable to them as their doggie obsession is to others. 

Here's the deal: when you get a dog one of two things happens. Either you join the camp that thinks the best kind of dog is an outside dog, or you begin to look at them as an integral part of your family. You realize how wonderful it is to have someone in your house that is ALWAYS happy to see you. That needs you to survive. That knows that you are their family. You begin thinking of doggie-parent things to do with them: there's that dog park that you passed the other weekend or there's the pet store next to Lowe's... dogs are allowed in there, right? I bet they would love getting to pick out their own toys! Of course they need another toy. Or at least some treats. Maybe I could ask the associates there if their dog food is full of corn like that commercial said. It's an endless cycle, and once it begins, there's no going back. 

"Wait just a second," you say, "what about the fact that your couch is covered in dog hair? And you're telling me that you're ok with them pooping and peeing in the house? Don't even act like house training went smoothly... and the teething? How many of your shoes have gotten destroyed? I've seen the dogs on the internet that ate through walls. How is any of that mess worth it?" 

Trust me. Those situations are infuriating. I mean come on, I just took you outside. Why didn't you do that out there? There is nothing more heartbreaking than finding one of your prized possessions with tell-tale jagged indentions, or worse, in shreds, spread across the house, completely unfixable.

So you yell. You give them your best "bad dog, how could you?" speech and they cower, run to a dark corner, or run toward you with ears laid back. They are sorry. They didn't know. You should have walked them this morning for a little longer to get some of that energy out. You should have checked that the bathroom door was shut all the way. You should have come home earlier. In the end, when your dogs are your kids, you always find a way to see that it's your fault. No matter how mad you get, within a few minutes they look up at you with those big eyes, they do something completely adorable, then they settle in for a good long cuddle under a blanket just as your favorite show starts. You need to get up and go to the bathroom, but you ignore it. This is too good. 

When you don't have children of your own, parental instincts find a way of manifesting themselves through other outlets. Sometimes that's by being a leader at work or taking care of your coworkers. Perhaps it makes you the best aunt or uncle ever. Maybe you just have your hands full taking care of your significant other (or yourself) instead. For some of us, however, we're happy being parents to kids that, though they are decidedly needy and sometimes spoiled rotten brats, love us unconditionally and never talk back. Though you may see us as weirdos that are one animal short of a full-blown petting zoo, we see you in a different light as well. We're sorry that your life is empty and bereft of love. No, I'm just teasing! But to dog lovers everywhere, we don't know how we ever survived without a dog, and though we know they don't live forever, we wouldn't trade our time with them for all the spotless houses and unchewed baseboards in the county. So we ask that you give our kids a pet on the head when you come over for a visit, that you try not to roll your eyes when we ask if the hotel you booked for the weekend getaway is dog-friendly, and that you like at least one of the pet-centered pictures we post. I mean, they are completely adorable, how could you not love them?!

In exchange, we thank you for ignoring the dog hair on our black pants. ...And for pretending that it didn't bother you when the dog jumped up on you last Thanksgiving... with muddy paws. ...Oh yeah, and for not kicking us out of the house that time they peed in your kitchen. Alright, so maybe you have to put up with some stuff to be our friends, but you don't hear us complaining about that cold your daughter gave us last Christmas ;-).

DIY drop cloth curtains

DIY drop cloth curtains

I just finished making some DIY drop cloth curtains (yes, drop cloth- as in the ones painters put down so they don’t get paint on your furniture and floors!). They are 9 ft long x 6 ft wide, and the curtains themselves on cost me about $28! With ring clips, I spent about $38 total. I could not buy a nice pair of curtain panels at such a long length for anywhere near this price. There is NO sewing involved, either! The process was incredibly easy- and so, I thought I would share it for all of you!

Last year, I bought 4 curtain panels with my christmas money! I then returned those panels, and bought 4 more. I wasn’t completely satisfied with those either, but I was tired of searching and I was desperate to have curtains in our living room! We live out in the country, so while blinds aren’t necessary, I still think a little privacy is nice. Plus, I am obsessed with making things feel warm and cozy- and a room can’t feel cozy without a good set of curtains..right?

I really hate that I didn’t think to take a picture until I had already started this project. I’d already halfway taken down the curtain rod and started drilling holes for the new rod location (10 inches higher, because the rod was originally placed too low). So, excuse the room.. I was switching between the chair and ladder, and throwing around anything that crossed my path. Hanging this rod proved very difficult and so, it is not something I would EVER write a blog on-- so that’s why this is just about making the easiest DIY curtains ever!!

Previous curtains

I was pinteresting different ideas on curtains recently. I remembered a friend had just hung up something called “drop cloth curtains” for super cheap, so that’s the direction I was headed. I found some REALLY cute ideas out there, and they all claimed to be super cheap- also, it didn’t seem too complicated. So I decided to face my fears and give it a try.

Obviously, I already had the curtain rod. So, here is what else I bought:

Curtain clips from walmart- I bought two packs. These were 4.97/pack plus tax.

Then I bought (2) 6x9 ft drop clothes. These are found in the paint section of your local home improvement store. I bought mine from Home Depot.  I went for “Heavy Duty” thinking it would keep out more light. These were 13.95 a piece. The regular kind were about $11 a piece.

… and that’s it! At this point, once I finished the dreaded project of rehanging my curtain rod, I could begin this project!

1. First, I washed and dried my drop cloths under the setting for towels and sheets on my washing machine. I previously read that they would shrink a tad if they were every washed, and I like to feel like I have all bases covered.

2. I don’t know why I expected them to come out all fluffy and pretty- but as you can see, when they finished drying they were a hot mess. It was obvious why every previous post talked about ironing the drop cloths. It seemed like it would be tedious, so I made sure I had netflix going in the living room while I ironed away. This process took me about 35 minutes.

3. I measured the length from where my rod would be all the way to the floor. Mine measured 8.5 feet, and I like when curtains go all the way to the floor- so I had a couple inches I could safely work with.

4. Finally, I laid both curtains out on the floor. I measured 1.5 inches to fold over and clip. Honestly, the fold over was not necessary- but I thought it would look a little nicer. You may prefer to iron the fold over before clipping it. I did not iron this part, and you can’t tell.

5. All that was left was the put the curtains on my newly hung rod and VOILA! My space has been completely transformed and feels so cozy!

The curtains are a great thick-ish material so no glare coming through on the tv! You can’t see through them either, so you can feel safe in knowing that you have your privacy! They are an off-white linen material, and have very subtle and rare strings with bits of other colors (this little detail you can’t see without looking for it really.) I spent less than 2 hours getting the curtains ironed, clipped, and hung! For so cheap and so easy- you seriously can't beat it!

I hope y’all enjoyed this DIY project!! I wish all of you DIYers the best in all your home improvement endeavors!!