Pumpkin Cheesecake Heaven

I was responsible for dessert for the Solche Thanksgiving this year. Two desserts. I love being responsible for dessert. An occasion to bake for is a good occasion. But this occasion came with some unique challenges. You see, Solche Thanksgiving was on Friday evening. And on Thursday morning I was leaving for the mountains, not to return until Friday afternoon. This means that I needed two desserts that could be made on Wednesday and still be fabulous on Friday.

So I made the wine cake cupcakes which are easy and always popular. But for the second dessert I decided to try my first cheesecake. In my fancy springform pan. I wanted to do a pretty layered cheesecake, the recipe for which I cut out of a magazine years ago. But I chickened out and went with a basic pumpkin cheesecake recipe that I copied down from somewhere a few years ago. And my grandmother's graham cracker crust recipe. And wow, was it good. I mean really good.

A few minutes before we were supposed to leave I decided that it wasn't pretty enough so I made a quick chocolate drizzle out of melted chocolate chips and shortening to fancy it up a bit. I was very happy with the results.

Crust
1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup melted butter

Mix together all three ingredients. Press on bottom and sized of 9 inch springform pan. Bake for 8 minutes at 350 degrees.

Pumpkin Cheesecake
16 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 dash cloves
2 eggs

Combine cream cheese, pumpkin, sugar, vanilla and spices. Mix with a hand mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add eggs. Mix until blended. Pour into crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes, until set. Cool. Refrigerate at least 3 hours, or overnight. (or in my case for 2 days)

Cute Purse for My Cute Niece

My niece, Cass, had a birthday recently. I decided to try to be crafty instead of spendy for a gift. An this is what I came up with. My main sewing experience is with a one handled bag from a tutorial I found on the internet (I'll blog that one on a later date). I have made several versions of this one handled bag and I figured it wouldn't be too hard to add another handle and cut down the size a bit. Oh, how I overestimate my talents.

I made myself a pattern out of an old paper bag from Trader Joe's. So far so good. But while cutting out my fabric I didn't realize that one of my pieces was a little short on the bottom. So I lost about a half inch right off the bat.

And two handles is the same as one, right? Right? You'd think so, but apparently not. Not for me, anyway. I had to take them off. Not once, but twice. So I lost a little length there too.

But all in all I'm happy with the results. It was all made with pieces from my stash. And I got to use my beloved ric rac for the very first time.

If you'd like the measurements I used for the pattern just leave me a comment and I'll blog them.

Thanksgiving Cupcakes

Made these cupcakes for Thanksgiving last year and I'll probably make them again this year. Simple, tasty, and easy to transport. It is a wine cake recipe that has been a part of my family gatherings since I was small, usually in bundt cake form. Also, my husband's family isn't real big on sweets so a cupcake without frosting is right up their alley.






Wine Cake

1 box white cake mix
1 small box instant vanilla pudding
4 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup sherry wine
1 tsp nutmeg (although we sometimes leave it out)
1 tsp almond extract (although we always leave it out)


Mix all ingredients together and beat for 5 minutes at medium speed. Put into a greased Bundt pan and bake for 45 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Or, as in this case, put in muffin tins and bake for however long the boxed mix says to bake cupcakes.

When cooled, sprinkle generously with powdered sugar.

Toddler Purse

For the first time in my life I made myself a pair of cutoff shorts out of an old pair of capris. My husband absolutely hates them, but that just makes wearing them all the more fun sometimes, right? Well, with one of the remaining legs I decided to make Abby a purse. Super easy, all of the materials (handle, felt for flowers, buttons) were already in my stash. Making something with supplies on hand gives me such a feeling of accomplishment. Like I'm actually using some creativity and resoursefulness. That isn't really a word, is it?

Anyway, back to the purse. I traced a cookie cutter to get the flower shape right and used a button that came with a shirt that is long gone. I made the handle too long, I've decided, so if I ever make another purse out of the other leg I'd use probably about half as much webbing.

Halloween Goodness

I had a little Halloween playdate here for my 2 year old daughter and a few of her friends. I wanted everyone to have a favor to take home, but budget is always an issue. So I got crafty. Using some wool felt that I had on hand from a disasterous Christmas project last year and some embroidery floss leftover from making felt food I designed these treat bags. The only thing I had to buy was the ribbon for the handles. I filled them with stickers and stamps and spider rings. Oh my.

Here I Go

I'm starting on a new blogging adventure. My goal is to blog about:

1. Crafts I make
2. Things I bake
3. What I love about my desert
4. Things I like in my community

This sounds like two separate blogs to me, so we'll see how well it works together.