MASCARPONE CHEESECAKE...A TASTE OF HOME WINNER

Estelle's is going to be sharing some fabulous pies
for the summer season....and today,
I decided to begin with a marvelous cheesecake!
With Father's Day right around the corner.
this dessert will be the perfect addition to your celebration..
It's cool, creamy and delicious topped with whipped cream
and a drizzle of Salted Caramel Sauce..... 

This bakes up lovely and remember....
cheesecakes normally require a water bath while baking....

MASCARPONE CHEESECAKE

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

3 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons butter, melted 

2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened

2 cartons (8 ounces each) Mascarpone cheese

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

4 eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten 

Preheat oven to 325°. Place a greased 9-in. springform pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 in. square). Securely wrap foil around pan.

2. In a small bowl, combine cracker crumbs and sugar; stir in butter. Press onto the bottom of prepared pan. Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

3. For filling, in a large bowl, beat the cheeses, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Pour over crust. Place springform pan in a large baking pan; add 1 in. hot water to larger pan.

4. Bake until center is just set and top appears dull, 1 to 1-1/4 hours. Remove springform pan from water bath. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around the edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer.

5. Refrigerate overnight. Remove sides of pan. Garnish cheesecake with whipped topping; drizzle with caramel. Refrigerate leftovers.

Hope y'all enjoy this gem of recipe..thank you to TASTE OF HOME!

LIME CHEESECAKE TARTLETS...A SUMMER DELIGHT

Entertaining during summer months
can actually be fun and enjoyable
without going to a lot of fuss and stress! 
It's a good idea to have a few pretty
serving pieces on hand that you can pull out of
the cupboard when family or friends drop by.

I found these two platters at HOME GOODS years ago
and just love using them during the summer for all
kinds of little appetizers or desserts.

They have a lovely watercolor effect,
I like keeping it simple when
whipping up an easy recipe when it's so hot outside!
I thought of this little gem of a dessert that
is cool, creamy and light!

I simply adore Lime Curd and this is THE BEST
I have ever tried!
I ordered this off of Amazon and highly recommend this!
It's delicious with yogurt, puddings and in this case..
cheesecake!

I was thrilled to see this item back in stock for summer...
this is my first time trying it and I was very, very
pleased with the delicious taste of this prepared cheesecake filling~

These Phyllo Shells are also terrific to use
when you are wanting to keep things easy breezy..
I heated these for 10 minutes in a 325 degree oven
to add a bit of crispness.

Fill each shell with a spoonful of cheesecake filling,
then top with a bit of Lime Curd.

Top each tart with a frozen blueberry or raspberry!

These were AMAZING1
Gone is seconds...
These are a taste of summer your guests will love!

ITALIAN RECIPES YOU WILL WANT TO MAKE!

Hi everyone!
Today, I want to share two fabulous recipes
I made recently that proved to be family favorites!!
So many people share treasured family recipes
on various social media sites and it is a terrific
way to connect all of us who share a love of
cooking and baking!
I know you will love both of these Italian dishes!

When you run out of ideas as to what to serve
for supper, Allrecipes is a great resource
for trying out new recipes!

This delicious Spaghetti Sauce recipe came from
"Hank's Mom".....Hank stated this recipe
was handed down from his Mother...it was
a family favorite and will never be replaced.
A definite husband pleaser!

SPAGHETTI SAUCE WITH GROUND BEEF

This Italian Cream Cheese Ricotta Cheesecake is from
April Caudle. April states, "This is my grandmother's
cheesecake recipe passed down to their entire family.
It is THE BEST! It is creamy and thick....she
couldn't believe she was even sharing as it is
such a treasure to their family....a secret so to speak.....

I made a fresh blueberry sauce for ours.....

ITALIAN CREAM CHEESE AND RICOTTA CHEESECAKE

I hope y'all enjoyed this post....
see ya' next time!

 

FATHER'S DAY 2020

In memory of my Daddy....

This was Thanksgiving Day 1974....with baby M

In memory of my Father-in-law, known as Honey....

with our son Nick at his high school graduation

Honoring our son-in-law, Jay

with his little Luke the Duke

Maine days when we sailed on Casco Bay

Nick and the babies

Nick and his grown-up babies.....Abbie and Noah....

one of our family beach trips

Honoring my own Mr. Wonderful..

probably the best Dad in the entire world

My husband, their dad and all our kiddos

We had a marvelous family weekend...finally...

swam in the pool, grilled delicious Steaks and I made

this amazing fresh Strawberry Cheesecake!!!!!

Sunday Father's Day BBQ

It was the best of times...

how wonderful it is to mark the occasion

and make beautiful memories....

DOUBLE LAYER PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE

Welcome NOVEMBER!

We have so many things to look forward to and this month,

I hope to bring you marvelous recipes to serve your family!

We are starting with this DELICIOUS PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE!

This is so easy to prepare and is so light and airy......

It also calls for a ready made graham crust, which I almost

never use, but it really worked marvelously

for this particular recipe!

Divide the batter in half for the double layer effect....

I liked the fact that this recipe uses only 1/2 can of the pumpkin...

a lighter taste for this pie......

Easy to prepare and bake.....in about 40 minutes!

DOUBLE LAYER PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 pinch ground cloves

1 pinch ground nutmeg

1/2 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed

I think your family will love this!

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Blend in eggs one at a time. Remove 1 cup of batter and spread into bottom of crust; set aside.

Add pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg to the remaining batter and stir gently until well blended. Carefully spread over the batter in the crust.

Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until center is almost set. Allow to cool, then refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Cover with whipped topping before serving.

May your Fall season be filled with joyful moments....

CHERRY CHEESECAKE...PERFECT EVERY TIME!

This is considered to be a family heirloom recipe...

my grandmother made this every summer

and we were so excited when this was featured

on her big dining table on Summer evenings...

my cousins would come and it would be a family

affair with lots of talking and laughter....

sweet, sweet memories those are!

CHERRY CHEESECAKE

 1 Duncan Hines Yellow Cake Mix

1 1/2 T. vegetable oil 

2 – 8 oz. packages of Cream Cheese

 ½ C sugar

4 eggs

1 ½ Cup milk

3 tsp. vanilla

1 can of your favorite pie filling -we love cherry or blueberry

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Reserve 1 cup of dry cake mix. In large mixing bowl combine remaining cake mix, 1 egg and oil (mixture will be crumbly). Press crust mixture evenly into the bottom of a 13” x 9” baking dish.

 In the same bowl, blend cream cheese and sugar. 

Add 3 eggs and reserved cake mix; beat 1 minute at medium speed.

 At low speed slowly add milk and vanilla. 

Mix until smooth and pour into crust. 

Bake at 300 degrees for 45-55 minutes until center is firm. 

Cool and top with your favorite pie filling.

ESTELLE'S SWEET TIP

Thaw a bag of frozen strawberries

and one bag of frozen raspberries 

in a medium mixing bowl.

Sprinkle with sugar and allow to marinate

in the refrigerator.

When ready to serve your cheesecake,

top with a spoonful of the cold berries,

over the cherry pie filling.

Serve with whipped cream.

WHITE CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY CHEESECAKE BARS

The Christmas season is all about family and food.

Your loved ones look forward to Christmas Eve

and tasting all the glorious treats you have prepared for them

When the children were younger, we attended the

Christmas Eve Candlelight Church Service

dressed in our Sunday best, then came home

to begin their treasure hunt and savor punch and appetizers.

What treasured memories these are.

Anyhoo...if you are like me, it's time to gather

recipes and decide what is going to be on the 

table for Christmas Eve.

My family loves Cheesecake and this delightful

recipe is from the 2008, Kraft FOOD AND FAMILY magazine.

It's the perfect time to make sweet memories.

This is an easy and affordable sweet surprise

for your holiday gathering.....

WHITE CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY CHEESECAKE BARS

12 OREO cookies, finely crushed

2 T. melted butter

3 squares white chocolate, divided

2 (8 ounce) packages of cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 t. vanilla

2 eggs

1/4 cup raspberry preserves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix cookie crumbs and butter, press onto bottom

of 8-inch square pan. 

Melt two chocolate squares as directed on package

of Baker's Chocolate.

BEAT cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with mixer

until well blended.

ADD melted chocolate and mix together.

ADD eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed

after each just until blended.

Pour over crust.

BAKE 25-28 minutes until center is almost set.

Cool 5 minutes.

Spread with preserves.

Melt remaining chocolate and drizzle over cheesecake.

Cool, then refrigerate for 5 hours.

Cut into 18 bars.

AUTHENTIC ITALIAN CHEESECAKE

I have always wanted to make an authentic Italian Cheesecake.

Rob was coming home for a little mini-vacation and 

requested my famous spaghetti.

So, along with baking a loaf of Mother's Dilly Bread,

I added this delightful cheesecake as a sweet ending.

This recipe was in honor of the "real Italians" in our family...

our son-in-law, Jay and his dad, Pat (Pasquale)!

This is a tiny Bar in the hills of Savoca, near Taormina.

The Divine Miss M and her family traveled to Italy

in 2007, wanting to tour the birthplace of Jay's father.

You may recognize this bar.......

it was the famous scene in the Godfather where

Michael Corleone asked the father of Appolonia Vitelli

to begin their courtship!

I am so grateful they were able to take this trip

and enjoy the gloaming hours in Italy

sipping on Limoncellos'......

I know this trip meant the world to him.....

Our beloved Pat passed away early this summer.

I love this photo of them......

of course it is framed and hung in a place of honor

in their Atlanta home.

This cheesecake has a lovely consistency and texture.

It baked perfectly.

It also has no crust.

It is not sweet like most cheesecakes,

so you will probably enjoy it more

with a very sweet topping!

AUTHENTIC ITALIAN CHEESECAKE

1 ¹⁄₂ lbs ricotta cheese

1 3/4 cups sugar

16 ounces cream cheese

6 eggs

6 tablespoons flour

1 pint sour cream

Juice of one fresh lemon

1 tablespoon vanilla

Grease a 10" spring form pan.

Mix the ricotta, sugar, and cream cheese together.

Add 6 egg, (one at a time and mixing between each, flour, and sour cream, lemon juice, and vanilla.

Pour batter into pan and bake 1 hour at 350 F. After 1 hour, turn the oven to OFF. The important part of this step is to not open the oven door. Allow the cheesecake to remain in the oven for an additional hour.

Cool completely and spread with 1 can of cherry pie filling, fresh strawberries, or chocolate ganache.

Chocolate Ganache for the darling.....

Fresh Strawberries for Rob.....

Cherries for me!

Foodie Friday

EASY SUMMER CHEESECAKE

Looking for a sweet sensation to take to that summer barbecue?

It's never been easier to impress with this easy summer cheesecake!

 

 

My family loves this cheesecake! No one will ever guess it was this easy to prepare!
My recommendation is to make two....they disappear quickly!

EASY SUMMER CHEESECAKE 1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk 1/3 cup lemon juice 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 (21 ounce) can cherry pie filling

Place softened cream cheese in a mixing bowl;

add condensed milk, lemon juice, and vanilla. Beat until well blended.

Pour mixture into the pie crust. Chill for 5 hours. When ready to serve, pour cherry pie filling on top of pie!

   

 

EASY LEMON CHEESECAKE

Dessert now being served in the Dining Room

Have you ever been under a little stress when entertaining guests for a formal dinner? Often times, I select this easy lemony cheesecake, which never fails and is so easy to throw together. Most everyone likes cheesecake, often times over something chocolate. It's light and will put a smile on everyone's face! Every time I have served this, the guest asks for the recipe..then you know you have a winner! 

 

EASY LEMON CHEESECAKE

1 (3- ounce) package lemon jello

1 cup boiling water

8 ounces cream cheese

1 cup sugar

5 T. lemon juice

1 can evaporated milk, well chilled

1 Graham cracker crust

Dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Cool until slightly thickened.
Beat cream cheese, sugar and lemon juice with mixer until smooth. Add thickened jello and beat well.

In a separate bowl, beat the evaporated milk until fluffy. Add cream cheese-jello mixture and beat well with mixer.Pour the filling into a graham cracker pie crust, cover and chill before serving.

Welcome Home Darling.....I Made Cheesecake!

I wanted to "WOW the darling" with my culinary skills.

And so begins my tale of woe.......

 I carefully prepared a hot water bath for you....oh baby o' mine.

I stroked you gently and poured you into your nice, cozy springform pan.

I even toasted your almonds for heaven's sake.

I made certain to smooth your top before placing you into the toasty warm oven.

Then.....

It's my party and I'll cry if I want to....

What in the world happened? Once the cheesecake began to separate and fall into a messy puddle of cream, darling said, "oh my! It's running onto the counter...start scooping!"

Sooooo....a horrible ending to my glorious presentation! All night I pondered what went wrong, what could I do to salvage all that delicious creaminess?

I have been a southern cook way too many years to let this defeat me! Armed with an idea, I headed back into the kitchen in the wee hours of the morning and began to work feverishly on the "cheesecake....take two!"

Yes, my darlings.....the original cheesecake in all of her glory!

I recalled that one of our favorite places to eat after church on Sunday's in Jackson was Morrison's cafeteria. They had the most divine cheesecake which was topped with a layer of sour cream. So, I carefully pushed and patted her back together, replaced the springform pan, placed her gently into the waterbath and rebaked at 325 degrees F. for about 25 minutes. I then placed her in the refrigerator for three hours. The next step was to ever so carefully release the springform circle and voila.....all was well. She was steady and spectacular! Now she was ready for the thin layer of sour cream, followed by a dollop of whipping cream and a sprinkling of shaved chocolate. So, my darlings, if you experience a failure ever so often in the kitchen....don't sweat the small stuff...reinvent! It may be better the second time around!

MASCARPONE CHEESECAKE

Toasted Almond Crust

1 cup slivered almonds, lightly toasted

2/3 cup graham cracker crumbs

3 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

The Filling

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature

2 (8-ounce) containers mascarpone cheese, room temperature

1 1/4 cups sugar

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 large eggs, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Tightly wrap the outside of a 9-inch diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides with 3 layers of heavy-duty foil. Finely grind the almonds, cracker crumbs, and sugar in a food processor. Add the butter and process until moist crumbs form. Press the almond mixture onto the bottom of the prepared pan (not on the sides of the pan). Bake the crust until it is set and beginning to brown, about 12 minutes. Cool. Decrease the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.

For the filling: Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, mascarpone cheese, and sugar in a large bowl until smooth, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat in the lemon juice and vanilla. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.

Pour the cheese mixture over the crust in the pan. Place the springform pan in a large roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Bake until the center of the cheesecake moves slightly when the pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour 5 minutes.

This was my mistake...so don't skip this part!!

 (the cake will become firm when it is cold). Transfer the cake to a rack; cool for 1 hour. Refrigerate until the cheesecake is cold, at least 8 hours and up to 2 days.