Cheesecake and some very cute little people

I've been craving cheesecake for several weeks now, so I finally decided to make one for Knit Night last night.  As the fates would have it, another lady brought frozen margaritas with chips and hot salsa.  I had no idea that it would go so well together, but OHMYGOSHITWASGOOD.  Fun times, I tell you, and pretty much one of the coolest groups of ladies I've ever met.  And it doesn't hurt that we get a tiny bit liquered up together every now and again.

 

I used the recipe "Tall And Creamy Cheesecake" from Dorie Greenspan's "Baking: From My Home to Yours", and it certainly lived up to my weeks of expectation.

 

I added some vanilla bean pulp to give it a little extra boost.  The recipe states "1 1/3 cups sour cream or heavy cream, or a combination of the two", so I used 1 cup sour cream and 1/3 cup heavy cream because I love a little bit of tang.  Next time I'll go with all sour cream, but it was pretty near perfect.  Dorie Greenspan certainly knows what she's doing.  I'm not sure if I'm her bakerly stalker, or if she's my unwitting Baking BFF.  However, wherever Dorie goes with her sweets and pastries, there I will go also.  I've said it before, and I will say it again (and again): she is my baking hero.

 

The cheesecake is more plush than smooth -- not dense, and melts on the tongue without managing to be actually light.  The crust is just sweet enough, and the pinch of salt perfectly counteracts the richness of the desert.  To top it all off, while it definitely takes a bit of time (it bakes for an hour-and-a-half in a low oven, then sits in a propped open oven for another hour, and finally chills for 4 hours to overnight),  the actual work involved is minimal.

Thankfully, I only made it home with only 2 pieces of the cake left, because it's tempting me from the refrigerator as I type this...  (Shhh, no I did not have a slice breakfast.... I DIDN'T.)

Not related to cheesecake in any way, but I seem to remember a similar picture being taken of my sister Hannah and I:

 

Lavella and Jonah have been playing together more, rather than just playing next to each other -- I love to watch how that develops, as the baby becomes a toddler.

 

Because really, it's all about the dancing.

Some random shots of Lavella and Jonah adventures:

 

Lavella the movie star.


 
(Those vintage inspired glasses just totally kill me!)


Waiting for Elijah's schoolbus the other day:

 


 


 

Last Sunday, I took Elijah out on a Shoe Buying Date:
 


Which of course involved french fries.

 

 I love going out on the occasional "Special Time" with the children, and making an afternoon all about them.  It's good for them to feel really and truly listened to, making their concerns mine, celebrating their little triumphs, listening to their stories with both ears.  My love for my children is feirce, and I want them always to be sure of it.