Blueberry Cheesecake

My second cheesecake of the day! Actually, I made this one first. This, like the pumpkin cheesecake is a terrible picture. It's almost embarrassing to post, but I didn't have a chance to take a better one. I made this recipe and just cut it in half because I figured my husband would be the only one eating it. He liked this one better than the pumpkin. I think they both were good and can't pick my favorite.

I couldn't get it to swirl like I thought I would be able to, but it was still very tasty. I made my own crust using half Nilla wafers and half graham cracker crumbs in this crust as well, and would cut down on the sugar. After pressing it into the pan, I baked it for about 5 minutes. I made my own filling.

Blueberry Cheesecake
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 9-inch graham cracker crust
1 (21 ounce) can blueberry pie filling, divided

1-In a mixing bowl, beat cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth.
2-Add eggs, beating just until combined.
3-Pour into crust.
4-Drop 1/2 cup of pie filling by heaping teaspoonfuls onto the cream cheese mixture; cut

through with a knife to swirl the pie filling.
5-Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until center is almost set.
6-Cool on a wire rack.
7-Chill for 2 hours.
8-Top with remaining pie filling.

Blueberry Pie Filling

2 pints blueberries (4 cups)
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon lemon rind, grated
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1-Combine 1 cup berries with 3/4 cup sugar in pan.
2-Simmer on low heat until sugar is melted and mixture is very liquid; about 5 minutes.
3-Combine cornstarch and water in bowl.
4-Add to pan with blueberries.
5-Cook over medium heat until mixture comes to full boil and is clear and thick.
6-Pour hot mixture into large bowl.Cool until warm.
7-Fold in remaining 3 cups of blueberries, lemon rind, cinnamon,nutmeg and butter.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

I made two cheesecakes this weekend. The first was my husband's birthday cake. He decided he wanted a blueberry cheesecake. This I made for the non-blueberry eaters. I found this recipe on recipezaar.com. It is supposed to be The Cheesecake Factory's pumpkin cheesecake recipe. It was soooo good. The only change I made to the original recipe was using a whole teaspoon of cinnamon. I also decided to use a mixture of Nilla wafers and graham crackers for the crust. If I do it again, I think I would cut down on the sugar in the crust. Otherwise, this cheesecake was amazing! I know it's a terrible picture though!

Cheesecake Factory Pumpkin Cheesecake

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
5 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup sugar, plus
1 tablespoon sugar
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup canned pumpkin
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
whipped cream

1-Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2-Make the crust by combining the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter and 1T

sugar in a medium bowl.
3-Stir well enough to coat all of the crumbs with the butter, but not so much as to turn the

mixture into paste.
4-Keep it crumbly.
5-Put foil partway up the outside part of an 8-inch springform pan.
6-Press the crumbs onto the bottom and about two-thirds of the way up the sides of the

springform pan.
7-You don't want the crust to form all of the way up the back of each slice of cheesecake.
8-Bake the crust for 5 minutes, then set aside until you are ready to fill it.
9-In a large mixing bowl combine the cream cheese, 1 C sugar, and vanilla.
10-Mix with an electric mixer until smooth.
11-Add the pumpkin, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice and continue beating until smooth

and creamy.
12-Pour the filling into the pan.
13-Bake for 60-70 minutes.
14-The top will turn a bit darker at this point.
15-Remove from the oven and allow the cheesecake to cool.
16-When the cheesecake has come to room temperature, put it into the refrigerator.
17-When the cheesecake has chilled, remove the pan sides and cut the cake into 8 equal pieces.
18-Serve with a generous portion of whipped cream on top.

Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana Soup

Everytime we go to Olive Garden my husband gets the same thing; this soup. He's been wanting me to make it for him for a while and since today was rainy and chilly, I figured it was a good soup night. He worked late tonight so I had it ready for him when he got home. This recipe makes a HUGE pot of soup. At least 10 servings.



Zuppa Toscana Soup

1 lb. spicy Italian sausage - crumbled
1/2 lb. smoked bacon - chopped
1 qt. water
(2) 14.5 oz. cans (about 3 2/3 cups) chicken broth
2 lg. russet potatoes - scrubbed clean, cubed
2 garlic cloves - peeled, crushed
1 med. onion - peeled, chopped
2 cups chopped kale OR Swiss chard
1 cup heavy whipping cream
salt and pepper - to taste

-In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown sausage, breaking into small pieces as you fry it; drain, set aside.-In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown bacon; drain, set aside.-Place water, broth, potatoes, garlic, and onion in a pot; simmer over medium heat until potatoes are tender.-Add sausage and bacon to pot; simmer for 10 minutes.-Add kale and cream to pot; season with salt and pepper; heat through.