Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake

Thanksgiving is here once again...a day when many of us sit together with family and friends to give thanks for all the blessings and the same time, enjoy a wonderful meal. Whether you're celebrating at the comfort of your own home or at someone else's house, this Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake will surely add delight to your celebration!

This combines the goodness of cheesecake and pumpkin pie in one gorgeous and tasty treat, and will truly give you another reason to be thankful!

Try it and let me know what you think!

Wishing you all a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Blessings from our home to yours!

Easy Cheesecake with Peanut Butter Graham Crust and Oreo Topping

It's my daughter's 12th birthday today! Last week, I was asking her what cake she wants...and she said she prefers to celebrate with a plain cheesecake. But last weekend while we were having lunch, she told me she wants something with peanut butter. I thought that's what she really wants 'coz she soooo loves peanut butter. But then the other day, she said she'd rather have an Oreo cake. There I realized that she's not even sure of what cake she really wants...so I thought I'll just make something that would let her enjoy all three - plain cheesecake, peanut butter and Oreo! And that is how I came up with this Cheesecake with Peanut Butter Graham Crust and Oreo Topping. 

This is one simple cheesecake recipe that's perfect for the peanut butter and Oreo lovers out there. It's also easy to make. No need for water bath because the top of the cheesecake will be covered with whipped cream and Oreos so nobody will really notice if it darkens or even if it cracks. But no need to worry about cracking; as long as you don't overbake, you're fine! 

The birthday girl loves her cheesecake! She said it looks fabulous and is really yummy and has the perfect balance of peanut butter and Oreo! Try it for yourself and let me know what you think!

Cotton Soft Japanese Cheesecake

For this month's Baking Partners Challenge, we made cheesecake! We were given four recipes to choose from...all of which are really good, but I didn't have a hard time choosing which one to make. Aside from being the one that seems easy to do, the Cotton Soft Japanese Cheesecake is something that the hubs has been requesting me to bake for so long. He went to Japan a number of times before we got married, and it was there where he first tried this kind of cheesecake. He said it's very similar to the texture of Filipino Mamon and has a melt-in-your-mouth goodness that's so hard to resist. After seeing the recipe suggestion of Reeni, I knew it's about time I try making this Japanese Cheesecake, not just for Ryan but for the girls and I as well. 

I read that many have encountered two common problems in baking Japanese Cheesecake. First, the top of the cheesecake cracks during or after baking and second, the cheesecake shrinks as it cools down. I wanted to avoid these problems so I followed some tips I found on the internet. I made sure that the cream cheese-butter-milk mixture was cool enough before mixing it with the yolk-flour butter. I also pour the cream cheese batter into the meringue in 3 small portions. I slightly opened the oven during the last 10 minutes of baking and I left the cheesecake in the oven for another 10 minutes (with the oven door slightly opened) so that it can shrink slowly before I take it out. Sad to say, even after doing all these, my cheesecake still cracked and sunk in the middle. I don't have an 8" spring-form pan which was suggested in the recipe, so I used a 7" one and 9 brioche molds...and guess what? All of them sunk and the top of the one baked using the spring-form pan cracked! Honestly, I wasn't happy about it! But after trying it, I realized that there's no reason for me to be sad! It tastes great and the inside seems to be perfect! And after seeing how Ryan and the girls enjoyed eating it despite it's imperfections, I was more relieved!

I would like to thank Swathi of Zesty South Indian Kitchen for another wonderful challenge, and to Reeni of Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice for choosing this recipe! It didn't turn out perfect but it sure was very delicious and cotton soft indeed! I'll definitely be making this again and again until I achieve perfection! (^.^)

For those days when you want a dessert that's light and not too sweet, this cheesecake is the best option!

Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

Of all the kitchen gadgets I have, my Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker is one of my favorites, especially during the summer. I have it for more than a year now and I must say that I love it! It makes ice cream making at home a lot of fun for me and my daughters! Getting the right consistency of ice cream takes a fair amount of agitation and movement, and that is what you'll need an ice cream maker for. Though it's not a big necessity, making homemade ice cream is a lot convenient with it --- it makes the process of freezing the ingredients easier!

Check out this Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream that my daughters and I made using our Cuisinart Ice Crean Maker...

This is a non-custard version of the recipe I got from Just One Cookbook. Non-custard style ice cream is made without eggs and does not require cooking that's why I prefer it. All the ice cream I've been making are all non-custard, and I must say that there's very little difference in texture and they're as rich and tasty! You should try it! 

Worry, not because you can also make this even if you don't have an ice cream maker. You can find the instructions below...

No-Bake Dulce de Leche Cheesecake

“I know I should let go, but it never really leaves me.
Every morning, I wake up and forget just for a second that it happened. 
But once my eyes open it buries me like a landslide of sharp, sad rocks.
Once my eyes open, I’m heavy, like there’s too much gravity pressing on my heart.”

― Sarah Ockler (Twenty Boy Summer)

Yesterday was really so hard for me to get through. "Why?", you might ask. You see, it was my Mom's death anniversary. She passed away 5 years ago, and it truly has left an emptiness in my life. Everyday, I miss her terribly. I think of her all the time and feel sad for every special event she has missed. There are so many situations in my life when I wonder what she'd do or how she'd handle it. But every July 19th, it's even harder for me...and yesterday was no exception, I felt too much grief as if it just happened. I woke up in extreme sadness! I called my Tatay (dad) in the Philippines, hoping that it would somehow ease the pain I feel. Oh well, it didn't! It just made me miss my mom even more. I knew I have to find something to do so I told the girls we'll go to the pool for a swim, but Cherlin said she didn't want to coz she's too tan already from our Florida vacay. (What??? A 6 yr-old concerned of how tan she is! Oh my!!!) She suggested that we just eat breakfast together and then watch something on Netflix, and maybe bake something. Clarise agreed saying that she'd rather stay home than go out and feel the intense Texas heat, 103°F that is. So that's what my daughters and I did...we stayed home, enjoyed some good family movies on Netflix and made this No-Bake Dulce de Leche Cheesecake in the afternoon...

With the help of my daughters, I managed to survive the day. But just by the amount of time I spent in the kitchen yesterday, my family could tell that it was not an ordinary day for me. On a regular summer day, I only cook for dinner, and sometimes when I'm too lazy, I just prepare Costco bought frozen dumplings or chicken wings, or simply heat up left-overs. But yesterday, I cooked seafood ramen for lunch, made the dulce de leche cheesecake in the afternoon and cooked stir-fried bean thread noodles with sardines for dinner. I was in the kitchen half of the day just to keep myself from sad thoughts. Just as always, it worked. Though I have that heavy feeling in my heart, I made it through the day without being too miserable. But I tell you, it was hard! The pain of losing my mother was bugging me the whole time...and at the end of the day, I realized that everything I cooked (the ramen, the stir-fried bean thread noodles and the cheesecake) kinda symbolize long life. As you know, noodles and round cakes in the Philippines are served for birthdays because they symbolize longevity. I guess at the back of my mind, I am really wishing that my mother is still with us and what happened on July 19, 2007 didn't actually happen. :(

Anyway, so much for that! It's Friday and I don't want to ruin your good mood, so let me go to the recipe now...