Individual No-Bake Cheesecakes

We love cheesecake around here but I very rarely make it because we just don't need to eat the WHOLE thing! The April/May issue of MaryJanesFarm magazine had some recipes for mini cheesecakes made in 4-ounce canning jars. Well, that was too little so I used 8-ounce wide-mouth canning jars and it was just right! ;)

You could try different crusts and toppings to suit your tastes and what you have on hand. The thing that really impressed me was making a no-bake cheesecake without a tub of non-dairy whipped topping and I gotta tell you, this tastes sooo much better than the ones I remember from my youth that used the non-dairy whipped topping! It comes out light and fluffy and not too sweet.

 Crust                    **Click here to print this recipe**

1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon sugar

In a small bowl combine all ingredients. Divide evenly between four 8-ounce wide-mouth canning jars. Press lightly into bottom of jars.

Filling

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup heavy cream

In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla; mix well. In a separate bowl, whip heavy cream until stiff; gently fold into the cream cheese mixture. Divide evenly between the jars.

Topping

2 cups fresh (or frozen and thawed) berries, I used fresh blackberries
1/4 cup sugar, or to taste
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

In a medium saucepan, combine berries, sugar, cornstarch and water. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 2 more minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Let cool completely before spooning over cheesecake filling in jars.

Top each jar with a lid and chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours before serving.

Joining the Country Homemaker Hop, Rurality Blog Hop, Pie*ography, Farmgirl Friday and What I Am Eating.

Chats on the Farmhouse Porch - 05/28/2013

 

1.  When you were a child, what age did you think was "OLD?"

Well, of course anyone over 30 was ANCIENT!! Isn't it funny how the older we get, the older "old" becomes? LOL!!

2.  How often do you have dessert?

 

We rarely have a "formal" dessert but there are nearly always cookies on the Goody Plate. ;) 

 

3.  What's your favorite kind of exercise?

 

Walking. I love to get outdoors and walk, it puts me in touch with nature.

 

4.  Do you watch movies on TV, movies from a rental or the library, or movies online?

 

We watch old movies on the TV and rent newer releases from the Redbox.

 

5.  Tell me something you remember about your grandmother's/grandfather's house? I'm thinking of something you saw all of the time, like a picture, clock, statue, teapot, or something that was always there.

 

I remember my grandmother's African Violets. She had a table covered with all different kinds in the corner of the living room.

 

 

Joining Patrice (and Wendell!) for Chats on the Farmhouse Porch.

InSPIREd Sunday - 05/26/2013

St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Tombstone, Arizona.

We drive through Tombstone on our way to and from the Farmer's Market in Bisbee every Saturday. I enjoy seeing and photographing old buildings and Tombstone and Bisbee are full of them. :)

Sharing with InSPIREd Sunday.

Tuesday's Tails - 05/21/2013

Our friends' mare foaled last week and I wanted to share some pictures of the cute little colt, Max.

Max's dad is a pure black, registered Percheron named Bismark, (I forgot to take pictures of him) and his mom is a registered Thoroughbred named Duchess.



Duchess

Our friends have had Bismark since he was a colt and he was a Dressage horse, he's retired now. They have used him as a stud several times over the years because of his sweet disposition. Bismark is now getting pretty old and they wanted to have one of his babies to carry on the line.

They bought Duchess off of Craigslist last year. She was in pretty poor shape when they picked her up but they got her back in good health and then bred her to Bismark. Duchess is approximately 17 hands tall and Bismark is 18 hands.

Mix is only 11 days old in these pictures, he's gonna be a big boy! He has been handled quite a bit in his young life and he kind of thinks he's a dog or maybe a people! I have seen a lot of foals that always stay on the far side of their mom and won't let anyone approach them. Not Max!! He wants to be in everybody's back pocket, even if he's never seen you before! :)

It was fun getting to go spend some time with the little guy and I look forward to future visits!
Sharing with the Rurality Blog Hop.

Gilding The Lily - Multigrain Bread

 

Recently, I picked up the May 2013 copy of Cook's Country magazine, it has some awesome foodie photos and I'm always looking for ideas. One of the recipes that really caught my eye was for Dakota Bread, a lovely multigrain bread all dolled up with a generous coating of seeds over the top. I thought that it looked like something that would really sell at the Farmer's Market. :)

Once I read the recipe, I realized that it was very similar to the multigrain bread that I have been making for several years...as a loaf bread, as rolls and even as a free-form round loaf. This is one of my favorite breads for sandwiches for us and it sells but, honestly, it looked kind of boring. I decided to try "Gilding the Lily" by adding sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and poppy seeds over the top before baking and WOW, what a difference! Just that little extra attention to detail makes people look twice and (usually) buy some.

Multigrain Bread                         **Click here to print this recipe**

1 to 1 1/4 cups milk
2 1/2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup 7-grain hot cereal (I use Bob's Red Mill)
3 tablespoons raw wheat germ
3 tablespoons oat or wheat bran
2 tablespoons bulgur wheat
1 cup whole-wheat flour
2 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons bread machine/instant yeast OR 1 packet active dry yeast (If using active dry yeast, dissolve it in the warm milk before combining with the remaining ingredients.)
1 egg beaten with a bit of water
Sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds and poppy seeds for the top (Use any combination you like)

Mix, knead and let your dough rise until doubled using your favorite method; bread machine, manual or stand mixer. Shape the dough into a smooth ball for a large loaf or divide the dough in half and shape each half into a smooth ball for smaller loaves. Place on a baking sheet, slash the top and let rise in a warm place until nearly doubled in size. Just before baking, brush top and sides with egg mixture and generously sprinkle with seeds of your choice.
Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes until golden brown; cover loosely with foil after 10 minutes. Remove to a wire rack and cool completely.

Linking up with The Country Homemaker Hop, Farmgirl Friday and What I Am Eating.

Tuesday's Tails - 05/14/2013

We just never know who we'll run into on our morning walks through the pasture! :)

Sharing with Tuesday Muse, Texture Tuesday and Rurality Blog Hop.

Converted to B&W with PSE11 Newspaper effect and edited with nc_Braveheart texture Multiply 75% and kk_Partings texture Multiply 75%.

InSPIREd Sunday - 05/12/2013

I finally remembered to take my camera with me yesterday so that I could share one of the neat older churches in Bisbee with InSPIREd Sunday hosted by Sally and Beth. This is the Community Church in Bisbee, AZ and I really like the detail of the brickwork on the left. We can hear the bell at the Farmer's Market a block or so away as it marks the hours.

Chats on the Farmhouse Porch/Tuesday Muse - 05/07/2013

1. How many loads of laundry do you do each week (about)?

At least thirteen and there is only the TWO of us!!

2. Where do your household pets sleep? If you have no pets, please skip to the next question.  

The two cats start out in the living room but Bob always ends up in the bed down by my feet sometime during the night.

  3. What is your favorite thing to listen to while you drive?  

Classic rock on the radio.

  4. Do you have to do a big clean-up when you have company, or are you always ready for guests?  

I do wish my house was cleaner (like it used to be) but I never have to ask someone to wait outside while I pick things up. ;-)

  5. What's your favorite breakfast food?  

Recently, it has been egg and cheese sandwiches but I go through phases. Sometimes it's yogurt with fruit and granola. 

 

 

Joining Patrice for Chats on the Farmhouse Porch and Nancy for Tuesday Muse.

 

The flower photo was edited with two layers of Nancy's Sakura texture at Soft Light 100% and one layer of Nancy's Asian Influence at Soft Light 50%.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

We love having pineapple with our homemade cottage cheese but it seems there are always a few pineapple rings left over. I have been using them to make Pineapple Upside Down cake. Oh, how we suffer! :)
I only had five leftover rings this time, one or two more would have been even better.
This makes a nice dessert, of course, but it is really, really good as a breakfast coffee-cake type thingy. YUM!!

Pineapple Upside Down Cake               **Click here to print this recipe**

Topping:
1/4 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
6 or 8 pineapple rings from a 20-ounce can

Cake:
2 cups Baking Mix
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cut the 1/4 cup of butter into chunks and put it into a 10-inch cast iron skillet, put the skillet in the oven as it preheats to melt the butter. Remove the skillet from the oven and sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the melted butter. Arrange the pineapple rings over the brown sugar.
Combine the Baking Mix and sugar in a medium bowl. Add the milk and melted butter and mix well. Spread the cake batter over the pineapple.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven and run a knife around the edge of the cake. Carefully invert the cake onto a serving platter. It should come out easily.
Allow the cake to cool slightly before serving.

Under NO circumstances should you try to use your finger to push any dripping, molten hot syrup back onto the plate! ;)

Sharing with The Country Homemaker Hop, Farmgirl Friday and What I Am Eating.