Cheesecake (baked in 9 x 13 dish)

This turned out to be a wonderful recipe and it's very easy if you have a sturdy mixer (even hand held would be fine). It does need to have some advance planning as the cream cheese must be at room temp (I put mine on the kitchen counter the night before I plan to use it) and it needs to chill at least four hours but believe me, the taste and texture is far superior the next day.

New York Style Cheesecake

• 1 Cup crushed graham crackers (about 6 grahams)*
• 3 Tbsp. sugar
• 3 Tbsp. butter, melted

• 4 or 5 pkgs. (8 oz. each) Cream Cheese, room temp
• 1 Cup sugar
• 3 Tbsp. flour
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla
• 1 teaspoon lemon extract (optional, original recipe did not include it)
• 1 Cup sour cream
• 4 eggs
• 1 can cherry pie filling (or other topping) **

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Mix crumbs, 3 Tbsp. sugar and melted butter, press firmly into bottom of 13 x 9 baking pan. Bake 10 minutes... set aside.

* I didn't have graham crackers but I did have a few premade graham cracker crusts I'd bought on sale over the Holidays. I just crushed the graham cracker crust from one of them and spread the crumbs over the bottom of a buttered 9 x 13 dish. I washed the aluminum foil pie plate they came in and stored it for another use. These crumbs worked fine and didn't require baking.

Beat cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, flour, vanilla, and lemon extract (optional but adds a little extra flavor) with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add sour cream, mix well. Add eggs one at a time, mixing on low spread after each addition until blended. Pour over crust.

Bake 40 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool completely. Cover tightly with aluminum foil or plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 4 hours but overnight is best. Store leftover cheesecake in frig.

Makes 16 servings, 1 inch each or about 8 large servings.

** Recipe calls for cherry pie filling on top but any fruit filling would work. My husband likes the cheesecake plain with chocolate sauce on top!

From: Food & Family magazine, Winter 2007

Chocolate Cherry Cake

This is an old recipe that I only recently started making again. Everyone I know loves it.

If you are in a hurry, you can make the cake as usual and use a canned chocolate frosting.  It won't be the exact same but it will still be good.

Chocolate Cherry Cake

1 Package chocolate cake mix*
1 can cherry pie filling (a little water if needed)
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon almond extract or vanilla

Combine all ingredients (I use a heavy wooden spoon). The cherries will break apart but that's fine. If needed, put two tablespoons of water in the cherry pie filling can and stir to incorporate some of the cherry "sauce". Add that to the mixture at the same time as you add everything else. The cans are smaller than they used to be and I think the water helps but it isn't necessary.

Grease a 9 x 13 pan (I spray with Pam or something similar) and bake at 350 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes. In my oven, it needs the entire 30 minutes.

While baking, make the frosting:

FROSTING *

1 Cup sugar
1/3rd Cup milk
5 Tablespoons butter

Let melt together on medium heat and then bring to a boil for about 30 seconds. Take off heat.

Add:

1 heaping cup mini marshmallows
1 heaping cup good quality chocolate chips
1 heaping cup good quality white chocolate chips (optional, but good)

Stir together until smooth. If it sets up a little before the cake is finished, just stir it again really good.

Pour over the hot cake (when it comes out of the oven). Let cool completely before you try to cut it.

I actually like this cake refrigerated and served cold but it also is just fine to serve at room temperature. It's one of those cakes that is even better one or two days after it is made.

* I have increased these ingredients before by 1/2 to make a thicker fudge frosting (using one stick of butter).

**If you like the taste of dark chocolate, use a Devils Food cake mix. I prefer a regular chocolate, milk chocolate, or even a German Chocolate mix as I'm not as fond of dark chocolate as some members of my family. :)

Kentucky Sugar Cream Pie

My sister, Jean, gave me this secret family recipe that is served at our cousin's restaurant. Since only a few readers personally know my family and only my daughter has been to the restaurant... it is safe to pass on to you.

This is different than the sugar cream pies we find in the Midwest as it is made with brown sugar.

Kentucky Sugar Cream Pie

1 Cup brown sugar
6 Tablespoons flour

Mix together and take 2 handfuls and put in a 9 inch unbaked pie shell.

Mix remaining flour-sugar mixture with:

1 Cup heavy cream
1 1/2 Cups Half & Half
2 Tablespoons butter

Pour into pie shell, sprinkle cinnamon on top.

Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour. Cool completely to set.

That "handfuls" part of the recipe. You can tell that is from a family member of mine as that is how we all cook. :)

From Cousin Idell (in Kentucky) via my sister Jean (in Tampa).

Sugar Cream Pie

NOTE: I did some more online research for the Durbin Hotel Sugar Cream Pie. I found one that is exactly like the one I had copied from the Tampa Bay website except it called for less cream and milk. I'm thinking the extra cream in this original recipe is what required more baking time. It is now modified.

This modified recipe is from AllRecipes.Com.

Durbin Hotel Sugar Cream Pie

1 stick butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup milk

1 cup cream

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/2 cup milk

1 9-inch baked pastry shell

Nutmeg

Heat butter, sugar, milk and cream in double boiler until hot and butter melts. Do not let boil. Stir together cornstarch and 1/4 cup milk until smooth. Add to hot mixture, stirring constantly. Continue cooking and stirring for 5 minutes. Pour into baked pie shell, sprinkle with nutmeg and bake at 400 degrees for 5 minutes.

This recipe for sugar cream pie was sent in to the Tampa paper by Yvonna Stockel Brewer who said makes a pie just like Mrs. Wick's frozen sugar cream pies.

Sugar Cream Pie

1 pint half and half coffee creamer

11/2 cups sugar

1/4 cup flour

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons butter

Cinnamon

Nutmeg

1 9-inch pie crust, unbaked

Mix first five ingredients and cook until slightly thick. Add vanilla and butter. Pour into unbaked pie crust. Sprinkle with a little cinnamon and nutmeg. Bake 10 minutes at 375 degrees and 25 minutes at 325 degrees.