Pumpkin Cheesecake

My dear neighbor who also picks up my girls from school has asked me to make her a pie. I was flattered she asked me. I love to make goodies for others

This time though I didn't have all the ingredients needed for the particular pie she requested, so I offered up a pumpkin cheesecake instead.

Pumpkins are prevalent in our part of the country and we in Morton live amongst the fields of Libby's very own pumpkin patches. Starting in late August the trucks bring them in and the canning begins, the plant runs all day and night. The following recipe is Libby's own pumpkin cheese cake with a little "April" sprinkled in for variety.

The following is Libby's own cheesecake recipe which you can also print by following this link to  Libby's.
*I have put my variations in parentheses.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Crust
1 1/2 C. Graham Cracker Crumbs
(3/4 C. Graham Cracker Crumbs & 3/4 C. Ginger Snap Crumbs)
1/3 C. Butter, melted
1/4 C. Sugar

Mix Crumbs, Butter, and Sugar together and press into the bottom of a Spring form pan.
Bake for 5 min.

Cheesecake

3 blocks 8oz Cream Cheese, softened          1/4 C. Brown Sugar
1 C. Sugar                                                   2 Large Eggs
1 15oz can of Pumpkin                                2/3 C. Evaporated Milk
2 TB. Corn Starch                                       (1 tsp. Cinnamon)
1/2 tsp. of Nutmeg                                      (1/8 tsp of ginger)

Cream together Cream Cheese, Sugar, Brown Sugar.

Add Eggs, Pumpkin, Milk and blend. Once blended mix in spices and Cornstarch.

At this stage it looks and feels a bit like a thick baby food.

Pour into crust and bake for 55 to 60 minutes.

*Tip..In an oven proof container such as a large Pyrex measuring cup add water. Place the cup or bowl of water on the shelf directly below the cheesecake, this is suppose to help keep the cheesecake from cracking.

Once the Cheesecake is complete take from oven and let rest about 10 minutes. Then add topping.

Topping

Sour Cream (8oz container)
(1 tsp vanilla)
(1/4 tsp vanilla)
(1/4 C. Sugar)

Mix together and spread over warm cheesecake.

*You will notice that the color of the Sour Cream will turn a bit darker.

I promise you will not be disappointed! This is one good dessert and truly is the closest I have come to Cheesecake Factory's Pumpkin Cheesecake.

Enjoy and may your belly be happy!

Soups on....the fire

I am a HUGE fan of soup. Put it in a bowl and I will eat it any day. So, I was a bit excited when my husband told me we were spending all of Sunday out at the home site. Excited to bring my Dutch Oven! Generally we will take sandwiches, snacks, or stop in town for a quick bite. However, when we have a whole day to play, I will bring out my trusty Dutch Oven. This Dutch Oven has helped me win 1st place in the last two campfire cooking contest I have entered. My bourbon, pecan, sweet potato pie made the judge smile as soon as he put it in his mouth, and my "not your mommas" meatloaf had the Yankee's coming back for more at the Civil War reenactment in Hartford City, Indiana. Besides, it just makes me feel good to be able to prepare a hot meal for my husband after a full day of hard work.

Sunday's Soup: My version of Minestrone

Beef Stock- 1 Lg Can/Box                                         2 Cups of water
1 Can petite cut tomatoes w/juice                                1/2 C. Onion, diced
1 Can of Cannellini beans or Red Kidney beans            1 Clove of garlic
1/2 C. Carrots, diced                                                  1/2 C. Celery, diced
1 Large Potato, diced                                                  1/2 C. Frozen Corn
1/2 C. Frozen Peas                                                     Salt and Pepper to taste
1 Bay Leaf                                                                  1 tsp. dry Rosemary
1 Cup of greens such as Swiss Chard, diced                1 Parmesan rind
1/2 pound of your favorite pasta                              
 (I use cheese tortellini, the girls find it more appealing with all the vegetables)

Even Mckenzie can make this easy soup, though I just noticed

she did it without her shoes on! Oh girl!

1. Begin by preheating pot with 1 TB. Olive Oil
2. Saute onion, carrots, and celery until onion is tender
3. Add garlic, continue to saute for a minute longer
4. Add tomatoes, beef stock, water, bay leaf, rosemary, and Swiss chard, simmer for 1 hour
5. Add potato, simmer 15 minutes
6. Add corn, peas, and Parmesan rind and bring to boil
7. Once soup boils add pasta and cook accordingly.

 You will notice that the Parmesan rind will melt a bit and release it's flavor
without truly breaking down completely

Garnish with fresh Parsley or grated Parmesan if you like.

Soups done, enjoy!

A Land Blessing

Last Sunday we invited Adam Danner President of the 4 Directions Healing Foundation to come to our home site and perform a land blessing ceremony. My husband and I felt this was something that needed to be done before we broke ground.

You see, the area around the property is historically significant for Native people. Located along the Spoon River within sight of Dixon Mounds, a Native American burial ground now owned and operated as a museum by the State of Illinois.

We wanted to begin our house building journey by offering peace and protection to those who where before us and to whom this land once belonged.

With sage burning in the turtle shell, Adam began with a Native American prayer song. Followed with an Abenaki unity song.

Adam then performed a pipe ceremony. No pictures of the pipe ceremony are taken out of respect for the pipe and the sacredness of the ceremony.

Once the pipe ceremony was concluded Adam with the help of his friend smudged the area, in-circling the property were our house will be built.

Concluding the ceremony Kevin and I were gifted a dream catcher. This dream catcher which was made by one of the foundations elders will be placed in our home upon completion.

Our family enjoyed Adam immensely, he was very informative and did not hesitate to answer all of our questions. Everyone who was present walked away with the same sense of peace. The feeling of calm among the area was unmistakable. Our family will remember this day always.

I encourage all to check out the 4 Directions Healing Foundation. You can read more about the work Adam and his elders are doing for the Indian nations all over the country as well as events in our area.

Pass it on down

Today I sat reflecting...not an unusual occurrence by any means.
However my topic of reflection? Bags...

So let me share.

My grandmother taught me many things, how to preserve food, how to do laundry, how to appreciate a clean well scrubbed floor, and how to cook a proper meal. Apparently without realizing until today, she taught me the value of a bag.

Plastic bags, paper sacks, and even little baggies are part of my "stash". How did I end up with a pantry full of bags? I've always saved grocery store bags for use as lunch sacks, dirty clothes carries and the occasional dog poo bag.

This Ziploc bag drying upside down on my dish soap bottle will probably hold the lettuce again. That cute little paper bag I received from the apple orchard has at least three more lives left as a snack carrier during weekend trips.

I know exactly where this bag obsession comes from, my grandma. Right now I can picture a Ziploc bag just like mine on her kitchen counter. Grandma would wash it out and flip over the bottle to dry. Once dry she would put them in a drawer and when that drawer was full grandma would take them down to a shelf in the basement.

One of my most favorite memories of my grandma involves those plastic bags. You see grandma liked to send us grand kids home with food, it might have been the "special" snack she picked up for our weekend visit to her house or leftovers from dinner. No matter we always went home with a bag of something in our hands.

Now I understand why I keep those bags...

So, the adventure begins

For my debut post I will tell you all about how this adventure begins.

My husband and I have recently moved to Central Illinois from Indiana, though we grew up here we considered Indiana our home. Well, life sometimes throws you lemons, lots of lemons. We had more lemons then the lemon shake-up stand at the state fair. However like Americans everywhere we had to  make changes to keep our family thriving.

So here we are, we've left the lemons behind and moved on. My husband and I both have stable jobs we are not only grateful for, we truly enjoy. We know we are blessed.

In order to re-root ourselves we have decided to build a home. We have been gifted several acres of property in beautiful Fulton County, Illinois  and here our adventure will begin. We envision a timber frame home built with as many reclaimed materials we can find, featuring a masonry heating system, solar panels, and NO mortgage. I love the idea of no mortgage, however this idea of build as you can will take time. We estimate 2-3 years before we will have a livable space.

I invite you to journey with us as we learn to live wisely, learn to grow, and learn to build as a family.

 An ideal location for a house.

The property also features a small pond. Maybe ice skating in the winter....