Three desserts

Over the past weekend, we have been enjoying three, yes THREE desserts. (I'm scared to go to the dr. for my next weigh-in!)

The first is a cheesecake that we made for Relief Society Cooking Club. It's just a plain cheesecake, but it was really yummy. We served it with thawed frozen blueberries (with a little sugar mixed in) on top. I really like the recipe because there's not a lot to it. I think the most unique part was the crust...it has quite a bit of cinnamon in it that gives it a new flavor.

Crust:
1 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs (10-12 full-size crackers)
2 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1/4 lb. (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

This crust does not need to be baked!

Cheesecake:
1 8 oz. package cream cheese
1/4 c. lemon juice (approx. 1 fresh lemon)
1 c. sour cream
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Beat or food process cheese until very smooth. Add everything else. Mix until well combined. Pour into prepared graham cracker crust. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes -- just until it is barely set. Refrigerate for a few hours or freeze until cold (30 minutes?).


The second was Jackson's birthday cake. I won't include a recipe because it was really nothing exciting, but I always love chocolate cake...and the butter cream frosting was nice and thick for decorating purposes which made it extra yummy.

The third was an absolutely sinful Chocolate Satin Pie, courtesy of my SIL Cheryl. I've made this pie about 3 times since Thanksgiving...which when you see the ingredients you may agree that it's probably not meant to be made that often. I will stress that it's worth the time to beat the eggs in separately for 5 minutes each...you need that much time for the sugar to dissolve completely and really smooth out.

Cheryl's Chocolate Satin Pie

• 1 lb. butter (softened to room temperature)

• 1 1/2 cups sugar

• Four 1 ounce squares unsweetened chocolate (melted)

• 2 tsp. vanilla extract

• 4 eggs

• One Oreo Pie Crust (you can purchase one already made)

• Whipped cream

• Chocolate shavings (optional)

Cream together the butter and sugar until pale yellow and fluffy. Add melted chocolate and mix well. Add eggs, one by one, beating on high speed for FIVE MINUTES PER EGG (using a Kitchenaid type of mixer works best). Make sure all sugar crystals are dissolved; keep beating if necessary. Pour into Oreo pie crust. Chill several hours until firm. Garnish with chocolate shavings if desired. Serve with whipped cream.

Needless to say, losing post-pregnancy pounds may be hard for me this time because I've picked up some BAD habits...but how sweet it is!