Heather's Bytes

Growing up, I had always thought that making cheesecake was hard and time-consuming. So when I started doing my own cooking I’d use a box of the no-bake Jello crud and call it dessert. It wasn’t until I was married and decided to devote a little more time to figuring out the “hard” things (lasagna, stuffed shells, etc) that I realized cheesecake is a piece of cake.

My standard cheesecake recipe is really easy, but because I make it with sour cream and strawberries I consider it more of a summer recipe, so this weekend I decided to hunt down a fall cheesecake, and found a yummy pumpkin one from a magazine.

Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake
originally from spreadphilly.com

38 ginger snaps
1/4 cup pecans
1/4 cup melted butter

4 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin
1 Tbs pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp vanilla
4 eggs

Heat oven to 325°. In a food processor, pulse the pecans until finely chopped, and add ginger snaps. Process until fine and drizzle butter in. Pulse a few times until mixture is crumbly but not sticking together. Press onto the bottom and one inch up the side of a 9-inch springform pan.

Beat cream cheese and sugar in mixer until blended, be sure to scrap down the sides of the bowl. Add pumpkin, spice and vanilla, mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, until each is blended. Pour into crust.

Bake for 1 hour 30 minutes or until center is almost set (use a clean knife into the center to check). Remove from oven and let cool on a rack before removing pan rim. Refrigerate for at least four hours before serving.

Serve with whipped cream and a sprinkle of nutmeg.

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This chocolate zucchini cake is the perfect end-of-summer treat! Zucchini are now ripe and ready for harvesting and if you’ve got an abundance, consider baking up a few of these for the neighbors instead of just handing them some vegetables – they’ll appreciate it!

Zucchini also freezes very well. Just shred it, squeeze out as much liquid as you can using a tea cloth or clean towel, place in zip-top freezer bags, and stack in the freezer. To defrost, put it in the fridge for a couple of hours.

This recipe comes from my friend Laura’s mom, who humored me at the age of 14 when I asked for it. I’ve made it every year since, even though I have to buy my zucchini at the store now! Read More

I love strawberry season! There are so many things you can do with strawberries that I feel like I’m constantly running back to the store for more containers since there never seems to be enough. Read More

[Don't bother trying to clean your glasses or rub your contacts - the above picture has the lovely "halo" effect after letting my kids "use" the camera and they tried to, I don't know, clean the lens with a finger or something.]

This week’s Tuesdays with Dorie, which I’m happy to be picking up again after nearly two months away, was a delicious chocolate loafcake chosen by Amy of Amy Ruth Bakes.

You know how sometimes you get a craving for something, so you get the food that you think you’re craving but it’s just not quite right? I do that with chocolate cake. I’ll see a picture or read a recipe and think “ooh, chocolate cake sounds really good,” and it’s all I can think about until I make it (don’t worry, my family has no problem with this particular issue).

It never quite hits the spot, though. The chocolate’s there (and I’m always good with chocolate) but there always seems to be something missing.

This, however, is exactly what I crave when I think of chocolate cake. The cake itself is made with sour cream, which I love in sweet foods, and the frosting is simply melted chocolate with sour cream, too. The cake is also cut into layers with raspberry jam in between, which just adds to the perfect-ness of it all. This is a craving-worthy chocolate cake.