It's Husband's birthday on Wednesday so we're having a family tea today. Husband's favourite dessert is cheesecake - well, one of his favourites! - so I usually make one.
When our children were still young I made my first ever cheesecake using a recipe from Family Circle magazine.
You can see how old the cutting is! I think it's probably what would be called a New York cheesecake today and it put Husband off chilled cheesecakes for life. I made it for a few years but because it has a pastry base it is a bit fiddly, so when the sainted Delia brought out her cookbook I started using her recipe, which used biscuit crumbs.
And that's been my go-to recipe ever since. However, this weekend I decided I'd use my old recipe. Got myself set up yesterday evening and carefully followed all the instructions. 'This isn't as fiddly as I remember,' I thought before putting the pastry case in a hot oven to set.
Often when Wales play rugby a commentator will say something like, 'It should be straight-forward from now on,' and you know that's going to be the point at which everything starts going wrong. So it was with my pastry.
The bottom popped up and the sides caved in. I tried unfolding and patching but had to give up and start all over again. This time I put in some foil and pebbles - even though it hadn't said that in the recipe! And it was fine.
But I'm not holding my breath. One disaster makes me feel another might be coming.
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Before that yesterday afternoon I walked on the beach with a friend.
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| On the way |
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| On the way back |
Then getting home I rounded up Husband and made him wrap Christmas presents with me. For the first time ever in my life I am organised. I think it's because I knew there were a very slight possibility that I would be on jury service for a week or so so planned for that. Also the need to get presents to Italy spurred me on. (Whether they'll ever get is another story - I wait to hear from the courier.)
I do like it though. Especially being able to make everyone else jealous. 'Oh yes, I've bought and wrapped all my presents, haven't you?'
I should point out that I'm usually shopping until two days before Christmas and wrapping after that.
5 comments:
Mmmm, I love NY cheesecake but every one I've ever had has a graham cracker crust and is made in a springform pan.
I've got all my Xmas presents bought, wrapped and (where needed) shipped off in the mail too. I just hate going to busy, crowded, crazy stores and malls in December so I always make a point of being done by the end of November. "Serenity Now!"
Well done, you too, Debra! It's the way forward I think. That said, what am I going to do in December? (Just joking.)
I long ago gave up exchanging stuff! It's much easier all round, removes sn entire layer of anxiety since I've never been very good at presents. I suspect the other parties involved are okay with it, too, being adults now. The ones still with us, that is. Being very old means outliving your present list!
We aren’t lovers of cheesecake so I don’t make it. However, a lemon once I did a few times for company at Christmas was delicious. Happy birthday to your dear one, a few days early!
I don't mind what it looks like.
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