Egg Nog Cheesecake For The Holidays

Eggnog Cheesecake is easy to make and oh so good. Even if you have minimal baking experience, you will find this recipe easy to make.

Ingredients

Graham Cracker Pie Crust from the store

or

Make Your Own Pie Crust

1 1/2 cups of finely crushed graham crackers
1/3 cup of sugar
6 tablespoons melted butter

Mix all of the ingredients together and firmly place in a 8-9 inch pie pan. You can chill for an hour or bake for 7 minutes in the oven at 350 degrees. I have found it easier to bake it in 7 mins because the kids are not patient enough to wait an hour.


Cheesecake Filling

3 packages of Cream Cheese
3/4 cup of eggnog
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 tablespoons of floor
Pinch of nutmeg
Rum (Optional)
Pure Vanilla (Optional)

Allow the cream cheese to sit at room temperature to soften. In a bowl, add the cream cheese and all of the ingredients. Allow to set for a few minutes and using a blender on a low speed, mix all of the ingredients. You should have a smooth texture within a few minutes. (You will have minimal clumping. You cannot smooth out the mixture to a perfect texture) You can add vanilla or rum. Your decision. I like the pure vanilla. Sum purists prefer the rum.

Baking instructions

Preheat the oven to 425

Cook the pie for 10 minutes.
Reduce the temperature to 250 degrees
Bake the pie an additional 45 minutes.
The pie should be firm and you will have minimal light browning on the top.
Take the pie out and let it cool.

 
 

1. In a medium bowl combine graham cracker crumbs, 2 tablespoons sugar and butter. Press into the bottom of a 9 inch spring form pan.
2. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Place on a wire rack to cool.
3. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
4. In a food processor combine cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, flour and eggnog; process until smooth. Blend in eggs, rum and nutmeg. Pour mixture into cooled crust.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.
6. Reduce heat to 250 and bake for 45 minutes, or until center of cake is barely firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and immediately loosen cake from rim. Let cake cool completely before removing the rim.

Thanksgiving Day Pizza

Most people shrug at the thought of it. So did I at first. Who in the world would eat Thanksgiving Day pizza? Well, try it and I guarantee you will have the same reaction we did. So good. And, it is simple.

Ingredients

Dough (Twice Risen in the Pan)
Turkey
Stuffing
Gravy (Homemade or Jar)
Cracked Pepper
Cracked Sea Salt
Cranberries (Not the gelatin)

First you rise the dough in a pizza baking pan twice. Twice risen dough provides a hardy crust in my opinion. Next, spread the gravy. If you lack real gravy, you can use jarred. Add health portions of the turkey and stuffing. (Do not be afraid to cover the pizza)

Turn the oven on 375. Put the pizza in the oven and cook for about 15mins. Start looking for the crust to brown. When ready, remove from the oven. Add some cracked pepper and sea salt. The last ingredient is the cranberries and you have a quick and delicious use for your leftovers. (Cranberries are an add on if you like them)

You can experiment with this recipe and add other Thanksgiving Day ingredients. Potatoes, yams, etc.

Shrimp and Angel Hair - Oooof fa Delicious

Here is a simple recipe for kids and their dads to make for dinner.

Ingredients:

 

Angel Hair Pasta 1/2 lb.

1lb of Medium Shrimp - Peeled and Veined

2 cloves fresh garlic (Minced)

1 tsp Crushed Sea Salt

1 tsp Crushed Pepper

1 cup White wine or Chicken Broth                                                                 

Utica Crushed Pepper Flakes (Finely Crushed Red Pepper)

1 tsp of Lemon Peel

1/4 Parsley

1/3 cup Asiago Cheese (Parmesan is a good also)

 

Cook the angel hair pasta as directed. Using extra virgin olive oil, cook the shrimp over a medium heat. Add the seasonings and garlic and sauté for 2-3 minutes. After the shrimp is sautéed, add the broth or wine, then the lemon peel and juice. Cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add another tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil towards the end. Take off the stove and mix with the angel hair pasta. Add the cheese as you would like. (Adding the cheese after all the ingredients are mixed allows for the pasta to cool down a bit and avoid clumping of the cheese) There you have it, an easy meal in 20 minutes that is simply delicious.  

 

 

 

 

50 All-Time Dinner Favorites

 

Eggnog - Alcoholic and Non-Alcoholic

It is that time of year again! Eggnog is starting to show up in the dairy case. My kids love eggnog. Last year, we decided to make our own eggnog. There is a huge difference between commercial eggnog and homemade eggnog. Easy to make. You will love the difference.

Non Alcoholic Eggnog

Ingredients
6 Farm Fresh eggs (Yolks separated from the whites)
1 cup sugar
Tsp Vanilla
1 quart Milk
1/3 pint of heavy cream.
Nutmeg


In a bowl, beat six egg yolks and slowly add the sugar til it dissolves.  Next, add the vanilla and milk. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with a tsp of sugar until thickened. Next, beat the heavy cream until thickened almost to the consistency of whipped cream. (Do not make it a full whipped cream.) You will want the cream to be thick enough to fold into the mixture. After you mix the whipping cream, chill for about an hour. I like fresh nutmeg to a glass of eggnog, however some people add the nutmeg to the bowl of eggnog. Experiment and see which you like better.

Some variations: If you are worried about salmonella, you can cook the mixture until 160 and chill in the refrigerator for an hour and serve chilled.

Farm Fresh eggs reduce the risk of salmonella versus commercial eggs.

Alcohol - 3-5 ounces of bourbon can be added to prior to chilling to enhance the flavoring and provide an adult beverage for the holidays.