Christmas 2011

Merry Christmas everyone! We’ve had a great Christmas weekend so far, and today promises to be another wonderful day.

Yesterday was a busy day. I had my usual Saturday morning at work and it was pretty quiet. Most people were not running to their local credit union to do their business on Christmas Eve.

After I got home, I had some fun on our Wii, trying in advance to burn off the calories coming my way today! Then I decided to get a head start on today’s cooking. I made the dressing, and then started on dessert – Pumpkin Walnut Cheesecake.

Pumpkin Walnut Cheesecake Ingredients

Crust

• butter
• 1/8 cup sugar
• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs

Filling

• 1 1/2 lbs. softened cream cheese
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 6 eggs
• 1 lb. pumpkin
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

Walnut Topping

• 6 tsp. butter
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Rub bottom and side of springform pan with softened butter.

Pour in crust mix and turn pan so that the mix adheres to the bottom and side.

Leave excess crust mix on the bottom of the pan.

 

At medium speed beat cheese and sugars together.

Add pumpkin, spices, eggs, and heavy cream. Beat for about 3 min.

Pour filling in to prepared pan.

Bake in a 325 degree oven for 1 hr., 35 min.

For topping, beat butter with brown sugar. Stir in chopped walnuts.

Place topping on cake, shut oven off, leave the cake in the oven until oven cools (at least 1/2 hour).

Our fridge is full, so for once the cold weather came in handy. The temperature in our garage last night was 38 degrees, so we were able to cover the cheesecake and put it out in the garage for the night. This morning I brought it in, and released the side of the pan.

Hopefully it tastes as good as it looks!

 

We’ll find out later.

 

 

Hope everyone out there has a wonderful and blessed Christmas Day!!