Oma's cheesecake

My youngest child had to do a project about a traditional family recipe that we usr im our family, so I decided I'll use the opportunity as a blpg post.

My grandmother is from Berlin, Germany and her favorite thing to make for any occasion is cheesecake. When I was preparing for this project I decided to google German cheesecakes and realized my Oma's recipe is unlike the others I found. For one she uses full fat Philadelphia cream cheese instead of the lowfat version which is neufchatel cheese. It's always been my favorite desert and I'm thrilled to pass it down to my childre. I'm including the recipe and directions below. If you choose to try it I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Oma's Cheesecake

Preheat oven to 400°

Ingredients:

CRUST:

2 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 stick of softened butter (if you use unsalted butter add a teaspoon of salt)
1 egg
.25 oz single acting baking powder*
1/2 package Vanilla Sugar**

FILLING:
4- 8oz packages of softened Philadelphia cream cheese
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
.25 oz single-acting baking powder*
1/2 package vanilla sugar**

** I use Dr. Oetker brand vanilla sugar. Each packet is .32oz and you use just ome package for the cheesecake. Half for the crust, half for the filling.

* for the baking powder I usually use Dr. Oetker brand baking powder in the same way i use the vanilla sugar packs, but I was out of it so I mixed together 1 tablespoon of cream of tartar and 1/2 tablespoon of bakimg soda to make my own single-acting baking powder. I used half for the crustand the other half for the filling.

Directions:

-Grease a 9 inchspring form pan with butter and set aside.

- To make the crust add the flour, sugar, softened butter, egg, baking powder and vanilla sugar to a medium sized bowl and mix together. I usually start with a fork and finish with my hands. You'll get a very crumbly dough.

- Once the dough is mixed together press it into the spring for pan. I use most of the dough on the bottom, but I do build up thr sides a little bit.

- For the filling  add the cream cheese, sugar, eggs, baking powder and vanilla sugar to a large bowl and use an electric mixer to blend. I start at a low speed and increase it wants the ingredients are combined. You'll get a cake like batter.

- Pour the batter onto the crust and smooth the top

-Bake for 50 minutes and 400°

- Let cool 2 hours and serve. I think it tastes best after being refrigerated.

My Oma says that when it's  done there should be a crack in the top of it. Keep in mind this isn't a standard cheese cake, it comes out with a darker top and a lighter filling then most cakes you'll find in the store.

I've included some photos for reference, but I do want to mention that I forgot to set the timer, so it spent a little longer in the oven and came out slightly darker than normal.

New beginnings

It's been quite awhile since my last post, which is a shame. I am determined to get the hang of blogging regularly, even if no one is reading it. I always feel better after I've had a chance to write something, but I rarely take opportunities to do so. 

With the obligatory 'it's been awhile' comment out of the way, I can now get back to business. My children are now all in school. The oldest is in 4th, my second born is in second grade, and my youngest is in kindergarten. With them all in school fro almost the whole day (the kindergartener gets out 45 minutes earlier than the others,) I've found I have slightly more time to get things done and to make new goals. I've decided that with this time I will start a couple of home businesses, so I have signed up with Scentsy and Avon. I've sold Avon before when my children were all 4 and under, but I didn't put the time and dedication into it to make it successful. This time around I am trying much harder to be proactive about my businesses and actually going up to strangers and introducing myself and telling them about my businesses. The last time I relied on friends and friends of friends, which really limits the customers you can have, especially since people really only need so much lotion and eye liner.

I picked these two companies because they are both companies I shop with. I love the Scentsy wickless warmers and have quite a few around my house. Prior to having children I was obsessed with candles and owned hundreds, but after having children the idea of having fire around on a regular basis frightened me. Scentsy products allow me to have the scent and ambiance (minus the flicker) of actual candles, without the fear of burning my house down.

Avon has been around for over 125 years and has just been a constant presence in my life. Many of my family members used Avon products while I was growing up and it was the first thing that came to my mind when I decided to start that business several years ago. I regularly use their eyeliner and eye shadows and felt comfortable in suggesting it to other people.  


In other news, we have recently moved into a rental home just outside of El Paso that we were incredibly excited about. Unfortunately, the excitement wore off when we found out that the home, while aesthetically pleasing, is actually falling apart. In the less than 2 months that we have lived here the AC has broken down twice, the refrigerator stopped working (ON THE FIRST DAY!) there are several leaks, and this home seems to be a haven for spiders. Dealing with these issues gets incredibly frustrating, but I'm trying to look on the bright side. We have a roof over our heads, we are able to cook meals, and it's only temporary. I'm trying to be grateful for what we have, but it does get a little difficult when the children are unable to sleep because they are so hot. This home was built with the intention of having working ac, so many of the windows don't actually open and it's hard to get a breeze going. Another positive to the issues we've had with this house is that it has encouraged my husband and I to start the home buying process. Some of the builders that we have talked to have offered to buy out our lease so that we can move sooner than we had expected to.

Another bonus to where we live now is the school my children go to. We had a bit of a rough start due to a bully situation, but that was handled within a week and now my kids really enjoy their teachers and their classes. My oldest in particular has a great teacher who seems to take my daughters personality and learning style into account. It makes me feel confident about buying a home in this school district and knowing my children are going to get a good education.

If you've read this far, thank you for sticking around. I know it wasn't the most exciting blog, but hey, the majority of life isn't overly exciting. If anyone has ideas on how to boost home businesses, I would really appreciate it.

Ahhh mornings, how I loathe thee.

We've been staying in my mother's apartment this summer while we get things situated on the job front. She lives on the second floor of the building, which means I get to take several trips, including first thing in the morning, into the desert heat a day to take my 74 lb dog for a walk. During these walks I have learned that my dog is afraid of ants, no matter how many lizards there are she never sees them, small children will just run up and hug her, and random adults will be terrified of her and threaten to tell the police that I had the audacity to walk her, on a leash, in the park. It's loads of fun.

Look at that face. She's the sweetest thing, but also, to some, terrifying. What can ya do?


On another note, as of this morning I have a brand new nephew and I am so excited. Mommy, Daddy, and big sister are all doing well and enjoying their time cuddling with their newest member. I can't wait for all the pictures and updates and to watch him grow up.

Have a wonderful day! 

What's new?

I excel at slacking. It's one of my talents. My other talents include: reading, watching TV, gossiping about celebrities that I don't actually care about, kicking butt in candy crush and maybe even some useful talents. The slacking talent, though, is why I haven't blogged in nearly two years. So here I am making another vow to myself and whoever happens to read this, to blog, or at least journal privately, more often. 


Alrighty then. Since we've gotten that out of the way, let's see what's new. I'm currently living in Yuma, Az, which seems like a quaint place to be if you ignore the fact that it feels like Mordor when you walk outside. My husband got out of the Army and we are staying with my mom for the summer while he trains for his new job. He's actually finished training and gotten his assignment, so now we are doing the long distance house hunting thing. We'll be heading back to El Paso, Texas, but this time I know that central air and refrigerated air are NOT  the same thing, so I think I'm better prepared for it.  I actually ended up enjoying it after we got the housing situation under control. There is plenty to do and they city has various events throughout the year to keep us occupied, plus I already have friends there, so I feel confidant that this will work out well. 

Other than that, not much has changed. I did switch schools and switched my major. I've changed from business management to Psychology. I'm much happier with this field. I love learning about what makes people tick. Why one person responds to a situation in one way, and someone else responds in a completely different manner fascinates me. 

Well, that's all for now. I just figured since I'm already here I might as well say something. Sweet dreams, folks.

I screamed like a girl!

But, that's ok, because I am a girl. I walked to the backdoor of my house last night to let my dog in... when I went to put my hand on the door handle I noticed that something on the textured wall seemed... off. So, being the inquisitive one that I am I leaned in to get a closer look and found myself face to face with a lizard. I calmly turned around and ran to the kitchen and updated my facebook status to "OMG there is a lizard in my house. WTF" Now that the important part was out of the way I called my husband and begged him to come straight home from the gym and save me from the lizard. He ran home and goes into the living room to scope things out... he wasn't impressed.

"Really, D. You called me home to deal with a 3 inch long lizard?"

*hangs head in mock shame* "well, I wasn't going to touch it"

15 minutes and several panicky jumps from Dh later the lizard is outside and I am thoroughly traumatized. 10 year old me would have punched me in the face for my behavior.

The glass might just be half-full

Despite the things that are making me sad right now, I am trying to look on the bright side (this is new for me.) I have more time for reading now, after the kids go to bed it's usually just me and I get to read complete sentences without being interrupted. It's craziness. I'm currently reading a Jodi Picoult Novel called "Plain Truth" or "The Plain Truth." I really enjoy her writing although there has been the occasional book that I couldn't get through. I have another one of her books on my "to read" shelf that I just don't think I can read. That one is called "Handle with Care" and it just breaks my heart. I've also started watching Grey's Anatomy. As usual I'm tardy for the party and I'm only on season 3 while the rest of the U.S. is on season 8 or 9.

With all of this new found free time I've decided to start sewing again. I'm not very good, but I think I have enough fabric to at least practice for awhile. I would love to be able to make my own dress one day, especially since I can't seem to find the one I really want. *if you happen to know where I can get a blue polka dotted white dress with a halter style neckline please let me know.*

I guess I'm done blabbing for now. Have a great day, people.

I bought some Bath & Body Works and it made me sad

A few weeks ago I was hanging out at the outlet malls when I realized that Bath & Body Works had their hand soaps on sale 7 for $20. This being my favorite sale of the year I rushed in to buy some. There seemed to be endless options on what scents and types to get; moisturizing, foaming, anti-bacterial... I was sort of overwhelmed by all the options. Eventually I narrowed it down to the 7 soaps that I thought would be great next to my kitchen sink. As soon as I got home I stashed my generic hand soap and picked the one that I thought would smell the best, Cherry. After trying it out I discovered that the Cherry scent is actually more of a marlboro light smell than a fruit smell. Weird. I made it a 1/3 of the way through that bottle before hiding it in the closet and picking another. This time it was Cinnamon Raisin Cookie... also disgusting. What the hell? Bath & Body Works we are 2 for 2 and I'm a little bit scared to continue trying the other scents. Maybe I'll just stick to walmart soap.

Hello Followers!!

All 10 of you anyway :) I just can't seem to get the hang of this whole blogging on a regular basis thing. It's not like I have anything new or interesting to say, but whatever. I promised to blog, so blog I will. We are very nearly to September and it's still incredibly hot ALL THE TIME. What is up with texas? If it's going to be that hot then all homes should be legally required to have AC. Being hot does not make me a happy camper at all. I hope that this ends some day soon.

The kids have been in school for a week and have already had a 3 day weekend. J has decided that she hates school, so every morning is a battle. She's all smiles by the time I pick her up, though. K is in 1st grade and seems to enjoy school as much as she ever has. She loves learning and socializing, so something that combines both of her favorite things at the same time is bound to be a hit. I'm glad that school has started for them, but sad that I'm not able to continue my classes this year. Hopefully soon we will get stationed else where and I can get back to the way things were. Well, I've run out of mundane topics to talk about so...

i don't even know

I've been feeling all sorts of BLAH lately. I think part of it has to do with where we live. I really hate it here and I'm trying my best to make the most of it, but it's not working. It's hard to make the best of something when we're broke all the time and it's too hot to enjoy anything outside that might be free. My mom and brother just left and I had a good time while they were here. We went to the zoo and to a museum and... other stuff, I'm sure, I just can't remember it.

Chris should be home this weekend and hopefully he will actually fix the swamp cooler this time. It's been 90 degrees in my house for most of the month and he doesn't think it's a big deal, at least he didn't until I had a breakdown.

I miss Georgia, we spent so long there that it started to feel like home, and for someone who doesn't have a home that's a big deal. I want to go to the beach and build a sandcastle and see actual water. I never see that here, we have all the sand you could possibly ever want, but no water.

Well, I'm done rambling for now.

Thank God for Friends

It's been rough since being here, but actually getting to socialize and what not has made it much easier. I'm glad that I already had people here who have been through this transition or are going through it. I'm also glad to have someone who is further away, but willing to listen to my crying over the injustice of this place. Well, my perceived injustice anyway. My goal is to try my hardest to enjoy my time here and not just go through the motions. I want to actually be present during my time here, which is incredibly hard to do if all I want to do is hide under my blanket. So, for the length of my sentence here (probably not a helpful way to look at it,) I am going to put my best foot forward, hold my head high, and do all those other things that motivational speakers have turned into cliches. It will be awesome. I hope.

It's the weekend!

My goal is to accomplish absolutely nothing. I do not, under any circumstances, want to leave the house today. I have been out everyday since before we left Ga and I am so done with that. Kiana started school on Wednesday and she LOVES it. Only problem is that they are doing the same crap she did her first month of kindergarten and that just does not work. Jasmine has been having tantrums everyday about going to school and I am TRYING to make her appointment so that they can do whatever testing they feel is necessary, but I can't get on the phone with the lady. It took her a week and a half to finally call me back and I missed the phone call and now can't get her on the phone. UGHHHHHHHH.

I finally got to watch Shrek 4 last night. We took the kids to see it when it was in theaters, but Lauren decided that I would be better off in the hallway than in a not so comfy chair watching the 3d movie I had just paid 12 bucks to see. Better late than never and, according to Fiona and Shrek better out than in. Have a good weekend folks. :)

Moving and crap

Holy bejeeebus is Texas HUGE! We were in this gigantic state for at least three days before finally arriving in El Paso. We stopped just after the texas border for the night and then headed to Killeen to visit my brother in law, where my 6 year old confused his new girlfriend for his old girlfriend (embarrassing.) Then we drove in some snow and ice, which is always a blast, before stopping for the night in lordknowswhere, Texas. Maybe some of you have seen it on the map? Then FINALLY we made it to El Paso and spent a good 45 minutes driving in circles. Thanks to Julie, David, Sara and google maps (no thanks to Garmin) we finally made it on post only to discover that there was no room in the inn despite our reservation. I'm not sure what I did to this place the last time I was here, but it doesn't seem to like me much. We finally found lodging in a motel on the east side and begun our search for a house and after 3 weeks in a hotel we got to move into our furniture less home. YAY! Now a week after moving in we have most of our furniture, cable, internet, and phone and are well on our way to making this place like home. All I need now is for people to visit me.

Look, Ma! I'm blogging!

The cursor is sitting there blinking at me, willing me to type something. I seemed much more prepared to blog before I actually attempted to do it. Now it seems I have nothing to say, however, Priscilla said, "blog once a week," and the Barney Stinson in my head shouted "challenge accepted." So, here I am, typing randomness into a box and asking people to care... or at least pretend to care.

Man, oh man, I'm pooped. Spent all day doing random little things and now my head feels like it's been put through a chipper. On the plus side I got new dresser handles (YAY) and my daughter's teacher suggested the gifted program for her. She says that she needs to be able to think out side the box and question things. She also said "she knows so much, way more than is required for a kindergartner." Yup, my daughter is awesome. Well, that seems like enough to bore a few people for a minute or two. I think I'm going to take a couple tylenol and watch Law and Order: SVU

P.S We leave for texas in 12 days!