Heavenly

Heavenly Cheesecake

1	cup vanilla wafer, chocolate wafer, graham cracker or gingersnap cookie crumbs
2	tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
3	packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1/2	cup sugar
3	eggs
1	teaspoon vanilla
1	bag (12 ounces) white baking chips, (2 cups), melted
1/2	cup half-and-half
	Cut-up fresh strawberries, if desired
	Fresh mint leaf, if desired

1. 1Heat oven to 325°F. Mix cookie crumbs and butter in small bowl. Press evenly in bottom of springform pan, 10x3 or 9x3 inches. Refrigerate while preparing filling.
2. 2Beat cream cheese in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Gradually beat in sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in vanilla, melted baking chips and half-and-half until blended. Pour over crust; smooth top.

1. 3

1. Bake 55 to 60 minutes or until center is set; cool 15 minutes. Run metal spatula around side of cheesecake to loosen. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours, but no longer than 48 hours. Remove side of pan. Top cheesecake with strawberries. Garnish with mint leaves. Store covered in refrigerator.

Lemon Tart Tested Recipe	Printer Friendly Page

This beautiful Lemon Tart consists of a buttery shortbread crust, a creamy smooth lemon filling made with fresh lemon juice, sugar, and cream cheese, all covered with lovely swirls of whipped cream. Now, if you serve this tart the day it is made the tart's crust will be nice and crisp and you will taste the full tanginess of the lemon filling. Absolutely lovely. But if you store the tart in the refrigerator overnight, the shortbread crust will soften a little and the flavor of the lemon filling will mellow slightly, so all the textures and flavors of the tart seem to blend together. Again, absolutely lovely.

Related Recipes You May Like Lemon Curd Tart Lemon Bars Lemon Sherbet Lemon Cupcakes Lemon Sponge Pudding Lemon Curd

Crust: Grease with butter, or spray with a nonstick vegetable cooking spray, an 8 - 9 inch (20 - 23 cm) tart pan with a removable bottom. In your food processor, place the flour, sugar, and salt and process to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the pastry starts to come together and form clumps. Place the pastry in the prepared tart pan and, using your fingertips, evenly press the pastry onto the bottom and up the sides of the pan. (Can use the back of a spoon to smooth the surface of the pastry.) Pierce the bottom of the crust with the tines of a fork. (This will prevent the pastry crust from puffing up while it bakes.) Cover and place the pastry crust in the freezer for 15 minutes to chill. (This will help prevent the crust from shrinking while it bakes.) Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. When the pastry is completely chilled, place the tart pan on a larger baking pan and bake until the crust is golden brown, about 13 - 15 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool while you make the filling. Reduce the over temp to 350 degrees (177 degrees C). Filling: In a food processor or electric mixer, place the cream cheese and process until smooth. Add sugar and process until incorporated. Add eggs, one at a time, and process until thoroughly combined. Add remaining ingredients and process until well blended and smooth. Pour filling into pre baked tart shell and bake for approximately 25 - 30 minutesor until filling is set. Transfer tart to a wire rack to cool and then cover and refrigerate until well chilled, at least an hour. Topping: Put mixing bowl and whisk in the freezer for 15 minutes. Beat the whipping cream and powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Transfer the whipped cream to a pastry bag fitted with star tip (#4B), and pipestars over the entire surface of the tart. Refrigerate until serving time. Serves 6 - 8 people. Sources: Bon Appetit Magazine Davidson, Alan. The Oxford Companion to Food. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999. Root, Waverley, Food. New York: A Fireside Book, 1980. Visser, Margaret, Much Depends on Dinner. New York: Grove Press, 1986. Whiteman, Kate, The New Guide to Fruit. New York: Lorenz Books, 1999. Crust: 1 cup (130 grams) all purpose flour 1/3 cup (35 grams) confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup (113 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces Lemon Filling: 5 ounces (140 grams) cream cheese, room temperature. 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated white sugar 1/2 cup (120 ml) fresh lemon juice(approximately two large lemons) 2 large eggs 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (outer lemon skin) Topping: 1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy whipping cream(contains 35-40% butterfat) 1 tablespoon (10 grams) confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar TIPS: Always remove the zest first before halving and squeezing the lemon. Use a fine strainer to remove the seeds and pulp from the juice

Aawwwww

Gwen Donates a Million to Japanese Disaster Relief

Gwen Stefani Donates $1 Million to Tsunami Relief

Gwen Stefani has donated $1 million to Save the Children’s Japan Earthquake-Tsunami Children in Emergency Fund.

“I’ve been inspired by Japan for many years and have a true love, appreciation and respect for the Japanese people and their culture,” the 41-year-old No Doubt rocker shared. “The disaster in Japan is beyond heartbreaking and I want to do anything I can to help. I would never be able to make a gesture like this without the love and support of all the fans over all these years.”

Next week, details about a charity auction will be announced - fans can bid on the chance to meet Gwen at a special fundraiser! A limited edition Harajuku Lovers tee designed by Gwen will also be available next week, with 100% of the proceeds going toward disaster relief in Japan.

Also, a charity auction will be announced next week where fans can bid on the chance to join Gwen at a special fundraiser in Los Angeles. Also available next week, a limited edition Harajuku Lovers T-shirt designed by Gwen will be available through nodoubt.com with 100% of proceeds benefiting the relief effort in Japan. Plans for further fundraising initiatives are also in current discussion. Those who wish to participate more immediately may donate now at www.savethechildren.org

Gwen Stefani's History with Japan
Gwen Stefani has been inspired by Japan since she first toured there with No Doubt in 1996. Not only did she immediately fall in love with the country and it's people, Gwen found a special connection to a district in Tokyo known as Harajuku, an area that thrives on creativity, music, art and fashion. The youth culture of the Harajuku district have been a constant muse for Gwen, inspiring both her clothing line called Harajuku Lovers and the song "Harajuku Girls." Throughout her career Gwen has borrowed heavily from Japanese culture for many of her creative endeavors.

About Save the Children's response to children and families affected by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan:

Disaster Impact on Children: Save the Children is the leading, independent organization that creates lasting change for children in need in the United States and around the world. Children are always among the most vulnerable during emergencies. Children in the hardest-hit areas are in need of basic supplies such as food and clean water. With concerns over nuclear safety, there is a risk that problems with supply lines could grow worse. In addition, initial assessments have confirmed that over 5,500 schools have been damaged and it is anticipated that the opening of schools for the new term on April 5 will be delayed.

Conditions facing children and families are so extreme that they are developing a three-year strategy—based on their initial on-scene assessments—to first help provide essential relief items and launch child protection activities, and then help restore children's sense of security and normalcy and advocate for their inclusion in emergency preparedness planning.
"We are very grateful to have such a generous donation from Gwen Stefani for our relief efforts in Japan," said Charles MacCormack, president and CEO of Save the Children "Save the Children has been in Japan for 25 years and we are working closely with our teams on the ground to address the immediate and ongoing needs of children and their families whose lives were turned upside down by this tragedy."

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Ame's Banana Bread

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 large eggs
• 3 ripe bananas
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan.

Cream the sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a small bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. Mix in the milk and cinnamon. In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Add the banana mixture to the creamed mixture and stir until combined. Add dry ingredients, mixing just until flour disappears.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Remove bread from pan, invert onto rack and cool completely before slicing.

Spread slices with honey or serve with ice cream.

Pure Evil

Their very name strikes fear into the hearts of mother's everywhere: ants. Now ants are not just the kind of creatures that seek out food and run off on their merry little way. No. No. No. They are obsessed, non-relenting to the point that they could drive any normal person insane. I am talking compulsion to the point of being evil.

They are like miniature spawns of Satan himself. Completely aggressive and persistent. You caulk a hole and they find another hole in your house. . . . and there is always another hole, always another entrance from their world to yours. They never, ever stop. Like the Terminator. They just keep coming. There is no stopping them.

I recently came across a product that I would happily endorse in the fight against these evil doers. I mean I sprayed this product all over my basil plant, which they were living in. Oh yes! Oh yes people. They made a nest inside my house plant. I kid you not. I was beyond upset and disgusted. Some little teenage ant queen thought she could conquer my house and take my plant as her castle. Bitch did not know who she was dealing with.

Muhahaha! But see? She had no clue. She was not prepared for me. Nope. Anyway, I sprayed the entire pot with EcoSmart and those little buggers all crawled out of my pot and died right there. Oh. I couldn't possibly contain my joy when I vacuumed those little bastards up.

EcoSmart is completely organic, so it's safe for your home, your kitchen, bathroom, anywhere your kids or pets play. It's basically herbs and a lot of citronella. I mean your house will smell like mint for a while but who even minds that so much? I just make some nice mint tea to drink while I rejoice. :D

And now? Now I wait until they find another hole so that I can spray it ASAP. I lurk, waiting for my opportunity. They seem to have disappeared, so I wait. Now who's evil? :D