the U L T I M A T E cheesecake

It's been a long week with lots of studying {for tests} around here. Coleman had his weekly spelling test. After three years of being exempt from final exams, Justin and Ty were introduced to real life and finals week. In Mulvane, if you carry A's and B's and only use your one personal day off you don't have to take finals. Such an awesome incentive- neither of them ever wanted to miss school and didn't unless they were gravely ill. Luckily, both of them are great test takers {unlike their mama}, so the stress was still fairly minimal.

Jim also had a big week of testing. On Wednesday, he tested for his next rank-  a huge test that he's been studying hard for. He's pretty sure even if he passed with a high score, he won't be promoted until next year at the earliest. They weigh things like your time in service and time in rank making it a little tougher for promotion. He still really wanted to do well. This morning, he had his PT {physical training} test including a 1.5 mile run, push-ups, sit-ups and taping his waist. He's been hitting the gym before work every mornng before work, so he was prepared. Mostly, he's been watching what he eats so his waist would be as small as possible giving him more points for his overall score. If you pass with a 90 or higher, you no longer have to test twice a year, but yearly instead. Much nicer! He did it- scored a 91.9, a huge relief for him.

All week, he's been dying for cheesecake with plans of indulging tonight! We have what we think is the absolute best cheesecake recipe. Problem is, the last two that I made were lumpy instead of smooth- not good at all. I decided to stay out of the kitchen {never make one again- EVER} and let either Jim or Justin make them since theirs are always perfect. This morning, Caden and I decided to surprise him by making it. We beat it and beat it and beat it... it better be smooth- a definite labor of love.  I absolutely LOVE to bake and always have- cookies are my thing. I especially love having fresh-baked cookies ready for my boys as they come home from school. Warm cookies and cold milk- yum! Here, I've been less excited and therefore have not baked a single thing {other than a frozen pie that I just popped in the oven} in the two months we've been here- it's just difficult.

** With next to no counter space, I've easily gotten frustrated. I like space.

** The power thing here is a little tricky, which will be an entire post in itself. Jim's already blown up five power strips causing me to be totally scared to plug anything in. Basically, Germany uses 220 Watt {or volt... can't remember which} and the US is on 110. The plugs don't fit without a converter. Appliances with heating elements {iron, rice cooker, my Chi flat iron that I LOVE, wok, hair dryer...} can't even be used unless they are made for 220.

Larger appliances including my mixer can be used but you have to use a transformer to do it. There are different sizes of transformers.... yes, it's a little complicated... So, I had to unplug the transformer from the tv to use the chopper {to blend up graham crackers } and the mixer. One more thing to fit on the kitchen counter without space.

On top of that, are the dishes, which I've never minded until now- that lack of space thing again. Throw in Caden as my little helper and it's become quite a chore. All I can say is this one better have turned out good... he better LOVE it {or at least fake that he does...}!

The Ultimate Cheesecake (from Tyler Florence)

Crust:

2 cups finely ground graham crackers

1/2 t ground cinnamon

1 stick melted butter

Filling:

2 blocks soft cream cheese

3 eggs

1 C sugar

1 pint sour cream

1 lemon (zest)

1 dash vanilla

Preheat the oven to 325 {yes, I had to look this up too... and now have taped the F to C chart on my fridge... it's 160C}

Combine crust ingredients. Lightly coat an 8" springform pan with Pam. Pour crums into the pan and press down evenly and up the sides. Stick in fridge while you make the filling so it firms up.

Filling:

Beat cream cheese, add eggs then sugar and beat until creamy {1-2 minutes... or 5 if you're me and want to make extra sure there isn't a lump...}

Add sour cream, lemon zest and vanilla. Mix well but don't overbeat. Pour into crust.

Set the cheesecake pan on a large piece of foil and fold up sides around it. Place pan in a large roasting pan, pour boiling water around it until halfway up the sides. Bake 1 hour - 1 hour 15 minutes. The cheesecake should still jiggle, so be careful not to overcook.

Let cool in pan for 30 minutes. Chill in fridge for at least 4 hours (we like it super cold- overnight is better). Fruit topping is good too, or we like it plain. Yummy!