Mini Cheesecakes

These cheesecakes are super easy, pretty quick, and absolutely delicious.








2 (8oz) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
2 eggs
3/4 cup white sugar
2 Tbsp flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp lemon juice
vanilla wafers

Line muffin tin with liners and place a vanilla wafer in the bottom of each (should make 18).  Whip cream cheese for 2 minutes to make lighter and fluffy.  Add in sugar and beat.  Stir in flour and baking powder. Add eggs, one at a time, and mix throughouly.  Add vanilla and lemon juice.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Fill each liner evenly.  Bake for 15 minutes and allow to cool completely (about 30 min in pan and then for as long as you can wait in the refridgerator--this is hard to do but they are so much better cold I promise!)...  Middles will sink down creating a perfect spot for berries, whip cream, any topping you desire.

Taking Patriotic Pictures

I have looked at so many scrapbooking magazines and websites lately I can't even remember where I saw this, but I loved it!

Drape a flag as your background and just sit individuals in front of it for an instant patriotic portrait that doesn't take any effort. It looks nice and it's practically free.

So easy and classic. There are so many things to take pictures of on the 4th of July to record your own traditions, and the American tradition itself.

Some ideas:
1. The parade: the breakfast you eat at the parade, your favorite floats, the motorcycle cops, the candy being thrown, and pictures of you and your family actually watching it.
2. kids playing with daytime fireworks (parachutes, snakes, poppers)
3. activities you have during the day: family outing such as lake or hike; decorating for the party, kids in their patriotic attire, flag protraits outside (natural lighting!), etc.
4. Food: there are endless things people eat to celebrate this holiday...do you eat anything in particular every year? Take a picture of the prep, the final product, and the people enjoying it.
5. Fireworks: Oh fireworks can be hard to photograph so make sure to use your fireworks camera setting for them, and a night setting for the people. Spell something out with the sparklers. Catch the natural excitment a kid has when watching fireworks.

July 4th crafts

I really love the 4th of July and am always looking for fun ways to detail the holiday. When I got my July Family Fun magazine last month, I fell in love with these:

Firecracker Favors (I am actually turning mine into Weasly Wizard Wizbangs for my HP party)

Basically you take rolled candy like Life Savers, re-wrap them in patriotic paper, and stick these cute little picks in the top (I found my pics at Jo-ann's...they are by Wilton).

For original instructions go here.

Want more crafts? Check these out:

Martha's Star Spangled crafts

Make and Takes has some fun fruit kababs and a craft roundup with lots of links to good ideas.

As American as...

Cherry Pie. I really like cherry pie...well I really just like pie in general.

This is a really good Cherry Pie filling...as I have mentioned before I don't make pie crust I buy if frozen :)


a 9 inch double crust pie
1 (20 ounce) can pitted sour cherries
3/4 cup white sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/8 tsp salt
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp red food coloring (optional)
1 egg yolk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Drain cherries, reserving 1 cup liquid. In a saucepan combine sugar, flour and salt. Stir in cherry liquid and bring to a boil, stirring often. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Mixture will thicken. When mixture is thickened, add butter, almond extract, food coloring and cherries. Cover and refrigerate.

On lightly covered surface, roll out half of the pastry into an 11 inch circle. Put into 9 inch pie dish. Roll other half of pastry into another 11 inch circle. With a knife or pastry wheel, cut eight 1/2 inch strips.

Pour cooled cherry filling into pie dish. Place pastry strips horizontally, then vertically, across the top of the pie and lightly brush with egg yolk. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, and cool before serving.

For original recipe go here.

As American as ...

With the 4th of July coming up this week I thought what would be better than some American food classics?

So here is a great recipe for Southern Fried Chicken

3 cups flour
1 Tbsp seasoned salt
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp onion powder
1 Tbsp black pepper
2 eggs
4 cups buttermilk
1 cup barbecue sauce
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp steak sauce
1 (3 pound) whole chicken, cut into pieces
2 cups oil for frying

In a large shallow dish, mix together flour, seasoned salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper. In a separate bowl, beat eggs, then whisk in buttermilk, barbecue sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and steak sauce. Dredge chicken in milk mixture, then in seasoned flour, alternating in each at least twice. Heat oil in a large, deep-sided skillet to 375 degrees. Fry chicken in hot oil until golden brown on both sides, about 10 minutes each side.

For footnotes, nutritional info, and tips see the original recipe here, at allrecipes.com

For some classic sides:

I generally don't like homemade biscuits, BUT I tried the bisquick heartsmart box and the recipe for regular biscuits on the back of that...yum.

Potato or Macaroni or Fruit salad. Check our allrecipes.com for a million ideas.