Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! Let’s make 2009 the best year ever.

We’re back at home and I’m enjoying quiet New Year with my family. I usually look at the New Year the same way every year. But I say each year can be better. I didn’t write any resolutions because I feel there’s too much pressure when you fail if it doesn’t work out. I hate to be a loser for breaking it. I’ll just keep in mind the things that had gone wrong last year and do what is best this year.

We drank sparkling Cali and Strawberry wine to give us some punch. I made the blueberry cheesecake two days before the New Year to get the cake really chilled. The first time I made a No-bake cheesecake, it was a failure. Imagine, I don't need to bake it anymore and I messed up still. Turns out I had to chill the cheesecake longer. I was over the net looking for the cheesecake recipe and I found a New York style cheesecake recipe—it turned out so yummy though. I also bought prawns, it’s quite expensive for 500 per kilo (I got 15 pieces) but who cares. My original plan was to cook spicy garlic prawns but my son asked me not to make it spicy. I had Hershey’s bitter-sweet chocolate bars settling in the refrigerator for more than three months so I looked for truffle recipe in the internet. I also made fresh fruit salad and nilagang baka and the left-over carbonara. My family loved all the food, of course they can't complain.

 

Here's the New York Style Cheesecake recipe.

Ingredients:

1/3c butter

1 1/2 c graham crackers (crushed)

3 1/4 cream cheese

1 can condensed milk

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

Blueberry toppings (Wilderness)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300F. Combine butter and crushed graham. Beat cream cheese until fluffly. Gradually add condensed milk until smooth.Add vanilla and eggs. Pour into 8-9" pie pan.Bake for 1 hour.Refrigerate for 6 hours until firm.

In a saucepan, mix 1/2 c white sugar plus 2 tbsp cornstarch. (I did not add cornstarch).Stir in reserved blueberry liquid and 1 tsp. lemon juice.Cook stirring constantly until mixture thickens and boils. Stir for 1 minute.Remove from heat and stir in blueberries.