Because WordNerd Needs Recipes

I know. I'm a blog-slacker.

But, WordNerd wanted suggestions for desserts, and I have a delicious offering - one that never fails and everyone likes. The recipe says 12 - 16 servings, but after a big holiday meal, I can only eat a sliver, however, in an hour or two, I can manage a second sliver.

TIRAMISU CHEESECAKE

prep: 45 minutes   chill: 4 hrs

1 recipe chocolate graham cracker crumb crust, unbaked - your favorite (I add a pinch of cinnamon)

1 tsp instant espresso coffee powder

2 tablespoons rum or brandy

3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tsp vanilla

3 eggs

1 8-ounce carton sour cream

unsweetened cocoa powder

sifted powdered sugar

semisweet chocolate curls

1. Preheat oven to 350*

2. Make graham cracker crust, mash onto bottom and sides of springform pan

3. In a separate bowl, dissolve coffee powder in rum or brandy; set aside

4. Beat cream cheese in a mixer until smooth. Gradually add sugar and beat until smooth again. Beat in cornstarch and vanilla. Add eggs all at once. Beat until just combined. 

Stir in  coffee mixture.

5. Pour filling into crust. Bake 45 -50 minutes or until center appears nearly set when gently shaken. Remove from oven. Immediately stir the sour cream and spoon onto warm cheesecake, spreading to within 1 inch of edge.

6. Cool in springform pan on wire rack, 15 minutes. Carefully loosen pan. Cool 30 minutes more. Remove side of pan, cool for 1 hour. Cover, chill for 4 - 24 hours.

7. To serve, sift cocoa powder and powdered sugar lightly onto desert plates. Top slices with chocolate curls.

PS: 

J is doing great at her new job, earning her first performance bonus in her paycheck this week! Her not-so-newish anymore boyfriend is very much a mature, manly boyfriend. We like him. I hope that is not the kiss of death. 

My mystery project is coming along slowly but nicely, to some very good reviews among the powers that be over it. It is still a mystery, however, as I cannot bear to jinx it by saying another word. mmmmmmmmuuuuummmmmm.

Other than that, everything here is pleasant and quiet. Today, anyway.

There is a garden in every childhood, an enchanted place

where colors are brighter, the air softer, and the morning more fragrant than ever again.
--Elizabeth Lawrence

Yes, I live and breathe. And hope.

Dum Spiro, Spero

Some housekeeping items: J's job is suiting her quite well and she calls every afternoon with happy tales. She likes the work, the people, the facility (which has a subsidized, chef-run cafeteria, a walking track outdoors around soccer fields, a break room with internet access and numerous computers.) She has received her first paycheck. I like that one myself.

I have alerted all my outlets that I am no longer in the berry/flower/asparagus/tomato growing business. Yes, I say it in print. I Am Retired from what little I still did. The burden of these last obligations far outweighed any satisfaction I received. Now T is going to build that walled garden for me, and I can concentrate on just what I want.

First thing, I'm designing a Shakespeare Garden.

I have, shock!, another post in my mind, which I will write. I will!

Someone asked me in an email to name the books that have changed my life. I felt a little nervous answering her, thinking I most surely had to come up with something intellectually defensible, something to underscore my elevated thinking. But the titles I determined as most meaningful were...other than that, and later today, I'll tell you why and what happened.