Favorite Cheesecake Recipe

I don't remember where I got this recipe.  I think it came from the mother of my boyfriend when I was in College.

TWO LAYER CHEESECAKE

Make the crust ahead of time and chill it.  Also all the cheesecake ingredients need to be at room temperature before starting.

Crust:

Use a deep pyrex pan or a spring form pan. In the USA I use graham crackers.  In Australia I use Granitas and gingernut biscuits and leave out the cinnamon. Grind them up in the food processor.

1 1/2 cups of crumbs

1/4 c Confectioners sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

6 Tablespoons of melted butter.

Press into bottom of baking dish and put in refrigerator.

Filling:

First layer--Mix together 2 eggs, 1/2cup sugar plus 2 Tablespoons, 2 packages of Cream Cheese (1 lb, 500g), 1 teaspoon vanilla.  Pour over chilled crust and bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit (165 degrees celsius) for 20 minutes.  Take out of oven and let cool while the second layer is prepared.  Turn the oven up to 400 degrees ( 200 degree celsius).

Second layer--Mix together one pint of sour cream (500g), 1/4 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla.  Pour over slightly cooled layer and spread out evenly.  Bake for 5 minutes.

Chill cheesecake at least 12 hours before serving.  I like it with pie cherries in thick sauce poured over top.

Bucks County in June

Phil and I went to Bucks County in June.  I wanted to visit my grandparents grave and have one last look at the site of my grandmother's house and my aunt's cabin.

We stayed at the National Inn in Frenchtown New Jersey.  Great old Inn with a wonderful old bar and great food.  Plus you can easily catch a bus from there into NYC.

The day we arrived it was pouring so we decided to go find the church where the gravesites are.

The deer had nippped the red peonies off the bush and scattered them over Honey's  grave.

A day does not pass that I do not remember her and miss her.

This is where the piper stood to attention during the funeral.

The towpath between bridge 4 and 5.  Scene of many happy moments, walking , swimming and skating.  Only puddles in the canal now.

The creek looking down from the towpath.

Mimi's cabin

Bridge 4.  No echo underneath with no water. I checked.

The site of Honey's house. Even the old treehouse is gone.

Mimi's cabin taken from the site of Honey's house

The site of Honey's house taken from the front looking back towards Mimi's cabin

This was where Honeys bell pole stood.  The big old sycamores that grew on the point are gone.  Not much to hold down the bank now.

This is where the old hemlock stood.  I cut Georges hair once under the hemlock.  He sat on Honey's kitchen stool and afterwards proclaimed me to be more severe than the Army!

Familiar view.

Rebel's place on the left.  Note the Rebel flag.

Another familiar site.

It was a melancholy visit to return to the site of many happy childhood moments and to see that it is all gone now.  We were lucky to enjoy it when it was best.  The canal is in a terrible state of repair and will never be as wonderful as it had been.  We used to be able to paddle down the river to Pt Pleasant and then carry the canoe up to the canal and paddle back.  You cannot do that now.  I am glad that I went back though to see it once again.

A Visit to Gwalia

This last week my husbands relatives came for a visit from Perth.  I took a day off to join them on a trip north to visit the mining ghost town and museum of Gwalia near Leonora WA.  The mine at Gwalia is still active.  It was made famous by one of its first mine managers, a very young Herbert Hoover.  Originally it was an underground mine.  Because the ore body sloped downward deep into the earth the idea of building a decline following the slope of the orebody was Hoover's idea rather than trying to build vertical shafts into the mine.  Today, the mine is a deep pit with the decline sloping off of the pit.  The old manager's house sits precariously on the top overlooking the pit and is called the Hoover House.  It is a Bed and Breakfast and is attached to a wonderful museum.  At the base of the hill below Hoover House is where the miners used to live.  There are still a few tin shacks remaining that have been preserved by locals.  Walking through them was wonderful.  Hope you enjoy my pictures of the interiors.  What wonderful old junk.  I took the picture of Thundermug tree for Barb's entertainment.

Time to head home!