German Chocolate Cheesecake

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The taste of German’s chocolate cake in cheesecake form. Complete with coconut-pecan topping and coconut-pecan crust!

Crust ingredients:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/4 cup sweetened, shredded coconut
1/4 cup chopped pecans
coconut liqueur

Filling ingredients:
4 oz semi-sweet chocolate
24 oz cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup dairy sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon vanilla liqueur
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 eggs

Topping ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons light cream
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 cup sweetened, shredded coconut
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Crust Directions:
Heat oven to 350°F.
Combine graham cracker crumbs and sugar in small bowl. Stir in butter, coconut and pecans; mix well.
Press mixture onto bottom and 1/2-inch up side of 9-inch springform pan.
Sprinkle with coconut liqueur.
Bake 5-6 minutes. Cool.

Filling Directions:
Heat oven to 450°F.
Melt chocolate and set aside.
Combine cream cheese, sugar, sour cream and vanillas in large bowl; beat on medium speed of mixer until smooth.
Add flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, blending well. Add eggs and melted chocolate; blend well.
Pour into prepared crust.
Bake 10 minutes; without opening oven door.
Reduce oven temperature to 250°F.
Continue baking 35 minutes; remove from oven.
With knife, loosen cake from side of pan.
Cool completely; remove side of pan.
Spread topping over top of cake.
Best served at room temperature but must be stored in the refrigerator.
10 to 12 servings.

Topping Directions:
(prepare while the cheesecake is baking)
Melt butter in small saucepan; add brown sugar, light cream and corn syrup. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat. Stir in coconut, pecans and vanilla. Cool slightly.

Lime Chiffon Cheesecake

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The third variation – and possibly my favorite – of my grandmother’s refrigerator cheesecake. I’ve done a lemon version as well as an orange Dreamsicle version. See my newly updated post: Variations on a Theme – Chiffon Cheesecakes for more info on this cheesecake and links to all versions.

1 13.5 oz box graham cracker crumbs
2 sticks butter
2 cups sugar
8 oz cream cheese
9 oz lime Jell-o
1 1/3 cup water (approximately – see instructions)
2 cans cream (evaporated milk)
3 limes, juiced and zested

Refrigerate cans of cream and mixing bowl and mixer beaters.

Melt butter and prepare crumb-crust according to package directions. Press into bottom of a [easyazon-link keywords=”12 18 pan” locale=”us”]12 x 18 inch roasting pan[/easyazon-link]. Refrigerate.

Place strained lime juice in measuring cup and fill with water to 1 1/3 cups. Boil. Fully dissolve Jell-O in the water and juice. Set aside to cool.

Beat together cream cheese, sugar and lime zest.

After Jello-O has cooled slightly, but well before it is set, mix with the cream cheese mixture.

Remove cold bowl and cream from refrigerator and whip as you would heavy whipping cream. You will not quite manage stiff peaks, but you should get close. Note: the colder the cream and bowl are, the more air will be able to be whipped into the cream and the lighter your cheesecake will be.

Fold the cream into the lime mixture until there are no streaks remaining. Pour into crust and refrigerate.

The lime zest getting ready to be mixed with the cream cheese and sugar:
Lime zest sitting atop cream cheese and sugar

The lime Jell-O prepared with the lime juice:
Lime Jell-O with lime juice

Folding the whipped evaporated milk into the Jell-O & cream cheese mixture:
Folding the whipped cream into the Jell-O and cream cheese mixture

The finished cheesecake, topped with sugared lime zest:
The cheesecake, topped with sugared lime peel

Creamsicle-Dreamsicle Cheesecake

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Orange Chiffon Cheesecake

This is a light ‘n fluffy cheesecake based on my Lemon Chiffon Cheesecake. There is also a Lime version. See my newly updated post: Variations on a Theme – Chiffon Cheesecakes for more info on this cheesecake and links to all versions.

1 13.5 oz box graham cracker crumbs
2 sticks butter
2 cups sugar
8 oz cream cheese
9 oz orange Jell-o
1-2 tsp vanilla extract (to taste)
1 1/3 cup water (approximately – see instructions)
2 cans cream (evaporated milk)
2 medium oranges, juiced and zested (zested with a [easyazon-link asin=”B00004S7V8″ locale=”us”]microplane[/easyazon-link])
2 medium oranges, zested (zested with an older [easyazon-link asin=”B00004OCJO” locale=”us”]zester[/easyazon-link] that produces strips)
2 T sugar

Refrigerate cans of cream and mixing bowl and mixer beaters.

Melt butter and prepare crumb-crust according to package directions. Press into bottom of a [easyazon-link keywords=”12 18 pan” locale=”us”]12 x 18 inch roasting pan[/easyazon-link]. Refrigerate.

Place strained orange juice in measuring cup and fill with water to 1 1/3 cups. Boil. Add vanilla. Fully dissolve Jell-O in the water and juice. Set aside to cool.

Beat together cream cheese, sugar and orange zest.

After Jello-O has cooled slightly, but well before it is set, mix with the cream cheese mixture.

Remove cold bowl and cream from refrigerator and whip as you would heavy whipping cream. You will not quite manage stiff peaks, but you should get close.

Fold the cream into the lemon mixture until there are no streaks remaining. Pour into crust and refrigerate.

Toss together the orange zest strips and the sugar. Sprinkle zest strips over the finished cheesecake.

Lining the pan with parchment paper will keep the crust from sticking to the pan:
dreamsicle-cheesecake-crust-1

Cream cheese, sugar and orange zest:
dreamsicle-cheesecake-cream-cheese-1

The orange gelatin ready to cool:
dreamsicle-cheesecake-jello-2

Combining the gelatin and cream cheese:
dreamsicle-cheesecake-mixing-1

Whipping the evaporated milk in my Bosch mixer:
dreamsicle-cheesecake-whipping-evaporated-milk-1

The evaporated milk will not quite reach stiff peaks, but will be nicely stiffened:
dreamsicle-cheesecake-whipping-evaporated-milk-2

Fold together the whipped milk and the gelatin mixture:
dreamsicle-cheesecake-mixing-2

Ready for the topping:
dreamsicle-cheesecake-panned

Strips of zest and sugar:
dreamsicle-cheesecake-sugared-orange-peel-2

Toss together the sugar and zest and allow to sit a few minutes:
dreamsicle-cheesecake-sugared-orange-peel-4

Artistically sprinkle the sugared zest over the cheesecake:
dreamsicle-cheesecake-finished-2

Canning Shelves

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Where do you store all your home-canned food?

I bought heavy-duty shelving supports at my local home improvement center and mounted it on my basement walls.  The shelves are parts of an old entertainment center donated by a cousin-in-law.

They can be adjusted to suit varying heights of jars or equipment.

Canning Shelves

Canning Shelves

Jim’s Lemon Chiffon Cheesecake

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My grandmother’s refrigerator cheesecake, updated with fresh lemon.

I’ve morphed this into lime and orange-creamsicle versions as well. See my newly updated post: Variations on a Theme – Chiffon Cheesecakes for more info on this cheesecake and links to all versions.

1 13.5 oz box graham cracker crumbs
2 sticks butter
2 cups sugar
8 oz cream cheese
9 oz lemon Jell-o
1 1/3 cup water (approximately – see instructions)
2 cans cream (evaporated milk)
2 large lemons, juiced and zested

Refrigerate cans of cream and mixing bowl and mixer beaters.

Melt butter and prepare crumb-crust according to package directions. Press into bottom a [easyazon-link keywords=”12 18 pan” locale=”us”]12 x 18 inch roasting pan[/easyazon-link]. Refrigerate.

Place strained lemon juice in measuring cup and fill with water to 1 1/3 cups. Boil. Fully dissolve Jell-O in the water and juice. Set aside to cool.

Beat together cream cheese, sugar and lemon zest.

After Jello-O has cooled slightly, but well before it is set, mix with the cream cheese mixture.

Remove cold bowl and cream from refrigerator and whip as you would heavy whipping cream. You will not quite manage stiff peaks, but you should get close.

Fold the cream into the lemon mixture until there are no streaks remaining. Pour into crust and refrigerate.