Dessert Recipes

Some old friends came by unexpectedly not long ago. We had a good visit with them, remembering old times, catching up on current events, and discussing politics. As the evening progressed, I realized I should serve them refreshments. This would be a difficult task, as I haven’t been to the market recently and my supply of food was down to almost nothing. I surveyed the cupboard, trying to find a good choicebut couldn’t find anything appropriate. I refused to serve these dear people stale crackers, slightly moldy cheese, or overripe fruit. I quickly scanned the contents of my refrigerator and freezer. How lucky could I be? Wedged between the fish sticks and popsicles in my freezer was a wonderful option…cheesecake.

Cheesecake is a truly delightful treat, I like to keep a few around for just these sorts of occasions. It is so versatile, it freezes well, is easy to serve, and can be used for just about any occasion. Whether it is a sweet snack, a handy dessert, or a covered-dish item for pot-luck dinners, cheesecake is an unforgettable and appropriate choice. I’ve even been known to give cheesecake to others as gifts.

Cheesecake can be stored for several days in the refrigerator or frozen for months. It tastes as fresh as the day you purchase it. It thaws in just a few minutes, is easy to slice into serving portions and simple to serve. Its creamy texture makes it easy to swallow, as well.

Cheesecake boasts a flavorful originality all its own, with the perfect combination of tartness and sweetness. There are a number of varieties of cheesecake from which to choose, making each a exquisitively different dessert. Of these different varieties, fruit-topped cheesecake offers a healthy and colorful option. Consider juicy, red strawberries, firm blueberries, or sweet peaches ladled generously over a slice of New York cheesecake and feel your mouth delight in the complimentary flavors. For that extra-tart, exotic pleaser, try Key Lime cheesecake. Turtle cheesecake has that decadently rich taste that is truly scrumptious.

The cheesecake in my freezer just happened to be New York Style. This turned out to be the perfect choice for these particular friends, who are non-pretentious and very down-to-earth. I quickly placed the container on the counter to start thawing, started a pot of coffee and by the time it was finished brewing, the cheesecake was ready to slice and serve. What a delightful visit we had, conversing between mouthfuls of this deliciously refreshing treat.

Yes, cheesecake is a deliciously refreshing treat to serve in “spur of the moment” times like when friends unexpectedly stop by. In fact, all of our friends know I like to keep cheesecake on hand. I guess that it’s possible that our friends didn’t just “drop by”…maybe it was planned so they could enjoy some cheesecake…

I grew up a bit differently from most children.  You see, I actually liked some vegetables better than sweets.  I suspect that many of you mothers and fathers might be wishing that you had a perfect child like I was.  My preferences might have been tied to the fact that my mother kept me on baby foods until I was twenty-eight.  In retrospect, I realize that none of the [major babyinfant] food companies squeeze a pureed serving of a brownie into a little glass jar.

My candy consumption was also limited.  After I would come home from trick or treating every Halloween night, my mother would make me dump my goodies on the floor, where we would both seat ourselves, cross-legged.  We would sort them into three piles.  Into one of those piles would go everything that was made by the generous Mrs. Robertson.  Those went straight into the garbage, because Mom was sure that Mrs. Robertson let her fourteen cats walk all over the kitchen counters.  The second pile contained a couple of apples and a small box of raisins.  Those were deemed suitable for me.  I can’t say for certain what happened to the third grouping–the one that contained all the candy, the caramel apples and the popcorn balls.  My mother spirited those off to my parents bedroom, and I never saw them again.  My only tastes of candy came when I visited my one pair of grandparents.  (My other grandparents just read me Bible verses all day, and convince me that God was not particularly enthusiastic about any behavior of a typical child.)

In defense of my mother, I believe that this sort of behavior is taught in the top secret motherhood school.  I noticed that when my son was growing up, his mother hid all his candy after Halloween, too.  That was typically followed by a couple weeks of repeated, “Do I look fat to you?”  It didn’t take me long to realize that such a question demands a very rapid response; one should not even pause for a breath.

When I became a full fledged adult at the magical age of twenty-nine, I began to learn that applesauce, vegetables and meat in their natrual form do not really have the same texture.  I also discovered the wonders of dessert in the wonderful form of a gourmet cheesecake.  Well, I guess it really wasn’t gourmet.  It came from a discount food warehouse, in a flimsy box with a cellophane peep hole that revealed the only attractive portion of the product.  Remember that my taste buds had been accustomed to the miracle recipes of the baby food makers.  To me, the cheesecake was the definition of heaven.

Later in life, as I belatedly went through my experimental wild years, I learned that cheesecake could taste much less like cardboard than my first sample.  (Please don’t ask why I know how cardboard tastes.)  In addition, I discovered that cheesecake, the wonder food, actually comes in lots of different flavors.

Dessert is now my reason for living! The best way to top off a well balanced meal of two jars of meat, three jars of thoroughly squashed squash and a banana is with a turtle cheesecake.  But please don’t tell my mother; she’ll just take it from me.

The saddest part of this story is that I don’t even know how to make a cheesecake.  Please tell me if you have a good recipe.  Make sure that your recipe doesn’t require using either an oven or a whisk.  I do know how to use a blender, though, because I watched my mom prepare the Thanksgiving turkey one year.

Author’s Aside:  It’s possible I may have exaggerated just a bit here and there, but don’t mention it to my mom.  She doesn’t have a computer and thinks the Internet is a type of support stocking.  I don’t have to worry about her actually reading this.