Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake

I made this for Thanksgiving.  Mine didn't look quite this pretty, but it was tasty.  Brian is a big cheesecake fan and he loves pumpkin pie, so this was his request and he loved it.



Makes 16 servngs

38 Nabisco Ginger Snaps, finely crushed (couldn't find Nabisco, so I used the Meijer brand instead)
1/4 cup finely chopped Planters Pecans
1/4 cup butter, melted
4 pkg. (8 oz each) Philadelphia cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin
1 Tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs

Heat oven to 325*.  Mix crumbs, nuts and butter, press into the bottom and up 1 inch of the sides of a 9" springform pan.

Beat cream cheese and sugar with mixer until blended.  Ass pumpkin, spice and vanilla. mix well.  Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing after each addition just until blended.  Pour into crust.  Bake 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes or until center is almost set.

Loosen cake from rim of pan, cool before removing ring.  Refrigerate 4 hours.  Serve with a dollop of whip cream and a sprinkle of nutmeg.

Pumpkin Pound Cake with Buttermilk Glaze

I made this to take to a friends house a few weeks ago.  Mine was not this beautiful, but it was moist and tasty.  I think it would be good with like a gooey, nutty layer in it or on top, or both.

Anyhow, the Cooking Light recipe  is here.  I highly recommend it!

Cheeseburger Soup

Cheeseburger Soup from Nancy Reid

Serves 8-9 and doubles easily

1/2 lb ground beef

3/4 cup chopped onion

3/4 cup chopped carrot

3/4 cup chopped celery

1 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. parsley flakes

4 Tbsp. margarine, divided

1/4 cup Flour

3 cups chicken broth

4 cups diced potatoes

8 oz. cubed Velveeta

1 1/2 cups milk

3/4 tsp. salt/pepper to taste

1/4 cup sour cream

Brown beef and drain.

Saute' onions, celery, carrots, basil and parsley in 1 Tbsp. margarine until tender.

Add broth, potatoes and beef.  Bring to a boil and simmer 10-12 minutes until potatoes are tender.

In a small skillet, melt remaining margarine then add flour, cook until bubbly, add to soup mixture and bring to a boil.  Cook and stir for 2 minutes. 

Reduce heat to low, add cheese, milk, salt and pepper.  Cook and stir until cheese is melted.  

Remove from heat and add sour cream.  

Lentil Soup

Here is the recipe I used and it turned out great!  I didn't change a thing, but let it simmer for a couple of hours and used an immersion blender after adding the tomatoes and wine at the end.  I still have a huge pot left too!  Perfect for a cold weekend!