White Chocolate Mixed Berry Cheesecake

This cheesecake is a twist off my basic New York Cheesecake that I make. I entered this in our church cake contest and won first place. This is probably my most favorite variation I've made. Perfect for spring!

White Chocolate Mixed Berry Cheesecake

Cookie Crust
1 ½ cups of crushed oreos including cream centers (easiest to do in food processor)

Mixed Berry sauce
2 cups of frozen mixed berries, thawed and pureed in the blender
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp. cornstarch
½ cup water

Cheesecake
1 cup white chocolate chips
¼ cup half and half

3 (8oz) pkgs. Cream cheese, softened
1 ¼ cups sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup white chocolate chips

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) Put crushed oreos in bottom of cheesecake pan and press evenly over bottom and up sides.
3) In a saucepan, combine berry puree, sugar, cornstarch, and water. Bring to a boil over medium high heat and continue boiling for 5 minutes, or until sauce is thicker.
4) In microwave safe bowl, mix 1 cup white chocolate chips and half and half. Microwave 30 seconds, stir, and microwave 30 seconds more and stir until completely blended. Let cool.
5) Beat cream cheese and sugar at medium speed in large bowl until blended. Beat in eggs, vanilla, and lemon juice until blended. Stir in white chocolate chips and half and half mixture. Add 1 cup of white chocolate chips and stir well.
6) Pour half of cheesecake batter into pan. Spoon 3 tbs. of berry sauce on top and use a knife to swirl. Add the rest of cheesecake batter and spoon 3 more tbs. of berry sauce on top and use a knife to swirl. Save remaining sauce in the fridge for a topping.
7) Bake in oven for 55 minutes to 1 hour or until filling is set. Cool, and refrigerate in the fridge overnight. Serve with remaining berry sauce, fresh berries, white chocolate shavings, or whatever you like.

You could substitute blueberries or strawberries instead of the mixed berries.

Easy and Versatile Potato Salad

I used to think potato salad was hard to make and required a recipe, but now I know it's very easy and you can make it however you want and can easily make it for a crowd without having to double or triple a small recipe. My mother-in-law makes a really good potato salad (My husband's favorite, until mine.) and I liked it, but wanted more mayo and seasonings. Once she showed me how to do it, I realized just how easy potato salad is to make and now I no longer follow a recipe. Who needs to! So, this is how I make it. Sorry, it's not specific, but this is the general guidelines and you can find what works for you and make your own signature potato salad. Everyone likes it a little different. (I'll post a picture when I make it next.)

Potato Salad

Potatoes (as many as you like) Once cooked, let sit in fridge until completely cold and then if desired, peel skins off potatoes (This is what I do). I can typically do this with my hands because they come off pretty easy. Chop to desired size.

Eggs (as many as you like - we like a lot!) Put in fridge. When cold, chop eggs up.

Mayonnaise (as much as you need) Some people like a really dry potato salad and others like a lot of mayo. I'm more on the mayo side, but don't overdo it!

Seasonings (whatever you like best and as much as you like) I personally love a lot of the House Seasoning in it. Gives it great flavor. Most potato salads I try, in my opinion don't have enough salt and therefore don't have enough flavor. I also add some dill sometimes, perhaps extra garlic powder or onion powder, and sometimes I like to add dried onion flakes because it gives you the yummy onion taste without being as strong as fresh chopped onions. Make sure if you use the dried onions, you let your potato salad sit a while so the onions get softer. My typical recipe just uses House Seasoning to taste though.

If desired, you can add chopped celery, or chopped bacon, or whatever you like in your potato salad. I just do mine with eggs, potatoes, mayo, and seasonings and love it best that way!

Mix all ingredients in a bowl (do eggs last, otherwise they'll turn to a paste- been there, done that) Once you've got desired taste and consistency, add eggs. Season more or add more mayo if necessary. Sit in fridge for several hours to get cold and have flavors mix. Enjoy!

Cooking Directions:

Potatoes - Microwave without poking holes in them for 9 minutes or until potatoes are tender all the way through when pierced with a fork. The easiest and tastiest way to microwave potatoes is to get them wet and wrap completely in a slightly damp kitchen towel. This steams the potatoes and they don't dry out like they do when you poke holes in them with a fork. (This makes a great baked potato for dinner!) You can also boil them in the skins until they are done.)

Eggs - The easiest and most fool-proof way I've found to hard boil eggs is to get a large enough pot to put your eggs in a single layer on the bottom. Then, fill it with COLD water and cover eggs with 1 inch of water above them. Put on burner on high and wait until a full rolling boil. (This is where I always went wrong because as soon as it would start to boil, I would take it off the burner. You must wait until it's a boil that is very hard and bubbling and not stopping.) Then, as soon as it's a full rolling boil, take off burner and cover with lid. After 18 minutes, pour out hot water and run cool water over eggs. This will make a dry, but not too dry yolk, like you would get at a restaurant on a salad. It might take a few times to get it just right, so don't give up. I make egg salad sandwiches all the time with this. It's also a great way to use up eggs that didn't get cooked enough in the middle. No one will ever know!