No-bake Cheesecakes

I go through phases when it comes to food. In the spring, I went through a phase where I made muffins for breakfast pretty much every day. Then I was making edible cookie dough almost every night after dinner. 

For about the last month, all I want is a good cheesecake. I had a slice of mediocre (store bought) cheesecake at a friend’s birthday party, but it was hardly satisfying.

I tried Martha Stuart’s no-bake cheesecake, but it didn’t come together at all. It was just gloopy. Don’t get me wrong, we still ate the whole damn thing. But it didn’t satisfy my craving either. 

Here is my list of the 7 most drool-worthy no-bake cheesecakes that I’ve found on the internet. To be updated as I try them all. 

No-bake cannoli cheesecake. Very good, especially if you have leftover ricotta you don’t want to waste. Doubled the powdered sugar and halved the cinnamon and nutmeg. Will make again to take a picture (which I forgot to do because I was to busy stuffing my face with cheesecake). 

No-bake (classic) cheesecake. 

No-bake chocolate peanut butter cheesecake. 

No-bake cookie dough cheesecake.


No-bake Oreo cheesecake. 

No-bake Snickers cheesecake. Damn tasty. Still needed more sugar than the recipe called for. Did not need caramel drizzled over the top.

No-bake strawberry cheesecake. Good flavor, but too runny to be considered a cheesecake. If I had called it an icebox cake, Hubby probably would have liked it better.

Which one should I make next?

7 Steps to Planning Your Garden

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The last several days have been a gross combination of rainy, snowy, foggy, and cold. This is the kind of weather you try really hard not to go outside in, or at least I try really hard not to go outside in. Instead, I'm sitting by the fire planning what to do with my garden in the spring to maximize productivity (and minimize effort and cost). By following these steps, I should be more prepared for spring gardening, which will help me be a more efficient gardener.

First, what do I already have? When Hubby and I bought our home, it came with several apple trees, a rosemary shrub, and a bathtub on the driveway. I've used the rosemary for cooking a handful of times, but we have yet to harvest any apples--what the late snows haven't gotten, the blue jays have. Since moving, we've added 8 hop bines, 5 blackberry bushes, 2 pomegranate trees, a nectarine tree, a passionfruit vine, and the smallest fig "tree" you've ever seen. And we filled the bathtub with strawberries. The only fruit we've gotten to enjoy have been a handful of blackberries, several handfuls of strawberries, and one tiny nectarine. They say a plant's harvest should be better each year, right?

Second, how do I improve what I already have? One of the biggest problems for me is having time to water everything. If I set aside time early in the season to re-vamp the old drip watering system that the previous owners left behind, that will help tremendously. I also have to figure out how to keep the critters at bay. Putting up a super cool owl nest box might help with the rodents, and I might have to try some sort of netting around the apple trees to help with the blue jays.

Third, what usable space do I have? We have a pretty big property. But it's in a forest, which means that there are 80 foot tall trees between the sun and a majority of our garden. 

Fourth, what are my garden goals? Do I want to supplement the fruits and veggies I buy at the store? Do I want to produce enough to be able to stop buying fruits and veggies? What about canning? 

Fifth, what have I learned from past experiences? I've tried buying plants bare-root from the internet. The only plant I've ever bought this way that grew at all was hops. I've learned not to get sucked in by the promises of the seed catalogs that show up in the mail. I've also had extensive personal failings with seeds (nasturtiums being the lone exception in this case). Strawberries have been my biggest success so far. I may want to get a journal like this one to keep track of what works and what doesn't work so I don't keep making the same mistakes year after year.

Sixth, what is my budget? This is the hardest part for me, because I pretty much want all the plants. I know that buying bigger, more established plants will result in bigger harvests sooner than buying smaller, bare-root plants from Home Depot. I've decided to save my Swagbucks rewards until springtime, and then use those for my garden budget.

Seventh, how do I prioritize my goals based on what I have, what I know, and what I can reasonably spend? This part may have to wait until the spring thaw comes and planting season arrives. But at least now I have an idea of what plants I plan to purchase and where in my garden I think they'll thrive.

How would you plan your dream garden?

Baby's First Week

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I'm not going to say that I have this whole Mom thing figured out. After all, I've literally been doing it for a week. But I've already found several things that have helped tremendously. 

Nursing bras. I've been wearing ones like these pretty much 24/7. They're super comfy, unfortunately they have zero support. So when your milk machines are engorged, they're all freaking over the place. Not a problem if you're hanging out at home, but I would suggest something more like a sports bra for excursions. 

Nipple cream. I legit have bruised nips. Just because babies don't have teeth, doesn't mean they can't bite you. I have no idea what this stuff is or why it works, but I seriously don't care. It's super awesome. Stock up. 

Prepared food. A few weeks before Baby Boy's arrival, I made some freezer meals. We've already run through most of the fully cooked stuff, but we also have a bunch of stuff that's halfway prepped. At this point, the less effort I have to use to feed myself, the better. 

Newborn diapers. Even if you want to use cloth diapers (we do), they have a minimum weight suggestion of 8 pounds, so it's going to take awhile for most babies to grow into them. They're cheaper online and you will use LOTS of them unless you want baby stewing in his own pee. 

Receiving blankets. So far, Baby Boy has only worn clothes twice. Once coming home from the hospital and once when we went to his first doctor's appointment. Otherwise, he's swaddled in a receiving blanket (we definitely didn't steal any from the hospital... maybe) and enjoying lots of skin to skin time. The ones from Carter's aren't the cheapest, but they're very soft flannel and bigger than some other brands.

Helpful hubby. Hubby has been great. He's been taking initiative on things like laundry, cooking (microwaving totally counts, at least right now), doing dishes, and reminding me to sleep when the baby sleeps. He's also good at diaper changes and other baby stuff. Even though he can't directly help with breastfeeding, he brings snacks and water while Baby Boy and I are having boobie time. If Hubby isn't available, try to find someone who loves you, doesn't add any stress to your life, and cleans--key here is that you have to be comfortable with them seeing you topless. Baby's first week is pretty much all about boobies (if you're breastfeeding). 

Patience. You're not going to instinctively know everything about your baby right away. There will be times when your baby seems to be crying for no reason. Make sure his needs are being met (clean diaper, not too hot, not too cold, not hungry), then try rocking, walking, swaying, singing, dancing, etc. You'll get through it.