Pumpkin Cheesecake

I make this Pumpkin Cheesecake for my husband's birthday which was October 9th. It was especially fabulous this year. I found the recipe 6 years ago on FoodNetwork.com. It is an Emeril Lagasse recipe so make sure to shout "bam" when adding the ingredients. :)

1 1/2 c vanilla wafers, crushed into crumbs
1 cup ground pecan pieces
1 stick melted butter
2 pounds cream cheese, softened and cubed
1 cup brown sugar
6 eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup flour
pinch salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups pumpkin puree
Cool-Whip

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the crumbs, pecans, and butter together. Mix well and press into a 12-inch spring-form pan. Mix the cream cheese until smooth. (Don't rush this step, the smoother the cream cheese, the better the cheesecake. Take your time. ) Add the brown sugar and blend. Add the eggs 1 at a time to thoroughly incorporate into the cheese mixture. Add the heavy cream. Add the flour, salt, cinnamon and vanilla and blend until smooth. Add the mashed pumpkin and blend until smooth. Pour into the spring-form pan.

Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the cake is set. Remove from the oven and loosen the sides from the pan with a knife to prevent the cake from splitting down the center. Completely cool the cake before cutting. Serve with Cool-Whip and/or a drizzle of chocolate sauce.

(I seem to have accidently deleted the pics I took of this. Grrr.)

Kid Friendly {Mini Pizzas}

This is not necessarily a hot new recipe, but one I haven't done in awhile, so thought I might remind you of it too! What kid doesn't love pizza-okay, I actually do know a couple-but this is a sure fire bet for a quick and tasty lunch in most households!
What you need:
~refrigerated biscuits (the cheap ones that make you jump when they *pop*)
~pizza sauce
~cheese
~any other pizza toppings you like


What you do:

~Using one, two, or three biscuits (depends on how big you want your pizzas to be) flatten dough into a round(ish) thin crust and place on cookie sheet. (be sure to spray cookie sheet-they tend to stick!)
~Spoon sauce on the crust and top with cheese and other pizza toppings.
~Cook for 8-10 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown and cheese is melting.

I let my kids do there own little pizzas and this time we put their first initial on it using string cheese so when they came out of the oven, everyone knew whose was whose! They loved it!