Cooking with Herbs and a Birthday Celebration Dinner

I am a lover of traditions, I mean who isn't? I  like making food for certain occasions and I always seem to make the same exact thing for that occasion, {for example my Flag Cake  on the fourth of July} Or I do the same thing over and over again..I guess that's why they call it "a tradition".  For example, the day of one of my girls' birthdays, which happen to be in February and May I bring them a fast food lunch of their choice to school.  I had the brillant idea one day when I thought would it not be neat to get an overcom message from the office in the classroom that says,  "MacKenzie..your happy meal is waiting for you in the office come pick it up."  I think that would of been pretty cool if my Mom did that when I was growing up.  So I do it for my girls.  Another one of my traditions for the Birthday person is the  "Birthday Dinner".  The Birthday Girl or Guy gets to choose what they want to eat for dinner, anything  of their choosing.  Madison, my eldest usually picks Tacos.  MacKenzie usually picks Pizza.  My husbands is not as predictable...sometimes he picks Machaca {you can find that recipe on the sidebar over to the left under recipes or click on the hyper-link} or Lasagna{ I need to get that one posted here too}.  But today...which is his 48th Birthday he picked Ma's Beans and Shrimp Cocktail.  I usually make Ma's Beans for the Fourth of July Parties and to almost any pot luck party we go to, they are a winner and everyone always asks for the recipe if I bring them.    I'm also going to make him a Lemon-Rosemary Cheesecake that I got out of one my 2007 Better, Homes and Gardens Magazine.  It has Lemon, Pistachios and of course cheese in it, which are all favorites of my husbands.  So I hope he likes it.  I was intrigued by the Cheesecake recipe because it has Rosemary in it..which is one of the herbs I'm growing in my Herb Garden this summer.

Here is my little herb garden that I planted this summer.  I used the cute little antique silverware markers from Anthropology to mark my plants.  If you want to go here , Manuela gives a tutorial on how to make them.  Easy Peasy.  I planted Lavender, Basil, Oregano and Thyme.  {it came from a bucket at Trader Joe's}  The Dill and Cilantro I just planted from MS seed packets.  The Rosemary is in in the back.   I would love to plant a small summer garden out in the backyard and really start eating more Organically.   I would love to have a blueberry bush and fresh Beefsteak tomatoes and cucumbers and lettuce..oh the things I could plant!   Without further ado...here is the cheesecake Recipe ala Pioneer Women Style {she has a cookbook out too, I saw it at my local Target}

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Lemon Rosemary Cheesecake~~~~~~~~~~

In my best...Pioneer Women voice, "here is the cast of characters"

2 15 oz. cartons of ricotta cheese

1/3 butter

1/2 cup of sugar

1/3 cup of all purpose flour

1 Tbsp. of baking powder

1 tsp. of vanilla

3 slightly beaten eggs

1 Tbsp. of snipped rosemary

2 tsp. finely shredded lemon peel

1/4 cup of chopped pistachios

 
First Act:  Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Soften cheese and butter to room temperature for 30 minutes.  Grease and lightly flour a 9 inch spring-form pan.

Second Act:  In mixing bowl beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in Ricotta cheese, flour, baking powder and vanilla until well combined.  Stir in eggs, rosemary and lemon peel just until well combined. 

 
Act 3:  Bake 40 minutes.  Turn off oven; let cheesecake remain in oven for 1 hour.  Remove cool cheesecake in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes.  Using a small sharp knife, loosen cheesecake from sides of pan; cool for 3o minutes.  Remove sides of pan; cool cheesecake completely on rack.  cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours!!  What 4 hours...!  I don't have four hours..oh well, it takes great for breakfast!   Top with pistachios.   

This is what it is supposed to look like..I do hope it comes out.  I do hope it tastes good.   I do hope my husband likes it.   Tomorrow I'll post the recipe of Ma's Beans..it is a fantastic one and so yummy and so easy.  

Edited to add..the cheesecake lacked any flavor at all...I think it need more sugar or something......that was a disappointment.  

Comments

[shelley e]

yum it sounds so good... let us know how it turns out! :) Happy Birthday to your husband... :)

[Cristina]

I love that we can always see your Longabergers in the background. So jealous. Just so well organized. :-)

[Debra]

The cheesecake looked so good. Too bad it didn't taste great after all that work.

[gabrielle]

Thanks Ladies..but the cheesecake was not good! 1/2 cup of sugar was NOT enough......

Cristina..I love the baskets that hold my coffee, flour and sugar in them, quite handy. But i have a few that I don't use as nearly as I should.