Unexpected Recipe Exchanges

Pumpkin cheesecake is so good it is almost sinful. This recipe was giving to me sixteen years ago when we were stationed in Norfolk, Virginia. Funny, it does not seem like it was that long ago!

 A week before Thanksgiving, our duty station, had a fund raising bake sale. This squadron was mostly young, unmarried sailors, and to get them to open their wallets for charity; you had to offer sweets in return. I made my peanut butter cookies, which turned out to be a huge hit. Towards the end of the bake sale, one of the female officers came in looking for them and they were all gone. I did not think too much about it, since there were others who came also looking for the cookies.

 A week later, my husband handed me a recipe for Pumpkin Cheesecake. I was puzzled when he handed it to me; he then explained about me the officer who I had spoken with. She was his division officer.  After I left the bake sale, she hunted him down and found I had brought some cookies just for his shop. She was attending culinary school at the time and in exchange for my peanut butter cookie recipe, she gave me her Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe.

Pumpkin Cheesecake:

Ingredients:

Crust:

1 ½ cups Graham Cracker Crumbs

3 Tablespoons white sugar

6 Tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:

1 ½ pound of cream cheese

1 1/2cups brown sugar

2 Tablespoon flour

1/8 teaspoon cardamom

1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon ginger

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup sour cream

3 eggs

1 Tablespoon vanilla

1 ½ cups solid pack pumpkin

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F

Pan, 9” springform

Crust:

Mix crust ingredients together

Press mix firmly into the bottom of 9” springform pan

Filling:

Whip cream cheese until very smooth and NO LUMPS remain.

Blend in brown sugar and sour cream, until smooth

In separate bowl mix the spices together and add to mixture above

One at time, blend in eggs, scraping sides of bowl after each addition ensuring no lumps

Blend in vanilla and pumpkin

Pour into prepared pan and bake one hour or until the cake is set and top is dry.

Chill well before serving

Banana Bread

I do believe my family conspires against me when it comes to bananas. When I buy bananas, they have to be green just turning yellow. If I buy a small bunch, the kids gobble them up in two days and beg for more. If I buy a large bunch, the bananas sit and nobody touches them. If there are more than five black spots them, the kids will not eat them.

 Instead of letting the bananas go to waste, I freeze them with the peels on. Four bananas to a bag, will give the right amount for banana bread. When I am ready to bake bread, I remove the bag from the freezer. I defrost the bag by leaving it sit on the counter. If I am thinking ahead, I will defrost the bag in the refrigerator for three days. I have found I get the best banana flavor, doing it this way.  

The banana peels will be black and the fruit will be watery. This is what you want! I hold the banana by the top and squeeze out the fruit into the bag. Discard the peels; pour banana liquid directly into the recipe mixture when needed.

The recipe I use, the bread tends to go dark. There are times; I have thought I have burnt the bread. I have also found using real butter will make the bread darker. You can use margarine of your choice; I have found the brand I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, gives me the lightest color and would suggest using it.

If you are a fan of Starbucks Banana Bread, you will find this a close match. About five years ago, Starbucks gave out their banana bread recipe to customers. I made both for the family and they choose this recipe for the favorite.

You can top the bread with walnuts or shelled pumpkin seeds if you choose, before baking. If you like chocolate chips, dried cranberries or walnuts baked into your bread, I would suggest adding no more than a half cup.

Ingredients:

2 ½ cup all purpose flour

2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup margarine

2 cups white sugar

2 cups mashed bananas – (four bananas)

4 eggs

1 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions:

Preheat oven 350°F

Prepare pan either by grease and flour,  if making muffins use paper cups

Combine sugar, margarine, eggs and bananas in large mixing bowl, until well blended

Stir in baking soda, and nutmeg

Add flour in ½ cup portions, until completely blended

Pour into prepared pans.

Bake:

2 Large loaf pans, 60-65 minutes

18 Muffins, 25 minutes

24 mini muffins, 15-17 minutes

4 mini loaf pans 40-45 minutes

Check for doneness, by checking with a wood tooth pick

Cool for 5-10 minutes before removing from pan.