Doves & Cats

As you all know, I have cats, and I have doves. I have lost a few doves, but last night, I lost a dove to a cat. Fred our orange tabby had his paw caught in the cage, DH didn't think anything of it since the birds were alive. He didn't tell me about Fred's misshap. When we went out to do the evening feeding, one of the doves was missing half his beak and an eye. DH had to put the poor thing down. It was my last silky dove. Poor thing, I feel aweful now.

Cheesecake A Day

I spent all day today working on the graphics, and all night last night finding royalty free images for my new blog, Cheesecake a Day. The goal is to post a new recipe a day for all those cheesecakeoholics, and those who want a good comfort food to cry over. I hope you all like the graphics and such, I really don't care if you do, well maybe I do, but tell me later when I am less satisfied with it :) It's about 2 am in California now, so I'm going to bed now.

More Cheesecakes!

As you can tell Cheesecakes are about my favorite food. They should have their own food group like fruits and veggies, and meats do. Cheesecakes can be made as desserts, main course, appetiser, and everything in between. I just found this recipe and want to try it. I have a hard time make a kugel taste good, a cheesecake kugel will be good by default.

Cheesecake Kugel
20 servings
1½ hours 30 min prep

1 lb cottage cheese
3 8 oz containers sour cream
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup melted unsalted butter
4-6 eggs, depending on how rich you like your kugel
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1lb package broad egg noodles or thin egg noodles, cooked
1/2 cup raisins
cinnamon (for topping)
sugar (for topping)

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cheese, sour cream, milk and half of the melted butter.
2. Beat the eggs together with the sugar and vanilla and add to the cheese mixture.
3. Add the cooked noodles and the raisins.
4. Turn into a large buttered pan or into two smaller ones.
5. Top with the remaining melted butter.
6. Mix the cinnamon and sugar together and sprinkle on top.
7. Bake at 350* for approximately one hour or until lightly browned.
8. May be frozen and reheated.

Cheesecake Time!

It's raining today, something that is really rare for this part of California. While the rest of the state is in a drought, this part never registers as having a shortage of rain, maybe because we never get much rain to register. While that is a problem, since our water is being pumped both north and south, and growth is gaining on us, we will be hurting for water, soon. In the mean time, I'm stuck in the house with little to do but pray for a job for my husband. I really need a cheesecake to cry over. While I'm wishing for ingredients, you can all go and buy some for the holidays.

The holidays always bring on a hankering for cheesecakes, so I'm doubly craving cheesecake. Well, why not? When is it not a good time for cheesecake? Cheesecake is to me like chocolate or ice cream is to others, it is the ultimate comfort food. Many a tear has been shed over a nice fat slice of cheesecake.

My favorite recipe is one I got from a Christmas cookbook many years ago, while still in high school. I still have the ratty tore up book just for this one recipe. It has a hint of lemon and a yogurt topping, it is about the best cheesecake, and it looks elegant even if the top cracks because of the yogurt on top covers and fills them. It is well worth the trip to the grocer for the ingredients. Another good thing is it can be mixed in the blender. You can also double the recipe and it will fill three premade graham cracker crusts.

Creamy Citrus Cheesecake
makes 8 servings

3/4 cup crushed graham crackers
2 T margarine, melted
3 eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp finely grated orange peel
1/4 cup orange juice
3 teaspoon vanilla, divided
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese softened
1 cup plain, lemon, or vanilla yogurt, divided (I use 2 cups of lemon)
2 T powdered sugar (I use 4)

1. Preheat oven to 325* F.
2. In a bowl combine graham cracker crumbs and margarine, press into bottom of 7 in springform pan, bake 6 minutes, chill.
3. In food processor or blender, combine eggs, granulated sugar, 2 tsp vanilla, peel, and juice, cut cream cheese into chunks, add to mixture and process until smooth, stir in 1/2 cup yogurt. Pour into crust.
4. Bake at 325* for 50-60 minutes or until nearly set.
5. Combine remaining yogurt, vanilla, and powdered sugar, spread over hot cheesecake,
6. Loosen side of pan, cool on wire rack, chill before serving.

* note: I use more yogurt and powdered sugar to make more topping. this helps fill in any cracks without making them noticeable*

**Try peach flavored yogurt, I have used berry, but the flavor was off, not as smooth as the lemon.*

This one really looks good, I'll have to remember to try it.

Cranberry Swirl Cheesecake

1 1/2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs
4 tablespoons melted butter
3 envelopes gelatin
2 cups water
2 pounds cream cheese
5 eggs -- separated
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon orange peel
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons water
1 3/4 cups cranberries

1. Pat crumbs and butter into 10" springform.
2. Soften gelatin in water, set aside.
3. Blend cream cheese, egg yolks, vanilla, juice, peel and sugar.
4. Gradually add 1 3/4 cup of the gelatin.
5. Beat egg whites (reserve 1 T for garnish) stiff and fold into cheese mixture.
6. Refrigerate 30 - 45 minutes.
7. Cook sugar, water and cranberries until skins pop (5 minutes).
8. Add remaining gelatin, puree and refrigerate until mixture mounds.
9. Marble cream cheese and cranberry mixture in crust, refrigerate overnight.
10. GARNISH: Dip 6 whole cranberries in reserved egg white, roll in sugar and set for 1 hour.

For more than 130 cheesecake recipes and other ones as well, you can visit my newly opened forum The Grafted In Cookbook, come and share your recipes, critique others, or just come in for a cuppa.

Plant Cleaning and Bug Remedies

I thought today I'd give a few recipes for different plant ailments and such. A lot of plants have went to the garden compost because of spider mites. More plants than I ever want to admit to, so let's start there. I was using veggie wash for using on my plants with mites and surprisingly it works wonders. I read the ingredients on the bottle and all it was was lemon juice, baking soda, water, soap, and grapefruit seed extract. Other veggie washes use vinegar, but I am leery of using vinegar because it can kill plants if used too strongly.
I have a friend who recommends tobacco for mites, but it does carry diseases which kills tomatoes, so again I am leery of using it.
So without further adieu a few recipes for mites and aphids.

#1 1 tablespoon lemon juice 10 drops grapefruit seed extract 2 tablespoons low-sodium baking soda 1 cup purified water three drops Tabasco sauce and a few drops of garlic juice
Mix well in a sprayer bottle. Shake before use. Spray plants and let sit for 5-10 minutes. Rinse well.

#2 Combine 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice to 2 Tablespoons of baking soda with 1 cup of water. I put this mixture in a sprayer bottle and keep it under the sink. Spray fruits and veggies and allow them to sit for a few minutes then wipe with a towel. This also makes for a safe cleaner for counters and such.

#3 1 tablespoon lemon juice 2 tablespoons baking soda 1 cup water Put this mixture in a sprayer bottle. After spraying, let produce sit for a few minutes. Rinse well.

Now for scale. The best remedy I have found was given to me by a good friend on Garden Web. She says to add about a cap full to a quart sprayer and fill the rest with water, spray liberally and the scale is suffocated. I tried this with none of the burning which alcohol causes. I will include that recipe also since some people do not like the fishy smell.
scale/mealy bug removal:
1/2 cup rubbing alcohol/1-1/2 cup water, put in sprayer and add a couple drops of dish soap and some garlic juice. This works well but use it in a well ventilated area and do not let plant sit in sun. you can spray your plant after everything dries.

I also take plants into the shower and put them on the floor letting my shampoo drip onto the leaves, then rinse. This also helps if your plants get dusty or just need a perk.

Now to fertilizers.
A lot of times I find that my husband leaves half a pot of coffee when he goes to work. A lot of times I dilute this coffee and give it to my plants. It works he same way as peat does, but does not compact the soil as peat added to it does. Tea works in the same concept and a lot of times i will add the coffee grounds and tea bags to my potting mix.

I make my own fert sometimes which consists of 12 oz. of beer, 1/2 cup plain old household ammonia not sudsing or scented, 1 cup Epsom salts, plus 2 cups of water (making a quart or so), mixed and diluted to 1 Tbsp. (1/2 fl. oz.) in a gallon of water used every two weeks. I use this for plants which are yellowing and for my outside succulents. It gives too much of a push to some plants so I don't use it as often as nor as strong as prescribed. The lady who gave me this formula uses it on everything even her Hoyas with great results. I used nonalcoholic beer and it didn't change the carb intake any. Some people use black strap molasses in it also, but I'm leery because of the ant problem I have.

The other fertilizer I use is Eleanors VF-11 which I can't sing praises loud enough for this one. It's not a fertilizer really, but a plant food. Whatever it is it is a wonderful addition to any one's arsenal of plant potions. Well there you have it, a few of the things I use to help make my plants beautiful.

Schlum for the Holidays

More of my schlums have bloomed today. Beach Dancer is by far the most beautiful of all the Schlumbergera hybrids I've seen so far, even more pretty than Christmas Fantasy. Already people are drooling over this picture and asking for trades from her.

Cyber Dancer, not yet opened, but still a beauty. Nicole again, a better picture of her, she promises to put on a good show for the years to come.Thor Alise, The red one with Thor Ritt behind her. Frontal view of Thor Ritt.

My Inheritance

It's been over a year since my grandmother died. I really didn't expect any inheritance from her because she was a missionary pastor's wife and has live day to day most of her life. My uncle had been taking care of all their bills and such and there really wasn't much left for him or my father to inherit all said and done. We kids didn't expect anything because all belonged to my dad and uncle.
I was surprised yesterday when my mom called and said I had received a (very) small check from my uncle for my inheritance. It was just enough to pay a bill or two and get something cheap for the kids for Hanukkah/Christmas. It couldn't have come at a better time since DH has been laid off for a month and I have quit my job working for the evil bird lady. The cupboards have been empty for way too long. To celebrate our good fortune, my children were given a few dollars to buy Hanukkah/Christmas presents at the dollar store and I got an anthurium at the grocery store. Hanukkah/Christmas is still going to be tight, but at least we will have a few little things to give each other. Isn't it a beauty?


Some more plant I've bought from my inheritance, I'd like to say that my Schlums all bloomed for me stupendously this year but to be honest, not one of them bloomed, not even a bud! So I had to rescue a few from various places so I'd feel like celebrating the holidays.This is the first installment of Schlum blooms, with more to come as the days go by.

Beach Dancer, a new one for me, $4 at Trader Joe's. The best price on 4 in pots I've seen this year. I've never seen this one before. I can't wait for the bloom to finally open. Nichole, The photo does not do her justice, she looks like a pink candy cane

Stephanie, an older bloom but the colors are nice

A NOID orange I rescued from Walmart, the stems keep breaking off so I may have to repot the whole lot of them in a smaller container.

and Victoria, a white from OSH. Whites are more likely to turn pink with the cold. The smaller Victoria I bought from Trader Joe's does not have pink buds, so they must have come from different sources.

It really feels like the holidays now. I may share a few with my mom, but then again, she has her own Schlum. She doesn't need any more.