Thursday, December 25, 2008

It's no spork, but I'll take it!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful day! We've got a little time here between opening our gifts and when we need to leave for my folks' house, so I thought I'd pop on for a moment.

Was everyone happy with their presents? I know I was. We decided not to do anything big for each other, and just got things that we can both enjoy through the year--DVD's (I got the complete set of "From Dusk Till Dawn"!), books, etc. I got a rockin' cool black "Saw" (the movie) tank top in my stocking, and a new bird book (National Geographic) that will be a fine supplement to those I already have. I love my new mini-blender, too, and it will be great for making smoothies. (Yes, I love getting kitchen appliances.) Oh, and we did Christmas ornaments last night: I got a Lucy ornament, a Colts one, and a Studebaker one. Sweet! And I got a golfer S'mores one for Ken, and guess who is now accompanying Mr. Spock on his journey on our tree? That's right, James Tiberius Kirk. They're facing each other. "Christmas...the final frontier."

Oddly enough, one of my favorite gifts came in my stocking. It's a grapefruit knife and two grapefruit spoons. I've been on a grapefruit kick lately, and I can't tell you how often I've wished for a grapefruit spoon--usually while I was cleaning my glasses off after the grapefruit fought back. It may seem like a simple thing, but I think it shows great thoughtfulness on Ken's part.
Am I easy to please, or what? No bling for me...give me cutlery.

I made these Cheesecake Bars yesterday. Tasty! I'll give my modifications afterwards.






Cheesecake Bars

1/3 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup flour
1/4 cup white sugar
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons milk
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

To make pastry: Cream together butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the flour and nuts and stir until mixture becomes crumbly. Set aside 1/4 cup to use as a topping.

Press pastry mixture into 8-inch square, lightly greased pan and bake for 12-15 minutes. Let cool on rack.

To make filling: Beat together the white sugar and cream cheese until smooth. Stir in the egg, milk, lemon juice, and vanilla and mix well. Spread filling mixture over baked crust. Sprinkle reserved pastry mixture on as a topping.

Bake for 25-30 minutes. Let cool on wire rack and refrigerate.

What I did different: I used pecans instead of walnuts, and in a stroke of genius, I added a couple of tablespoons of Amaretto to the filling mix. It gave it a great almond flavor. Hard to go wrong with Amaretto!

Off to my folks in a bit. Have a great night!

17 comments:

  1. No Ferrari (that's for Dan), but some awesome books and movies, a Sopranos shirt, and some Illini wear. Best of all was sharing the time with my wife, and talking with family on the phone after presents. Looking forward to our family dinner tonight.

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  2. Those cheesecake bars really do look good ! I love grapefruit spoons as they do make eating one alot easier. I got mine so many years ago that I cannot say how long. It's also be awhile since I used them. Grapefruit sounds mighty good too! Have a grand Christmas evening with your folks. 'On Ya'-ma

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  3. Illini wear ..? Why?
    Let me know what you think if '...Dawn' Each time I have watched it, I felt differently about the movie ...

    Happy Holidays!

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  4. Merry Christmas to you and Ken. May you new year be filled with good health and lots of love.

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  5. you take care beth,by the sound of it you are having a lovely xmas.and im glad for you and ken. ya REALLY mean they sell star trek tree ornaments?? lol.i cant talk,mad angel and buffy fan me.love mort xxxx

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  6. Hi Beth,
    Wow ... I never even knew they make separate cutlery for grapefruits. Those particular knives and spoons are definitely among the many items I'd never recognize at Williams-Sonoma! Happy Holidays.
    Best,
    Marty

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  7. Sounds like a wonderful Christmas!

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  8. I love cheescake bars- I sued to make them all the time. Can't eat grapefruit, though- combats the cholesterol meds.

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  9. sounds like your holiday was a good one! Hope you enjoyed time at your parents! XO

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  10. I love broiled grapefruit with cinnamom and sugar..those practical gifts are wonderful, anything to make life easier...
    Merry Christmas!

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  11. I always just use a spoon...didn't know there was a special utensil for eating grapefruit! Learn a lil' something everyday...very cool!

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  12. Sounds like you all are having a good time. Glad you got some things you will enjoy and use. We like kitchen gadgets and cutlery too...we always shop in the home stores and kitchen outlets. lol
    Lots of cooks in our family too. Well, and eaters. lol.
    Have a good "day after".
    Sonya

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  13. Actually I like the practical presents too and a grapefruit knife would be a good one in my opinion. Happy to hear you guys had a nice Christmas.

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  14. I got a spoon for Christmas too, someone gave me a beautiful white porcelain spoon with some salsa mix... it's so pretty, I want to display it instead of use it... LOL!! Those cheesecake bars look incredible and with AMARETTO!!! Mmmmm!!!

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  15. I love my grapefruit spoons! I have two of them and I use them all the time. I love grapefruit! Linda

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  16. I'm going to try the Cheescake squares they look delish, glad your happy with all your prezzies

    Yasmin
    xx

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  17. Yummmmm. Those bars look awesome. Sounds like a very nice Chrsitmas for you two.
    Hugs, Joyce

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