Weekend Highlights

What a beautiful weekend it has been. We enjoyed spending lots of 'outside' time in the sunshine. 

Emily loves riding her 4-Wheeler. She is not very good at steering...but she is trying to get that down. 

I am pleased that this Azalea bush came back into bloom this Spring. It adds a little color to the front yard for now...We are still in the process of getting some landscaping done. Hopefully soon!!

And perhaps, one of the highlights of the weekend was this wonderful 'Praline Cheesecake' (recipe courtesy of Mrs. Paula Deen via Food Network!) Again, while doing laundry on Friday, I flipped across 'Paula's Best Dishes' on Food Network and this recipe caught my eye. At the encouraging and prompting of my sister, I have decided to begin to share some recipes on the blog. Some will be my own, others shared from my friends like Paula, but I will always give credit where credit is due. For those of you that might not know, I love to cook. I love to try new recipes and make up new recipes from time to time. I guess its my hobby. The only bummer to my hobby is the clean up process, but most of the time, it is worth it. With this cheesecake, it definitely was.  

    'Cheesecake with Praline Topping'

Crust Ingredients:

• 1 stick butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1 Tablespoon sugar

 Cheesecake Ingredients:

• 2- 8 ounce packages softened cream cheese
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 Praline Topping Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons light brown sugar
• 2 Tablespoons corn starch
• 1 cup dark corn syrup
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix the melted butter with the graham cracker crumbs until well combined. Using the back of a wooden spoon, press the mixture into the bottom and up about one inch of the sides of a nine inch spring-form pan. Set aside. And go ahead and set the oven temp at 350 degrees. 

Cream the cream cheese, eggs, sugar, and vanilla together until well combined to a creamy consistency.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl for all the goodness. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes, watching closely checking for need of turning during baking. Make sure the middle is set firm before removing from the oven. 

Removed the baked cheesecake from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool. After a few minutes (10ish), pop the springform part of the pan off. While cooling, work on the praline topping-the BEST part. 

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the brown sugar, cornstarch, and corn syrup. Stir constantly until thickened, being careful not to burn. 

Remove mixture from heat and stir in the chopped pecans (I used more like a cup rather than 1/2 cup...) and vanilla.

Ladle this mixture generously over the cheesecake letting it run over the sides. Spread pecans if necessary for an even consistency. 

Although it looks great to eat right now, probably best to allow to cool at least to room temperature before cutting. Serve and store any remaining in the refrigerator. 

ENJOY!

On Friday evening, my parents watched Emily for us so that Jeffery and I could go on a date and do a little shopping. It was a great night out in Texarkana. We ate at Olive Garden, yum, and did some maternity clothes shopping afterwards. Thats always fun too, I guess! I did find some good buys-including an Easter dress. That was my main goal. Emily even spent the night out! Since we got home late, my mom volunteered to just keep her overnight. She had a fun time, slept great there too, and I retrieved her Saturday morning. It was kind of weird waking up Saturday morn without her here, but all is well! Thanks to my mom and dad for being so kind. They got the other half of the cheesecake as payment! Ha!

Another highlight of the weekend was receiving this in the mail on Friday afternoon! We love coffee, and we really love coffee from 'Cafe Brazil'. Wish we had one closer than Dallas. But thank goodness for the WWW because we can order when we need coffee! This is a TWO pound bag. Lots of goodness. Jeffery took this picture because he was proud of it's arrival. He opened it this morning before church and we both thoroughly enjoyed our cup of morning coffee. 

I'll close this post with a few thoughts of what our Sunday school class has been studying recently. 'Lies about God'. The 'lie' or 'myth' discussed today is that, 'God is who I want him to be.' The truth to this lie is that, "I am who I am." Exodus 3:14. In discussing this today, the question in my mind was, 'Who is God to you'? 'Who is God to me'? 

Society does tell us that He is whatever we want him to be, whatever we need at a specific time or a specific day or situation. Is he the God of all areas of our lives, or just the God of certain ones like our health, our friendships, our wealth, our future...Just something to ponder. It is my prayer that I will be conscience of who God is to me, not just today since we studied this, but all the time. God is constantly seeking us, a deeper relationship with us, an intimate, growing relationship with us. Will we allow him to be God over all aspects of our lives. Our idols (mental or physical) could never compare to the GREATNESS of our God. 

Thank you for your Greatness Oh God. Thank you for your unchanging, everlasting nature. Thank you for seeking me. May I seek you and find you when I seek you with ALL of my heart. (Jeremiah 29:13)

Have a wonderful day wrapping up this wonderful weekend. Peace.