Monthly Archives: January 2024

……………….I was in the mood…..HANKERING…..for CHEESE CAKE……….so….I made one………Everyone who likes cheese cake likes it a certain way….With a crust or without a crust….light and fluffy, or dense….Italian cheese cake or American cheese cake……I make an incredible cheese cake, if I do say so myself…….I like a dense cheese cake with a classic Graham Cracker crust, or for a change an Oreo Cookie crust…..and I like my crust thick….The cake in the photos has the Graham Cracker crust…This is JAC’s receipt, and I have to say, if I can make it anyone can make it…EVERYONE who has had my cheesecake [Jac’s], has told me it’s THE BEST.  I’ve had a lot of cheese cakes, and I have to agree……There is a special step, and that’s taking three cups of whole milk, small curd cottage cheese, and pressing it with a large spoon through a sieve right into a bowl with two whole bars of cream cheese….I usually use the tried and true Philadelphia brand…..NOTHING FAT FREE OR LOW IN FAT!….Then beat your four eggs, and add to the bowl…Add your 1 cup of sugar, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla, and with a hand mixer beat until smooth, and creamy…Start on medium speed and go up to high speed to get it really creamy…..ALL ingredients should be room temperature from the start!……..Now the crust…which you should actually make first…..In an Oskar I pulverize about two full cups of Graham Crackers…..you can add more if you really like a thick crust. Put crumbs in a separate bowl….Add 1/3 cup or a full bar of melted butter,  1/3 of a cup of brown sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. With a fork mix well…..Start from the bottom of a 9″ spring pan, and spoon the mixture into your pan. Press evenly with your fingers or a spoon…Make sure it is completely covered with a good thickness of crumbs….Once you have the bottom done start building up the sides nice and high….I like the sides as thick as I can get them, but don’t be excessive…..Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and use the middle shelf…..Carefully pour your batter into the pan on top of the Graham Crackers, making sure it’s evenly spread….and gently put it into the oven for ONE HOUR!……I usually put the pan on top of a cookie sheet……When you take it out there may be areas that have slightly gotten a little brown….this is fine. The batter will be giggly…..Place the pan on a rack to cool……When it is cool to the touch put tin foil on top and into the refrigerator. If you bake it in the early morning you should be able to eat it that night, or else wait until the next day to eat this deliciousness!……For the Oreo cookie crust just put the cookies in the Oskar, again two cups or more. There is no need to add anything to the cookies as they will mold to the pan as they are. You can use the Oreos with the white or chocolate filling. If you want to make your cheese cake even more decadent add mini chocolate bits to the batter. The combination of the Oreo cookie crust and the chocolate bits is a chocolate lovers dream!……A small slice will be sufficient….it’s very rich!!!!…….When I serve the cheese cake for special occasions I will get a container of raspberries, and put them in the Oskar and make a fine sauce. Nothing needs to be added to the raspberries. The slight tartness with the cheese cake and whipped cream is fabulous….Oh, yes, I make fresh whipped cream with heavy cream, a splash of vanilla and some powdered sugar…..whip it up and add a large dollop on one side of the slice of cake, and a heaping spoonful of raspberry sauce on the other side….You can even put some whole raspberries on top for decoration…….Perfect for VALENTINE’S DAY!…………YUMMY beyond words!!!!…… Bon Appetite!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

………………..In my late 20s and 30s I was told by many people that I reminded them of the actor………TYRONE POWER………..I guess if I had to remind someone of someone else, Tyrone Power would be a good pick!. Sometimes in certain pictures I do see a similarity, and then in others I don’t….I don’t exactly see him as my doppelganger, but the comparison was mentioned often enough that I have to say in certain peoples eyes they do think I look like him…….I also have had people say I reminded them of Anthony Newley……Again, in certain pictures I see it, mostly when he’s not smiling, and then in other pictures I don’t think we look anything alike………Have you ever been told you look like someone else?

…………………It’s official….Christmas is over…..After I put away ALL of the decorations in each room of the house…..even the bathrooms….I started the tree. It takes me a good three days [no rush], to strip it of all its’ decorations, and wrap each one, and store them away for another year. The last things I put away are the hundreds of glass icicles that I hang on the tree. The tree is now totally bare except for the lights which thankfully stay on it! I moved the tree onto the sun porch until next Dec. It looks like I have a pine tree growing on my porch, and frankly I have no where else to put it! I used to consider putting it in the garage, but I didn’t want little critters, spiders and such making a home in it….so on the porch was the best option……then I sat listening to music, and wrapped each icicle in bubble wrap!!!! I hate that job, but since they are glass it has to be done…….Now that it’s done…..Christmas, sadly is over for 2023……I now have the spring, summer and fall to look forward to……I love the seasons!

………………..When I went to my brother’s home recently….I spotted this photo of my SIL Kathy and their four children………My brother took this wonderful picture…So many things struck me….Firstly, how beautiful they all are!…and how BLOND they all are! They all have beautiful eyes. John and  Chris at the far left, and Jeannine at the far right, and Kathy all have blue eyes…..Mathew the youngest , blondest and shortest in the photo has the most amazing yellow/green eyes….My brother has hazel eyes…..Matty is now 6′ 5″!!!……..Coming from an Italian family most of us have dark hair, and dark eyes….so my little blond nephews and niece were always a joy for me to see……..What really struck me MOST in the photo was the way they are standing, their expressions and their attitude which shows their personalities to a “T”!!!……..They haven’t changed one tiny bit…except the boys are all over 6 feet tall, and Jeannine is 5’10” like her mom…….The painful loss of my oldest nephew John [far left] in his early twenties, due to a tragic accident….hasn’t dullened with time……They are all now in the 40s and Chris just turned 50!!!…….Where oh where has the time gone?!

………………….I could not let this day end without speaking of my nephew John……..On this day, 24 years ago, my nephew died due to a tragic accident on the Throgs Neck Bridge, in NY. I remember that day like it was yesterday. It was a bitter cold and very windy January day…..My nephew just left his father, my brother Mauro, at their place of business, and was on his way home. My brother left first in separate vehicles….As John was at the pinnacle of the bridge….the truck in front of him lost its’ metal corrugated roof which landed in the path of John’s truck. The way it landed it was blocking the cars behind. The truck driver never knew its’ roof had blown off at that moment….John and two other men got out of their vehicles, and decided they would move this huge piece of metal so that they could drive over it. I won’t go into the details, but a gust of wind came up and the metal piece they were holding blew up and cut my nephew’s neck. He died instantly………That day I had brought my car to the dealership in Manhattan for a tune up. On my way back to the office I heard on the radio about this horrific accident that took place on the bridge….NEVER thinking my nephew was involved……When I got back to the office, after a short while, I was called to the phone, and was told my cousin John was calling me. I thought this was strange, because John never called me, and certainly not at work……He told me to sit down….Then he told me John had died. I immediately thought he was speaking of my older brother….He quickly explained…..no it wasn’t my brother….it was my nephew…..I don’t remember much after that, but I do remember picking Jac up and driving to my brother’s house in a taxi……….John was only in his early twenties……He was a beautiful young man both inside and out. He was very accomplished and played a mean guitar…..He was also a volunteer fireman….At his funeral fireman from all over Long Island came in their dress uniforms…….I think of John often, and wonder what he would be like today….I am sure he would have married and had a few beautiful children……….Every time I drive over that bridge I say hello to him, and say a prayer……I know in my heart he can hear me.