Summer Recipe: Cool Fake Watermelon Cheesecake

Photo: Family Features 

From Denny:  This is such a fun colorful cheesecake to make that is sure to impress for any special holiday or occasion!  While it looks like watermelon it's really a strawberry flavored cheesecake supported by a delicious coconut and pistachio crumble crust that imitates the watermelon rind.  How clever is that?  And you know it sure tastes better than the rind. :) To imitate the look of the watermelon seeds you garnish the cheesecake with mini chocolate chips.  

The beauty of this cheesecake is that you don't have to bake it.  Everything is done on the stove top and then chilled.  Well, I'm sold; ready to start cooking?  

With some extra effort - on a slow lazy weekend when you have some time - this might be fun to make in small mini cheesecakes.  It could be one of those special treats you can pull out at the last minute when unexpected company shows up for a visit and you don't have the time to stop and shop. 

You could probably freeze this cheesecake (the large or the mini versions) before garnishing with the mini chocolate chips, especially if you are only cooking for two and just can't eat an entire cheesecake.  I wouldn't freeze it with the chocolate chips as chocolate tends to get an unattractive bloom on it when frozen and then thawed.  It's your call.  I often freeze cheesecakes I make as we like smaller portions at our house  to control the calories and because we find cheesecake so rich a dessert.  Sometimes I freeze cheesecake in well wrapped slices or take the time to make the smaller tart size.

Kid Friendly Recipe:  This recipe would be fun to do with older children to help teach them more about cooking.  They could easily help make the crust and help mix the cream cheese mixture.  You would have to supervise the stove top cooking of the frozen strawberries and dealing with the red food coloring as that could get quite messy. :)  But kids could help sprinkle the gelatin over the pan of cooked strawberries and help you stir until dissolved.  You might want to be the one to add the red food coloring and let them stir it into the mixture.  Kids are definitely up to helping decorate with the mini chocolate chips - though you may find quite a few missing before they land on the cheesecake!

Retro Sunburst 17" Laptop Sleeve

Check out this happy design and a blast from the retro past - Available in other sizes, also in bedding and much more!

From Louisiana artist Denny Lyon
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Fourth of July Recipe: Raspberry and Blueberry Creme Tart

Photo: King Arthur Flour. This festive Berries and Creme Tart is a red, white and blueberry addition 
to a Fourth of July -- or any summer -- gathering.

From Denny:  Want to play with your food like you did when you were a carefree child?  Holidays are the perfect time to have some fun playing with recipes: adult style.  St. Patrick's Day brings about the fun of green beer so why not red, white and blue colorings for Fourth of July celebrations?

Summer berries are so refreshing this time of year when the weather turns hot and humid. Recently, at our house, we enjoyed some very sweet small blueberries imported from Mexico.  They were almost as awesome as Maine blueberries and good to enjoy before the American crops were ready.  For any raw food, especially berries, be sure to wash them in a vinegar and water bath for a few minutes before eating.  Vinegar kills off loads of bacteria and doesn't mess with the flavor like bleach does.  Vinegar is also more environmentally friendly than bleach.  

Just pull out a large mixing bowl like you would to mix up cake batter, fill it with cold water and then add about a couple of tablespoons of white vinegar.  Swirl it around to distribute the vinegar into the water.  Then dunk the entire plastic box filled with berries into the water bath, turning it so the water washes over the berries.  Do for about three minutes or so and then drain the berries.  I don't rinse with water as I want the vinegar to remain a little bit on the berries, especially the ones I don't use for the recipe as it's a snap to store in the fridge, already washed and ready to go the next time you feel like eating a handful of fresh berries as a snack!

Check out this colorful patriotic dessert sure to be a holiday winner:

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Visit Denny Lyon Gifts  @ CafePress.com  -  see what's new!

Poems From A Spiritual Heart: Peace Upon The Land

Poems From A Spiritual Heart: Peace Upon The Land - A Memorial Day poem to honor ourselves. All of us need to work together to pressure world governments for Peace.  It's past due time for the violence to end in modern societies.

* * *  Support Warriors Pearl Foundation - contributing to fund efforts to help homeless female military veterans come home.  Visit Denny Lyon Gifts  @ CafePress.com  - see what's new!