Just Random Cookery

I am attempting to make a Gluten-Free, Stevia-Sweetened, Old Fashioned New York Cheesecake. Based on an 1960s recipe -- the original, with sugar, is absolutely decadent.

I've made several stabs at it, and they weren't bad, but far from perfect. So -- this time I'm trying a variation on my other attempts, with a bit more stevia -- a sprinkle over 1/2 teaspoon -- and a melted bar of 80 percent chocolate candy. This one also sports no crust, as my attempt at a nut crust didn't work out so well. It overcooked. :-( So I put a pizza pan under my cheesecake pan to insulate the bottom, and also covered it with tinfoil, as it tends to overcook without the sugar/flour.

I also changed to cooking time. I cooked it at 300F for 60 mins only. And so far, it looks good. Still has a few surface cracks while it cools, but I haven't been able to cook a crack free cheesecake since leaving the deserts of Southern Cali in 2000. :0( But hey, if it tastes good with my coffee, that's all I'm needing.

We plan to try a piece later tonight, when it's fully cooled. If it's better than my last one, I'll post a recipe. Wish me luck! I need my sweets!

Cold Process, Hand-Made Shampoo/Soap Bars!

To celebrate the connection of the house to the rain catchment system, and real running water in our taps, I bought a set of home made soaps on Etzy. And they arrived today. And I just have to signal boost this seller.

S. M Fides makes the most wonderful soaps. They feel great on the body and hair, and have lovely scents. I absolutely adore the scents. And she has a great deal for anyone who wants to buy them from the United States -- 6 bars, your choice of scent, for $20 with free shipping.

That's what I bought. And it came just days after the original order, with a TON of small soap samples -- about a full bars worth. Which are also so damn nice, I fear I may have to make another order sometime soon. As Chamomile Gardenia is just far too nice to not buy a full bar of.

These bars just soothe you. I feel all happy and sleepy now after my first bath with the Gypsy Rose bar. If you like soaps, I highly recommend this seller.

Various Links for the New Year.

Hi there! I hope that the New Year went wonderfully for you! It was nice over here too. Though dry. It took about two weeks for our 2800 gallon rain catchment tank to fill completely. Though we did have over 2 inches, I'm told, the other day.

Okay! My Linkies!

Forks Daily and Annual Rainfall Totals.
It runs about a month late in the posting, but keeps track of every single day's rainfall.

Hillywood Show does NEW MOON.
These girls are scary good, with production values that rival, and sometimes surpass, the actual movies themselves.

And Leyna's tutorial on Digital Portraits.
Leyna is a fantastic portrait artist. And I'm thrilled to finally be able to see how she does her work.

And ... have a wonderful beginning of the New Year! With much fun and frolic!

Best wishes --
Resa

Wishing you all a Warm, Cozy, Comfort-Food Filled Holiday!

We made pumpkin bread for our friends and neighbors this year.

The mail man, who is willing to brave doggies and mud to drop off packages at our house instead of just leaving a "pick up at post office" card got one. The ladies at the Library got one. Our nice auto repair shop got two. And a few of our neighbors, who we know mostly as people who drive down the road to get their mail, got some -- and who now will know us as the girlies who can cook good banana bread. Heh.

We also found the real "Cullen" house as we drove around. It's hidden way back behind the trees, and is a massive castle of a thing on an unknown amount of acreage. It's fallen a bit into disrepair, but the current owner is slowly restoring it. But man -- the thing is massive, and has turrets and bridges, and a solarium. And we never had a clue it was there. Just a shock to suddenly see it appear out of no where.

And now we're going to go to the beach and watch the Christmas Sunset. Yea!

Best wishes to you all,
- Resa

Will be offline for about a week.

Hey, as some of you might know, we've had no end of ill luck getting the water running in this house of ours. And now that the weathers gone all frosty, we're temporarily forced to move. Just for a short while. But I'll have no access to the internet til I get back home, save the library, when I can get over there.

So -- talk to you all soon!
- Teresa

The Sanderson Family Christmas

Wow.
If anyone knows a link to a higher quality video of this (with sound, the one I found had no sound), please forward it, eh?

Signal Boost

EGORAVEN
An illustrated novel by Daphne Lage.

There are 6 prose pages, all topped with a lovely illustration. I was hooked by page 2. Great stuff.
(Sigh) Though dang! It is hard to wait for the next page.