Creamy Bacon Mushroom Pasta PLUS Chicken

It was my aunt's birthday last Saturday and on Sunday, my uncle asked if I could make spaghetti with white sauce. They are among the "tasters/testers" of the stuff that I cook so I said yes. They wanted me to make tuna with white sauce but since I haven't tried doing that yet (promise I'll try that soon and post it here), I decided to play safe by making something I am already familiar with.

I decided to make a variation of my Creamy Bacon Mushroom Pasta - I added chicken to the recipe! The ingredients and directions for cooking are the same except for the chicken... Just chop up a chicken breast and sauté it with the onion and garlic before adding the sliced button mushrooms. Try adding a chicken bullion for more flavor.

Do you want your food to taste really good? Here's a tip you will find valuable: SMILE WHILE YOU ARE COOKING... :-)

Strawberry Cheesecake

Strawberry Cheesecake from Vienna Kaffeehaus

I am a big fan of cheesecakes and I would want to bake one on my own someday. I am not good with baking but I want to try my hand in popping concoctions into and from the oven! I went hunting for strawberry cheesecake recipes and this one from PastryWhiz seems to be the easiest to follow. I’ll try it out someday and maybe you should too!

Strawberry Cheesecake
makes 12 servings

Crust:
1 1/2 c Graham cracker crumbs
2 tb Sugar
3 tb Margarine or butter; melted

Filling:
19 oz Cheese, cream; softened
1 c Sugar
2 ts Lemon peel; grated
1/4 ts Vanilla
3 Eggs

Glaze:
1 c Strawberries; mashed
1 c Sugar
3 tb Cornstarch
1/3 c Water


Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350øF.

CRUST: Stir together graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Mix in butter thoroughly and press into a 9" springform pan. Bake 10 minutes. Cool. Reduce oven temperature to 300øF.

FILLING: Beat cream cheese in a large mixing bowl. Gradually add sugar, beating until fluffy. Add lemon peel and vanilla. Beat in eggs one at a time. Pour into shell. Bake 1 hour or until center is firm. Cool to room temperature and then spread with the strawberry glaze. Chill 3 hours.

GLAZE: Blend sugar and cornstarch together in a small saucepan. Stir in water and strawberries. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir for 1 minute. Cool thoroughly before spreading over cheesecake.