Lindsay McKenna's Christmas Cheesecake Recipe!

Hi Everyone!

I love this time of year. It's a great 'time out' to do some serious baking. I love to cook--never have enough time for it, but do my best. I want to share with you my Christmas Cheesecake. This recipe has a history and I want to give due to those who passed it on to me. My friend Helen gave me this recipe about twenty years ago. And she got it from her Aunt who passed it on to her before she died. I have made this easy but delicious cheesecake many times a year. The one I make at Christmas I place red and green sprinkles on top of it after it's baked. You an choose the pattern you want to use :-)

Here's the recipe:



Oven temperature: 325 F



3 -- 8 ozs of Philadelphia Cream Cheese (for those who want to watch their weight like me, I get the 'light' variety--but either will do)

4 eggs

1 cup sugar

2 tblsp. vanilla

Cream the sugar and cream cheese. Add eggs one at a time. Blend well after each addition. Add the vanilla. Blend well.



Put Springform pan in the overn to warm for about 5 minutes.



Coat with melted 2-3 tblsp. of butter (I use organic olive oil spray from Pam)



Then, take 1 cup of crushed graham crackers and run them around in the Springform pan.



Pour the mixture into the Springform pan.



Bake 45 minutes

Take it out and go to step 2 while it is cooling for about 10 minutes.

sour cream topping

1 pint sour cream (I use 'lite' variety, but either will do)

6 tblsp. sugar (I use frutcose sugar but any 'real' sugar will do--do not use sucrose or any other fake sugar in this recipe--it will taste awful)

1 tlsp. of Vanilla

Add all ingredients in a small bowl and beat until smooth.



Pour the sour cream topping into the baked cheesecake. Then, put back into the oven for 10 minutes.

Cool 1 hour before putting into the fridge and several hours int he fridge before slicing.

When cooled, add one can of cherries over the top of it. Remove the Springform pan. Voila! you have a gorgeous Christmas Cheesecake. Just add red and green sprinkles on top. Any design that inspires you will do!



Enjoy !
Warmly, Lindsay McKenna
www.lindsaymckenna.com

Black Jaguar Squadron update

Hi Everyone!

I wanted to give you an update on the BLACK JAGUAR SQUADRON (affectionately known as: BJS).  As many of you readers know, I had some loose ends to tie up with BJS down in Peru.  I still had to find a way to give the Executive Officer, Dallas Klein, her book.  

And...I wanted to evolve BJS and continue to write for this series because you, the readers, have wanted me to do that.

Well, that finally came about, thanks to a Christmas novella for Silhouette Romantic Suspense.  I teamed up with a good friend of mine, Susan Grant, and we wrote two novellas for the November, 2008 release, and tied them together.

I got to get Dallas her story and meeting the man of her dreams, ATF agent, Mike Murdoch.

When you read the story, you'll be seeing how BJS is evolving.  And where Dallas is going next!

I really have enjoyed watching BJS grow and then expand and move.  I hope you will too!  Be sure to pick up MISSION: Christmas.  It's a nice gift to give to yourself for the holidays as well as catching up with "what's next?!" with the BJS women Apache combat helicopter pilots!

Warmly, Lindsay McKenna

www.lindsaymckenna.com

DANGEROUS PREY by Lindsay McKenna

Hi Everyone!

This is my first, Lindsay McKenna "official" blog for my readers!  I'm very excited to have this blog.  It gives me a chance to listen to you, to meet you and find out what's on your mind and what you'd like to see me write next.

Right now, my HQN, DANGEROUS PREY, is out for the month of December 2008!  I'm thrilled to get the next Morgans Mercenaries out--this one is on Kelly Trayhern.  If you are a faithful follower of the oldest running and longest running saga, then I hope you will enjoy Kelly's story!

And, to add suspense to this novel that I so loved writing, I had a video trailer created for it.  Take a look:

I hope you enjoyed the trailer!  Did you see the hawk at the beginning? That is a Harris hawk from Arizona.  His name is "Beau" and he is owned by Susan Hamilton, a raptor rehabilitator who owns High Country Raptors in Flagstaff, Arizona.  She and I worked two years off and on as she taught me about falconry, rehabilitation and the raptors.  You will find all this in DANGEROUS PREY!

And, in another blog, I'll introduce you to Luna, the European Eagle-Owl who is the 'feathered heroine' of the novel!

Happy Holidays

Warmly, Lindsay McKenna