Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Fresh Lemon Cheesecake


It's now officially summer as of Friday. How'd that happen? My blog is stuck in winter still!

So, whatcha think? Fresh lemon cheesecake sound good?

One of my sisters has been asking for some kind of lime pie or cheesecake. We were out of limes, but she said lemon would do ;). With lemons on the counter and homemade goat cream cheese in the fridge, I was set to get creating!

Normally when I make cheesecake I don't really follow the rules - in other words, basically just throw everything together and bake it. It turns out good that way, but it's way better if you take a some extra steps.

1. Bring your ingredients to room temperature.
2. Beat very well (I used an electric mixture) so that it's nice smooth. I beat the cream cheese first, then add the other ingredients and beat more.
3. Bake it in a water bath. This ensures slow, even cooking.
4. Do not over-bake. When it is mostly set but still jiggly in the middle, it is done.
5. Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake in the oven for 1 hour after it is done baking. I was unable to do this this time because there were other things in the oven, but I did leave it in the water bath so that it cooled slower.
6. Run a knife around the edge of the pan to prevent cracking.
7. Chill WELL before serving, overnight is recommended.
8. To slice, dip your knife in warm water and wipe dry before cutting each slice.


I was told by my friends and family that this was the best cheesecake I've ever made. So ya, it was a hit :).

Fresh Lemon Cheesecake
Recipe created by Hanunyah Fish
gluten-free, cow dairy-free, corn-free

3 cups (24 oz) homemade goat cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
4 eggs, room temperature
3 tablespoons GF flour (I used rice)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
rind of 2 lemons, grated
your favorite pie crust, baked

Beat the cream cheese. Add the remaining ingredients and beat well. Pour into prepared pie crust and bake for 20-30 minutes, until mostly set but jiggly in the middle. Run a knife around the edge of the pan to prevent cracking. Turn off the oven and leave to cool for 1 hour. Remove from oven to refrigerator to cool completely. Dip a knife in warm water and wipe dry before slicing.

~ Hanunyah

Linked to Gluten-Free Wednesdays by The Gluten-Free Homemaker

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Homemade Cereal Time!

Happy June! The weather is getting warm here, but with a few cool and rainy days still.

Yesterday my sister and I made some cereal. We don't buy it from the store, so we thought it'd be nice to make some and stock up. She made some granola and Cinnamon Squares.

That reminded me why I like to have a blog . . . I may have lost that cinnamon cereal recipe had I not put it on here. I created it over a year ago, and even though it was very good, I just . . . forgot about it for whatever reason. So, that poor recipe is now revived ;). We used all rice flour since we're out of the buckwheat.

I also made a variation of Nicole Hunn's Mini 'Nilla Wafer Cereal from her blog, Gluten Free On A Shoestring. They are just so cute :)! I did change it around a bit - first, I doubled the recipe because I just knew I should. We were out of vanilla . . . yes, vanilla, the key flavor in the little cookies. I used about 1/2 cup cream cheese for the double batch, just to help give it a little flavor. They turned out great, and were a hit (they are all gone). They were pretty soft (not a bad thing), which I'm sure is because I added cream cheese. They weren't as uniform as Nicole's . . . I need some work there :).

Here's some cute kids to brighten your day!

Hilarious little gal! Just taking a nap on mama.

Naptime on mom is the best! LOL.

Handsome boy.

Pretty doeling.


Peace,
~ Hanunyah

new design + name

As of 1-3-12: I've re-named my blog name (which used to be "Hanunyah's Sweet Creations") to "Ranch Girl's Sweets 'N' Treats". "Sweet Creations" is a pretty common name, so I figured I'd change it to something a little different ;). My URL is still the same, though.

Also, a big thanks goes to my older sister (@ CountryGirlWebDesign.com) who has re-designed my blog and fixed-up all of the HTML. So, I hope you enjoy the new layout!