Mini Cheesecakes

I got to sample these delectable little cheesecakes at a wedding shower last week. Being the cheesecake lover that I am; I was instantly hooked. They were so creamy, so cute and just the perfect amount of sweetness to round out a meal. Thank you GrAngie, for sharing this fancy recipe with us! These are so lovely at a shower, on a tea table, or just because. You could probably freeze them without the fruit topping and just pull out as many as you needed for lunches or drop-in company. If you try it let me know! Enjoy.

Mini Cheesecakes

Ingredients:

12- vanilla wafers
2-8oz. pkgs cream cheese, softened
1/2- cup sugar
1- tsp vanilla extract
2- eggs
12- cupcake liners
(fruit for topping-pictured is cherry pie filling)

Directions:

Line muffin tin with cupcake liners. Place 1 vanilla wafer in each liner. Mix cream cheese, vanilla and sugar on medium speed, until well blended. Add eggs; mix well until smooth and creamy. Pour batter over wafers, about 3/4 full. Bake at 325 for 25 minutes. Remove from oven, cool and top with fruit. Keep refrigerated until serving.

Potato-Rosemary Bread

You probably weren't expecting two months of silence after my last post, but alas, procrastination got the better of me! I somehow got lost in the vortex of ballet-piano lessons-little league-school work (not to mention laundry!) All the great recipes I promised are getting out of control on my desk and in my head, so to get myself back in the groove, I'm posting one of my favorite bread recipes. My middle, ballet-loving daughter requests this all the time. And with the herb garden already pouring forth goodness, this is always a good recipe for using them fresh.

Potato- Rosemary Bread

Ingredients:

1/3- cup mashed potato

1- cup hot water (use potato water if possible) 115-120 degrees

1- TBSP. yeast

1-tsp sugar

1-TBSP oil

1 1/2- tsp. salt

3 1/4- cups flour

1 TBSP- chopped. fresh rosemary

Directions:

 In a large bowl, add sugar and yeast to water and let proof for 5 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients and then knead on lightly floured surface about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.Put dough back into greased/oiled bowl and cover. Let dough rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes. Punch down dough and shape into desired shape. (I usually separate mine into 3 ropes and braid them together) Place loaf on cookie sheet and let rise again for about 30 minutes. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes.

Brush with melted butter.

Note: (You can also make this in a bread machine. Put all ingredients into machine and set on White bread setting.)