When Life Hands you Lemons, Make Cheesecake

     Today was a day, that should have been spent with the covers over my head. In pajamas, with a chick flick (as my Dad, so eloquently puts it), Kleenex, various bad choices in food, air-conditioning pushed to the max, and all the remotes, plus the neighbor's remotes.

     Ever have those days when, if you acted on what you were thinking there would be a lot of people with holes bore into the back of their heads, and the bumper stickers "If you can read this, then you are too close" or "Tailgater's Suck", was the only rational choice in bumper sticker flair for you.

     Yes I know, we all have wanted to flip a few hundred birds in a day. But we have to just imagine it. I read a post earlier about, when you are running late, then everyone else is taking their time. Been there, done that. I found through experience, it is just better to accept and move on. Don't nerve yourself up on your way to work, there is enough nerving up waiting for you at work, so why waste it on someone that you don't know. At the end of the day it is better to have not flipped the bird than to flip the bird.  Plus you will have a lot less enemies. So, my finger rests at the ready for today.

    Changes are in the air, not only is Summer giving into Fall, but children are going back to school. This is a very anti-climatic moment for me.  I feel bad about it more than my sons do. My sons are 6 years apart, so I have a grueling two hours of shuffling kids off to their predetermined destinations. My oldest is in High School and my youngest is going to be fourth grader.

     Windham Southeast Supervisory Union or to the locals WSESU, is a whole bunch of unnecessary initials, is a group of schools in the Southern and Eastern part of Vermont. See what I mean, just get to the point already. Change blew up WSESU's skirt, and now all the counties in Southeastern Vermont are forcibly impacted by this change. I bet you are thinking, get to the point already! In a nutshell, the high schoolers, according to some remote testing, fair better going to school an hour later. My only response to that is WTH!

     Again I have to say" What the Hell". I would rather use another response, but I am a lady. Where were the bleeding hearts for me, when I had to tuck my keyster in the seat at 8am? Are you kidding me? I did just fine, in fact I was in the honor society, it taught me discipline. The only thing this will teach students is it is OK, to hit the snooze button, because some pony-tailed scientist wrote his thesis on the effect of one additional hour of sleep on the teenaged brain. WTH!

     My family is mildly impacted by this ridiculous brain fart.  But my friends that have small ones can add the facet of buses only being funded one way to school. This makes it hard for anyone to work? What about the single mother with no car,  that desperately needs to work? I would like to ask if they included that in their study? Give me a break, we are giving the youth a reason to hit snooze and call in sick.

     The more I think about it, the more I need Pepto-Bismol. If there was anything desperately, I wanted to convey to my readers is this: FAMILY IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO OUR EXISTENCE. Things and situations fall away, but family stands beside you, to fight the good fight. We can rest there, gain strength and push forward.When times get rough, it is time to eat cheesecake, in the dark, in the middle of the night, when no one else is watching, because it makes every thing better.

Traditional New York Style Cheesecake
makes one fat 9 inch cheesecake
Crust
3 2/3 cups graham crackers crumbs
3/4 cup melted butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup granulated sugar
Filling
36 ounces softened cream cheese(bring the cream cheese to room temperature)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
5 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp fresh lemon peel
2 tsp lemon juice

In a bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs, vanilla, cinnamon and sugar and mix with a whisk, add the melted butter and mix thoroughly. Prepare a 9 inch spring-form pan. By this I mean spray liberally with pan spray. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom of the pan, and somewhat up the side. Bake in a 375 oven for 10 minutes to set the crust. Set the crust aside. In a standing mixer beat the softened cream cheese. Let it mix for at least 5 minutes. Then gradually add, and I MEAN GRADUALLY add the sugar until it all is incorporated. You will notice that the cheese and sugar now has a sheen to it (this is good). Add the lemon peel. lemon juice and vanilla and mix. Now turn the mixer down to low and add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Somewhere during this process, you need to pull everything stuck at the bottom and sides of the mixer into the mix. When mixing you will see it. After all the eggs are in, turn off the mixer. Line the bottom and sides of your pan with heavy duty aluminum foil( this prevents the water from messing the crust up). Find a pan that will facilitate this spring form pan ( meaning it will fit nicely into the said pan). Pour the cream cheese mixture over the crust and place into your predetermined pan. Add some hot water, that only covers the spring form halfway. Cook in 375 degree oven for 1 hour or until the center is slightly jiggly. Pull from oven and remove from the water bath. With a sharp knife, run the blade in between the pan and the cheesecake to prevent cracking in the middle and allow to cool overnight before you remove the pan. After that, grab your remotes, Kleenex and cherry filling. My advice unplug the phone it messes with the ambiance.

There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want.  ~Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes