4th of July

This unfortunately was the second 4th of July in a row that no fireworks were purchased or shot off in the Stilley household.  It is pretty pathetic when I think of our 4th of Julys in Lee's Summit. 

This was the remains of a 5 gallon bucket, we would fill it with any kind of firework and set it on fire.  There are many videos involved too, I am slowly trying to upload all of my videos on my YouTube site (it is posted to the right of this post). 
I still had fun yesterday but it is just not the same as blowing stuff up all day.  We went to a neighborhood parade, which was awesome.  It was very entertaining.  Most of the parade were children and adults dressed in red, white and blue on bikes or just walking.  There were a couple of fire trucks involved and some old cars.  There was also some chanting of "USA", and old people clapping at everything.  I love just about any parade, not because they are always great but because they are entertaining at least.  Another reason I love Denver, it still has a small town feel with neighborhood activities like this. 
After the parade we went to a friends house to relax and enjoy some awesome food.  We took some cheesecake that was amazing. 

 Lemon Cheesecake from Mark Bittman 

Makes at least 12 servings
Time: About 1 1/2 hours

Unsalted butter for greasing the pan
1 double recipe Graham Cracker Crust (below)
4 eggs, separated
24 ounces (3 [8-ounce] packages) cream cheese
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Fresh berries for topping ( we used blueberries, raspberries and strawberries)

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Liberally butter a 9- or 10-inch springform pan, then press the crust into its bottom.  Prebake the crust for 8 to 10 minutes, just until it begins to brown. Cool on a rack; the crust will harden as it cools.
2. Use an electric mixer to beat the egg yolks until light; add the cheese, lemon zest and juice, and 1 cup of the sugar and beat until smooth. Stir in the flour.
3. Beat the egg whites until they hold soft peaks; use a rubber spatula or your hand to fold them into the yolk-cheese mixture gently but thoroughly. Turn the batter into the prepared pan and place the pan in a baking pan large enough to hold it comfortably. Add warm water to the baking pan, so that it comes to within an inch of the top of the springform pan. Transfer carefully to the oven and bake until the cake is just set and very lightly browned, about an hour. Turn the oven up to 450°F if you’re making the sour cream topping.
4. Remove the cake from the oven and cool completely .  Cool on a rack, cover with plastic wrap, then refrigerate until well chilled before slicing and serving. This will keep in good shape for several days.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Graham Cracker Crust

For any single-crust pie, 8 to 10 inches in diameter
Time: 20 minutes
To crumble graham crackers, place them in a heavy plastic bag and seal, then roll over the bag as many times as necessary with a rolling pin. Alternatively, break the crackers into the container of a food processor and process until crumbly. (Or buy graham cracker crumbs.)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 ounces broken graham crackers, about 1 1/2 cups
3 tablespoons sugar
1. Gently melt the butter in a small saucepan.
2. Combine sugar with graham cracker crumbs in a bowl or food processor. Slowly add the butter, stirring or processing until well blended. Press the crust into the buttered springform pan as directed above.

I personally skipped the warm water bath part and it still turned out amazing.  But I have found that I do not like our current oven, which may be bad news.  It is a gas oven that does not stay lit or hot.  It is very frustrating and will cause more issues as I want to bake more.

Hope everyone had a good holiday.  Oh at the cats celebrated too.