Say the word “cheesecake” and it rolls off the tongue, bringing with it associations of decadence and sweet, creamy goodness. In New York, it’s even “famous.” Yet many people opt to buy this time-honored dessert, thinking it must be complicated and time-consuming to make. This couldn’t be further from the truth. If cheesecake is a favorite for your family, then the following recipe can show you how to whip one together quickly and easily.

The recipe also comes with a fun story: one day, as a friend was driving home, she noticed sheets of paper littering the side of the road, whipping up near her windshield as she drove along. Feeling curious, she decided to stop and see what was written on these mysterious scraps. It turned out that this “trash” became her treasure; each scrap contained a recipe, neatly hand-written, from the 1950’s. Hence, forever after, this cheesecake will be referred to as “Roadside Cheesecake.”

Here is the recipe that came from someone’s grandma (we just don’t know whose):

NOTE: Prepare ahead of time by letting the cream cheese soften to room temperature. Also, the cheesecake needs to bake one hour, then remain in the turned-off oven an additional hour. Don’t start this project too close to bedtime.

Crust:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup melted butter
Spring pan (9 ½” x 3 ½”)

Mix crumbs and butter and line spring pan with it. Refrigerate.

Meanwhile, Preheat oven to 300˚ and prepare the filling:

5 eggs (separated)
1 cup sugar
1 lb. cream cheese (softened)
1 pint sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. lemon juice

Using a mixer, beat yolks. Add sugar. Next, add cream cheese gradually, then sour cream. Add vanilla and lemon juice. Beat all very well, especially yolks and sugar. Beat whites separately and then fold in gently. Pour into spring pan with crust. Bake for 1 hour. Open door and leave in oven with heat off for 1 hr. Cool. Refrigerate 24 hours.

This recipe will help you make an incredibly delicious cheesecake in a short amount of time. Not only will your friends be impressed with your baking skills, you may find your popularity will also increase!

Next time you’re looking for a dessert to serve at a dinner party, or a fabulous addition to a potluck, Roadside Cheesecake promises timeless delight.

Beat Stress: Five Steps to Use Yoga to Relax and Beat Stress

In today’s world of multi-tasking mania, we have all become super-stressed superheroes. However, in five to ten minutes, a simple regenerative yoga technique can help anyone completely relax and re-energize. Follow these five steps anytime for the perfect tonic to counteract fatigue, stress, or a generally hectic day.

Step 1: Unplug. Turn off all ringers and any device that beeps, blips or vibrates. Instead, choose quiet music if that helps you relax, or just plain quiet works, too.

Step 2: Find a quiet space. It is important that you can rest without being disturbed. Inform family members or coworkers that you will be unavailable for the next ten minutes. Close the door to give yourself privacy.

Step 3: Assume the position. Find a three-foot wide section of blank wall space and lay a towel or yoga mat on the floor directly in front of it. Seat yourself, with your left side facing the wall, hip touching the wall, legs extended in front of you. Shift your weight back onto your elbows and simultaneously swing the legs straight up the wall. Press through the elbows and move your bottom up against the wall, then lay your upper body flat. At this point, your body will be in an “L” shape up against the wall. Let your arms rest gently on the floor, palms up.

Step 4: Slow it down. Close your eyes and breathe as slowly and deeply as you can. Listen to the sound of your breath as it flows in and out of the body, making it as smooth and even as you can.

Step 5: Let it all go. Set a timer if you need to, and then give yourself a mental vacation while you are resting. Set aside all thoughts, responsibilities and the dreaded to-do list. Place all the focus on breathing deeply, and imagining the breath is releasing any tense areas. Feel the body being held by the floor.

Following these five simple steps to perform this easy yoga pose, inverting with your legs up the wall, can yield powerful results. You will be amazed at how much better you feel when you give yourself the gift of truly relaxing.

Where The Wild Things Are – Movie Review

Making the transition from book to movie is a difficult bridge to cross, so it is a given that making Maurice Sendak’s Where The Wild Things Are, originally a forty-eight page book, into an hour and a half movie would have to involve taking liberties and adding details in order to embellish the screenplay. This means that by definition the movie is bound to deviate from the original story. While there are very obvious differences, what we gain is our own visit with the Wild Things themselves, where every detail that anyone ever loved in Sendak’s original artwork comes alive onscreen, from facial features and expressions, teeth, talons, feathers and fur, to each monster’s unique personality.

Although the original story was intended for the four-to-eight-year-old crowd, the movie seems geared to a much more mature audience. Anyone expecting the light-hearted, mischievous tone of the book might be surprised by the difference of the tone in the movie, which is much more grim and dark, touching on content that may not be easily understood by young children. Onscreen, Max is part of a dysfunctional family torn apart by divorce, devoid of any real connection or communication. Max retaliates because he is frustrated by being mistreated and ignored.

The movie misses a real cinematic opportunity in its treatment of Max’s reaction to getting into trouble. All Wild Things enthusiasts know that he uses this moment to let his imagination transform his bedroom into a magical forest, where he then travels by boat to visit the Wild Things. But regardless of how Max arrives, there is certainly magic where the Wild Things are, most notably the Wild Things themselves. Initially, Max enjoys his status as king, particularly when he gives the infamous order to “let the wild rumpus begin”. The monsters themselves are also master builders and artists, capable of producing elaborate structures that are a wonder to behold. Unfortunately, they are not able to create and maintain a loving community where they can peacefully coexist. Eventually, the monster world mirrors his world at home, with the same personality clashes and conflicts. In both instances, real life and fantasy, Max deals with the conflicts by running away, which is certainly not a solution any parent would willingly teach to children, especially not larger-than-life and in full color.

Where The Wild Things Are is a movie worth seeing for those of us who have treasured the book into adulthood, simply for the opportunity for a foray into fantasy to see Sendak’s creatures come alive. In the end, that is the appropriate audience for the movie; the children that still live in the hearts of parents wanting to share this much-loved story with their children. If you are one of those parents, keep the money you might spend on movie tickets and snacks, and invest in a deluxe version of the book instead.