And The Blue Ribbon Goes To....

I am a busy gal. I cannot name one thing that I do regularly for enjoyment's sake. Maybe that's something I should work on, but for now let's talk about cheesecake.

For the second year in a row, for my daughter's birthday, I made a cheesecake. This is not my way of getting out of making a traditional cake. While that would be the easier route, the aggravation I saved by not having to decorate it was worth every block of cream cheese [4] I bought to make this extravaganza. Thanks to my mom and the Wilton company, I cannot just make a cake.

One of my earliest memories is watching my mom put thousands of star tips on my brother's Batman and Superman cakes. Each year she outdid herself - graduating to piping roses -which were the prettiest and, of course, yummiest to eat. We would fight over who got a rose on their piece of cake. Yes, nothing says 'Happy Birthday' like a mouthful of buttercream icing and a sugar coma.

Remembering our special cakes is what made birthdays so memorable. I only remember a handful of birthday gifts from when I was a kid that really stand out: a tambourine, a Farrah Fawcett head and my green peridot ring. The taste, the look and the time my mom took to make my cakes are what I really treasure.

So yeah, back to the cheesecake. I like to keep the cake tradition going with my kids and I've made everything from a Hulk smash cake to a  ladybug cake. Last year was the first year we got cheezy.

 The tools were provided by a dear friend who was concerned that I did not have my own springform pan - a necessity for any dessert lover or amateur baker. She also provided me with The Cheesecake Bible. This book lives up to its name in that it contains the ingredients to live by if you want your mouth to go to Heaven.

Last year, I made the French Apple Cheesecake. I am not a big fruit eater and would have preferred to make the plain, chocolate or turtle recipe, but we all thought it was good. That was until the Blue Ribbon Cheesecake entered our sites.

My daughter wanted a plain cheesecake this year and there were two recipes; Blue Ribbon and New York Style. I wanted to go with the New York, but the birthday girl picks. I spent a Friday evening making this recipe- not knowing it was going to change my life. It was 85 degrees outside and 350 degrees inside -probably a little hotter if you factor in the glass of wine I had, so needless to say it was a labor of love.

Most of us have had a good piece of cheesecake. Because it is an indulgence, we remember when and where we ate it, what was on top, and what made it so good. I remember a mouthwatering piece of pumpkin cheesecake I had during an anniversary weekend in Cleveland, Ohio. My husband was so sweet and pretty much had one bite and let me eat the rest. [He probably figured he'd get his cake later.]

With my limited amount of spare time, it is frustrating when I put effort into a recipe and it doesn't turn out. This recipe from start to finish was flawless. There was one heart-stopping moment when I accidentally stuck my oven mitt in the middle of the cheesecake, but like Picasso, I made a swirl with a butter knife and fixed the mistake.

Dishing up the dessert, I was waiting for my opportunity to try it. My family started asking for seconds, which is when I remembered I had fresh strawberries to go with it. Once everyone had their second piece, I went in for my first. The initial bite was almost too good to be true. "Did I really make this?", I thought. Did my husband try to prevent any disappointment and swap out my cheesecake for one from the Cheesecake Factory?

Yes, it was that good and I will make it again. For now, there is only one piece left. It is saved for the lady who started it all and made birthdays a day to show your love through baking.