No Bake pumpkin cheesecake

I'll be the first to admit that a real baked custard cheesecake is far better than a no bake one that is not nearly as firm and doesn't have quite the same bite. This cheesecake recipe is really freakin good, and it only takes about 35 minutes start to finish time. And the best part is that your not having to wait three hours for it to cool to the proper temperature. Enjoy.

2 cups of ginger snaps
1/2 stick of butter, melted
2 8-ounce blocks of cream cheese
1 cup of pumpkin
2 1/2-ounce packages of unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of ginger
1 teaspoon of ground cloves
1 teaspoon of lemon zest

Crush ginger snaps into crumbs. Toss with melted butter and press into a 9 x 13 or 10-inch round pan. In a mixer, combine cream cheese, pumpkin, sugar and seasonings.
In a medium bowl, sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup of room-temperature water. Let stand for one minute; add 1/2 cup of boiling water and mix with a fork or whisk to combine.

Add gelatin mixture to pumpkin mixture. Mix on high for one minute. Pour pumpkin onto ginger snap crust and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Recipe serves 6-8.

Here's to boycotting canned cranberry sauce!!

I think one of my favorite fruits is the cranberry, and in my mind the worst thing you can do to that fabulous versatile fruit is cook it until it is no longer recognizable, cram in into a can and leave it there until you slid it out(can ridge imprints and all), slice it up and call it a side dish. Serving fresh made cranberry sauce takes little to no effort, it's so easy, and I promise once you've tried it you'll never go back to the canned stuff again. It's super simple and oh so yummy, good luck keeping it around long enough for it to make it to your thanksgiving table.


Cranberry Limeade Salad

1 bag of fresh cranberries
1 cup of granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons of fresh lime zest
1 cup of toasted chopped pecans
1 can of Mandarin oranges
In a medium saucepan, heat cranberries and sugar on medium heat for five to seven minutes until the cranberries start to crack and bubble. Remove from heat and cool for 20 minutes.

Add drained oranges, chopped pecans and lime zest; toss and refrigerate for another 20 minutes.

Recipe serves 6.