Red White & Blue Mini Vanilla Cheesecakes

Strawberries have always been one of my favorite things about summer.

Much like my obsession with pumpkin in the fall, we always have plenty of strawberries on hand during the summer.  I look for any excuse to eat them or use them in recipes!

Now it seems our Mini has inherited this love as well, except she refers to them as "strawbees."

Not long ago she went strawbee picking with some of her cousins, and apparently took her job very seriously.

I was also told that she did not eat one single, solitary strawberry while they were at the orchard!

She made up for it at home of course, but I was still able to snag a few to adorn these mini cheesecakes.

I am loving this recipe because you get to enjoy the creamy richness of a cheesecake without having to deal with the fickleness of baking one that's full-sized.

And... you get to cover them with blueberries and "strawbees" (or any other fruit of your choice.)  But of course, I love the red, white & blue theme for the 4th of July!

Red, White, & Blue Mini Vanilla Cheesecakes

• 1 1/2 C. graham cracker crumbs
• 5 T. melted butter
• 3 T. sugar
• Pinch salt
• 2 (8-oz. packages) cream cheese*, room temperature
• 2/3 C. sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, split and seeded
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 2 t. pure vanilla extract
• Sliced strawberries & blueberries, for decoration

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line one 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.**

Mix together graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, 3 T. sugar, and salt. Place 2 tablespoons of the graham cracker mixture into bottom of paper liners. Using the bottom of a small juice glass or your hands, press mixture down firmly into each cup.

Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese, 2/3 C. sugar, and vanilla bean scrapings until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla extract, and beat well.

Divide batter evenly amongst cups (each should be about 3/4 full). Bake for 22 to 24 minutes, or until the centers are just set. Cool in pan on wire rack, then transfer to plate and chill for 4 hours or overnight in an airtight container.

Before serving, top with sliced strawberries & whole blueberries.  Makes 12 cupcakes.  Cupcakes are good for 3-5 days when refrigerated.

Notes:
*You can substitute Neufchâtel for some or all of the cream cheese, that is what I used for a slightly lower fat version.
**I really like the Reynolds StayBrite® baking cups (available in most grocery stores) for these, because they are thick and peel away from the cheesecakes easily.

Recipe Adapted Slightly from Bree at goboldwithbutter.com

Red, White & Blue Berry Trifle

Happy 4th of July, everybody!

Despite the rain we had all day, Mr. Vittles and I went to a cookout at my dad & stepmom's house tonight.

The weather didn't get us down one bit.  We ate a veritable feast of grilled steaks, sweet corn on the cob, grilled zucchini & carmelized onion, and mozzarella di bufala with basil, tomato, and balsamic glaze.

Woooo wee.  I had to practically roll myself outta there.

As Mr. V put it, my dad doesn't know how to cook for less than 50 people.

But... that didn't stop me from eating it all.

Plus this trifle.

I was feeling in the holiday spirit, so I wanted to make a red white & blue dessert.  I found this recipe on Martha Stewart's website, and thought it was such a fun, festive dish.

But knowing that we'd be eating a ton for dinner, I wanted to use something a tad lighter than your typical store-bought pound cake.

I decided on this yogurt cake, which is really more of a quick bread - definitely not as sweet or as rich as a pound cake.  But waaaay better for you.

The lemon-lime syrup and whipped cream cheese icing probably negate that, but that's ok :)

There's also berries and those are healthy.

Right?

If you're feeling less guilty than I, feel free to use your favorite recipe or store-bought pound cake - but I included the yogurt cake recipe in case you want to give it a try.

In any event, I am pretty excited for the holiday this year.  There's a lot of good stuff on the docket for tomorrow.

For starters, my dad, stepmom & their friends all go to the same beach and it's our 2nd annual 'Rum Day' where everyone brings a rum drink to try.

Last year I made the Choco-Almond Chai Tai, which turned out to be a hit.  And this year I have something equally weird but fun up my sleeve.

Heh heh.  More to come on that soon.

I am also excited for the fireworks in Asbury Park tomorrow night - which I must admit is unusual for me.  I know it sounds awful, but growing up in a town where they put on a weekly fireworks show in the summer really desensitized me to them.

But it's been years since I was able to just go down the street to watch fireworks, until now.  This year I can see them without having to drive and deal with traffic, parking, and all the general craziness that usually comes with 4th of July at the Jersey Shore.

We live so close to the beach/boardwalk that we can just walk to see the fireworks.  And we have some friends coming over tomorrow night to do just that.

How lucky are we?

Anyway, hope you all have a safe & happy holiday! Enjoy, and Happy Birthday, America!


Red, White & Blue Berry Trifle

• 1/4 C. plus 1/3 C. sugar
• 2 T. fresh lemon juice
• 2 T. fresh lime juice
• 1 homemade (see suggested recipe below) or store-bought pound cake loaf, cut into 3/4-inch-thick slices
• 8 oz. Neufchatel or reduced-fat cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 C. heavy cream
• 1/2 t. pure vanilla extract
• 3 C. fresh blueberries (three 1/2-pint containers), rinsed and dried
• 3 C. fresh strawberries, rinsed & dried then hulled & sliced

Make lemon syrup: In a small saucepan, bring 1/4 cup sugar, lemon juice, and 1/4 cup water to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Let cool completely, then brush over both sides of cake slices. Quarter each slice.

With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese with remaining 1/3 cup sugar on high speed until lightened. With mixer on medium speed, gradually add heavy cream in a steady stream; continue beating until mixture is light and airy (mixture will be like a very soft whipped cream - should take a few minutes of mixing).

Arrange half the cake pieces in the bottom of a 2-quart serving dish. Spoon half the cream-cheese mixture over cake in dollops; spread to sides of dish. Scatter half the blueberries and strawberries on top. Repeat layering with remaining cake, cream-cheese mixture, and berries, piling berries in the center.

Cover, and refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour and up to overnight.  Serves 6.

Trifle recipe adapted from MarthaStewart.com

Whole Wheat Yogurt Cake

• 1/2 C. butter (1 stick), softened
• 1/2 C. coconut palm sugar (or brown sugar)
• 5 T. agave nectar
• 1 t. vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 C. whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 C. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 t. cinnamon
• 1 t. baking soda
• 1/2 t. baking powder
• 1 C plain, nonfat Greek yogurt

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, coconut palm sugar, agave, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg until smooth. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon in small bowl; stir into the batter alternating with the yogurt.

Spread batter into prepared pan, and bake for 45-50 minutes in the preheated oven, until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then remove and cool completely on wire rack.

Cake recipe adapted from Chobani Yogurt