Pumpkin Cheesecake and Treasured Words

Luxembourg Gardens, Paris 

As colors fade and slip away from the landscape, trees stand bare.

We rely on words to keep the memory alive.  

                                                                            by Holly Mathers-Shuemaker
Treasure Words
by Rebecca Kai Dotlich

Words are magic-
quiet, loud.
Steady, strong,
slow, proud.
Whisper, shout-  
let them out-
hold words close,
toss afar,
see them sparkle-
each a star.
Thread words on
a silver chain,
let words touch you
warm as rain.
Written, read, said,heard-
delight in, sip on,
treasure words.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Cook's notes: This recipe was a great find. It was made with only 2 packages of cream cheese so it did not seem so rich and heavy. It was full of savory autumn flavors. The gingersnap cookie crust's flavor was a nice contrast to the filling. 
recipe adapted from a Philadelphia Cream Cheese Ad

PUMPKIN GINGERSNAP CHEESECAKE

Cook’s notes: Recipe serves 12. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.

Ingredients:

Gingersnap Crust:

• 25 gingersnap store-bought cookies (hard not soft) crushed about 1-1/2 cups
• ½ cups chopped pecans
• ¼ cup melted butter
• 1 TB. granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon

Filling

• 2 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese softened
• ¾ cups firmly packed brown sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 can of pure pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
• 1 TB. flour
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• ½ tsp. ground ginger
• 1/8-1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/8-1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

Directions:

Gingersnap Crust

• In a food processor break cookies in half and finely grind to crumbs
• Add in pecans, sugar, cinnamon and melted butter
• Mix well and pat into bottom of a spring form pan 

Filling

• Beat softened cream cheese and brown sugar
• Add eggs in one at a time beating on low speed after each addition
• Add in pumpkin, flour, vanilla and spices
• Beat until smooth and pour into crust
• Bake @ 350 for 45-50 minutes or until knife comes out clean from the center of cheesecake 
• Turn off oven and let sit 15 minutes
• Remove from oven and run a knife around inside rim to loosen cheesecake
• Cool in pan on a wire rack
• Remove outside part of the spring form pan. Cover cheesecake lightly with foil
• Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight

Add ½ tsp. cinnamon to whip cream and use it to garnish cheesecake.