Father's Day doings

For Father's day I took the kids to Mudhut several weeks ago to make a grill plate for his gift. They had fun decorating the edge and then putting their handprints in the center. We even did a tiny one that says Baby Reagh. :)




Of course, I couldn't post the pics of that day until now since Tom checks my blog sometimes. :)





The finished product-- the kids were so proud of it! It says: Hands down, the best Dad in the World! Father's Day 2007 and their names by their hands.




Daddy loved his plate. On Sunday, we made daddy breakfast in bed -- pancakes, bacon and fried eggs.... a heart attack on a plate!! :) The kids gave him his present and card and his flowers in bed too. It was a little overwhelming. hehe



After church, we beat the rain to grill corn and chicken I'd marinated. I also made new potatoes. Mmmmm. Oh and Tom's favorite, cheesecake for dessert. Yum! I have to brag a little. Thanks some nifty tips I found on allrecipes.com, this was the BEST cheesecake I'd ever made! I was telling my sister, Vanessa, all of the tips and how pretty it was..... all I got were a few grunts out of her. She very sarcastically said "Oh I'm so proud!" then flatly... "Well I'm glad that makes you happy.... I could care less..." :) I know you other homemaker cooks are dying to know, so I'm sharing with you! :)

Tip #1 - Make sure your cream cheese is softened to room temp. This prevents over beating to work out lumps and makes for a denser, richer cake.

Tip #2 - Put foil around your springform pan place it in a large baking dish. Place in the preheated oven and add hot water until it comes halfway up the side of the spring form pan. This keeps the edges at a constant temp, helping the middle to cook as quickly as the edge, reducing overbrowning.

Then final tip - Once the edges are set and the middle is still a little wiggly, the cake is done. Turn the oven off and open the door a crack and let cool until the oven is cool. Then chill as directed. This prevents the cake from cracking. The final result is a beautiful dense cake with no cracks and no burned edges! And after all that I forgot to take a pic of mine! :)