Fast Summer Enriched Cheesecake

I hate to turn the oven on in the summer when it is very warm outside but wanted to make a rich cheesecake for my Mom.

I decided to make the "No Bake" Jello brand cheesecake, follow the directions exactly and add one 8 ounce package of softened cream cheese to the mixture while blending with the hand mixer. Thus, the cheese mixture included the packet provided, one and one half cups whole milk, as directed, and in addition a softened 8ounce package of creamcheese. If I were making this for me I would use the reduced fat Neuchatel.

The cheesecake came our great, like a European one -- not as sweet as a U.S. cheesecake. It is the closest thing I have eaten to a New York type cheesecake without doing any baking.

I also decided to leave the sugar out of the crust as my Mom has been complaining that foods are "too sweet".

The problem is that the cheesecake is too good and I can not keep myself out of it and I am not the one supposed to be gaining weight!

Getting Mom to Gain Weight

I have found a recipe that my mom of 91 years loves to eat before she goes to sleep each night. While she is visiting for the winter, I make her a homemade tapioca pudding that never fails. She loves the extra flavor that fills the kitchen. She can smell it cooking while napping too! Here is the simple recipe for my tapioca pudding: 2 cups whole milk (I need her to gain a bit of weight or at least to stop losing weight) 3 T Minute Tapioca 3T Sugar Let the above stand for 5 minutes in the saucepan that it will cook in and then add: One well beaten whole egg to the mixture of the three items above (the pudding works without the addition of the egg but I feel she needs the egg in the pudding and it gives it a richer texture and color). Next, gently stir well until the egg and milk are mixed. Once mixed, begin cooking over medium heat, watching the pudding until it continues to boil even when stirring. After it has been at a full boil add: 1 t real Vanilla extract Nutmeg -- use a nutmeg grater to grate nutmeg and add to mixture Pour into serving bowls, I use two large or three small bowls. Garnish with a bit more freshly grated nutmeg (optional). The freshly grated nutmeg adds a holiday flavor to the pudding and the smells in the kitchen. My mother enjoys eating the pudding hot and it continues to solidify if it cools. My mother had never eaten warm pudding until I made this recipe for her. In the winter months, if the pudding has been refrigerated she asks me to microwave it so that it is warm. For fun I asked my youngest sister who uses canned nutmeg everyday, what spice I was grating and she could not guess. She was surprised at the wonderful aroma of fresh nutmeg that includes many flavors from lemon to spice!