quick and easy meals for 1 or 2

Pop pop's cheesecake.

My mom (Nan) used to make this for us. I've "Italianized" it and it goes over real good with guests. I keep the leftover in the fridge and have it for breakfast, with stella's help.

Oh, yeh. I made chicken Parmesan with the sauce I keep in the freezer, some pasta with the sauce on it, sliced tomatoes and onions leftover from "cheeseburgers in paradise" the other night. I put Olive oil, balsamic vinegar, basil, ground black pepper and some grated Parmesan on the salad. Also did some homemade bread from the dough I keep in the fridge. And, some red wine. Now the cheesecake.

You'll need a 9 inch cheesecake pan. They come with a side that snaps open and shut or with a 1 piece side with a bottom that slides down in it.

Pre heat the oven to 350.

8-10 Graham crackers
1 1/2 tbsp. ground Cinnamon
1 tbsp. sugar or Splenda
about 1/4 cup olive oil

Put the crackers in a large zip lock bag and roll them with a rolling pin until they are ground up small. Put it in a med sized mixing bowl. Add the rest of the stuff and mix it up with a handheld mixer. It has to stick together kinda when you pinch a little bit of it. Ad a little more oil, if need, til it does. Spray the pan with Pam and put the crust stuff in and tamp it down with the pam can with the lid back on until level. Put it in the oven for about 8-10 min.

While the crust is cooking lets do the cheesecake.

3 8 oz. bars of cream cheese at room temp. or zapped in the microwave until soft.
16 oz Ricotta cheese it comes in 8 oz and 16 oz containers
1 cup sugar or splenda
4 tbsp. vanilla
1 1/2 tbsp. sambuca or anise extract
2 tbsp. flour
1 tbsp. olive oil
8 oz. sour cream
4 eggs

Put everything except the sour cream and the eggs in the mixing bowl. Mix it up until it is thoroughly blended and smooth. add the sour cream and mix in at slow speed. Add the eggs one at a time mixing slowly after each one. put it in the pan on top of the crust stuff. put it in the 350 oven for about 1 hour. Test for done by sticking a table knife in the center, twist it just a little and when it comes out clean, it's done.clear of a shelf in the fridge, put a dish towel on it and put the cheesecake on the towel leave it over night. The next day remove the side of the pan and when you are ready to serve it you might want to make some fruit topping. Any fresh small fruit will work. I like strawberries.

about a tbsp. water in a small sauce pan.
about 2 cups cleaned and cut up fresh strawberries on top of that and about a cup and a half of sugar on top of that. Cook it over med low heat until the sugar has turned to liquid.


Serve it up!! you're good!!