FoodFixe

Pumpkin Pie Spice

If you’re anything like me, you have a shelf or drawer full of spices. Some I use all the time. Some I use occasionally or seasonally. And some I purchased for a particular dish and never used again. For all the spices I do have, it never fails that I’m missing the one I was certain I had on hand. Of course, this discovery usually occurs when I’m smack in the middle of making the recipe that calls for the spice. Most recently, it was pumpkin pie spice for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins.

Fortunately, among my stockpile of spices, I had everything I needed to make my own pumpkin pie spice: cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. Now that I think about it that might be why I didn’t have any in my cupboard. At some point, I probably thought, “Why buy pumpkin pie spice when I can make it.”

Cheesecake Tips and Tricks

After baking cheesecakes for eight years, I’ve learned a thing or two, some from my sister Mikie (the matriarch of Mikie’s Cheesecake), some through trial and error, and some from reading other cheesecake cookbooks and recipes. Here are a few simple suggestions that should make your cheesecake baking experience more successful.