Carrot Cake Cheesecake (THE BEST)

Posted on by ministryshardhelmet

Derick and I make an awesome Carrot Cake Cheesecake that I just have to share with you. We love going to Cheesecake Factory and fell in love with their carrot cake cheesecake. Since we can’t get there as much as we used to we decided to make our own. Of course, after making this recipe we returned to the Cheesecake Factory and realized that we liked our rendition better. I hope you get a chance to try this recipe yourself.

We combined two separate recipes to make our Carrot Cake Cheesecake. We used the cheesecake recipe from Lincoln’s Red Velvet Cheesecake Cake and the Carrot Cake Recipe from Allrecipes.com Best Cheesecake Ever.

The Cheesecake

1 1/4 pounds bar cream cheese (20 oz), room temperature
3/4 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, plus 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Set a kettle of water to boil. Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese on medium until fluffy, scraping down side of bowl. Gradually add sugar, beating until fluffy. Beat in lemon zest and juice, and salt. Beat in eggs, one at a time, scraping down side of bowl after each addition. Beat in sour cream.

Cut parchment paper in a circle and line the bottom of the cheesecake pan. Wrap bottom half of pan in foil. Pour in filling; place in a roasting pan. Pour in boiling water to come halfway up side of springform. Bake until just set in center, about 45 minutes. Remove pan from water; let cool 20 minutes. Run a paring knife around edge; let cool completely. Cover; chill overnight, then wrap in plastic wrap and freeze.

It is important to freeze the cheesecake for at least 2 hours or overnight. This helps for assembling the cake.

Carrot Cake Recipe

  • 6 cups grated carrots
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup raisins
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups white sugar
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup crushed pineapple, drained
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

  1. In a medium bowl, combine grated carrots and brown sugar. Set aside for 60 minutes, then stir in raisins.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 10 inch cake pans.
  3. In a large bowl, beat eggs until light. Gradually beat in the white sugar, oil and vanilla. Stir in the pineapple. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon, stir into the wet mixture until absorbed. Finally stir in the carrot mixture and the walnuts. Pour evenly into the prepared pans.
  4. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes in the preheated oven, until cake tests done with a toothpick. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan. When completely cooled, frost with cream cheese frosting.

Frosting

12 oz. cream cheese, softened
12 oz. butter, softened
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 c. confectioners’ sugar

Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until combined. Add sugar and beat until frosting is light and fluffy, 5–7 minutes.

When you assemble place the bottom layer of carrot cake then add the frozen cheesecake add the other layer of carrot cake and then frost all over. You can either add white chocolate shavings or you can add walnuts on the outside. Image

Carrot Cake Cheesecake (THE BEST)

Posted on by ministryshardhelmet

Image

Derick and I make an awesome Carrot Cake Cheesecake that I just have to share with you. We love going to Cheesecake Factory and fell in love with their carrot cake cheesecake. Since we can’t get there as much as we used to we decided to make our own. Of course, after making this recipe we returned to the Cheesecake Factory and realized that we liked our rendition better. I hope you get a chance to try this recipe yourself.

We combined two separate recipes to make our Carrot Cake Cheesecake. We used the cheesecake recipe from Lincoln’s Red Velvet Cheesecake Cake and the Carrot Cake Recipe from Allrecipes.com Best Cheesecake Ever.

The Cheesecake

1 1/4 pounds bar cream cheese (20 oz), room temperature
3/4 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, plus 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Set a kettle of water to boil. Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese on medium until fluffy, scraping down side of bowl. Gradually add sugar, beating until fluffy. Beat in lemon zest and juice, and salt. Beat in eggs, one at a time, scraping down side of bowl after each addition. Beat in sour cream.

Cut parchment paper in a circle and line the bottom of the cheesecake pan. Wrap bottom half of pan in foil. Pour in filling; place in a roasting pan. Pour in boiling water to come halfway up side of springform. Bake until just set in center, about 45 minutes. Remove pan from water; let cool 20 minutes. Run a paring knife around edge; let cool completely. Cover; chill overnight, then wrap in plastic wrap and freeze.

It is important to freeze the cheesecake for at least 2 hours or overnight. This helps for assembling the cake.

Carrot Cake Recipe

  • 6 cups grated carrots
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup raisins
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups white sugar
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup crushed pineapple, drained
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts
 

Directions

  1. In a medium bowl, combine grated carrots and brown sugar. Set aside for 60 minutes, then stir in raisins.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 10 inch cake pans.
  3. In a large bowl, beat eggs until light. Gradually beat in the white sugar, oil and vanilla. Stir in the pineapple. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon, stir into the wet mixture until absorbed. Finally stir in the carrot mixture and the walnuts. Pour evenly into the prepared pans.
  4. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes in the preheated oven, until cake tests done with a toothpick. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan. When completely cooled, frost with cream cheese frosting.

Frosting

12 oz. cream cheese, softened
12 oz. butter, softened
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 c. confectioners’ sugar

Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until combined. Add sugar and beat until frosting is light and fluffy, 5–7 minutes.

 

When you assemble place the bottom layer of carrot cake then add the frozen cheesecake add the other layer of carrot cake and then frost all over. You can either add white chocolate shavings or you can add walnuts on the outside. Image

Please! Do Not Go Brain Dead!

Posted on by ministryshardhelmet

I don’t know about you, but at times I struggle being a mom of small children. I hope that doesn’t make me a monster and that those of you who are reading will identify with me. I can’t be the only one with this problem. If I am, please don’t comment it will just make me feel worse. But if you do identify with me I encourage you to comment as much as you want. Just kidding I encourage all comments.

All kidding aside, there are times as a mother I do struggle to keep my brain at work. Of course, most of the time motherhood is challenging mentally, physically and emotionally. However, I feel like part of the struggle with small kids is that motherhood is mundane. Think about it, a baby eats, sleeps and needs a diaper change. These three activities basically take over your life 24/7. During my nursing time I really struggle with not going crazy with my thoughts. So often I feel like a milk vending machine rather than a person. I know this time is only for a season, but at times it can feel like forever.

Thankfully my husband has been so supportive in helping me to get out of the house, but there are still times I struggle. This past Wednesday night my darling husband stayed home with our 3 week old while I went to Prayer Meeting with my 3 year old. It was just what I needed. The Lord gave me some new ideas to use my brain for Him while living in this new season of life. So here are my resolves:

1. Work on memorizing the book James while nursing.

2. Listen to sermons online while nursing or during nap time for kids.

3. Engage my 3 year old in more activities with me.

These are just a couple of things I can do to enjoy this time of life and my children’s lives while engaging my brain in the things of God and my family.

Maybe some of you have some activities or ideas that you have used in the past. I would love to hear them.

 

Naomi Is Here!

Posted on by ministryshardhelmet

Hi Everyone,

Excuse my absence, but I took a short break while I finished my last weeks of pregnancy and delivery and I’ve lived to tell about it. So, just to warn you if you are a little squeamish I would caution you before reading further. I am planning on sharing the birth story. I promise I do not get into too many gory details, but what might seem like not that bad to me might be for you.

This pregnancy overall was not too bad. I know others who have had much worse pregnancies than I have had, but I would be lying if I didn’t say it was hard. I struggled with morning sickness way more than with Sophia and was much more uncomfortable. We also had 5 visits to triage at the hospital for leaking fluid that was never amniotic fluid, during the pregnancy. Frequent trips to triage do not make for a relaxed pregnancy.

Also, I had a c-section with my first child so I was praying that I could have my second naturally (also known as a Vback). I was encouraged during my last weeks of pregnancy when I started having contractions. I gained hope that labor was around the corner. However, as soon as the contractions started they would stop. I went past my due date with no signs of labor and so reality began to set it that I would probably be having another c-section. My due date was March 10th and I was scheduled for a c-section the next Friday on March 16th. The doctor’s cannot let you go more than a week overdue when you have had a previous c-section. So, I began walking, praying and everything else I could think of to make the baby come before the dreaded March 16th. On March 13th, I woke up at 7:30am to my water breaking. So excited, I woke Derick and we started to get ready for the hospital. My wonderful parents picked up our 2 year old and we were on our way. Except one thing was missing, the contractions. There were none, at least nothing consistent. On our way to the hospital I just began to pray. I prayed that the Lord would glorify Himself through everything. Whether I get my wish of natural childbirth or via c-section that God would have His way. After all, this year has been a constant lesson that His way is best.

We arrived at the hospital about 2 hours after my water broke and I had only 1 or 2 contractions the entire time. They hooked me up to the monitors for the baby and there were no signs of labor. Then the triage nurses started to examine me and all the tests showed that I still was not leaking amniotic fluid. At this point I really started to think that maybe I was going crazy. I was sure (that unlike the last 5 times) this was not just fluid it had to be that my water broke. But the nurse could not find any signs. They did a litmus test, a microscope test, as well as an ultrasound and all the signs were showing that my water did not break. Thankfully the nurse believed my story and checked the microscope one more time and sure enough it finally showed my water did actually break. I wasn’t crazy after all.

However, because my cervix was completely closed with no signs of labor they told me I had to have a c-section. But God is good and in that moment I was completely at peace to let Him have his way. To be honest Derick and I were so excited to meet our new baby we didn’t care how she came. By 1:01pm Naomi Margaret Scudder came into the world. She was 8lbs 12oz and 20 ¼ in long. Let me tell after hearing that I was glad I did not have to push her out. Although as they were pulling her out I could feel how big she was (not a pleasant feeling). They also discovered during the operation that my uterine walls were very thin and that I had a greater risk of rupture and bleeding out had I gone into labor. God’s ways are best.

We are now home and enjoying our new family of four. Big sister Sophia is adjusting well. She is such a big help and she loves her sister very much. Derick is adjusting well too. Unfortunately because of the surgery I am limited in what I can do, but Derick does such a good job taking care of me and the house. I am truly blessed by God to have such a wonderful family and such a wonderful God who knows me and does what is best for me.

What Does “The Vow” Mean to You?

Posted on by ministryshardhelmet

My husband treats me to two “chick flicks” a year. One for Valentine’s Day and one for my birthday. I generally try to pick a good Romantic Comedy so that I don’t have to hear too much groaning from the seat next to me. (My husband is not particularly fond of Romance movies and he especially hates the dramatic ones). However, this Valentine’s Day there was slim pickin’s for a good romance movie. So, we chose to go see “The Vow”. I gotta say it was a bit disappointing. Although, the discussion I had with Derick on the way home brought us closer together so I guess it wasn’t a complete disaster.

If you haven’t seen the movie I would caution you on a few things. Don’t worry I won’t spoil the movie for you, but these were a few observations I made.

1) Hollywood doesn’t understand what makes a good story.

2) Hollywood has a pretty screwed up idea of what love is (I know not a shocker).

3) It was interesting to compare one character who was committed to marriage no matter what and another character who based everything they did on their feelings.

Overall, it was an interesting movie. Not because the story itself was touching or inspirational, but it was an interesting commentary on how this world views a relationship. It seems Hollywood and really the rest of the world is convinced that if you don’t have feelings for someone you have an excuse to walk away and not work hard to keep . . . well  . . . your “vows”. I know this shouldn’t be shocking to me, but it was. I was floored by the idea that marriage is all feeling and no work. Okay, I’m stopping before I ruin the movie for you.

On the way home, Derick and I started to talk about how we would make the movie better. The funny thing was, the next day we looked up the real couple that the movie was based on, and it had every element we had discussed the night before in the actual story. Commitment, hard work, true love. If you would like to read a real love story please read the below article about the real couple the movie was based on. Trust me there will be no disappointment there.

The real story of THE VOW.

Money = Unhappiness

Posted on by ministryshardhelmet

In a past article I have posted a book review regarding Randy Alcorn’s Safely Home.  Definitely one of the best books I have ever read. I started to read one of his first books Money, Possession and Eternity, after reading his personal testimony. Which you can read here. It is an awesome story of grace. Randy preached about giving up money and possessions to serve the Lord and when the Lord called him to do so, he left all to follow Christ.

In our Shepherd Group this month we are also reading a book called Radical by David Platt. Another great book challenging me to abandon all especially money, and love of this world to follow Christ. To love the gospel as I should and live as a true follower of Christ. Void of the weight and distractions of this world.

I love that God is using (not so subtle) hints to draw my heart to Him. What are the odds that after reading Safely Home in my book club, reading Money, Possessions and Eternity as a part of my devotions, and now Radical in my Sunday School class. Below are a few quotes that the Lord has really used to challenge my American, consumer driven life to turn my heart back to him.

“The soul is a spiritual thing, riches are of an earthly extract, and how can these fill a spiritual substance? How man does thirst after the world, but, alas, it falls short of his expectation. It cannot fill the hiatus and longing of his soul.” Thomas Watson

“Most people chase their mirages with money, but they run out of money before they run out of mirages. So they still believe the lie that ‘if only I had more money, then I’d be happy.’ But Solomon had it all. He had more money than he could possibly spend. He chased down every mirage. He ran out of mirages before he ran out of money.” Randy Alcorn

To the Mother With Only One Child

Posted on by ministryshardhelmet

I read this article today and loved it. I was encouraged by my current state and also looking forward to my new little one along the way. Hope you enjoy.

To the Mother With Only One Child

by Simcha Fisher Thursday, January 19, 2012

Dear Mother of Only One Child,

Don’t say it.  Before the words can even pass your lips, let me beg you:  don’t say, “Wow, you have nine kids?  I thought it was hard with just my one!”

My dear, it is hard.  You’re not being a wuss or a whiner when you feel like your life is hard.  I know, because I remember having “only one child.”  You may not even believe how many times I stop and reflect on how much easier my life is, now that I have nine children.

All right, so there is a lot more laundry.  Keeping up with each child’s needs, and making sure they all get enough attention, is a constant worry.  And a stomach bug is pretty much the end of the world, when nine digestive tracts are afflicted.

But I remember having only one child, and it was hard—so very hard.  Some of the difficulties were just practical:  I didn’t know what I was doing, had to learn everything.  People pushed me around because I was young and inexperienced.  But even worse were the emotional struggles of learning to be a mother.

When I had only one child, I truly suffered during those long, long, long days in our little apartment, no one but the two of us, baby and me, dealing with each other all day long.  I invented errands and dawdled and took the long way home, but still had hours and hours to fill before I would hear my husband’s key in the door.

I cared so much what other people thought about her—they had to notice how beautiful she was, they had to be impressed at my natural mothering skills.  I obsessed over childhood development charts, tense with fear that my mothering was lacking—that I hadn’t stimulated her enough,  or maybe had just passed on the wrong kind of genes.  I cringe when I remember how I pushed her—a little baby!—to achieve milestones she wasn’t ready for.

I lived in terror for her physical safety (I once brought her to Urgent Care, where the doctor somewhat irritably diagnosed a case of moderate sniffles) fearing every imaginable disease and injury.  In my sleep-deprived state, I would have sudden insane hallucinations that her head had fallen off, her knees had suddenly broken themselves in the night, and so on.

My husband didn’t know how to help me.  I didn’t know how to ask for help.  My husband had become a father, and I adored him for it.  My husband got to leave the house every day, and sleep every night.  He got to go to the bathroom alone.  I hated him for it.

When I had only one child, I told myself over and over that motherhood was fulfilling and sanctifying and was filling my heart to the brim with peace and satisfaction.  And so I felt horribly guilty for being so bored, so resentful, so exhausted.  This is a joyful time, dammit!  I should enjoy being suddenly transformed into the Doyenne of Anything that Smells Bad.

I loved my baby, I loved pushing her on the swing, watching squirrels at the park together, introducing her to apple sauce, and watching her lips move in joyful dreams of milk.  But it was hard, hard, hard.  All this work:  is this who I am now?  I remember!

So now?  Yes, the practical parts are a thousand times easier:  I’m a virtuoso.  I worry, but then I move along.  Nobody pushes me around, and I have helpers galore.  Someone fetches clean diapers and gets rid of the dirty ones.  When the baby wakes up in the middle of the night for the ten thousandth time, I sigh and roll my eyes, maybe even cry a little bit for sheer tiredness—but I know it will pass, it will pass.

It’s becoming easier, and it will be easier still.  They are passing me by.

I’m broken in.  There’s no collision of worlds.  We’re so darn busy that it’s a sheer delight to take some time to wash some small child’s small limbs in a quiet bath, or to read The Story of Ferdinand one more time.  Taking care of them is easy.  It’s tiring, it’s frustrating, but when I stop and take a breath, I see that it’s almost like a charade of work.  All these things, the dishes, the diapers, the spills—they must be taken care of, but they don’t matter. They aren’t who I am.

To become a mother, I had to learn how to care about someone more than I did about myself, and that was terrible.  But who I am now is something more terrible:  the protector who can’t always protect; the one with arms that are designed to hold, always having to let go.

Dear mother of only one child, don’t blame yourself for thinking that your life is hard.  You’re suffering now because you’re turning into a new woman, a woman who is never allowed to be alone.  For what?  Only so that you can become strong enough to be a woman who will be left.

When I had only one child, she was so heavy.  Now I can see that children are as light as air.  They float past you, nudging against you like balloons as they ascend.

Dear mother, don’t worry about enjoying your life.  Your life is hard; your life will be hard.  That doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong—it means you’re doing it right.