Pumpkin Cheesecake

did this Pumpkin Cheesecake for my niece's Halloween Party Sat. night!

How To Be 16 Years Healthier

The "secret" is vigorous exercise. Here's the story: in 2006, a group of 10 postmenopausal women, all in good health and with an average age of 55, signed up for a 12-week endurance training study at the University of California, Berkeley. The women spent an hour on an exercise bike five days a week working at 65 percent of their maximum lung capacity. The aim of the study was to determine whether postmenopausal women derive the same health benefits from exercise as younger women do. In a report on their findings published in the September, 2009, issue of Metabolism, the investigators noted that the study participants increased their capacity to consume and use oxygen by an average of 16 percent and lowered their resting heart rate by an average of four beats per minute. In effect, this meant that after 12 weeks of exercise the women in the study had the cardiovascular and metabolic capabilities of women 16 years younger. What's more, by the end of the study, the women's blood pressure during exercise had dropped by 8 millimeters of mercury, while their heart rates were 19 beats per minute slower when performing at the same intensity as early in the study.




My take? It's never too late to improve your health, boost your energy and look and feel your best by adding exercise to your life.

Pumpkin Muffins

Prep time: 20 minutes


Cook time: 25 minutes

Servings: 12

1 small sugar pumpkin, seeded
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cloves
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease 12 muffin cups or line tin with paper muffin liners.

Split pumpkin in half. Remove seeds and “strings.” Place cleaned pumpkin on baking sheet, cut side down. Cover with foil and bake in preheated oven until tender, about 90 minutes.

Remove pumpkin pulp and puree in blender. Measure out 2 cups pumpkin puree; set aside.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and salt.


In a separate bowl, beat together the 2 cups pumpkin puree, vegetable oil and eggs.

Stir pumpkin mixture into flour mixture until smooth.

Scoop batter evenly into prepared muffin cups.

Bake muffins in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

And yet another Halloween cake

Yes, these are fully edible cakes! Umm,umm good!

Slow Cooker Asian Pork Stew

2 lb boneless country-style pork ribs, cut into 2-inch pieces


3 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch slices

2 medium onions, cut into 1-inch wedges

1 package (8 oz) fresh whole mushrooms, cut in half if large

1 can (8 oz) whole water chestnuts, drained

1 can (8 oz) bamboo shoots, drained

3/4 cup hoisin sauce

1/3 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tablespoon finely chopped gingerroot

4 cups water

2 cups uncooked long-grain white rice

2 tablespoons cornstarch

3 tablespoons water

1/3 cup lightly packed coarsely chopped cilantro


1. Spray 5- to 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. In cooker, layer pork, carrots, onions, mushrooms, water chestnuts and bamboo shoots. In small bowl, stir together 1/2 cup of the hoisin sauce, the soy sauce, garlic and gingerroot; pour into slow cooker.

2. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 7 to 9 hours.

3. During last hour of cooking, in 3-quart saucepan, heat 4 cups water and the rice to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low. Cover; simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until rice is tender and water is absorbed.

4. Gently remove pork and vegetables with slotted spoon to large bowl; cover to keep warm. Skim any fat from liquid in cooker. Pour liquid into 1-quart saucepan. Stir remaining 1/4 cup hoisin sauce into liquid; heat to boiling. In small bowl, mix cornstarch and 3 tablespoons water; stir into liquid. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened; pour over pork mixture and gently stir.

5. Sprinkle cilantro over stew. Serve over rice.

High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): No change.





Did You Know?

Hoisin sauce is often used in Chinese cuisine. The reddish-brown sauce, flavored with soybeans, garlic, chiles and numerous spices, tastes spicy and sweet.



Nutrition Information:

1 Serving: Calories 510 (Calories from Fat 130); Total Fat 15g (Saturated Fat 5g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 70mg; Sodium 810mg; Total Carbohydrate 63g (Dietary Fiber 3g, Sugars 5g); Protein 30g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 80%; Vitamin C 6%; Calcium 6%; Iron 20% Exchanges: 3 Starch; 1 Other Carbohydrate; 1 Vegetable; 2 1/2 Medium-Fat Meat Carbohydrate Choices: 4