November, 2014 | Dragonflight Dreams

Recipe: No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake

November 28, 2014 No Comments

This is a fall twist on one of my favorite easy desserts. I saw the pumpkin spice cream cheese in the grocery store and decided to do a pumpkin cheesecake instead of a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving this year. The boy approved. I love this recipe because it is so quick and easy and requires absolutely no baking. Take a gander:

No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake

Ingredients

2 8ox. packages of pumpkin & spice cream cheese*
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
Juice from 2 lemons (or two generous squeezes from the packaged lemon juice)
1 ready made graham cracker crust

*This works perfectly well with regular, non-flavored cream cheese, too – in fact, that’s the original recipe. I make it that way, and top with a can of cherry pie filling – equally yummy!

Directions

Leave cream cheese on counter to soften for ~30 minutes.
Mix together cream cheese, milk and lemon juice until well blended. I just do this by hand, no mixer necessary.
Pour into graham cracker crust.
Set in freezer for for a few hours, then enjoy! Store in refrigerator afterwards.

What’s your favorite throw-together easy recipe?

Life, News, Thoughts

Being Thankful

November 27, 2014 2 Comments

Don’t worry, this isn’t going to be one of those long, sappy, quoting from a greeting card type of posts. I thought about it. I thought about doing a big list of all of the things and people that I’m thankful for. But if you know me at all, you know that’s not my style. Not that I’m not thankful for those things, I’m just not one to gush in public. My style is more straightforward, though just as sincere. So here it is: Thank you. Whether you are family, friend, blog reader, shop customer, or some combination of the […]

Tuesday Treasure Trove

November 25, 2014 No Comments

Cool animal of the week: Meet The Owl With Eyes Like The Night Sky. Funny site of the week: Hipster Business Name Generator. A Hilariously Honest Trailer For ‘The Little Mermaid’. The only greeting card you’ll ever need. Winner for best christmas tree goes to… How To (Nicely) Set Boundaries With Your Clients. Stop talking shit: You do have the time. Related: When Your Plate is Too Full. Science Says Lasting Relationships Come Down To 2 Basic Traits. Handle houseguests in top-notch style. 15 rules for creative success in the Internet age. Good rules. 6 ways to explain self-employment to […]

Austin, News, Shop Talk

ATX Artisans Holiday Market

November 24, 2014 No Comments

Just a reminder for you local folk: this weekend, aside from Black Friday and Small Business Saturday, also features Shop Local Sunday. And you can do just that at the ATX Artisans Holiday Market. ATX Artisans is an Etsy team of **all local** artists and makers dedicated to creating handmade, quality goods. This is our 2nd annual holiday market and one of the very few all-volunteer, artist-run markets in Austin. We’ve got roughly 50 different vendors who make all sorts of different things. You can see the full list of vendors here. This year our show is also supporting the […]

Book Talk, Thoughts

Book Review: Let’s Pretend This Never Happened

November 21, 2014 2 Comments

Let’s Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir by Jenny Lawson (aka. The Bloggess). I’ve been a long-time reader of Lawson’s blog, The Bloggess, and I finally got around to picking up her book. And if you like the humor and writing on her blog, you’ll like the book, because it’s more of the same, just expanded and somewhat organized. Lawson takes us, in her own unique storytelling style, from her childhood growing up in rural Texas with an eccentric taxidermist for a father, through the trials of marriage and motherhood and generally being an adult. Some of the […]

Tuesday Treasure Trove

November 18, 2014 No Comments

Happy/cute video of the week: 11 Dogs & a Cat Go to the Beach. The cat swims, you guys! Infographic of the week: Common Mythconceptions, the world’s most contagious falsehoods. Pretty photo series of the week: The Keys to December, gorgeous close-ups of snowflakes. Funny/interesting photo series of the week: How famous artists would plate a Thanksgiving meal. Magritte’s looks tasty. Cats failing at hide and seek. How To Install a No B.S. Clause In Your Life. 10 Instant Ways to Be More Likeable Researchers have successfully replicated a direct brain-to-brain connection between people. !!! 10 ways to answer the […]

Recipes

Seasonal Recipe Round-Up

November 17, 2014 2 Comments

I may not like the weather that accompanies this time of year (it’s currently only 28 degrees out – ick!) but I have to say, I do love the food. So today I’ve got a round-up of some of the best fall and winter recipes I’ve featured on the blog in the past. There is some good stuff here, check it out: Snacks & Appetizers Creamy Brown Sugar Dip – great with apples, pretzels, etc. Homemade Chex Mix – that reminds me, I need to make up a batch of this. Meals Southern Sweet Potato Casserole – this makes an […]