Becca was born in the summer, 10 days past her due date.
I still remember how hot it was in the hospital. Fans (and air-conditioning) wasn’t (and still aren’t) really a thing in Luxembourg, where I gave birth. Unlike in the Philippines, the caregiver, in this case, my husband Tobi, doesn’t stay with the patient in the hospital. So, on my first 2 nights with Becca, we were only interrupted by the nurses and midwives checking up on us. Examining me to see if my milk finally came in, which took a couple of days. We had to supplement her with formula her first few days, but thankfully I was able to breastfeed her for almost 3 years!
My first time driving alone with her was nerve-wracking! I was now responsible for a baby! I remember Tobi had gone back to work and Becca and I made the 20-minute drive to visit her Oma and Opa. We survived and I got over my fear of having a baby in the backseat. We went on many drives after that, as being in the car lulled her to sleep. I memorized a lot of German kids’ sleeping songs because of that.
We then experienced her many milestones – first smile, first solid food, first steps… becoming a big sister! I remember how wary she was at first when she met Sarah in the hospital. She wouldn’t leave Tobi’s arms, but eventually became curious of the new addition to our family.
Then came kindergarten and school. She started making friends and some years she would have up to 4 different birthday celebrations. Her actual birthday (if we manage to time it to visit Oma and Opa in Germany, then that will be only one celebration, otherwise we will have two), another with the kids of my Asian Mom Group and one with her school friends. As they have grown older, schedules have become harder to coordinate, so now we just have one (or two) for family and one for school friends.
Her cake preferences have also evolved. She used to request elaborate cakes (I had made her a Marshall Paw Patrol cake for her daycare, a unicorn cake, and others with all sorts of complicated cake toppers) – always with vanilla cake (only vanilla!) inside. Thankfully this year she just wanted cheesecake. Since it’s one of my favorite desserts, I happily complied.
CLASSIC NEW YORK CHEESECAKE
This is the cheesecake recipe that I have been making for over 10 years now and it has always delivered! Just make sure you don’t need your oven for a few hours, as the cheesecake bakes low and slow and needs time to cool gradually.
Equipment needed: 9-inch springform pan
Crust:
200 g graham cracker crumbs
113 g melted butter
Cheesecake:
1000 g (4 – 250g packs) cream cheese (I recommend Philadelphia), at room temperature
250 – 300 g (1 ¼ – 1 ½ c) granulated sugar
30 g (1/4 c) flour
180 g (3/4 c) full-fat milk
1 tbsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs
240 g (1 cup) sour cream
1. Butter the bottom and sides of the springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together graham cracker crumbs and melted butter until well combined. Press on the bottom and halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Refrigerate until needed.
3. Preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C).
4. In a large bowl, mix cream cheese, sugar and flour until smooth. Add milk and vanilla extract and mix on low speed until combined. We do not want big air bubbles.
5. Add eggs one at a time, mixing only until incorporated. Add in the sour cream and stir until smooth.
6. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake at 325°F (163°C) for 30 minutes then reduce the heat to 250°F (120°C) and continue baking for 45 minutes. The low heat will prevent the cheesecake from cracking.
7. After baking, turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake in for at least 30 minutes before taking it out to cool completely before refrigerating for at least 6 hours or overnight.
8. Serve chilled, either plain or topped with your favorite fruits, sauces, or whipped cream!*
