Baking the Perfect Holiday Dessert

It seems everyone wants to celebrate Valentine’s Day at their favorite restaurant, but not me! Going out to eat on a holiday is not only expensive but it takes too much time! First you wait for a table and then you wait for your food. Sometimes you have chips or peanuts or popcorn to snack on while you wait. By the time you are served, you may be too full to enjoy your meal. I would much rather celebrate Valentine’s Day by fixing my sweetheart an extra special dinner. If you believe the saying “actions speak louder than words” then making his favorite meal is the best way to say “I love you”.

I usually ask Mike what menu he wants, and through the years it has varied. At first it was steak, baked potatoes and steamed veggies. Now it is more likely to be heart healthy foods like chicken or grilled salmon. One thing has remained constant: he always chooses cheesecake for dessert. After trying many recipes, we both decided the very best is the rich and creamy “Cheesecake Supreme” topped with a cherry glaze. It is the ultimate dessert for our Valentine dinner.

Making cheesecake is truly is a labor of love. First, you must have a good quality spring-form pan. For the best results you should use only the best ingredients: 5 packages of cream cheese, six eggs, heavy cream and a cube of real butter for the crust. It takes about an hour to bake and another 2 hours to cool it slowly to room temperature. The longer you chill it, the better it is. I try to make it the day before so it chills 12 hours or more. Because it is laden with calories and saturated fats, Mike and I decided it would be a splurge only on special occasions.


In a family with eight children, special occasions came often as we celebrated their birthdays. Our birthday tradition was similar to our Valentine’s tradition. My children got to choose the menu for a special family dinner and I baked them their favorite cake for dessert. I convinced them that pie and cheesecake were not in the cake category, but when my boys became teenagers, all three of them wanted Cheesecake Supreme. Being a loving mother and wanting to please them, I did as they requested. Some years we had as many as five dinners where cheesecake was the dessert.

It was a great day when I found a mini cheesecake recipe. It helped simplify my life for birthday dinners and other special events. They are easy to make and bake in half the time as regular cheesecake. Making them a day ahead makes your meal time preparation so much easier. I make mini cheesecakes quite often for my family, but Mike is my “yobo”- which is “honey” in Korean. He still gets the very best Cheesecake Supreme so he knows just how much I love him.

Mini Cheesecakes
2 (8 oz) pkgs. cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
12 vanilla wafers
3/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice

Allow cream cheese to come to room temperature or soften in the microwave for about 15 second each. Beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Put a vanilla wafer in the bottom of 12 baking cups in a standard muffin tin. (I like to use the foil variety.) Fill each with the cheese mixture until almost full. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Combine sour cream, sugar and lemon juice. Remove the cheesecakes from the oven and put a tablespoon of the sour cream mixture on each. Return them to the oven to bake for five more minutes. Cool for about 30 minutes at room temperature and then chill at least 3 hours or longer. Top with your favorite fruit topping such as cherry or blueberry pie filling. Strawberry or raspberry topping is also good when fresh fruit is available.

Serving with Love in Haiti

Church service was my brother’s full time job. For 25 years, Michael F. Moody served as the chairman for the General Music Committee for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. During that time he was instrumental in the printing of the 1985 hymnal which was translated in over 20 different languages. As part of his job, he visited countries around the world to provide music training. One of those trips took him to Haiti.

When Michael visited Haiti in 1998, he wrote home to his wife, “I love this place and its people; I did from the moment I arrived. They are black, shiny, and beautiful. They are humble and spiritual. They are hopeful and happy.” As he attended churches there, he found the chapels were overcrowded and often without plumbing and electricity. They didn’t have air conditioning and in that hot, humid climate it was quite an experience for him.

Though the people lived in poverty, Sunday was a special day for them and as they attended church, he observed, “They are unbelievably clean and neat. Today they are all dressed in white shirts, ties, and beautiful Sunday dresses. The women have their hair impeccably done. The men have their shoes shined.” He felt a great love for the people and conveyed this to his wife in that letter. Less than 2 years after that visit, Michael was called to be president of the Haiti Port-au-Prince Mission.

Upon hearing the news of their call to serve, my first concern was for Maria. I wondered how she could survive what some described as a “two year camping trip” in a third world country; but Maria had great faith. Even when the call was extended to three years, she showed her willingness to support her husband. I witnessed that Maria is a woman of strength and a blessing to her husband when I visited Haiti in 2002. I went with my husband, Mike and brother, Milton. It was a trip I will always remember.

On our arrival, Michael and Maria were there to greet us. As we walked through the crowded airport, people reached out to touch him as if my brother was a celebrity. I later found out that he was known to many of the Haitians as “President Love”. Some of the people were seeking a blessing from this religious leader and others may have wanted money. To the latter, he would give them crackers for which they always seemed grateful.

Most memorable to me were the children. We drove through the country one day and saw many school children, some neatly dressed in matching uniforms. They were happy, smiling and willing to pose for photos. Another day, we walked to an orphanage not far from the mission home. I remember picking up a little girl, feeling sorry that she had no clothing on. She stroked my long straight hair as several others gathered around seeking my attention. How I wished I could have taken all of them back to Utah with me and find them good homes.

When I heard of the earthquake and saw the devastation there, I saw a news report that an orphanage had been completely destroyed. I was sad to think it might have been the one I visited that day. My brother told me that about 20 of the church members he knew had been killed, but it was truly a blessing that all of the missionaries were accounted for.

Michael and Maria found happiness in Haiti by focusing on the positive. An email from them said, “We are rejoicing in the daily adventures of our mission – meeting friendly, happy people, experiencing a culture and way of life far removed from our own and basking in the tropical pleasures. We are on a hectic schedule but finding joy each day.” We could all find added happiness in our own lives by reaching out to others in need and serving them with love.