I always like it when I find that I made an instant opionion of someone because of their looks or they way the were dressed and it turns out I was completely wrong. It humbles me and hopefully I find that I have learned from the expierence. I have a nephew that is about 23, he has dreadlocks, wears tie dyed shirts and probably smokes a little of the wacky tobacky, but he is the most kind hearted "kid" I know. I also have a grown daughter that has tatoos, which I don't necessarily agree with, but I'm not the one that will have to live with them for my entire life. We are all different and I must learn to adapt or be more tolerant. I guess it is just part of my "growing up" process. I hope I never finish. Thanks for your comments. Rick

First recipe is regular cheesecake, and below is the pumpkin variation of it... SF(Sugar Free)/Almost NF (Non Fat) New York Cheesecake (adapted from a recipe given to me by Donna M. in my support group) 1 lb. NF or LF ricotta cheese (16 oz.) 1 lb. NF Philadelphia Cream Cheese (2- 8 oz. packages) 1 ½ cups Splenda 4 eggs (or Egg Beaters) Juice of half a lemon 1 teaspoon Vanilla 3 tablespoons cornstarch 3 tablespoons flour ¼ cup butter/margarine (adds to fat, sorry) 1 pint fat free sour cream Blend cream cheese and ricotta with an electric mixer. Add Splenda gradually. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add lemon, vanilla, cornstarch, flour, and butter. Blend until smooth. Then fold in sour cream. Spray nonstick cooking spray in a 9 inch spring foam pan/ pie plate (I use a round baking dish because this mixture is always too much for a pie plate. This is a deep dish cheesecake). Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour. Check the middle of the cheesecake with a toothpick or knife to see if it comes out wet. If wet, bake longer, until toothpick/knife comes out clean. Turn off oven and let cheesecake stand another hour. Then refrigerate several hours before serving it cold. CRUST: I often bake this without a crust, which is just as good, with a SF fruit topping over it However, if you want a low-carb cheesecake crust, use NUTS of any type. Almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, whatever. (Make crust BEFORE the cheesecake) Here's how: Use 1½ cups of nuts. Grind your nuts in a food processor or your Magic Bullet, to a medium-fine texture. Add about 3 tablespoons of melted butter. For extra protein, you can add unflavored or vanilla protein powder. Add about 1 teaspoon of Splenda (optional, depending on protein sweetness, if protein was used). Spray pie plate/spring foam pan w/ nonstick cooking spray and press mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom of the pan. Bake the crust at 350 degrees for 12-15 min or until lightly browned, and let it cool while you make the cheesecake filling. Here's a holiday variation: Pumpkin Cheesecake!! Use the above recipe (without the lemon juice, and using only 8 oz. of ricotta cheese). Add 1 can (15 oz.) of canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling). Add ¼ cup Splenda brown sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon ground clove. (Or use pumpkin pie spice) Blend this with the above cheesecake filling (or make separate bowls and swirl together in the pan for a "Pumpkin Swirl" cake). For the crust, I use pecans, since pecans seem to go well with pumpkin.

Thanks for my laugh for the day. I knew I shouldn't have mentioned the trucks. Oh well, the cats out of the bag now. I told my wife about Jannine and all of her house work and she assured me that I do my share of the housework. I don't know though. The only steps I used to count were when they were on an incline and I used to hate them, no so much anymore. Have a great day, Rick

Whats the wife's email address Barbara and I have some pleasant words for her... Shes off the hook when it comes to house cleaning! Count all those miles Rick, I'm sure you get plenty of activity in daily other than miles. Maybe I can find an equivalency to counting trucks? I still love that!! You know I use to count my steps from my desk to the teachers desk when I would get in trouble at school. When I read that your mom would tell you to go out and count cars the first thing I thought about is when I counted steps! can you tell I was introuble a lot!!

Barbara, I try not to look at it as a pain but more of living in a more positive routine. Now I would much rather do the right thing then suffer the guilt from not exercising, not eating right and not taking my vitamins. I have seen the benefit of doing the right thing and that is the choice I want to make in the future. Thank you for these reminders, Have a great day, Rick