Pumpkin Cheesecake

Has anyone else noticed it is extremely awkward to pack bakeware like half sheet pans and springform pans and rolling pins? They don't really fit well in any boxes and seem like they're going to move around on you.

Oh, wait? Why am I packing up my bakeware? I thought you might ask. I'm moving! Again. Tomorrow. I should actually probably be packing instead of blogging right now but I wanted you to know what happened to me if I dropped off that face of the earth. Right now I live in a townhouse with my boyfriend and three two roommates. But tomorrow I'll be relocating to the neighboring town to a very cute one bedroom apartment with my boyfriend. The location is so much better and there will be no such thing as roommates putting in the dishwasher my one nice Wusthof knife! I'll have my very own kitchen (swoon!) and maybe I'll have a nice set up for food photography. I'm very excited.

I'm considering taking some inspiration from one of my favorite home decor blogs, Making it Lovely, and documenting the move-in, before & after, home decor process on Handle the Heat. Buuut, I'm so broke that I don't know if it would be anything worth documenting. Opinions?

Before I go off to microwave a veggie burger (the only thing I have that doesn't require pots/pans/cutting boards/plates/knives), let me tell you about this pumpkin cheesecake. Its good. Very good. The perfect update for pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving, good. Leave it to Paula Deen to produce a very delicious and indulgent pie recipe. I promised my dad that I would save him some of the cheesecake but within 3 days, every last crumb was gone. It smells like Fall while its baking in the oven and tastes creamy, smooth, and rich with just enough pumpkin-ness. I planned on doing a waterbath while baking this but realized I didn't have a pan tall enough and wide enough to even do a water bath with. Boo. The top did crack, so I'd recommend doing a water bath and increasing the baking time to approximately 90 minutes. That is, if you're so lucky to have a big enough water bath pan ;)

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Crust:

• 1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 stick melted salted butter

Filling:

• 3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 (15-ounce) can pureed pumpkin
• 3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
• 1/4 cup sour cream
  
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In medium bowl, combine crumbs, sugar and cinnamon. Add melted butter. Press down flat into a 9-inch springform pan. Set aside.

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin puree, eggs, egg yolk, sour cream, sugar and the spices. Add flour and vanilla. Beat together until well combined.

Pour into crust. Spread out evenly and place oven for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours.