The last part of June and the first part of July has already been so busy for us. We have had a few birthday celebrations, a vacation, and a conference. When we scheduled the vacation, it looked like our calendar was fairly easy, but in the end, we had to juggle quite a few things around it, and now we’re pooped! Isn’t that the way it goes?
Becca Bona, our niece and a journalist here at the Daily Record, had a small celebration in honor of her mom, Melinda, at her new home. Becca just recently moved into a house in the Hillcrest area of Little Rock, and like all the rest of us, she’s proud of it, and all of the family had to see it!
Becca’s home is a perfect little place tucked in behind some huge hardwood trees on a quiet, dead-end street. Her family pitched in to help spruce it up with paint and furniture, and now it’s very “Becca-ish.” I was thinking about how that’s what most parents and families do with their children – they help them paint and they give them furniture. Most parents have probably done that; Don and I certainly have, and we’ll continue to do so as long as we can. The night we were there, Bob (Becca’s dad) was whining about her getting his couch from the poolroom, but you could tell that under that tone, he was happy and proud.
So Becca had her first family gathering over at her house. This is the beginning of the generational change. You know – moms have the holiday and birthday gatherings at their house for just so long, then the children start moving out, getting their own homes and family, and eventually, the gathering places change. It might be a slow process, but I can see the beginning in the Bona family.
In Memphis, I see it happening with my daughter and her family. She likes to celebrate the holidays with her children at her house, so she has let the other family members know that if they want to see her kids on a special holiday or for their birthday, then everyone has to come to her house. And she does a fine job. I’m so proud of her and our son-in-law, Brandon.
Anyway, Becca made a special birthday cake for her mother. It wasn’t the typical white or chocolate cake, though. It was a Blackberry Cheesecake, and it was absolutely delicious. Not only that, it was the first cheesecake she’d ever made. She was kind of experimenting with us! But, as the Lion King would say, “Hakuna matata” – it was great!
Becca shared the recipe with me, and that’s what I have today. She also gave me a few of her pointers when making it, so I’ll pass them along.
Becca said she couldn’t find chocolate wafer cookies anywhere, so she used vanilla wafer cookies, which were fine. She also used vanilla extract instead of the liquor. And she’s right – it was delicious.
To quote Becca, “the most frustrating part was trying to
purée and de-seed the blackberries – which really just takes patience, most of which I don’t have.” (Maybe you should consider this if you decide to make this!)
Here is the recipe. It’s from the Driscoll’s website (www.driscolls.com).