Easy Cheesecake and a Bit of Grass

A bit of grass.

Our three boys were all together a few weeks ago, which does not happen nearly often enough with Eran living all the way over in Wales.

It does my heart good to have them under one roof. And it never takes long before the old stories start coming out.

This time they were laughing about the time Eran rolled our car into a ditch on a dark, foggy back road miles from home while my hubby and I were away on a ministry trip in Germany.

We knew nothing about it.

From what I heard, it was quite the scene. The car was on its side with the wheels in the air. A tow truck came, then the fire department and the police.

And still, we knew nothing.

When we came home, the car looked just as good as the day we left.

Almost.

There was just a bit of long grass caught in the fender and bumper. We asked about it, and, well, then the story came out.

Eran and Andrew had spent a day hammering out the fender, putting in a new rear window, and fitting it all back together so carefully.

But they missed the grass.

A little souvenir from the ditch.

That bit of grass made me think of my “easy” cheesecake recipe, which did not start out easy at all.

The first time I tried that recipe, the cake came out of the oven looking just lovely. Then, as it cooled, it sank in the middle. When I cut into it, the middle was still liquid.

A proper mess.

So I did what any Oma would do. I scooped the whole thing into a casserole dish, broke it up a little, baked it again, and we had cheesecake casserole for dessert. Lecker!

After a few more tries, I can finally say this cheesecake is most definitely easy and has become a favorite.

It's funny how often we only show the finished version. The cake that turned out. The car that looked good as new.

But there is usually a bit of grass caught in the fender somewhere. I think those are the parts we remember best.

Those are the kinds of moments I hope we can share inside Oma’s Kitchen, opening next week. Yes, there will be recipes, but also all the stories behind them, the German traditions around them, and the bits of culture and heritage that make this food mean so much.

And it will not only be my stories. I'm hoping it becomes a place where you can bring yours too. The recipes you remember, the kitchen mishaps that still make your family laugh, the little customs you grew up with, and the things you don't want to lose.

A final recipe photo can only show you the cheesecake that worked. It cannot show you the cake that fell, the family story that came with it, or the memories that get passed around the table.

That is the part I don't want us to lose.

Tschüss!
Oma Gerhild 

P.S. Today's recipe: Easy Cheesecake