It's Tablescape Tuesday!

I had hoped to have a wonderful New Year's Eve table to share w/ y'all. Or even a casual New Year's day table. But hubby & I were sick & did take-out instead. I do want to share pics of my son, Dustin's birthday table though. It was very low-key, buffet style as Dustin had friends over too & I didn't have table seating space for family & friends. We had prepared appetizers...the only things we made homemade were the cheesecake (Dustin loves him some cheesecake!) & the dipping sauces.

It's not my best table but we all had a good time regardless.

click on any picture to enlarge

I almost always include a dish of old photos at my "kids" birthday parties. Everyone enjoys seeing the "way things were".

I made a White Chocolate Strawberry Cheesecake. Again, not my prettiest cheesecake but it earned a "I want this for my birthday!" from Miss Caralyn. Look at all those candles! That's how many candles should be on my birthday cake...not my baby's!

He managed to blow them all out though. Wonder if he remembered to make a wish? As little kids, Clifton & Dustin would be so intent on blowing out all the candles that they'd forget. *grins*

White Chocolate Strawberry Cheesecake


1 cup chocolate cookie crumbs

3 tablespoons white sugar

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 (10 ounce) package frozen strawberries, sliced

2 tablespoons white sugar

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1/2 cup water

2 cups white chocolate chips

1/2 cup half-and-half or cream

3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup white sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, mix together cookie crumbs, 3 tablespoons sugar, and melted butter. Press mixture into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan. In a saucepan, combine strawberries, 2 tablespoons sugar, cornstarch, and water. Bring to boil, and continue boiling 5 minutes, or until sauce is thick. Strain sauce through a mesh strainer to remove seeds (I didn't bother to strain...just mashed w/ a potato ricer). Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). In a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water, melt white chocolate chips with half-and-half, stirring occasionally until smooth. In a large bowl, mix together cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time. Blend in vanilla and melted white chocolate. Pour half of batter over crust. Spoon 3 tablespoons strawberry sauce over batter. Pour remaining cheesecake batter into pan, and again spoon 3 tablespoons strawberry sauce over the top. Swirl batter with the tip of a knife to create a marbled effect. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until filling is set. Cool, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 8 hours before removing from pan. Serve with remaining strawberry sauce.

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Thought I'd share a couple of pictures of last year's New Year's Eve table too.

This year's table would have been soooo much prettier. *sigh*

If you want to see some reallllly pretty tables, head over to Susan's @ Between Naps on the Porch