County Fair Winning Almond Joy Cheesecake

Almond Joy Cheesecake Bars

1 package of chocolate graham cracker cookies
6 Tablespoons of butter, melted
16 ounces of cream cheese, room temperature
1 large egg
1/4 cup of granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon of coconut extract
1/3 cup of chopped almonds
1 cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup of sweetened shredded coconut

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper, add the pulverized chocolate graham cookies, in a medium bowl, stir together the chocolate crumbs and melted butter. Press the crust into the bottom of the lined baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes, set aside and cool. Next, in a mixer, blend cream cheese, egg, sugar, vanilla extracts, coconut extract until smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes.
Gently fold in 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips, 1/2 cup of shredded coconut and chopped almonds. Spread the mixture over the crust. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips over the top. Bake for 30 minutes or until the edges are golden and the cheesecake is set in the center. Chill for 3 hours and cut into squares.

Cookbook Author Gina Meyers

Fall into Fall with these FEEL-Good Movies, by, Gina Meyers

Yes, it's September and a sure sign that it is still summer, but some beacon of hope that fall is on its' way. Yesterday, in fact where I live was  85 degrees Fahrenheit.

Almost ready for your Hallmark filled Christmas? Well before you pop the popcorn, and uncork the sparkling cider, let's mull over some falling into the fall feel good movies, sure to get you in the holiday spirit, or just feel good before your Christmas movie obsession commences.

The truth is I've been paying for Netflix and haven't been watching, Amazon Prime seems to be my one stop shop, so before I cancel my Netflix membership, I thought, I'd see how well Netflix's selection of Rom Coms is going. It's going....

The movies I am mentioning/reviewing:

Both stories involve romance and remodeling, a Chip and Joanna Gaines sort of story fictionalized.

Falling Inn Love

Romance and remodeling collide when a corporate executive wins a New Zealand inn that lacks curb appeal.


The real story is that the American just looses her job, breaks up with her commitment phobic boyfriend, drinks too much wine one night and out of desperation goes online and enters a contest to win an Inn/Bed and Breakfast. She wins the Inn, but falls into some sticky situations once she arrives in a foreign country, New Zealand. The Inn is old, dilapidated, and haunted. The only one who can save the day seems to be an uppity Aussie hell bent on making the American's life difficult. But that's only the beginning. 




The Lakehouse

A magical, fantasy tale about an architect, a doctor, their dreams and their lives. Their lives, though separate by space and time, collide as the Lake House has magical abilities to transform space and time while healing both Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves from their hopes, dreams, lives, and fortune. A serendipitous tale that supersedes time.

Thoughts of the day

Thoughts of the day:

"Other peoples poor decisions should not affect us negatively financially and yet they do."

"Institutions selfish ways impede upon our rights as consumers."

"God gives us difficult situations to see that the gifts we have our enormous."

"We take in others peoples opinions because we want them to accept us and if we do what we want verses what they think is best for us, we run the risk of self-sabotaging."

Thoughts on Chris Cuomo REACTION, "A OK in my book" by, Gina Meyers

I am 1/2 Italian, 1/4 Sicilian, and 1/4 English, Irish, French Canadian, and Indian Sioux. My family settled in Rowley Massachusetts two years after the Mayflower. On my "American" side, we have documentation to our pedigrees. But I am not a dog, lol, so I am a bit confused as to why people are concerned that Chris Cuomo was called a name and he reacted and then apologized for reacting.

Since when do people that are being attacked need to apologize for losing their cool?
Why can't we loose our cool and get angry when being verbally attacked?
We are supposed to rise above blatant prejudice and hatred?

Ummm, why?

A very long time ago, I had an intellectual discussion with my full-bloodied Italian mother, single mom, English professor in High School & College by career choice. I explained to her that "sticks and stones will break my bones, but names will never hurt me" is a blanket false statement. Plenty of times people have called me names, and a very small handful--rather maybe two fingers (and I'm not talking the middle, and no I am not crossing my fingers), I've been threatened with physical violence (from two girls in particular, one in 6th grade and another in 8th grade). Names do hurt and if people say mean things to us, we are supposed to react in kind by defending ourselves. We are HUMANS, not machines.

Every body has a different approach, set up or not, Chris Cuomo did no wrong by verbalizing his feelings, he's lucky the guy that called him a FREDO didn't get a fat lip. Just my opinion.

I am as American as Apple Pie, but I've never watched the Godfather. I've never watched it because I heard it depicts Italians as mobsters, I prefer Mickey Blue Eyes where a British Hugh Grant pretends to be an Italian Mobster by the name of Mickey Blue Eyes to keep his fiancee Gina's family at bay.

Sticks and stones can break your bones and names will hurt you if you let them. How you respond either by ignoring, approaching, punching, I'm sorry that's your business. You cannot help your first instinct after all.

Lucky for me I've never see The Godfather and lucky for me I haven't (cross my fingers) been called racial slurs in front of my face.

Now go on and live life as usual.

That's all for now!

By the way, it smells as rat since apparently Chris Cuomo's family is in the political business.
Not taking political party lines or anything of the sort, but I'm human and so is Chris Cuomo.

There is another saying, "Ignorance is bliss", being happy in your own little bubble in such a heated time kinda makes sense.

Actress Diane Keaton, Summertime Pick Movies!

Diane Keaton Movies

There are so many great movies starring Diane Keaton, here are a few of my favorites.


1) Hamstead
2) Book Club
3) The Big Wedding
4) Because I Said So

I decided not to do the Face Aging App

Why do the Face Again App, we are humans, we are supposed to age gracefully, however, if we don't there is always Paris, and Plastic Surgery, LOL. 

Christmas in July, by, Cookbook Author, Gina Meyers: White and Chocolate Frosting, Black and White Cookies, Pumpkin Cookies

White and Chocolate Frosting, from scratch

4 cups of powdered sugar
1/3 cup boiling water
1 ounce of semi sweet or bittersweet chocolate, melted

Directions: Place powdered sugar in a bowl. Gradually stir in boling water until it is a thick able spread mixture, add more water if needed and add more powdered sugar if too watery by the teaspoonfuls. Next, divide the sugar mixture into two bowls. Add the melted chocolate into one half, leaving the other half white. Decorate each cookie, half with white frosting, half with chocolate frosting. Place the frosted cookies on a wire rack or plate to dry.

Black & White Cookies

4 3/4 cups of all purpose flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup of unsalted butter, softened
4 eggs
1 cup of milk
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon of lemon extract
White & Chocolate Frosting

Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease two baking sheets. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cimbine the sugar and butter, beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Beat in eggs, milk, and vanilla and lemon extract. Stir in the flour mixture until the cookies are just mixed. Drop the cookie dough by tablespoonfuls onto the baking sheet about 2-inches apart. Bake for 15 minutes or until edges are slightly browned. Makes two dozen cookies approximately.

Pumpkin Cookies
1/2 cup of butter/margarine
1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar
1 egg
1 cup of canned pumpkin (with spice already in the mix)
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of baking powder
2 1/2 cups of flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of nutmeg
1 teaspoon of cinnamon

Optional: 1/2 cup of diced almonds, or 1 cup of chocolate chips (mini)

Directions: Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg, pumpkin, and vanilla. Mix and stir in flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Add to creamed mixture and mix well. Add more flour by the tablespoonfuls, if needed. Add almonds and chocolate chips, if preferred. With a spoon, drop mixture by teaspoonful onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Once baked, remove from hot cookie sheet and let cookies rest on a plate or cooling rack.

It's Christmas in July, check out Gina's cookbooks today: https://www.amazon.com/Gina-Meyers/e/B0039KMPSS%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share