New Year's at Nancy's

This is our friend Nancy - a few years ago she bought a farm out in the east county - it had this wonderful huge three car garage. One day when Nancy was looking around at the ReStore - our local "re-usable building materials place" (check out their web site & read their story - it's great!) - anyhow, she was looking around and found a wooden gymansium floor that had been removed from a school someplace, in sections that would be just the right size to put a new floor in her new garage - did I mention that Nancy is a talented musician who plays for Balkan dancers and likes to folk dance? This floor was the start of something great. At that time, several music venues had recently gone out of business in Bellingham - there was no place to play good old folk music - but with the installation of the floor, all that changed. Soon Nancy's farm became a favorite destination for music players and listeners alike - (it is also where my spinner guild generally meets)

In those days, there were lots of us who used to hang out at a local eaterie and music venue called "The Cookie Cafe" - the first New Year's Day after it closed, Nancy decided to have a "reunion/get together" of old friends from The Cookie - and a tradition was born. A potluck brunch with delectable food and music - what a great way to ring in the new year!


For the last several years, I have been making Ebelskivers, a little pancake ball baked in a special pan - they are really yummy, but it meant that I had to spend most of the time in the kitchen cooking. So this year, I decided to take a new dish - I had purchased all the ingredients to make it for our reception after our evening Christmas service that never happened - and it would be a perfect dish to take to Nancy's.




No, those aren't chocolate chips - they are capers - resting on a light schmear of sour cream. This dish is sooooo yummy - good on triscuits or little toast rounds. Yes, the recipe is at the end of this post...











And after we eat, the instruments come out -


and the band starts to grow -















And if you just want to sit and listen, the knitting comes out...



The musicians play everything from fiddles to spoons -











And the band keeps growing - adding another guitar or two and there is our friend Lynne on the bass...




Of ourse if you are going to Nancy's Farm, you have to stop and say hello to the sheep on your way down the driveway.



A good time is guaranteed to be had by all.



SMOKED SALMON CHEESECAKE

Buttery Cracker Crust
1 cup crushed buttery crackers (I used Ritz)
1/8 tsp. garlic salt
¼ tsp dill weed
3 tablespoons butter, melted
Heat oven to 375 degrees for crust. Mix ingredients until well blended. Press evenly in bottom of 9x3 inch spring form pan. Bake about 8 minutes or until golden brown. Cool.
Filling:
3 8 ounce packages cream cheese, 2 regular, 1 “lite” softened
3 eggs
½ cup light sour cream
1/8 tsp Pampered Chef cajun seasoning
2 shakes Chipotle hot sauce
1 cup shredded Gouda Cheese (6 ounces) (I used Whatcom County Appel Farms Mild Gouda)
6 ounces smoked salmon, flaked

1 cup sour cream
2 - 3 tablespoons capers, drained

1. Reduce oven temp to 325 degrees. Beat cream cheese in large bowl w/electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, then add sour cream and seasonings; beat until smooth. Stir in Gouda cheese and salmon. Mix until well blended. Spoon evenly over crust.
2. Bake 45 minutes until center is set. Turn off heat in oven and let pan sit in oven for another ½ hour. Remove from oven and let cool for about ½ hour. Run knife around edge of cheesecake to loosen, spread sour cream evenly over top. Cool another 1/2 hour at room temp. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours but not longer than 24 hours.
3. To serve, remove side of pan. Place cheesecake on serving platter. Sprinkle with capers, or you could decorate w/sliced green onions and red caviar, bell pepper or chopped tomatoes. Serve with crackers.
NOTE:
If you use a 10" spring form pan, bake crust only 5 minutes and bake cheesecake only 35 - 40 minutes.

Serves 36 as appetizer