Hope's Gingersnap Cheesecake

If you shop here, you probably know Hope. Hope Browning is our Deli Manager and she makes everything fun. I'd say she is a cross between Rachel Ray and the Cat in the Hat. Talent and kindness wrapped in a whole lotta mischief. Man-o-man can she cook. I dream of her carne asada tacos... When I needed a really great Thanksgiving recipe, I asked Hope. She got all excited (cuz that's how she rolls) and offered to make her Holiday Pumpkin Cheesecake. YES PLEASE! The crew was the beneficiary of this most elegant and delish dish. One white layer of cheesecake with pumpkin cheese filling and a gingersnap crust she makes from scratch. YUM. After Hope puts the layers together she does a little swirl to pull the color through the filling. The top looked like a lotus flower. As you can see from the photo it's lovely. Hope makes the gingersnap crust from scratch but you could use boxed cookies in a pinch.

Ginger Snap Cookies
3/4 cup butter 
1 cup sugar
1 egg 
1/4 cup molasses
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tbs ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Preheat oven 350*
Cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and molasses until well blended. Combine the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Stir dry ingredients into molasses mixture to form dough. Roll into 1 inch balls for cookies or spread into cookie sheet to make full pan for crumbling. 
Cookies bake 8-10 minutes.
Sheet bake 10-16 minutes.

Crust
2-3 cups cookies crushed
1/3 cup finely chopped pecans
1/4 cup melted butter
Mix and press into a 9" springform pan. Optional~ you can drizzle a little extra molasses on top of the crust. 


Cheesecake
3-8 oz packages cream cheese
4 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
pinch ground clove
Beat cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla until well blended with no lumps. Add eggs, 1 at a time beating each until blended. Reserve 1 cup of batter, to remainder add pumpkin, sugar and spices. Pour pumpkin batter into crust, top with saved batter, swirl gently with a butter knife to make design. Bake 55 minutes, cool completely in the fridge for 4 hours. 

Your family is sure to love it just as much as we all did! Thanks for sharing Hope xoxo

Happy Thanksgiving from your Hometown Proud Susanville Supermarket! 

Snowstorm in the Sierra

It never ceases to amaze me how often I find a local connection in my travels. Last year Rick and I attended a Grocer's dinner inside the Sacramento Railroad Museum. What a treat. I ask someone to snap a pic of us in front of a Fruit Growers Express box car. Turns out this was just a refrigerated box car company with no local connection. HOWEVER, I read a super interesting and harrowing story the museum was featuring. The exhibit 'Snowbound in the Sierra' told of a 3 day ordeal on Donner Summit when a train traveling from Chicago to San Francisco became snowbound. The year was 1952, the snows along the Sierra were already heavy when a blizzard moved in, even Susanville was cut off from outside and supplies had to be airlifted in. A young Navy pilot was among the stranded on the train named The City of San Francisco. He would later say he really enjoyed train travel but wouldn't wish this on anyone. The young man had enlisted in the Navy right after Pearl Harbor and became a pilot. Following his active duty he joined the Reserves and in 1951, during the Korean War, he was called back to active duty. That's why he was on the train that day. 

The blizzard packed a punch with 100 mph winds, the plows cleared the way and had no idea two slides had completely covered the track right behind them. City of San Francisco made it through the first slide and was stopped dead by the second. For 3 days 226 passengers waited, the food dwindled, the pipes froze, the toilets backed up. Nearby residents joined with rescuers using dog sleds to get supplies in. Rescuers went without food or sleep trying to clear the way as the blizzard continued. Carbon monoxide built up. Freezing temps and the raging storm meant everyone had to shelter in place. For 3 DAYS. Harrowing indeed. 

That young Navy pilot would become Lassen County's first full time art teacher. For 44 years he taught at both the college and high school. Our Arts building at Lassen County Fairgrounds bears his name, so does a scholarship. Warren Chapman. A man I remember as always quick with a smile. Warren used to send photography students into our store to take pics of rows, of oranges, of boxes, of cans. Then he would show how the light and contrast changed each item. Wish I would have gotten to take one of his classes. 

His son Jim only learned of this ordeal in the mid 80s. Jim was driving his dad down I-80 and Warren began to tell the story. I read that there were a few nurses onboard and one doctor but the military personnel, with all of their training, assisted in caring for the passengers. I'm pretty sure Warren was right in there helping. 

Thank you for your service to our Country and our County Mr Chapman!