Pumpkin Cheesecake - Fast, Easy and Delicious

Tired of pumpkin pie and want something different? If you have never tried pumpkin cheesecake, you are in for a treat. It is absolutely delicious, fast and easy holiday dessert -- and since I am always pressed for time, I need desserts I can make in a few minutes. It cooks for an hour, but the prep time is next to nothing. Lets' start with the basics.

Ingredients: Crust TIMESAVER: 1 9" Graham cracker pie crust (premade from your local store) -OR- 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs 1/2 cup finely ground ginger snap cookies (if you don't have the cookies, substitute with additional graham cracker crumbs and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon) 1 tablespoon Sugar 1 tablespoons light brown sugar 1 Stick melted butter (salted) Filling 3 packages Cream Cheese (room temperature) 1 can pumpkin puree (15 oz) 1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 3 eggs 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon allspice 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg Toppings Whipped Cream or Cool Whip Chocolate Shavings Pecans Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Crust - Mix all crust ingredients together in a medium bowl until well blended and coated. Press into a 9" Springform pan about 3/4 the way up the sides. Set aside. Filling - Combine sugar, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg in a small bowl. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth (about 2 minutes). Add sugar mixture from small bowl and beat until creamy and smooth (about 1 additional minute or so). Beat in eggs and vanilla, then add pumpkin puree and combine well. Pour into crust and bake for 1 hour. Let cool for 15 minute and refrigerate for about 3-4 hours. When fully chilled, top with whipped cream, chocolate shavings and pecans. That's how it's done! This recipe is simply delicious and presents itself beautifully on your table. If you are pressed for time, just use a premade crust. You can even change it up a little by sprinkling some finely chopped pecans on the bottom of your premade crust to add your own touch. Enjoy.

What Are the Factors That Can Affect Your Blood Sugar Readings?

When you test your blood sugar level, it reflects the sugar level in your bloodstream at that moment. Fifteen or twenty minutes later your reading will be very different. How your body reacts to various foods is different to how another person with type 2 diabetes will react... everyone's reaction to food is different. This is one reason why there is no perfect plan that you can be given when you are first diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

It can be frustrating, especially when you are first diagnosed, to understand why when you eat the same food on different occasions, your blood sugar readout is different. Here are some of the reasons: 1. The quantity... unless you actually measure the food quantity each time, there could be a variation in the amount. 2. Food combinations... the size of the piece of fruit will make a difference, as will whether you ate an apple or a banana... the difference in the glycemic index measurement of the fruit affects how quickly your sugar level will rise. Also a reading will depend on which foods you ate together, eg. higher fat will give a rise in your post-meal reading but not for several hours... so it will make a difference whether you have regular fries or baked fries. Or having protein food with carbohydrates, or the size variation in the protein food. Or the quantity of the carbohydrate food. 3. Physical condition... changes such as illness, menstrual cycle, a headache or any body pain will affect your blood sugar level. 4. Stress... your body responds to any kind of stress, emotional or physical, by raising your blood glucose level. 5. Alcohol... the way you use your food energy is altered when you consume alcohol, your blood sugars will be lowered. 6. Testing your blood sugars... are these being checked at the same time pre-meal and post-meal. If the timing interval between your meal and testing even vary by ten minutes the reading will be different. 7. Testing strips... are they out-of-date, and are you drawing a sufficient amount of blood? These are some of the factors that affect your blood sugar response to the same foods.