This page is a place for me to upload pictures I want to share that don't really fit into my blog posts. Enjoy!
Last night (December 23rd), I heard an absolutely ridiculous number of sirens. At the hospital, sirens are normal, but this was beyond normal. My nurse and I looked out the window to find police cars as far as the eye could see, all in a line (they continue far beyond what you can see in the photo because Rt. 40 turns) with their sirens on. They weren't going fast so it wasn't an emergency, but it was definitely loud. We later found out they were headed to Toys for Tots, which I always used to help with in Howard County in high school. I couldn't believe how many police cars there were, but I'm glad it was for a great cause!
One of my favorite parts of my room is my photo collage! Everyone loves to come in and find themselves or find people they know, and the pictures are reminders of so many fun adventures with so many awesome people. Also, I can't sit in my bed and not see the Strength canvas which is a daily reminder to keep fighting!
Some of my nurses love to color so they've contributed to the holiday decorations. This door actually has a lot more pictures on it now and the photo isn't even that old.
One of many beautiful Hopkins sunsets
One of my (three) trees! One of the chaplains stopped by the other day to tell me that he saw my tree in the window and he'd never seen that before so he wanted to meet me. I was so happy that strangers have noticed it and that it's made them smile too.
If you look really closely you can see my tree in the window! The building has 12 floors and I'm on the 11th if that helps :)
Hopkins is all decorated! This tree is incredibly tall...for a sense of scale, that's a person and a wheelchair in the background.
Our room has a wonderful view of the city skyline and sunsets!
My mom couldn't believe I took a picture of this, but I thought it was funny. What if the sticker is just to throw people off?
I'm easily amused by medical humor. But really, wash your hands!
Apple-of-Your-Eye Cheesecake
CRUST:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons finely chopped pecans (optional)
FILLING:
3 packages (8oz. each) cream cheese, softened
¾ cup sugar
3 eggs
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
TOPPING:
2-1/2 cups chopped peeled apples (we used more)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ cup sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons caramel ice cream topping, divided
Sweetened whipped cream (optional)
2 tablespoons chopped pecans (optional)
Combine the cracker crumbs, sugar and cinnamon. Stir in the butter, then the pecans. Press onto the bottom of a lightly greased 9 inch springform pan. Place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes; cool.
In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low just until combined. Stir in vanilla. Pour over crust. Toss apples with lemon juice, sugar and cinnamon; spoon over filling. Return to baking pan.
Bake at 350° for 55-60 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen. Drizzle with 4 tablespoons of caramel topping. Cool for 1 hour. Refrigerate overnight.
Remove sides of pan. Just before serving, garnish with whipped cream. Drizzle with remaining caramel topping; sprinkle with pecans. Store in the refrigerator.
Notes: My mom and I aren’t a huge fan of pecans in dessert so we left those out. We used a lot of extra apples and cinnamon and we didn’t measure the caramel topping, just drizzled it until it looked good. We also didn’t want to wait overnight to eat it, so we at around the edges first because that was the only part that had set correctly. No regrets, it was delicious! Enjoy!
From Taste of Home Winning Recipes, a Readers Digest Cookbook
CRUST:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons finely chopped pecans (optional)
FILLING:
3 packages (8oz. each) cream cheese, softened
¾ cup sugar
3 eggs
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
TOPPING:
2-1/2 cups chopped peeled apples (we used more)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ cup sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons caramel ice cream topping, divided
Sweetened whipped cream (optional)
2 tablespoons chopped pecans (optional)
Combine the cracker crumbs, sugar and cinnamon. Stir in the butter, then the pecans. Press onto the bottom of a lightly greased 9 inch springform pan. Place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes; cool.
In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low just until combined. Stir in vanilla. Pour over crust. Toss apples with lemon juice, sugar and cinnamon; spoon over filling. Return to baking pan.
Bake at 350° for 55-60 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen. Drizzle with 4 tablespoons of caramel topping. Cool for 1 hour. Refrigerate overnight.
Remove sides of pan. Just before serving, garnish with whipped cream. Drizzle with remaining caramel topping; sprinkle with pecans. Store in the refrigerator.
Notes: My mom and I aren’t a huge fan of pecans in dessert so we left those out. We used a lot of extra apples and cinnamon and we didn’t measure the caramel topping, just drizzled it until it looked good. We also didn’t want to wait overnight to eat it, so we at around the edges first because that was the only part that had set correctly. No regrets, it was delicious! Enjoy!
From Taste of Home Winning Recipes, a Readers Digest Cookbook