Today I’m chatting with author friend, Christina Sinisi about her journey through the cookbook:

Philadelphia Cream Cheese: Cheesecakes.

Christina, I recently caught your post on Facebook where you showed a recipe book and mentioned that you have made every recipe in that book.

I found that idea fascinating. Especially since cheesecake is my favorite dessert!

What prompted you to start this journey?

First, thank you very much for inviting me to be on your blog, Carol. I didn’t plan on starting this journey, as a child, I didn’t even like cheesecake because I’d only had the kind out of a box. However, I have always loved to cook. And I’m an organized person (cough, cough, recently got called a control freak). So, when I make a new recipe (which is all the time), I write the date and notes. That’s how I started on this journey.

Why did you choose this recipe book?

In my job as a psychology professor, I am the advisor of the Psychology Club. At some point, decades ago, I made cheesecake for a club event and they loved it! It’s now become a tradition and students tell each other about Dr. Sinisi’s cheesecake. So, maybe the book chose me?

What was one of your favorite recipes?

In this cookbook (Philadelphia Cream Cheese Cheesecakes), I love the basic NY style cheesecake because it is so versatile.

How long did it take you to complete baking every recipe?

I first made the Northwest Cheesecake Supreme (the basic NY-style cheesecake) in 1991! I just made the last recipe (Very Smooth Cheesecake—a strawberry non-bake) this last month. That one was left last because I had to get creative—it called for a 10-ounce box of frozen strawberries—no one sells that anymore. All the fruit is in bags, so I purchased a bag and measured out the amount I needed.

Is this something you have done before, or a journey that you will undertake again?

I am working on several others, believe it or not. I have a Junior League of Lynchburg, VA cookbook I was given as a wedding present and I’ve made maybe 2/3 of those. More recently, I was given a Joanna Gaines Magnolia Table cookbook that I’ve also made most of the recipes—we just have the same tastes!

And, what I want to know: Who were your taste testers? That sounds like a job I would have really liked!

Decades of students, my family, and my church. Some recipes have been repeated many times and others were one and done. I may also have made sure to at least have tasted every recipe!

Christina, thank you for sharing your milestone with us.

Now let’s talk fiction. What do you have going on in your author world?

I am writing and hope to publish the third book in the Outerbank series, Hope of Hatteras. Look for that coming this fall!

Thank you again for being my guest today, Christina.

Blessings to you on all of your adventures going forward!

Christina Sinisi has authored several books including a romance called Sweet Summer:

Shelby Marano is the youngest of three sisters and was always Daddy’s baby girl—until her father was murdered when she was only eight years old. Ever since, she’s been running from anyone or anything that could truly hurt her. Instead, she seeks calculated thrills that leave her exhilarated, but when she’s caught outside during a summer storm, she quickly realizes not all adventures are within her control.

Tyler Burgess struggles with the responsibility of caring for a mother suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Forced to take a leave of absence from work and put his life on hold, his only reprieve is the volunteer work he does at the local museum. When a soaking-wet Shelby barges in, he offers her both refuge from the rain and a safe place to land. She’s the breath of fresh air he didn’t know he needed.

Tyler proves to be much more than just a nerd in a history museum, but what she finds out about him is a dealbreaker for her. As family health issues and an unknown stalker threaten Shelby’s perfect little world, she learns a hard lesson: no one can hide from the dangers of life. Can Shelby let her sisters, Tyler, and even more importantly, God, show her in one Sweet Summer that love is worth taking the risk?

For more information about author Christina Sinisi and her Sweet Summer e-book: https://bit.ly/4uUoEDG