That is the premise of The Hunger Site, which was started in 1999 to put the power of the Internet to good use — towards the elimination of world hunger.

The premise is simple. Visitors to the site click a button, and with each click, sponsors will pay for food for the hungry throughout the world. An average of 220,000 visitors click on any given day, and since the program began, more than 300 million cups of staple food have been donated!

The program expanded in 2001 and now includes opportunities to click to provide healthcare for children, funding for protecting the rainforests, and support for many other charitable causes. From The Hunger Site, simply click the tabs along the top of the page to access the click buttons for the other programs.

This Thanksgiving, and every day, take a minute to do your part to help those less fortunate. Every click makes a difference.

I thought I’d take a little break from the heavy posts and interject a recipe for the best darned cheesecake on this planet. Another little thing to make you smile. At least if you like cheesecake!

Now while this isn’t a “heavy” post, I will warn you that this cheesecake is not the low-calorie kind. It uses a full 2.5 pounds of cream cheese!

I have found, though, that because it is so rich, even the teeniest forkful is incredibly satisfying, and you can get a lot of servings from one recipe.

So, without further ado – here it is:

New York Cheesecake

FILLING:
2 1/2 lbs cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 TBSP flour
5 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla

CRUST:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup melted butter
1/2 to 1 tsp cinnamon

Filling: Cream and soften cream cheese in mixer. Add sugar slowly as you’re creaming the cheese. Add eggs one at a time (Note: you may want to slow down the mixer a tad so you don’t beat too much air in; if you do, the cheesecake will rise very high and will fall when taken out of the oven). Add in remaining filling ingredients and mix until blended.

Crust: Mix together all three ingredients and press into a springform pan, pushing crust partway up the sides.

Pour filling into crust. Bake at 250 – 350 degrees for 1.5 to 2 hours. Cake is done when a knife stuck into the center shows that cake has the consistency of paste rather than liquid. Cool at room temperature for awhile before opening the pan, so the cake has the opportunity to settle.

I normally serve the cake plain as it has so much flavor, but you can top it with fruit, or mix together sour cream and confectionery sugar for icing.

Enjoy!

I wish you all safe travels this holiday, and a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends.

It has been widely reported that practicing gratitude can increase happiness. So what exactly does that mean? Does it mean that if we remember to say “thank you” that we’ll be happier?

Well, that’s a part of it.

The studies that reported the best results (a 25% increase in happiness!) used a very specific exercise involving a gratitude journal. Participants in the “grateful” groups wrote down five things they were grateful for each week for ten weeks. By study’s end, they reported feeling better about their lives in general and being more optimistic about the future than participants in the other study groups.

Nearly a year ago, I began my own gratitude journal. On the advice of a mentor, I wrote every day rather than once a week.

So what has happened? I definitely see the world through a brighter lens! Life is good, despite my having faced significant job-related challenges over the past few months.

You might wonder what kinds of things to write in a gratitude journal. Strangely, there is no magic formula. My entries range from the mundane (I’m grateful that I have my friend Karl in my life) to the special (I’m grateful that my niece wanted to spend a night at my house as her birthday present!)

Generally, entries reflect things that happened that day. If I’ve had a particularly difficult day, I try to dig a little deeper to find something for which I am grateful.

Some recent entries:

• I’m grateful that I didn’t get the job at xxxxx, because the commute would have been difficult.
• I’m grateful that I saw a gorgeous buck and doe at close range on my hike today
• I’m grateful for afternoon naps

You get the idea.

Now it’s your turn. Go out and get an empty notebook or journal and put it next to your bed. Every night before you go to sleep, think about things that happened that day for which you are grateful. Make sure you try to write at least two things every night.

In about three months time, despite what is happening in your life, I suspect you will notice a measurable difference in your sense of well-being.

Oh, and when you’re sitting around the Thanksgiving table this coming Thursday and you’re asked what you are thankful for, you’ll be well prepared to answer!