Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars (Almost as Sweet as These Twins)

Last night, we were scheduled to drop food off at the Pipkins house. I'd spent Sunday making some special treats. I'd had beef tips in the crock pot all day. I just had to go home, make some rice and green beans and head out the door.

Things never go as planned with us.

I was late getting to Ty's office (he wasn't there yet either), late getting to the Volvo dealership to pick up my car from its day of scheduled maintenance, late getting home to make rice and late getting to the Pipkins house. I hate being late. It causes internal turmoil for me.

We arrived at the Pipkins house about 30 minutes late. Walt met us at the door, gnawing on a rib, and my internal turmoil returned. I hoped the food would make up for our lateness and their starvation.

But then I saw them.

{Photos by Nicole Spikes}

And all my internal turmoil ceased. There were Molly and Lila, completely conked out in their rockers. Completely peaceful and precious and sweet. Sweet babies, just days old, who really didn't care that the beef tips were 30 minutes late. If it were their feeding, they may have felt otherwise.

We had a great time visiting with Walt and Nancy and seeing the babies. We enjoyed them sharing dinner with us and getting to catch up on all the happenings.

{Photo from Annie's Eats}

For dessert, I made some Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars. I got the recipe from one of my favorite food blogs Annie's Eats. Her food photography is beautiful enough to frame in your house (nevermind how creepy it would be to have framed photos of your favorite desserts). 

They were delicious and almost as sweet as those baby girls we were hanging out with last night.  I have several other recipes to share this week, but starting with dessert always sounds best to me.

Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars

For the crust:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tbsp. sugar
8 tbsp. butter, melted

For the cheesecake:
16 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature.
½ cup sour cream
¾ cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
2 tsp. lemon zest
2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 pint fresh blueberries

• Preheat the oven to 325˚ F. Line a 9 x 13-inch pan with foil. Lightly grease the foil. In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter. Toss with a fork until well blended and all the crumbs are moistened. Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool and maintain the oven temperature while you prepare the filling.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the cream cheese and sour cream. Beat on medium speed until smooth. Add in the sugar and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Blend in the vanilla extract, salt, lemon zest and lemon juice. Fold in the blueberries gently with a spatula until evenly incorporated. Pour the mixture over the graham cracker crust and gently spread into an even layer with an offset spatula.
• Bake for 35 minutes or until just set and the center no longer jiggles when the pan is tapped. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before slicing and serving.