Each year for my husband’s birthday, I make him a New York style cheesecake. He adores it, and each year, it gets better and better. It’s quite a time-consuming dessert to make, which is why it’s a rare treat and one of my gifts to him. This year was especially demanding because we don’t have a working mixer, and cream cheese can be stiff to stir, even after sitting out for a bit. Needless to say, I put a lot of love into his birthday cake each year.
As I made the cake, I thought about this – how much effort and love go into it. I realized that this is kitchen magic – pure and simple! Each sunwise stir adds more intention, especially when you’re focused on making something that will give joy to the recipient. Our daughter did some of her own kitchen magic, too – she enjoys stirring lately, so she gave it a go herself while I told her to think about daddy. For the finishing touch, I made cherry sauce from scratch using locally grown fruit I bought at the farmers’ market and froze with my husband’s birthday in mind. No artificial coloring for us!
Although the cheesecake gets better each year because of my growing experience, I feel that part of this year’s success was due to my increased magical focus as I worked on finishing it. To some, that may sound too woo and simple, but sometimes that’s how magic really is!
Author M. A. Phillips 