All Hail the Green

It's March!. It's March! It's March! Finally. March is full of promise. Clocks spring forward making the days longer, St. Patrick's Day brings . . . well . . . fun . . . as does March Madness (Boiler Up, Hammer Down, GO PURDUE!). The first day of Spring brings the hope of warmer weather. My allergies make themselves known but that's OK because, baby, it's all about the green. After a long, cold, snowy, stormy winter, I'm more than ready to kiss the brown landscape and white snow (until it too turns brown, that is) goodbye and say "hello, lover" (hope you read that in your best Carrie Bradshaw voice) to the green.

In nine days, NINE SHORT DAYS, we get to move our clocks forward an hour. Those of you who live in states that don't do daylight savings time (I'm looking at you, Arizona and Hawaii) can't possibly understand the depths of my joy at running around the house happily planning to lose that one hour. Even the fact that no two clocks in the house tell the same time doesn't deter me because it's here! This is how Spring starts.

Next, on the 17th, comes St. Patrick's Day. Right smack in the middle of the month between daylight savings day and the first day of spring comes an official celebration of all things green. A day to celebrate beer 

and leprechauns and beer 

Yes, Lucky Leprechaun is wearing a cookie as pants


and pots of gold and beer and four leaf clovers and did I mention beer?

And the food. What's a celebration without those favorite foods? On St. Patrick's Day I make my Crockpot Beer Infused New England Boiled Dinner, 

served with my Pistachio Soda Bread, of course.

And for March, desserts feature . . . you guessed it . . . green. I've posted a few over the years, and have some more I'll share here this year too. Come back here often (don't make me beg) and watch for upcoming recipes for Key Lime Shortbread Cookies and Green Apple Cookie Bars. For today's recipe, in celebration of the very first day of the month, I'm sharing Pistachio White Chocolate Cheesecake:

Pistachio White Chocolate Cheesecake

As if all of that isn't enough, just 3 days after St. Patrick's Day, the holy grail of warm weather worship (and of the hope of defrosting), the official first day of spring. Hallelujah!

Welcome, March. I have been right here waiting for you (you sang that along with me, didn't you?).

Boiler Up! GO PURDUE! 

Pistachio White Chocolate Cheesecake        
                                    ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
11.5 oz box vanilla wafer cookies, crumbed
1 stick butter, melted

2 1/2 packages (8 oz) cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sour cream
14 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup white chocolate, finely chopped (I used a clean coffee bean grinder)
1 box (3.4 oz) pistachio instant pudding and pie mix
OPT: a few drops of green food coloring
3 eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup white chocolate chips

1/2 cup roasted unsalted pistachios, shelled and chopped

Directions:
*Grease a 9 inch springform pan. On the outside of the pan, wrap a sheet of tin foil around the bottom and partially up the sides of the pan. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
*Mix together the melted butter and cookie crumbs. Press into the bottom and halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Set aside.
*Beat the cream cheese, sugar and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the sour cream, heavy cream, chopped white chocolate and pudding mix, food coloring (if using) then the eggs, one at a time. Mix in the white chocolate chips.
*Pour into prepared crust ad bake for 70 - 85 minutes, until the center is just set.
*Remove from oven and allow to cool. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before removing the sides of the pan. Sprinkle with chopped pistachios.
*Store leftovers, covered, in refrigerator.