In other words, an almost typical Friday night. I say almost typical, because I’ve never actually made cheesecake before, despite it being one of my favorite desserts. But since I occasionally go on a cooking from scratch kick, I decided my first cheesecake should be homemade, and not one of those sticky yellow ones from a box.

I paired it with the wine I got as an early Christmas present from my family. That would be Riverboat Red from Les Bourgeois Vineyards in Rocheport, Missouri.

If there’s one thing I love more than booze, it’s local booze. Sure, there’s nothing wrong with drinking beer or wine you can find in any grocery store in any city. (Like one of my personal favorites, Pabst Blue Ribbon. *Cough-wannabehipster-Cough*). But there’s a unique experience in trying something that’s made locally, like Lucky Bucket (La Vista, NE) or Left Hand (Longmont, CO) beers. For some reason, knowing you can only get it in a certain part of the world makes drinking it more special.

Also, I grew up in Missouri. Sometimes I miss it. So a bottled souvenir from Mark Twain Land was a welcome gift. Plus, this is a really good wine, guys. It’s sweet and fruity, a perfect complement to the slightly tangy cheesecake.

Ah, the cheesecake. I used this recipe I found on (guess where?) Pinterest. As you can see, I skipped the pomegranate syrup. You may also have observed from the lovely tinfoil pan that I didn’t make my own graham cracker crust either. (Sometimes I’ll go all out–other times, there’s only so much effort I’m willing to put forth.)

After a long morning/afternoon spent braving the 8-degree weather to go Christmas shopping, then thoroughly cleaning the apartment, some cheesecake and wine was the perfect afternoon pick-me-up.

What’s your favorite wine or beer? What homemade desserts do you like best?