Give More, Save More (Calories)

After my last post I was overwhelmed with guilt. Even in the name of National Cheesecake Day, how could I possibly attempt to endorse something I hadn't yet tried myself? So off to The Cheesecake Factory I went for a slice of Stephanie's Ultimate Red Velvet Cake Cheesecake.

I found it rather annoying that their Any Slice, Half Price offer was only good for those dining in (go figure), but after going through the trouble of getting there and parking after 5pm on a Friday, I figured my dignity was well worth a $9 slice of cheesecake.

So how did it fare? While the layers of red velvet were relatively bland, being sandwiched between cheesecake and cream cheese icing certainly made the cake. Overall it was pretty good. Worth trying, but don't go expecting it will blow your mind.

I do think its great that they donate part of their proceeds to Feeding America, but you too directly through their site. Every dollar you donate helps provide 9 pounds of food and grocery products to men, women and children facing hunger in our country. So in lieu of buying a slice that translates to only 2.25 pounds of food, you can donate your $9 to Feeding America instead, which would provide 81 pounds of food.

Much better for the waistline, and for those in need.

Celebrate Cheesecake, Eat Red Velvet

In case you weren't aware, today is National Cheesecake Day. And what better way to celebrate cheesecake than by eating red velvet!

If you head over to The Cheesecake Factory today you can try their Stephanie’s Ultimate Red Velvet Cake Cheesecake™ for half-off with their Any Slice, Half Price promotion. While I haven't had an opportunity to sample their red velvet rendition, how could Cheesecake Factory's original cheesecake, layered with red velvet cake and topped with cream cheese frosting not be good?

In case that isn't reason enough, 25¢ from the sale of each red velvet slice will be donated to Feeding America, the nation's largest domestic hunger-relief charity.

National Cheesecake Day is only once a year, so go out and celebrate! You can afford the extra calories.