Homemade Cheesecake is Easy!

I really enjoyed watching Pioneer Woman beat Bobby Flay in their Thanksgiving Dinner Throwdown Wed. night! After reading her blog quite a bit, it was fun to see their ranch and watch and hear her on the show. She included mashed potatoes in her Thanksgiving meal but Bobby chose to have brussels spouts instead which may have helped her win. She made pecan pie with a cream sauce, and Bobby made a pumpkin bread pudding for dessert. I wouldn't be surprised to see her with her own Food Network show one of these days.

Lots of people have never made cheesecake, but I think it's one of the easiest desserts you can make! And it seems like some men really like cheesecake. There was a guy at Mom's church that LOVES this and always asked her to bring it to the pitch in meals. Glenn LOVES it too so I made one yesterday per his request to take to him and Amy for lunch today. They are here on a quick trip this weekend. They're going to be babysitting Lacey & Camry.

You just make a graham cracker crust and I use the already crushed graham crackers, melted butter (not margarine), some sugar and cinnamon. Bake in a spring form pan for a few minutes. A spring form pan is one that after your dessert is baked, you can unlatch and then remove the side.

Just mix together some cream cheese, sugar, eggs and vanilla and bake.

Then top with a sour cream, sugar & vanilla mixture and bake at 500 for 5 minutes. (this makes it like the Sara Lee cheesecakes) That's it! Or you can leave the sour cream off and top with canned cherry pie filling.













CHEESECAKE
1 c. graham cracker crumbs
2 T. sugar
1 1/2 t. cinnamon
6 T. melted butter
Mix graham crackers with sugar, cinnamon & butter. Press into bottom of 10" spring form pan. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

3 - 8 oz. cream cheese
1 c. sugar
3 eggs
1/2 t. vanilla
Beat cream cheese well, add sugar gradually and then eggs one at a time. Add vanilla. Pour over crust and bake 1 hour and 10 minutes at 300.

2 c. sour cream
3 T. sugar
1/2 t. vanilla
Whip sour cream with a whisk lightly, add sugar and vanilla. Pour carefully over baked cheese cake. Bake at 500 for 5 minutes. Let cool and then refrigerate several hours before serving.