Mom's Cheesecake

When I was a kid, I hated cheesecake. I know. What was I thinking?????? This was my mom's classic go-to dessert whenever we had company over and I always hated it. I used to give my parents a bit of a run for their money in terms of being a picky eater. Kind of funny, given that I love such a wide variety of foods now and will at least try almost everything you put in front of me (the list is long, including snails, rabbit, blood sausage, tongue, intestines, brain, etc. Can't say I liked much of any of those, but at least I tried them!). Perhaps Logan is following in my footsteps, as you can see in the following clip, for those of you who haven't already seen it on facebook:



Well, I have come to my senses as an adult and now love cheesecake. Love. With a capital L. I only make it when we have company over, as I figure that a whole cheesecake for two people is perhaps only slightly excessive. I made this this weekend when our friend Steve came over with his fiance Melanie and his son, Malcolm. All I can say is that it was good enough that the whole thing disappeared in one sitting. Only due to the guys, of course, as us girls managed to stick to one piece despite it being so delicious. Enjoy!Crust:
1 1/4 C graham crackers
1/4 C melted unsalted butter

Mix together and press into the bottom of an 9-inch round pan. Place in freezer for a bit. (Note: for a gluten free dessert, omit the crust, as I did this weekend, but will never do again, as I'm sure it just makes it that much better!).

2 x 8 oz. packages of cream cheese (don't use light!)
3/4 C sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Beat well. Pour over graham cracker crust. Bake 25 minutes in a 350 degree Farenheit oven. Cool 20 minutes.

1 C regular sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla
3 tbsp. sugar



Mix and spread on top. Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees Farenheit.

I served mine with a strawberry coulis, that I made by pureeing some strawberries that we had picked this summer and adding in just a bit of sugar.

Update April 14/11: you can substitute Splenda for the sugar for a diabetic-friendly version.