Strawberry Cheesecake

This was a simple recipe that was easy to follow and provided a great finished product!

What You'll Need:

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 (10 oz) frozen strawberry packages, thawed
1 Tbsp cornstarch
3 (8 oz) packages of cream cheese, softened
1 (14 oz) can of sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 eggs
1 Tbsp water


What You Do:

Start with the crust. Either crush yourself or use a food processor to create the graham cracker crumbs. Combine crumbs, sugar, and butter and press into the bottom of an ungreased 9 in. springform pan. Or, if you don't have one, as I didn't, in a 9"x9" glass baking pan. Refrigerate for 30 min.

In a blender, or that same food processor (works great), combine strawberries and cornstarch; cover and process until smooth. Pour into a saucepan; bring to a boil for 2 minutes. Set aside 1/3 cup sauce. Cover and refrigerate remaining sauce for serving.

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in condensed milk. Add the lemon juice- make sure to mix completely in before adding eggs. Beat on low until all three eggs are combined.

Pour half of the cream cheese mixture over crust. Drop half of the reserved strawberry mixture by 1/2 tablespoonfuls, or if your me, use it all and have to retrieve more of the strawberry mixture from the fridge. Spoon the rest of the cream cheese mixture over sauce and drizzle more strawberry mixture over the top to make it look pretty. If you want to be super fancy you can run a knife through to create a V-like pattern with the strawberry sauce.

Bake at 300 degrees F for 45-50 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool for 10 minutes and then run a knife carefully around the edge of the pan to loosen and make it easier to serve. Cool for 1 hour longer and then serve or pop in fridge overnight.

The extra sauce is super yummy to serve with cheesecake slices :)

I usually have pictures, but this one was eaten before I got to capture it on film. Guess I'll just have to make another one!

Strawberry Cocktail

This is the best as the days get longer and hotter. All you'll need are 2 cups of strawberries, sliced, 4 quartered limes, 1/2 cup of mint leaves, 1/2 strawberry syrup (I'll teach you how to make your own), 1 bottle of champagne (or sprite).

You'll need a mortar and pestle

 

Add strawberries and limes into a large mortar or bowl. Crush together to extract juices and add mint. Crush to incorporate the flavors. Add strawberry syrup and poor into a pitcher. Add champagne (or sprite) and stir. Serve in ice filled glasses and garnish with extra strawberry and mint. 

Strawberry Syrup

finely chop a cup of strawberries ad place in a saucepan over medium heat. Slowly add in a 1/2 cup of sugar, stirring. Let simmer for about 10 minutes, adding another 1/4 cup sugar as the strawberries break down into a beautiful syrupy mess. If you're impatient you can stick the mixture into a blender after 10 minutes, if you have the time, let it simmer until all chunks are gone.