Easy Cheesecake!

Food for the Soul

Family. When I think of food, my mind automatically travels to a happy place. A place where all of my aunts and uncles are joining creative forces to produce meals of masterpiece. A place where all of your cares melt into the distance and are replaced by compassion, heart, and soul. These ingredients can not be faked. They come from a place so real, so ingenious it’s undeniably inherent. The joys of laughter will be heard beyond their years. Collaborative scents are so thick there, I can almost smell them. Oh how I long for those days again.

Come go with me. Imagine the scenery on the night before Thanksgiving. All of the family members arrived with their specialty dish but the bulk of the meal mama cooked. Fifteen cousins in the living room, talking and laughing and taking pictures. A baby crying in the background because there was always a new addition. Football on the television heightened with classic male bonding.

Emotional Roller Coaster. Finally, all the creations find a spot on the serving table. Foods so tantalizing they invoke emotion. Uncle John’s Seafood Salad. Lump crab, lobster tails, butterfly shrimp, and scallops. Celery chopped so fine there was nothing left except flavor. Homemade mayonnaise and a hint of ranch dressing made complete by the staples, salt, and pepper to taste. Aunt Clovis’ Banana Pudding. Uncle Calvin’s famous Steak Fingers and Hot Wings. Aunt Linda’s German Chocolate and Red Velvet cakes. And my mama made the most succulent turkey I’ve ever tasted. She would tuck butter under the skin and fill the inside with a whole apple and celery sticks. Yum!

Dish Fusion. Everyone sat on pins and needles. We couldn’t wait to tuck into each dish. Every one of them promised a new experience. It was as if they told a story, all with fairy tale endings. Happily Ever After. At least until the next holiday or family reunion.

Mama’s Kitchen. As a child, I spent a lot of time at the table watching mama prepare meals. The way she moved, fast and efficient. I worked hard to stay out of her way, sitting in a chair until the spoon came my way. You could say I was a professional taste-tester. Not that I knew what the food should taste like, but I definitely had a great conception of what was good. The food was not only good. It was perfection. Southern quality food cooked with finesse and great imagination.

Out of ten, my grandmother birthed five professional chefs and two registered nurses. You would have thought my mama was the oldest child of ten offspring. Though she was second in line and not one of the five chefs, her food kept us together. It was more than food. It was love. I often wondered why my mother never became a chef. In retrospect, it could only be one thing.

Mama was a healer. All of the kids in the neighborhood knew it. If they scraped their knees, she had everything at the house to make it all better. Alcohol, peroxide, band-aids and… chocolate cake! Or maybe a bag of tea cakes, a pan of biscuits, or her famous buttermilk double battered fried chicken. If any found themselves hungry, in mama’s kitchen you would be fed.

Soul Food. I never imagined myself to be as good of a cook as my mama. Maybe that’s why I haven’t become as great as I could. However, as I aged my desire to learn increased. I am known in my church family as the go-to cheesecake lady. Cheesecake can be one of the most difficult desserts to pull off simply because of the technique. The ingredients are easy, but the composition is a whole other matter. I created a recipe with simplicity for a delectable cheesecake anyone can make successfully. It is an honor to share this simple treasure with my fellow Vocal community. I present to you… Easy Cheesecake!

Ingredients

2-4 Packs of Philadelphia Cream Cheese

1-2 Nabisco Graham Cracker Pie Shells

2-4 Eggs

½ - to 1 Cups of Sugar

1-2 Cans Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

1 Squeeze of Lemon (remove seeds)

Fresh Whole Strawberries (optional)

Reddi Wip Dessert Topping (optional)

Directions: For every two packages of Philadelphia cream cheese, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup of sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, 1 can of sweetened condensed milk, and 1 graham cracker pie shell.

In a glass mixing bowl, mix two packs of cream cheese and two eggs until smooth. Add sugar, condensed milk, vanilla, and lemon juice. Mix thoroughly. Pour into a graham cracker pie shell leaving about two inches from the top. Gently drop the cheesecake onto the table to release bubbles. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook for 25-35 minutes. Let cool in the refrigerator for 4-6 hours. Whip cream topping and strawberries (optional). Makes 6-8 servings.

I usually make two pies at a time that is why the recipe is written so above. People love me for this simple treasure but normally I do not share the recipe for fear they will soon find they can make it themselves. You better be glad I love you!