Cheesecake Recipe

Gary's Birthday Cake

This past Sunday, was my company barbecue. One of the employees was having a birthday. I was to bring dessert, so I asked him his favorite kind of cake. Luckily, he chose cheesecake! My favorite to make. Unfortunately, I don't have a photo because it was cut up and eaten before I had a chance to take one.

Classic Cheesecake for a Crowd

4 packages (8 oz each) of cream cheese, at room temperature
4 eggs, at room temperature
1 cup of granulated sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup sour cream
30 Oreo cookies
1/4 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 325F. Line one 9" x 13" baking pan with parchment paper. Crush the cookies to make fine crumbs. Add melted butter and mix well. Press into the bottom of prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Set aside.

With an electric mixer, beat softened cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, blending well between each addition. Add lemon juice. Blend in sour cream. Pour mixture over crust in prepared pan. Bake at 325F about 50 minutes until center of cake is set. After center is set, turn off oven, but do not remove cake. Leave the cake in the oven for about one hour to cool down. After about an hour, place pan on cooling rack to cool completely. Once cake is completely cooled, refrigerate. Top with your favorite fruit or pie filling before serving. I use a combination of pie filling and fresh fruit. Blueberries are my favorite.

Serves 16

For a fluffier cake, place a oven proof dish of water on the lower oven rack. This will add moisture to the oven's atmosphere and help make a moister cake.

Best Time of The Year

Everything is is Fresh

I love this time of the year. Locally grown fruits and vegetables are abundant and flavourful.

We just finished strawberry season and raspberry season and fresh locally grown corn on the cob is starting to appear at the farmstands along the roadsides. This week-end, the oldest fair in Ontario is held in Williamstown, ON, not far from our farm. When the girls were young we went every year. On our way home we would stop at the same farmer's stand and buy fresh picked corn on the cob, usually the first of the season. Supper on "Fair Day" would always be hamburgers on the barbecue and fresh corn with lots of butter.

We are lucky to live in Canada. We have a huge variety of Canadian produced foods that are well raised, safe to eat and affordable. Enjoy your supper tonight and buy local as often as you can.

I am also growing my own tomatoes and cucumbers this year. Gardening is not a passion of mine, but fresh tomatoes are! So far I have enjoyed a few fruits from my labours - four tomatoes and two cucumbers have made it to the table in the last week or so. My younger daughter is helping and absolutely thrilled to see the tomatoes, green and getting bigger by the day. Once the tomatoes start ripening, I'll post a couple of my favorite tomato recipes.