My Cheesy Valentine

I'm not one who loves Valentine's Day. Even though I have more than enough love in my life now, Valentine's Day hearkens back to the days of adolescence when I rarely--if ever--had a Valentine to celebrate with. Thankfully, I had my friends and my family that exchanged gifts or else I might have just--in the most pubescent, dramatic sense--died right there on my particle-board school desk. I have many fond memories of exchanging Cokes with friends, but nary did I receive a cool, frosty beverage care of my ultimate, truest crush-of-the-moment.

As a result, Mr. O and I celebrate Valentine's Day in an odd manner. Two weeks before the holiday rears its ugly head, we go to dinner and exchange gifts. Much less muss and fuss, and we get to gloat over having it done early while other people scramble for roses and truffles.

I always try to make something for dessert, though, because what better excuse to indulge in something sweet than a holiday centered almost exclusively around giving candy to those you love? This year, we noshed on some New York Style cheesecake.

Now, to say my kitchen is small is being humble. I have no drawers wider than 6 inches, and no cabinets wider than nine inches. When it came to do the bain marie for this dish, I was SOL. Honestly, a roasting pan wouldn't fit in my cabinets even if I had one. The cake was carefully inserted into the oven in without the water and came out a little bit soft, but still delicious.



New York Style Cheesecake
From AllRecipes.com


15 graham crackers, crushed
2 tablespoons butter, melted
4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup milk
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup all-purpose flour


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9 inch springform pan.
In a medium bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs with melted butter. Press onto bottom of springform pan.

In a large bowl, mix cream cheese with sugar until smooth. Blend in milk, and then mix in the eggs one at a time, mixing just enough to incorporate. Mix in sour cream, vanilla and flour until smooth. Pour filling into prepared crust.

Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour. Turn the oven off, and let cake cool in oven with the door closed for 5 to 6 hours; this prevents cracking. Chill in refrigerator until serving.