Friday Friend Recipe #70 -- 'Berry Plain' Cheesecake

Friday Friend Recipe #70: Berry Plain  Cheesecake

Making my way thru my Friday Friend Cookbook, one recipe at a time.

What is the Friday Friend cookbook: I have about 50 of my closest friends and family on an e-mail forum which I called the Friday Friends (from all over the county). At first, most of them didn't know each other, (they knew me) but over the past 15 years, we've answered and shared silly--and serious---questions, exchanged Secret Santa Christmas gifts, had a dieting contest in which we paid a $1 a week and that money went to a scholarship fund for a Friday Friends son's memorial scholarship, and we went on a great vacation for my 52 birthday.

AND, we contributed recipes for a cookbook.

 

I was looking at the cookbook the other night and I said, "I should make every recipe in here for my blog."
The Handyman--who knows me better than I know myself (this happened to be a question on the Friday Friend forum once---does your spouse/partner know you better than you know yourself?)--said, "you'll never, EVER do that."

WELL---maybe I'll show him! Maybe I will.

Which brings me to this... recipe #70

Tomi's

Berry Plain Cheesecake

 

 

 

 

It's a good thing I gave up quality picture taking long ago... because these photos do not do this cheesecake justice.

This is the best  cheesecake,  bar none, I have ever made.  It is my 'go-to' cheesecake. 

 It's a creamy classic, wonderful, yummy, cheesecake.

 

You could top this with fruit, but we like it plain.  It has a sprinkle of cinnamon and topped with a sour cream sauce.

So, I guess technically, it's a cinnamon cheesecake.

It's the best!

Berry - Plain Cheesecake

FF Tomi Pingree

Kaysville, UT

 

3 eggs

2 8oz pkgs cream cheese

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

sprinkle of cinnamon

10-inch graham cracker crust

 

Beat eggs and cream cheese until creamy.  Stir in sugar and vanilla.  Pour into crust.  Bake at 350F for 30 minutes.

Sprinkle with cinnamon.

 

1 cup sour cream

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

 

Mix together and spread on top of cheesecake.  Bake at 400 for 5 more minutes.  Cool and keep refrigerated.

You may serve with cherries, strawberries, or blueberries, but it is delicious just as it is.

I have been making this cheesecake for years.  And years.

Every since I had it at my friend Tomi's house circa 1988.

I never thought I'd have to give the credit back to her (sigh), but I guess fair is fair.

 

This is  Tomi's 3rd appearance in the FF Cookbook Countdown.

See all her recipes here.

I have many of her recipes which I still make to this very day--- even tho she says she is not a cook.  She  used to say that she never thought about dinner because she hated cooking and  would just whip together some "hamburger surprise" right before Stuart got home.

I will have to share one of those in the FF Appendix sometime -- simmered bbq burgers --  I wonder if Tomi  still makes them?

And why is it, that my friends who think they are not cooks, are the ones who's dinners I remember most?  They make great dishes.

 

Because I've always been interested in food/cooking,  I would study (I guess that's the right word)  my friends, as they would cook and make meals for their families.

When I think of Tomi,  stormy, Fall afternoons come to mind, when we would sit and visit and I would watch her begin to make her dinner.  Yes, there were many 'hamburger mystery' dinners, (weren't there for all of us?), but most of them were just good comfort family food.

 

When I think back on my life (ooooohhhh....don't worry, I'm not getting all melodramatic)  but good times and memories with friends in their kitchens (and I have been in many--and watched YOU, when you didn't think I was) are some of the best memories ever!

 

I am also extremely envious of Tomi  and Stuart and their travels. 

Luxemburg!  In front of a castle!

 

Their son, Zach, is in the Air Force, stationed in Germany, and they recently went to visit him.

 

(found this in my notebook from 2006 )

from Tomi:

(both her sons are in the Air force and her daughter, Emily taught school in Japan for a while)

 

Cody called this morning.  He received his base assignment.  He will be going to Guam.  Yikes! That's far away.  Now I'll really need to get a passport.  I'll go to Japan and visit Em, hop over to Guam to see Cody, and then I may as well go to Australia since I'm in the neighborhood.

I wonder where Zach will end up?

 

 

NOW WE KNOW!!

Luxemburg!  In front of a castle!

She has definitely gotten her passport.

 

 

 

So that's a Friday Friend Memory of Tomi... loved watching her cook.

She will laugh at this, but it's true.

 

I have a quick little story about her cheesecake and the Handyman.

One Thanksgiving we were invited over for dessert to our friends, Theresa and Mike's home.

There were having a lot of people and some were bringing desserts.  I made this cheesecake.

I made the crust from scratch as well.

My cheesecake overflowed a bit, and didn't look picture perfect, but I knew it would taste AMAZING, as usual.  But I said to the Handyman (who does love this cheesecake), be sure and have a piece of this cheesecake, okay?  When people see it cut it will look better and then they'll eat it, etc.

He said okay.

When we get to their house, there was a table with a variety of desserts.

He sees a cheesecake.  An OUT OF THE BOX JELLO cheesecake.  Perfect looking.

He says OH CHEESECAKE!  and proceeds to stuff his mouth with an OUT OF THE BOX JELLO cheesecake!

I could have killed him!