Who couldn’t resist the headline (no bake) on this box of Jell-O brand cheesecake? On a hot, extremely busy Memorial Day weekend with lots of other fun things to be doing, I for one couldn’t.
I do however, have a couple confessions to make. I always try to make my baked goods from scratch. Sometimes on a rare occasion I cheat a wee bit and buy a box mix, or a store-bought item. Sure I know, and can tell the difference, but there are times it’s warranted (in my mind).
The second part of my confession is that I have never made a homemade cheesecake. It’s not that I don’t want to. For one, I don’t own a springform pan, and secondly, I know homemade cheesecake recipes make enough to feed an army, and I don’t have an army to feed.
As it stands now, I give at least half of the baked goods I make away to friends and neighbors. In many cases the extra goodies end up in our freezer for a day that I don’t feel like baking. Right now there’s only a loaf of lemon-blueberry bread in our spare freezer. Probably due to the fact that our Frigidaire side by side that I used for freezing my goods has broken down for the 2nd time this year. (Did I mention it’s only four years old? And of course there is no warranty left on it.) My last call to the company ended in frustration when I was transferred to a young woman who I could tell was very proficient in Spanish, and not so much in English. She also had me on hold more time than she spent conversing with me, and could offer very little to remedy the problem. Okay, enough about Frigidare…
Any who… I’ve made cute little mini cheesecakes before with Nilla Wafers and a real cream cheese mixture. They are yummy little devils. I’ve made this cheesecake from the box before too. The one thing that stood out when I made this today was how little time, effort, and ingredients it took to throw this together. Even the most apprehensive person in the kitchen could handle this recipe. A little melted margarine, some sugar, and milk, and a topping of your choice (I’m opting for fresh strawberries from our garden) – it’s just that simple.
Now, I’m not advocating boxed foods – but sometimes a girl just has to do, what a girl has to do…. And, one of these days when I’m expecting an army of people I’ll buy that springform pan and make a real homemade cheesecake.
THE JOY OF CAKING 