Heather’s basic cheesecake recipe:

I was slow to come around to cheesecake, and truth be told I still don't much like cream cheese, but I have grown to love cheesecake nonetheless. We even had cheesecake for our wedding cake, which I drove up to Duluth from Muddy Paws in the cities. I've already written about how much I loved my wedding cake in this post, but let's face it: buying cheesecake is expensive.

MAKING cheesecake is not. Seriously. I can't quite figure out why a cheesecake costs $40 from a bakery, and under $5 to make - nice profit margin I guess! I don't claim this to be anywhere near as good as Muddy Paws, but for a more limited budget it's an easy, impressive dessert I've had a lot of luck with. Here's what I do:

Graham Cracker Crust:
I used a Keebler Ready Crust in the “2 extra servings” (10”) size, mostly because I don’t own a pie pan and it’s great for parties not to have to worry about bringing a container home. But if you want to go totally homemade or if you want to do muffin sized cheesecakes, an easy basic graham cracker crust is:
• 1 & ½ cups graham cracker crumbs (self crumbled or store bought)
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup melted butter
Mix dry ingredients first, then add melted butter and press into the bottom of a pie pan or muffin tins to your desired thickness. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Cool before filling.
Variations: you can really play with this a lot since it is so basic – add more sugar, cinnamon, allspice, etc. We actually like this crust BETTER than store bought, but I'm too lazy to make it most of the time, and again, I have no pie pans, so I've only done it when I accidentally broke the initial store bought crust (and re-used the pan it came in)or when making mini cheesecakes in cake pans or muffin tins.

Cheesecake
• 8 oz cream cheese (2 packages) – room temperature
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
Beat the cream cheese on medium speed until fluffy. This is the most cumbersome part – I use a stand mixer, my amazing original 70's harvest gold kitchen aid from the in-laws, but still have to repeatedly clear out the beater to ensure it is whipping and not just stuck inside. This takes much longer if your cream cheese is at all cold - room temp is much better.
Slowly mix in lemon juice, vanilla, eggs one at a time, and sugar. Continue to beat until smooth.
Pour into crust, bake at 350 for 30 – 35 minutes, or until center is set. Overcooking will crack, but still taste good.
Cool completely then chill – preferably over night. Top as desired – fresh fruit, fruit compote, chocolate syrup, whipped cream, white chocolate curls, mousse, etc.