Sunday, March 29, 2009

Pumpkin Cheesecake

4 packs (16 oz. total) cream cheese
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup sugar or Splenda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
4 large eggs
2 (9-inch) graham cracker pie crusts


Directions:
Place cream cheese in mixing bowl and let it set about 1/2 hour to soften at room temperature. Mix well with electric beater at medium speed. Add pumpkin and mix well. Add sugar (or Splenda), vanilla, and spices, mixing well. Add eggs; mix until well blended. Pour into graham cracker crusts. Bake at 350° for 35 to 40 minutes or until cheesecake is set. Cool on wire rack. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight before serving. Garnish with whipped topping or whipped cream before serving.

Notes:
This can be a low-cal cheesecake (relatively speaking) if you use low-fat or no-fat cream cheese and Splenda. I make this cheesecake every year at Thanksgiving. It's really good. I prefer to use a large cheesecake pan with a homemade graham cracker crust, instead of using the ready-made graham cracker crusts.

Another great Easy Recipe

Love At Home

There is beauty all around
When there's love at home.
There is joy in every sound
When there's love at home.

Roses bloom beneath our feet,
All the earth is a garden sweet,
Making life a bliss complete,
When there's love at home.

-- John Hugh McNaughton (1829-1891)