Easy Cheesecake

I like to dream that I am becoming a decent cook when it comes to main course meals (or at least on the days that the cooking Gods decide to be nice to me). Sadly, I can not say the same about deserts. Not even boxed - ready to bake - deserts. I lost count of the many times I have attempted to make brownies or some sort of cake. When I say attempted, I mean unsuccessfull. A direct trip from the oven to the trash.

Today I decided to lift the self-imposed ban on deserts and, to my surprise, I made my first successful, delicious, desert - Berry Cheesecake... and with that, I ended up with a very Berry (get it?) happy husband! 

Ingredients:

• Cheesecake Crust (ready to bake)
• 2 packages of cream cheese (Philadelphia)
• 1/3 cups of sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tea spoon of lemon juice (or half a lemon)
• 1 tea spoon of lemon zest
• 1 can (21oz) of berry medle pie topping (found in the dessert section)

How to make it: Leave the cream cheese out of the fridge for an hour or so before you are ready to start, so that the cheese softens a bit. With electric mixer beat cream cheese, sugar, eggs, lemon juice and zest until you get a smooth cream. It should taste good at this point also. Pour into crust and with the back of a spoon or spatula make sure the cream is even and pretty. Bake for 35 minutes. When it is ready take it out of the oven and let it cool for a while. Refrigerate overnight. The next day, when you are ready for it (you will probably dream about it) top the cheesecake with the berries. You wont regret having to wait overnight!

Roy was extremely happy that the desert curse is over (or so it seems). He asked if in the future I would venture out to make my own crust and my own topping (instead of ready to bake crust and canned topping). To that I say...maybe if I didn't have to go to work, come home, cook a meal, do laundry, etc. I am satisfied with the delicious taste of this desert, even though it was "semi-home made" :)

Enjoy!