Cheesecake Dessert - a must try!

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There's this cheesecake dessert that my mom has made for as long as I can remember. It was always one of our favorites growing up, and she would usually make it for holidays or other special occasions. It's light and frothy and oh-so-yummy.

{mouth watering}

The recipe seems cumbersome and time consuming, and I vowed that I would never make it...I'll just let Mom keep making it. Well, now we have a little issue: Doug has decided that he really, really, really likes this dessert, and since we only see my mom a couple times a year, that might not be enough for him to get his fix.
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During Mom's recent visit, Doug had a special request and his dear mother-in-law was most accommodating. I decided I'd take some pictures to document the process and share them here on my blog. I'll put the full recipe at the end of this post.

So, we set up the ingredients for this photo shoot and I thought, "How does a recipe with so few ingredients require so many crazy steps?!?"


The first thing you do is put the evaporated milk in a glass bowl and into the freezer. I know it sounds weird, but trust me...

Next you dissolve a 3 oz. package of lemon gelatin in 1 cup of hot water, then place in the refrigerator. (And it's important that you do these two things in order so that they will both be properly chilled by the time you need them further into the recipe.)

Next, crush 20 graham crackers and place in a bowl (Mom does hers a few at a time in a large bag).

Melt 1 cube (1/2 cup) of butter and add it to the graham cracker crumbs; mix well.

Press one half of the crumb mixture into the bottom of a 9x12" pan and set aside.

Mix 6 oz. of softened cream cheese with 1 cup of sugar (Mom uses a fork to blend it):

The gelatin that's waiting for you in the fridge comes out now, and gets mixed into the cream cheese and sugar mixture - and you add the vanilla at this time too.

Mom uses a wire whisk to blend it:

The evaporated milk that's in the freezer? It comes out now...and it should have frozen crystals around the edge like this (if not, leave it in the freezer a little longer):

Next, you beat the cold milk on high speed until it's thick and creamy. Who knew that semi-frozen evaporated milk would get this creamy and frothy? I didn't!

Then, gently pour the gelatin mixture into the evaporated milk, and fold the mixture together - do not stir! Mom gauges when the mixture is done by watching for yellow streaks - you can see them in the picture below - and that means it's not mixed well enough yet...

Pour the mixture onto the graham cracker crust:

Then top with the remaining crumb mixture.

Now, here's the hardest part: Refrigerate until set (usually over night). Doug had this for breakfast the next morning because he could wait no longer!

The good news for Doug? After documenting the recipe this way, I think it's something I'm willing to take on myself. I hope you will too!

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.Jell-O Cheesecake
 

6 oz. cream cheese, softened

13 oz. can of evaporated milk

20 double graham crackers, crushed into crumbs

1/2 c. butter, melted

1 cup of sugar

3 oz. package lemon Jell-o (gelatin dessert)

1 cup hot water
1 t. vanilla

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♦ Chill evaporated milk in glass bowl in freezer.

♦ Dissolve gelatin dessert into 1 cup of hot water, then place in refrigerator.
♦ Mix graham cracker crumbs with melted butter. Press 1/2 of the crumb mixture into the bottom of a 9"x12" pan.
♦ Mix cream cheese and sugar together, then add lemon gelatin and vanilla; mix well with wire whisk.
♦ Remove evaporated milk from freezer. Beat on high speed until mixture is light and fluffy.
♦ Gently fold lemon/cream cheese mixture until mixed.
♦ Pour mixture on top of cracker crust and then top with remaining crumb mixture.
♦ Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate several hours (or overnight) until well set.

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xo