Eat Dessert First: Strawberry Cheesecake Pie

I don't have a lot of hobbies. I don't have a lot of things that I want to do. That I like to do. But I like baking. I half-like cooking, but I definitely love baking. Unfortunately unless I want to weigh 500 pounds, I can't do it on a regular basis. But I decided I could stand to make something this week. So clearly my choice this week: Strawberry Cheesecake Pie from The Taste of Home Cookbook.

Here's What You Need:
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups whipped topping
1 cup strawberry glaze
1 graham cracker crust (9 inches)
2 pints fresh strawberries, thinly sliced
Fresh mint and additional strawberries, optional

Here's What You Do:
In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Stir in sour cream and vanilla until blended. Fold in whipped topping.

Spread half of the glaze over bottom of the crust; layer with strawberries. Top with remaining glaze. Spoon cream cheese mixture over the top.

Refrigerate for 2-4 hours or until set. Garnish with mint and additional berries if desired.

Let me just say that this is super easy to make. I had a small disaster when the graham cracker crust broke on me at one point, but I tried to put the crust back together. It happens. Let's not dwell. There is no cooking involved in this recipe. It is basically some mixing. Some cutting. And then put it together and refrigerate. It was really easy. Unfortunately I had a heck of a time getting started.

Don't laugh but I struggled before I even started. First when I was pulling out my hand mixer, the cord got stuck, twisted in a knot around itself basically. I pulled on it and when the end with the plug came lose, it hit me right in the eyebrow. My eyes welled up immediately. It hurt like nothing else. Not a positive start. Then as I was trying to plug in the evil plug, I hit my head on the oven hood. Like I said, not a good start.

The actual making of this pie was actually pretty easy, and went off without incident (well, other than the crust breaking a little). It took very little time, and although it wasn't something I am used to doing when I bake, I still enjoyed it. Truth be told, when I bake I really enjoy baking breads because I enjoy kneading and working with my hands. I enjoy creating something and seeing what it becomes and of course eating it in the end.

So how was it? Not really what I was expecting, but it was pretty good. It didn't really set like I thought it would. And I think I didn't layer enough strawberries in the bottom. It was pretty good though. But I did find that getting pieces out is a bit difficult. But it was pretty good, and I enjoyed putting it together.