Cheesecake for my Valentine

I made my first ever Cheesecake today for my Husband and Valentine...Brian. Coming home from Georgia last week he mentioned to me that he would love for me to make him a cheesecake sometime. I said..."sure honey"... and didn't think much more of it at the time.

We decided to stay in this year for Valentines, so I thought it would be the perfect time for me to attempt baking one. I've always had it in my head that making a cheesecake is a tough thing to do..but the hard part of it was to wait 5 hours to indulge in it! It was a time consuming project...but WELL WORTH THE WAIT! Brian took a bite and said,
"Damn Baby, you've got it goin' on! This is Amazing!"

I decided after cooking tonight's meal that it makes me really HAPPY to cook. Due to the fact that my butt is ALREADY extremely large...this is NOT a good thing! But seriously...I slaved in the kitchen for most of the afternoon making dinner for us tonight...and when I was plating it up...I was so proud of what I had accomplished. The cheesecake was a great way to finish off the night. I don't cook meals like this often...but when I do... it makes all the work worth it!

I have a feeling this Cheesecake Recipe will be around for many years to come....and will be made for many special occasions in the future. Make it...Indulge in it...and last of all, but not least...Enjoy it!



Ultimate Turtle Cheesecake
From: www.allrecipes.com
Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Ready In: 5 hours and 40 Minutes
Serves: 16

Ingredients:

2 cups OREO Chocolate Cookie Crumbs 6 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted 1 (14 ounce) package KRAFT Caramels 1/2 cup milk 1 cup PLANTERS Pecan Pieces 3 (8 ounce) packages PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened 3/4 cup sugar 1 tablespoon vanilla 3 eggs 2 (1 ounce) squares BAKER'S Semi -Sweet Baking Chocolate

Directions:

1.	Preheat oven to 325 degrees F if using a silver 9-inch springform pan (or to 300 degrees F if using a dark nonstick springform pan). Mix crumbs and butter; press firmly onto bottom and 2 inches up side of pan.
2.	Place caramels and milk in small microwavable bowl. Microwave on HIGH 3 minutes or until caramels are completely melted, stirring after each minute. Stir in pecans. Pour half of the caramel mixture into crust. Refrigerate 10 minutes. Cover and refrigerate remaining caramel mixture for later use.
3.	Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended. Pour over caramel layer in crust.
4.	Bake 1 hour 5 minutes to 1 hour 10 minutes or until center is almost set. Run knife or metal spatula around side of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing side of pan. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
5.	Microwave reserved caramel mixture on HIGH 1 minute; stir. Pour over cheesecake. Melt chocolate as directed on package; drizzle over cheesecake. Store leftover cheesecake in refrigerator.