Fresh Cream Cheesecake with Fresh Berries

Over the summer, I managed to get myself addicted to the Food Network, which has been detrimental to other areas of my life, like school. Luckily I'm in my last semester, so maintaining an 80% average isn't necessary, as I won't be needed my scholarship renewed again. On a note related to that however, despite the fact that my marks absolutely do not matter at this point, I still can't adapt a carefree attitude towards school. Sigh.

Anyway, September is a month of birthdays for me. Two of my sisters, both my parents, and my boyfriend were all born in September. My youngest sister, deciding to give my wallet a break, got herself born on August 28th. HA! Thanks a lot Jo!

I still haven't gotten around to the point of this post, which of course, is the aaaahh-mazing creamy cheesy moussy mound of heaven that I made Andrew for his birthday. It was a while ago of course, but I can still feel its delicious rich texture in my mouth...ohhhhhh...whoops, got a little drool on me there. This was the result of hours of me trying to whip 18% cream by hand (you can't whip 18% cream) and finally giving in and using Dream Whip:


I bought an electric hand mixer the next day. This dollop of white ecstasy was based on a recipe I found on the Food Network website, but of course, being the queen of not having everything required on hand, I made a few substitutions.

It was still on the list of the top 5 most delicious things I've ever eaten. Next time though, I'd get real, genuine heavy cream. And save my arm muscles a lot of fatigue.