Miracle Cheese Cake

Miracle Cheese Cake

Until I was grown, this was pretty much the only kind of cheesecake that I knew. My mom found the recipe somewhere and made it often. It uses a can of Milnot, a type of evaporated milk that had the butterfat removed and replaced with vegetable oil. It was cheaper than regular canned milk for that reason. Mama used it a lot. If you have an aversion to that sort of thing, you can used regular evaporated milk instead. The taste will be pretty much the same.

1 3-oz package of lemon flavored gelatin

1 cup boiling water

1 8-oz package of cream cheese or 3 3-oz packages, softened

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 cup sugar

1 13-oz can of Milnot or evaporated milk, whipped

3 cups graham cracker crumbs

½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted

1 can cherry pie filling (or other fruit pie filling or just leave it bare)

Dissolve the gelatin in the boiling water, chill until slightly thickened. Mix the graham cracker crumbes with the butter and mix well, then press into the bottom or a 9x13 inch pan and set aside. Beat the cream cheese, suar and lemon juice until fluffy. Next stir in the thickened gelatin and blend well. Finally, fold in the whipped Milnot. Spoon this into the prepared crust and chill for at least 3-4 hours. When firm spread the top with cherry pie filled. Cut into squares to serve. You could also place the filling mixture into pre-made graham cracker crusts. This stuff is addictive!

Cherry Angel Delight

I got this from Ruth Ward, a cousin of my dad's, who we always called Grandma.   She and my dad were especially close and we always loved her and spending time with her.  She made this once not too long after we moved to Kansas.   I haven't made it in years, but it is still a very good one!

1 angel food cake, torn into small pieces
1 8-oz pkg of cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
4 cups whipped heavy cream or one bowl of thawed Cool Whip
1 can cherry pie filling or other fruit pie filling

Whip the cream cheese and powdered sugar until light, then fold in the whipped cream or Cool Whip.  Fold in the angel food cake pieces, then press the mixture into a serving dish and top with cherry pie filling.   Chill for several hours.