I found this recipe at www.RecipeGirl.com. It looked so good and Patriotic! I am 39 and on my 40th lap around the sun I have suddenly found myself enthralled with American history. If you view life from eyes that believe an all powerful and extremely loving God created this world then you find it quite easy to be amazed by nature, science and history for all these things point back to the God who designed it all.
I watched the series America – The Story of Us on the History channel and it compacted American History into 6 – 2 hour episodes. It was pretty wild; a whirlwind of explorations, expansions, discoveries, inventions, engineering feats, technological advances, bloodshed, defeats and triumphs all in one powerful series! Maybe I was too distracted when I was in school or did not have a heart for history at the time because there were so many things I learned that I had forgotten or never knew.
All of human history is full of unbelievable stories of innovative and brave people who create and do amazing things but I guess American history may fascinate me the most because I feel it is so close to us and who we are today. I guess I feel hope in that maybe by discovering who we were we will find our way to who we should be. It is a beautiful, glorious and tragic past that we share as Americans and it is much like our own individual human experiences – full of joy and pain; victory and defeat.
We often take for granted the God who gives us so much and we also often find ourselves taking our freedom as Americans for granted. So on the 4th of July we should not only enjoy our families and this yummy fattening dessert but let us give thought, prayer and thanks to those early Americans who built this place that we love and live in so freely. They are our past, our present and our future.
“There is nothing new in the world except the history you do not know.” – Harry Truman
1½ cups graham cracker crumbs
½ stick (4 Tbsp.) butter, melted
1½ packages (12 ounces) cream cheese
¾ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup milk
2 Tbs cornstarch
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
zest of one lemon
3 large eggs
1 cup fresh raspberries (more or less, as desired)
¾ cup fresh blueberries (more or less, as desired)
-Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8-inch pan with aluminum foil. Spray lightly with cooking spray.
– In a small bowl, mix crumbs and melted butter. Press mixture firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan.
– In a food processor (or with an electric mixer) blend cream cheese, eggs, milk, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and lemon zest just until smooth. Do not overbeat.
– Pour the cream cheese mixture on top of the crumb crust. Scatter raspberries and blueberries on top.
– Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until touch to center feels slightly firm and set.
– Cool completely before cutting. Use foil to lift cheesecake out of pan and onto a cutting board. Use a thin, sharp knife to cut into clean-looking bars (wiping blade clean with a paper towel between cuts). Refrigerate until ready to serve.