Strawberry Cheesecake

This is sooooo easy to make...yet so doggone good!!!! It can be halved, too, for us single gals! This recipe and all future recipes will also be posted on my other blog, Cooking with Nancy.

INGREDIENTS

2 graham cracker crusts, unbaked (I use store bought kind)
2 8 oz. pkgs. cream cheese, softened (I use 1/3 Fat Free kind)
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1 envelope Dream Whip

2# strawberries (frozen, but 3 cups of fresh ones are even better!)
3 Tbsp. strawberry Jell-O powder

1 large Cool Whip
2 fresh strawberries for garnish

LAYER 1 ~ FILLING

Whip the envelope of Dream Whip according to directions on the box. Set aside. (No need to wash beaters.) Whip the cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add the confectioners sugar, beating well. Then fold in the Dream Whip, using low speed, til well blended.

Spread filling over crust, making a little ridge around edge, as shown in pic below, to keep the berries from running down into crust.



LAYER 2 ~ STRAWBERRY TOPPING

If using fresh berries, make sure you have sugared and juiced them prior to using. Drain strawberries, reserving about 3/4 cup of juice. Heat juice to boiling, remove from heat and stir in 3 Tbsp. strawberry Jello, stirring until well dissolved. Cool a few minutes in dish of ice water. Then add berries to juice and refrigerate about 15-20 minutes til it sets up a little. When set up, spread over top of filling, being sure to keep it inside the ridge you made around the filling edge, as shown in pic below.



LAYER 3 ~ COOL WHIP TOPPING

Refrigerate til ready to serve. Spread with Cool Whip and garnish with a fresh strawberry on top! Can also use blueberry or cherry pie filling. Freezes well, too. ENJOY!!! (And don't even think about the 600 calories in each piece!) (My Cool Whip wasn't as firm as it should have been to spread, but it didn't affect the taste one bit! I usually mound it right up in swirls!)