Success...

Many moons ago, I tried a new recipe and it turned into a failed disaster. (Read about it by clicking my redundant description.)

I swore off all cheesecakes after that. Never was I going to pay money for all the ingredients, invest hours of my time and ultimately wind up with a giant mess under my stove top.

However, I've been dying to show my domestic prowess in the last few weeks, and let's face it - a homemade cheese cake is the exact way to do it. And so, the process began again. The cream cheese was on sale and I bought store brand graham crackers and made them chocolate myself (add cocoa powder and a bit o' sugar). I went cheap and then to make sure I wasn't sure what was the cost of ingredients, I bought a few other foodstuffs to last for the rest of the week.

It's always risky trying a new recipe, but I found a Red Velvet Cheesecake that was begging to be made on the series finale of ER. (Blood red, anybody?) And so, I did it.

And it was a success.

Or, at least it looks successful. We'll have to taste it during our ER party tonight.

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Prep: 20 min.; Bake: 1 hr., 25 min.; Stand: 1 hr.; Chill: 8 hrs. The cheesecake's deep red filling and snowy topping is wonderfully dramatic. Fresh mint sprigs add a pop of Christmas color.

Yield

Makes 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup whole buttermilk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
• 2 (1-ounce) bottles red food coloring
• 1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Garnish: fresh mint sprigs

Preparation

Stir together graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and 1 tablespoon granulated sugar; press mixture into bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.
Beat 3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese and 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar at medium-low speed with an electric mixer 1 minute. Add eggs and next 6 ingredients, mixing on low speed just until fully combined. Pour batter into prepared crust.
Bake at 325° for 10 minutes; reduce heat to 300°, and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until center is firm. Run knife along outer edge of cheesecake. Turn oven off. Let cheesecake stand in oven 30 minutes. Remove cheesecake from oven; cool in pan on a wire rack 30 minutes. Cover and chill 8 hours.