Somtimes I CAN bake good things...

Many years ago (this is pre-kids - when Colin and I actually travelled still), Colin and I visited New York City again (we lived in Queens for a few years right after we got married) and I had the single best cheesecake experience of my life. I'll admit it, I didn't understand all the craze about cheesecake until that moment. In that small, dimly lit restaurant, I ordered a plain New York cheesecake slice. It was smooth, perfectly cream cheese-y and I began to weep a bit. Ok, that last part isn't true. But, I joined the millions of people that understand the wonderfulness of cheesecake. Fast forward to a few months ago, when I found a recipe in my Food Network magazine of their version of the Cheesecake Factory's Pumpkin Cheesecake. It's supposed to be pretty identical to the much coveted but very secretive recipe. I tried it yesterday and it actually turned out! It was for my dad's birthday and here's what it looked like:

Mmmm. I could actually have just the crust itself and be pretty happy.

Here's a link to the recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/almost-famous-pumpkin-cheesecake-recipe2/index.html