Smile & Say Cheesecake

A dishy recipe to Pin Up on your fridge — perfect for Summer, the No-Bake Cheesecake

Cheesecake — which Webster defines as "photography displaying especially female comeliness and shapeliness" — is said to have gotten its name when, in September 1915, a newspaper photographer, George Miller, noticed a visiting Russian diva, Elvira Amazar, just as she was debarking her ship in New York. Miller asked the opera singer to hike up her skirt a little for the sake of the picture. 

Later, the photographer's editor, something of a gourmet, is supposed to have exclaimed, "Why, this is better than cheesecake!"--Kevin Freeman [MutoWorld.com June 2004]

Prep Time: 30 Min | Ready In: 2 Hrs 30 Min

Ingredients

Graham Cracker Crust

• 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup margarine, softened
• 1/4 cup sugar

Filling

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup heavy cream, whipped
• 1 (12.5 ounce) can cherry pie filling (or other filling of your choice)

Directions

1. Mix together graham cracker crumbs, margarine, and sugar in a bowl until well incorporated and crumbly. 
2. Press into a pie plate, going up the sides as much as possible.
3. Beat together the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in a bowl until smooth and spreadable. 
4. Whisk whipped cream into cream cheese mixture until smooth. 
5. Pour cream cheese into prepared crust. 
6. Smooth the top with a spatula, and refrigerate until firm, about 2 to 3 hours. 
7. Spread the cherry pie filling over the top, and refrigerate until serving.

Cheesecake had always existed in the realm of pin-up, but it wasn't until the 1940s and 50s that it really took off. Cheesecake is a style of pin-up characterized by playful expressions, story line themes, and over the top poses; in short, "hamming it up". Cheesecake images were used throughout WWII: painted on the noses of airplanes, decorating both magazine pages and GIs' lockers, not to mention advertising for countless companies." [DallasPinup.com]

Nutritional Information
Servings: 12 | Amount Per Serving Calories: 296 | Total Fat: 18.5g | Cholesterol: 48mg
source: AllRecipes.com