Cherry Cheesecake - originally posted on Dec 2/13

I love me a no bake cheesecake with a cherry topping.  A quick search gives numerous recipes that call for Cool Whip and a can of cherry pie filling.  Um, no thanks.  I prefer real cream and it's so easy to make cherry pie filling, there's no reason to buy the canned stuff.  

Also, I put pretzels in the crust.  That's right, pretzels!  It gives it that sweet and salty taste I love so much.  Of course you can use a regular graham crust or even an oreo cookie crumb crust, whatever floats your boat.  Here's what floats mine;
The crust;
2 cups of pretzels
4 graham crackers
1/3 cup butter, melted
Put the pretzels and the crackers in the food processor.  Grind them until they're mostly finely ground, then add the butter.  Stir the butter in.  Press the mixture into a 9 x 13 pan and bake at 350F for about 10 minutes.  Let it cool to room temperature before adding the filling.

Filling;
1 pkg cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups whipping cream, whipped
Beat the cheese with the sugar until it's light and fluffy.  Fold in the whipped cream.  Carefully spoon over the crust.  Cover with plastic and put in the fridge to set.
Topping;
1 jar of sour pitted cherries, with juice
1 Tbsp cornstarch
Drain most of the juice from the cherries into a saucepan, keep about 1/4 cup in the jar.  Bring the juice  to a simmer on medium heat.  Put the cornstarch in the jar with the juice and give it a good shake.  Pour it into the simmering juice while stirring.  Stir it for a few minutes over medium heat until it's thick.  Add the cherries, give it a stir, then pour it into a bowl and put it in the fridge.  Once it's cool, check for consistency and thin it out if you need to with water, juice or rum. Spoon it over your cream cheese mixture.

Put it back in the fridge to set for a few hours.
Enjoy!