Da Count:::Family Recipes:::

Today, I count the wonderful memories that a simple "old family recipe" can conjure. My family has few traditions; except for the Birthday cake that my father would request for his birthday. I remember the "Italian Cheesecake" as highlight of the end of every July. It's my great-Grandmother's recipe.

This year I got to rediscover the joy of how simple this cake was to make. It's a custard-y thing so like much of Italian cooking tradition it's a "to taste" recipe. Throw some of this a bit of that.



The beauty is the combination of the simple flavors. Beginning with the graham cracker crust, a layer of Ricotta Cheese custard topped with a blend of cream cheese and sour cream with sugar to create the frosting and of course the pie filling cherries nice and gooey and red on top. (mmm. fortunately for my lactose intolerant self I have found some very tasty dairy free sour cream and cream cheese alternatives. I did leave the ricotta custard because I have not been able to recreate that one quite yet.)

So, today I count this simple cake recipe for the connections it brings. My dad felt pretty special because no-one had made that cake for him in years and our new friend Joe, he said, "This reminds me of the cake that my grandmother would make every year. The memories that this brings back..."