I recently received the last box of produce from the CSA program I signed up with this summer and it contained two decently sized pumpkins in it. Aside from being good for Halloween decorations, pumpkins can also be used for some rather tasty dishes - such as this cheesecake I made last night. A local bakery makes a version of this that is absolutely delicious and so I thought I would give it a try; sadly, I do not think mine turned out quite as well as theirs, but it still makes for a very nice treat.

Crust Recipe:

• 9 cinnamon graham crackers
• 1/2 stick melted butter
• 1/4 C granulated sugar

Crush the graham crackers in to small pieces and mix it with the melted butter. Stir in the sugar. Spread the mixture in a 9" cake pan, pressing it in to the pan to compact the mixture some. Place the pan in the oven at 350° F. Let it bake in there for about 10 minutes before removing.

Filling:

• 32 oz cream cheese
• 1 cup whipped cream
• 2 cups pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup liquid chai mix
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 eggs

Mix together the cream cheese and sugar until it is smooth and fluffy. I used a food processor for this which I think made the end result a little smoother than I actually wanted it but it still worked well enough. Mix in the remaining ingredients and then transfer the mixture to the cake pan prepared previously. Place the cake pan in a larger roasting pan and fill the roasting pan with enough water to come up halfway on the cake pan. Cook in the oven at 350 degrees for 90 minutes or until the top is golden. Remove the cake from the oven and then when it is cool enough to handle place it in the refrigerator for 6-7 hours. Be careful when you remove it from the oven because the inside will still be fairly sloshy.

It takes a good amount of time to make and then it needs several hours to set before it is ready to eat but overall it is actually fairly easy to make and the end result is fantastic.

Enjoy.