Cheesecake

It's classic, classy, and cheesy! I'll tell you the truth. I used to hate cheesecake. But that was because I live in Utah and all we have are box cheesecakes at the store. BLECH! So I went to Philadelphia, had a REAL cheesecake, and fell in love. I attempted a homemade cheesecake with a glimmer of hope that it would taste like the REAL stuff, and this pretty much fit the bill! (not saying it's exact, but it's better than Utah's!) Feel free to add anything you want for garnishing. I added a fresh strawberry glaze and some chocolate sauce!

1 1/2 cups crushed graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup butter, melted
4 pkgs cream cheese, softened (Philly is the best!)
1 cup sugar
3 TBSP flour
1 TBSP vanilla
1 cup sour cream
4 eggs
1 carton fresh strawberries, divided

Heat oven to 325'. (if using a silver 9 inch springform pan) or to 300' if using a dark nonstick 9-inch springform pan. Mix crumbs and butter; press firmly onto bottom of pan. Bake 10 minutes.

Beat cream cheese, sugar, flour and vanilla in large bowl on medium speed for about 5 minutes. Add sour cream; mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed until just blended. Pour over crust. Bake 1 hour or until center is almost set. Run a knife or metal spatula around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim of pan. Refrigerate at least 4 hours.

Cut up 1/2 the carton of strawberries, and mash with a fork, adding 1 TBSP sugar and 1 tsp water to create a glaze. Garnish cake with other 1/2 carton cut up strawberries, the glaze, and a bit of chocolate syrup before serving.