For as long as I can remember, my mom has always been my Valentine.

Even at 27, she still spoils me with a gift.

As I get older, the gifts are more practical (lotion instead of a stuffed animal), but still my mom always surprises my sister and I with a little something.

I love that my family has filled my life with memories like this.  It is these  little things that I will never forget.  Thanks mom! I love ya!

Ok, so not to make this post super mushy, but it is Valentine’s Day and all.  The one day of the year where mushy is totally acceptable, no? 

And so for my new Valentine, I thought I would make swanky boyfriend his favorite dessert…cheesecake!

Now, I did make a slightly healthy change by swapping out regular flour for whole wheat,  but I will warn you that these are not healthy whatsoever.  Delicious in every way…yes!  Healthy…not so much! 

I, Kristen, promise to provide more healthy recipes as soon as I hit publish on this post.  Pinky swear. 

Cheesecake Squares (courtesy of the Las Vegas Review Journal )

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup unsifted flour (I used whole wheat)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1- 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1-  14 oz sweetened condensed milk
• 1 – 8 oz container sour cream
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine butter, graham cracker crumbs, flour, and sugar. 

Reserve 1/2 cup mixture and press remainder into 8 inch square baking dish.

Bake 7 minutes and let cool.

In large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until light and fluffy.

Add sweetened condensed milk, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla. 

Beat until smooth (no lumps ).

Pour into baking dish.

Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture.

Bake 30 minutes.  Let cool and refrigerate to keep chilled.

Then you are ready to slice and serve!  Yippee!

These are divine, sinful even.  If you are cheesecake fan, no doubt you will love these.

Feel free to slice them into large or smaller pieces.  How cute would little bite size minis be??

If you don’t have a Valentine this year, then these can still be the perfect dessert just for you.

Creamy cheesecake with a crisp graham cracker cracker go together like hearts and cupid.  Ok, I’ll stop.  

And from my Valentine…

He is too sweet!

To end off this themed post, I had to share some Valentine’s Day fun facts:

• About 1 billion Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged in US each year.
• About 3% of pet owners will give Valentine’s Day gifts to their pets. (ha, love that!)
• The Italian city of Verona, where Shakespeare’s lovers Romeo and Juliet lived, receives about 1,000 letters addressed to Juliet every Valentine’s Day.
• In Medieval times, girls ate unusual foods on St Valentine’s Day to make them dream of their future husband.

Thanks for reading!

What is your favorite Valentine memory?  Any Valentine’s Day plans?