Strawberry Lime Cheesecake Bars

Mila just plain wants to spend her days helping me cook. I don't know why she loves it so much, but I'm going to have to up my game because she's super into all of the things that happen in the kitchen. At the same time, the other kid has been asking for cheesecake, so I scooped up the Mila and we went to work.

I couldn't just make cheesecake, of course. I had to use up some past-their-prime strawberries. I also had to throw in some lime because I'm obsessed with citrus right now. GOOD CHOICE, ME.

These turned out crazy good.

Strawberry Lime Cheesecake Bars

4 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 cup strawberries, sliced
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 8-oz packages cream cheese, room temperature
Juice from 3 limes
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. While you're waiting for the oven to heat up, toss the butter in a 8x8" baking pan and set the pan in the oven to melt the butter.

2. Mix together the graham cracker crumbs and 2 tablespoons sugar. Once the butter is melted, toss the graham crackers into the pan and use a spoon to spread them out and squish them into a crust.

3. Place the crust back in the oven while you make the strawberry sauce. You'll want to bake it for about 10 minutes.

4. Add the cornstarch to the 1/4 cup water and stir well. Toss the cornstarch/water and strawberries into a small saucepan and heat to a boil. Stir in the sugar and simmer over medium heat for 7-9 minutes or until the strawberries are soft.

5. If you have an immersion blender, take it to the strawberry sauce. If not, use a fork to crush the cooked strawberries and stir thoroughly. Place the strawberry sauce in the freezer while you make the cheesecake.

6. Cheesecake time! In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, eggs, lime juice, and sugar. Mix on high speed until creamy and smooth.

7. Time to layer things. I added a few spoonfuls of strawberry sauce, a few big spoonfuls of cheesecake, and then smoothed things. Then I did it all over again. And again ... until I ran out of stuff to combine.

8. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

9. Allow to cool for at least half an hour before placing in the fridge.

10. Top with whipped cream and sliced strawberries, if such things make you happy. If not, no worries because HELLO LIME AND STRAWBERRY AND YUM.