Created on January 16th, 2008
This recipe needs to be made the night before to allow time to cool and chill.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Combine tortilla chips and butter.
Press onto bottom of a lightly greased 9" springform pan.
Bake for 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack.
Beat cream cheese at medium speed for 3 minutes or until fluffy; add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Stir in cheese, chilies, and ground red pepper.
Pour into prepared pan, and bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes.
Cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack.
Gently run a knife around edge of pan to release sides and let cool completely.
Spread sour cream evenly over top; cover and chill.
To serve:
Place on top of a bed of fresh cilantro or parsley.
Serve with crackers or tortilla chips. Enjoy!
*** You can decorate this cheesecake for any holiday.
Christmas:
arrange sliced bell peppers in the shape of a Christmas tree. Use red and yellow bell peppers for oranaments and olives for the trunk.
Halloween:
arrange carrot slices in the shape of a pumpkin. Olives for the face, slice of green bell pepper for the stem
Valentines:
arrange sliced red bell peppers in the shape of a heart or cut small heart shapes out of a red bell pepper
Spring:
Create flowers on top using sliced green bell peppers for the stem, and red, yellow and orange bell peppers for the flowers.