Cherry Cream Pie

In light of creating something from nothing (my last post) I thought I'd share my most recent culinary creation. I love messing around in the kitchen. Notice I don't say "cooking" or "baking"--mostly because I love doing them both, but also because sometimes my results are tragically messy. And sometimes they're pretty stinkin' good. Like this one. :)

On Sunday morning before church I had this wild notion that I just had to bake another pie for lunch. We go to my parents for traditional "Sunday Dinner," and I had already made a French Silk Pie. It was plenty for the ten of us. But as I showered I couldn't stop thinking about another pie... So I raided my pantry and refrigerator and came up with a frozen pie shell, a can of cherry pie filling, and a block of cream cheese. I created Niki's Cherry Cream Pie. And I'm so glad I did! Some friends of ours showed up unexpectedly in church and our lunch crowd grew exponentially. Now tell me that wasn't God nudging me with visions of pie!

Enjoy! This is really, really yummy...

Cherry Cream Pie

1 frozen pie crust
1 can cherry pie filling (reserve 1-2 tbsp. of sauce)
1 8 oz. block cream cheese
1/4 - 1/2 cup sugar (less or more to personal taste)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 carton whipped cream (divided in half)

Fill pie crust with cherry pie filling and bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes. The pie is done when the crust turns golden brown. While pie is baking, let the cream cheese soften on the counter. When it's soft enough to whip, mix the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in a small mixing bowl until creamy. Add the reserved cherry sauce to turn it pink. Blend in half of the whipped cream until the mixture is light and fluffy. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the cooled cherry pie. Top with remaining whipped cream. Serve each piece with a maraschino cherry.