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Melt 3 tablespoons of butter (put it in the microwave for 30-40 seconds) and add it to 1 cup of graham cracker crumbs and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Mix until moist and place in the bottom of your pan. I use a spring form pan sprayed with Pam and put a circle of parchment paper on the bottom. I use the flat bottom of a stainless steel measuring cup to press the crust in evenly. After that I lined the crust with a can of drained Mandarin orange slices. Put 2-8 oz packages of room temperature cream cheese, 1 1/4 cups of sour cream, one egg and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract. I also added one teaspoon of orange extract. I prefer to use orange zest but didn't have any oranges handy. Mix this until it's smooth and creamy.

While the batter is mixing, sift 1 cup of sugar and 6 tablespoons of flour through a screen strainer/sifter to remove lumps and ensure a smooth consistency. I like to sift it onto a flexible plastic cutting board to make it easier to add to the batter. Once the batter is smooth and creamy, add the flour and sugar and fold into the batter until smooth again. This can be done with the mixer but I do it by hand. I find that if I use the mixer, it over-beats the batter which causes the cheesecake to crack which is not pretty. Of course it tastes just as good so if you don't mind the cracks, go for it.

Once the batter is smooth, pour it into the pan and smooth it out. The oven should be preheated to 350 degrees by this time. I use a water bath to help the cake to stay moist and prevent cracking. This is just water in a Pyrex bowl placed on top of a pizza stone. Bake the cheesecake for 45-50 minutes, checking it occasionally.

While the cheesecake is baking, it's time for the most important job of the day ... cleaning up your mess and putting things away. I like to make sure there will be no excess batter around to draw ants or other critters. What's the best way to do that? Lick the bowl, beater and spatula of course. Hey it's all in the name of sanitation I say. Once the cheesecake has cooked for 45-50 minutes, the center should be firm and it should be browning and pulling away from the sides of the pan. At this point, turn off the oven and open the door to the first open point. Allow the cake to cool for 15 minutes in the oven. After that, remove the cheesecake to a wire cooling rack until completely cool. Place in refrigerator and chill until ready to serve. Enjoy. So that's all there is to it and I'll bet it'll be the best cheesecake you ever had. If you are on a diet or just feel guilty about eating it, use low-fat sour cream and low-fat cream cheese. It will have less calories and taste just as good as the full fat version. You can also try different flavors for it. Melt some chocolate in a double boiler and let it cool down. Pour it in the cheesecake batter and swirl with a toothpick before baking, zest a lemon and add the zest to the batter, melt your favorite fruit jam, add and swirl with a toothpick ... the possibilities are endless. If you want a copy of the recipe, just ask in the comments. Now get in the kitchen and get to cooking. It ain't rocket science after all and you may just have the time of your life. See ya!