Hi, it’s Colleen back again today, and I have a tip AND a recipe for you!

My tip? It’s totally OK to take shortcuts when you can find them in the kitchen!

So often we “kill” ourselves” to be Lil’ Miss Perfect when planning a party, BBQ or even a Sunday dinner. It’s all about what happens at those gatherings, right?? SO when you can find things to make ahead, allowing you to be more “in the moment” as a hostess… go for it! AND when you can find shortcuts… take them!

Here is a great idea for a summer dessert – cheesecake! Yup, I know, making a cheesecake takes planning, time and patience. You have to make it the night before so it can set up in the fridge overnight, and you have to pray to the cheesecake gods that yours doesn’t crack. And if it does crack, you have to get all super creative to strategically hide ’em!

SO…

Why not BUY a perfectly made cheesecake and dress it up with the bounty of summer fruits around us? There are so many delicious ways to top a store bought cheesecake.

I did just that last weekend. And since blueberries are everywhere right now (and looking gorgeous, I might add,) that is exactly what I decided to use to top it. It took less than 15 minutes, start to finish, for me to make the topping and no one was the wiser — Shhh!!!!

I swear there is almost nothing prettier than a pan full of freshly cooked blueberries. It’s absolutely stunning. Oh, and TRY to save some for the cheesecake… One spoonful and you HAVE to go back for more! Then the family each grabs a taste, and POOF – blueberries gone! Take it from me, make extra for topping pancakes, ice cream and for enjoying off a spoon!

10 Ways to Top a Store Bought Cheesecake

1. This decadent blueberry and lemon topping – recipe follows.
2. Top with fresh fruit – just scatter your chosen fruit(s) on top of the cheesecake. If you want to get fancy, you can make a design with multiple varieties of fruit.
3. Top with candy – spread a layer of whipped cream on top of the cheesecake and scatter chopped peanut butter cups, Heath Bars, Snickers or your favorite chocolate candy bar over-top.
4. Make a quick compote of strawberries and garnish with some mint sprigs.
5. Melt 1-2 cups of chocolate chips, place the melted chocolate into a piping bag (or a baggie and snip off one corner) and make a lattice design. Place Whopper candies (milk balls) in a circular design. It makes for a striking presentation!
6. Drizzle melted caramel and chocolate over-top the cheesecake in a criss-cross pattern, scatter a handful of chopped pecans on top and you now have a “Turtle” Cheesecake!
7. Smooth a layer of melted caramel over-top.
8. Black & White Chocolate Shavings – Shave a large chocolate bar and a bit of a white chocolate bar over-top for a pretty presentation.
9. Hollow out 2 dozen strawberries and fill them with whipped cream – use drops of melted chocolate to adhere them to the cheesecake.
10. Crushed Oreo Cookies, or better yet, Thin Mint Cookies… with chocolate syrup drizzled over-top!