Cheesecake Misadventures, Or, "No Need To Call The Fire Department!"

I was invited to a friend's house for Easter dinner, and offered to bring whatever my hostess wanted, and she asked if I'd bring dessert. Well, I make a pretty mean cheesecake with my Mom's old-fashioned add-all-the-fat-and-calories-'cause-it'll-taste-better Better Homes & Gardens cookbook from 1960.

Well, since I decided to make a chocolate swirl cheesecake, I didn't want to use the lemon-based crust like I usually do, and instead make the graham-cracker crust that was in the pie section.

Now mind you, I didn't put any flour in it, just graham crackers, butter & sugar, and when I made my cheesecake (prebake the bottom, then attach the spring form part, and make the rest) I discovered that a BUNCH of the butter was melting through the cracks of the springform pan, hitting the burner at the bottom of the stove, and during that first 10-12 minutes at 450 degrees, I was in just a wee bit of danger of a fire starting in my kitchen.

I have NEVER seen so much smoke in my life! It was just BILLOWING out of the oven, and filled the kitchen. I popped open the kitchen windows (it's about 30* outside), and found that wasn't enough.

I put a pizza pan under the cheesecake, and that's when I discovered the leaky butter.

I turned down the oven and Brian started fans and opened up windows and doors all over the place. I wondered out loud if all the smoke billowing out of the house would prompt the neighbors to investigate whether they needed to call the Fire Department. I could just see it now, Brian yelling "No need to call the fire department, my wife's just baking again!"

Once I turned down the oven and had the pizza pan to catch the drips, it did fine.

The picture posted is the actual photo of today's adventure. Looks good though, huh? I hope it doesn't smell as charred as my house does!