#2050 - Strawberry Cheesecake Pie

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 prepared (baked) pie crust dough
6oz. Philadelphia cream cheese (softened)
2 tsp. white sugar + 1/3 cup white sugar
1 qt. fresh strawberries (washed, de-stemmed, and sliced in half)
3 tsp. cornstarch
1 - 8oz. Cool Whip (thawed)

Bake pie dough according to package directions (or make your own and bake it)--cool the crust. In a mixer add cream cheese and 2 tsp. white sugar--beat well. Spread the cream cheese mixture in the bottom of the cooled crust. Mash 1/2 of the strawberries with a potato masher--add 1/3 cup white sugar and cornstarch to mashed strawberries--stir. Add strawberry mixture to a saucepan over medium heat--cook/stir until mixture thickens. Remove from heat--add remaining strawberries--stir. Cool to room temperature, then pour strawberry mixture over the cream cheese mixture in the baked crust. Refrigerate overnight. Spread Cool Whip on top before slicing and serving.