Rainbow 'Nilla Wafers for a Little Visual Zing

I decided to make a cheesecake for Easter dessert. I have an awesome recipe in my red and white checked Better Homes and Gardens cookbook that always comes out delicious. So I pulled out the cookbook, got out a mixing bowl and went to work. The first thing to do is to make the graham cracker crust. I went to the pantry. The graham crackers were gone. Probably eaten ages ago. (We don't generally eat a lot of graham crackers, but I like to have a box on hand for when the urge strikes so there is usually a box in the back of the pantry. It's often stale, but it's usually there. Not this time!)

OK, so I looked for the box of graham cracker crumbs. Gone! I probably used that last time I made cheesecake and never picked up a new box.

OK. Think. Now what? I most assuredly did not want to go to the store. In part because it was Easter, but even more so because I didn't want to. I just didn't feel like it. Call me lazy. Call me crazy. But I didn't wanna go.

So, what else could I use? I had a prepared crust. But it was a little small, and it was Oreo. It would probably be delicious with the cheesecake, but it's not really what I had in mind.

I rummaged around in the pantry. Maybe I could do something with cereal? Captain Crunch? Lucky Charms? Shredded Wheat? Honeycomb? Nah. How about Goldfish crackers or Cheese Nips or Poptarts? Nah. Wait! What's that? 'Nilla Wafers! I could use those! A little less graham-y, a little more vanilla-y, but I think that could work. So I crushed them up, mixed in a little butter and sugar and pressed it into my springform pan. It was very pretty! Why? They were the rainbow colored 'Nilla Wafers! Same great taste in bright beautiful colors!

Then I commenced with the rest of recipe and all went well. I baked it up and let it cool. After dinner, I cut it up and served it. "Mom, why does the crust look so funny?" So I explained and everyone was OK with it. And, best of all, it was pretty good. I still prefer a graham cracker crust, but in a pinch this was just fine, and the orange and purple crumbs added a little visual zing that would otherwise have been missing. A perfect dessert for a holiday feast!

Quack!