Pomegranate cheesecake and a willow house giveaway

Ingredients

Crust:

• 1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 4 - 5 tablespoons melted butter
• 4 tablespoons sugar

Filling:

• 3 - 8 oz packs of cream cheese at room temperature
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup of sugar
• 2 tablespoons vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Sour Cream Topping :

• 16 oz sour cream
• 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla

Pomegranate topping:

• 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons pomegranate juice
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 cups pomegranate arils
• 2 tablespoons orange liqueur
• 1/2 teaspoon orange zest

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Preparation

• Crust:
  Preheat your oven to 325'. Place a baking dish on the rack below where you plan on baking your cake. Combine ingredients.
• Place in the refrigerator while mixing the filling together.
• Filling:
  Beat the cream cheese until smooth. Blend in remaining ingredients. Pour into your graham cracker crust.
• Place in the middle rack in your oven. Pour 1 cup of hot water into a dish on a rack below your cheesecake. Bake for 1 hour, turning the cake 90' halfway through.
• If needed, add another cup of hot water to the baking dish. This helps prevent big cracks by providing a humid atmosphere within your oven.
• Sour Cream Topping :
  Combing and pour on top of the cheesecake. Bake for an additional 10 minutes. Cool and refrigerate.
• Pomegranate topping:
  Dissolve the cornstarch in 3 tablespoons of pomegranate juice. In a saucepan, over medium heat, bring the remaining 1/2 cup pomegranate juice and sugar to a boil Stir in the cornstarch mixture and heat, stirring constantly until everything thickens. Stir in the pomegranate arils. Pour everything into a bowl and set the bowl inside a larger bowl that contains ice water. Stir to cool. Spread over the top of your chilled cheesecake. Chill an additional 2 hours or more.