Bacon and Gorgonzola Cheese Ball

• 4oz cream cheese
• 4oz gorgonzola cheese (or blue cheese)
• 2 tsp finely chopped onion
• 1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2 cup cooked, crumbled bacon
• crackers

Beat 1st 5 ingredients at medium speed until well combined.  Cover tightly, chill at least 1 hour or until firm. (up to 3 days)
Roll cheese mixture into a ball and roll in cooked bacon. Serve immediately or chill until served.  If you chill it, let it stand 30 minutes before serving. Serve with crackers.

From Southern Living

Low-Fat No-Bake Cheesecake

Usually recipes are 'good for diet food', but not this one! I would eat this any day, diet or not!  Fantastic!  

• 8oz fat free (or reduced fat) cream cheese (neufchatel will work)
• 1 cup fat free (or reduced fat) sour cream
• 1-2 tsp of Crystal Light drink mix, depending on your taste (I used Lemonade flavor)
• 2 cups Cool Whip Free
• 1 tsp vanilla

Beat cream cheese until light and fluffy.  Beat in vanilla and sour cream.  Add drink mix.  Fold in Cool Whip Free.
*Spoon into 6 containers and refrigerate.  Then you'll have perfectly portioned desserts ready to go!

All 3 phases of the South Beach Diet!

Impressive No-Bake Pie

This is the most versatile and impressive no bake pie you will ever find! Everyone I’ve given it to has not believed that it’s not a “cheese cake”.

• ½ cup granulated sugar

• 1 8oz. brick of cream cheese

• 1 8oz. tub of whipped cream (thawed)

• 1 21oz. can of cherry pie filling

• 1 prepared graham cracker pie crust

In a medium sized bowl blend softened cream cheese and sugar until fluffy. Fold in whipped cream until well blended. Scoop it all into the pie crust, smooth the top and then pour the can of cherries in the middle and let it spread out to the edge. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before you serve it.

Note: You can use any kind of canned fruit pie filling you want. You can even use fresh fruit, but don’t add any water to it. Or you could use chocolate syrup. You can also use any kind of premade cookie pie crust. Shortbread is very good too

Creamy Spaghetti Sauce

My two year old went crazy over this one! He said, "Yummy!" after almost every bite!  I find that traditional spaghetti noodles are hard for toddles to eat.  Try a noodle that is easier for them to pick up and put in their little mouths. Penne, Farfalle (bow ties), Fusilli (corkscrews), Route (wagon wheels) are all great for little ones. Especially if the 'wagon wheels' are race car wheels! 

• 1 jar of spaghetti sauce
• 1 8oz block of cream cheese, cut into cubes
• 1 lb box of noodles (I used Penne) 
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, pressed or finely chopped
• 1 lb of shrimp- I use a bag of frozen, peeled and deveined with tails off for convenience (you could use cubed chicken or ground beef or turkey as well)

Boil noodles according to package directions.  heat oil and garlic in a large skillet over med-high heat. Add meat to the skillet and cook through. (If you are using shrimp it only takes a few minutes per side.  Remove the shrimp from the skillet as soon as it is cooked to prevent over cooking. All other meats can stay in skillet while sauce is cooking.)
Add spaghetti sauce and cream cheese to skillet. Stir until cheese is melted and combined.  (Add the shrimp to sauce now)
Toss sauce with noodles and eat up!

Tiramisu Brownie Trifle

• 1 pkg (18-21oz)fudge brownie mix plus ingredients to make brownies
• 1 container (16oz) cool whip, thawed and divided
• 2 bars (1.45oz each) dark chocolate, divided
• 1/2 cup coffee liqueur
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 tbsp instant coffee granules
• 2 pkgs (8oz each) cream cheese, softened
• 1 pkg (3.3oz) vanilla instant pudding mix

Make brownies according to package directions.  Cool and cut into 1 inch cubes.  

Place 3/4 cup of cool whip into a zip lock or pastry bag and set aside. 

Chop 1/2 of the chocolate bars.  Combine coffee liqueur, water and instant coffee in a medium bowl until dissolved.

In a large bowl, whisk cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add coffee mixture, mix well.   Add pudding mix and whisk until mixture begins to thicken.  Fold in remaining cool whip and chopped chocolate, set aside. 

Place 1/3 of the brownie cubes in a trifle bowl (baking dish will work too).  Layer with 1/3 of the filling.  Repeat layers two more times.  Pipe reserved cool whip  over the top.  Grate remaining chocolate over trifle. 

Yield: 20 Servings

From The Pampered Chef

Stuffed Shells

• 1 pkg frozen spinach, defrosted
• 3/4 cup ground beef
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1 finely chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• 1 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• Jumbo shell noodles, cooked and cooled
• spaghetti sauce
• 2 cups shredded Italian cheese

Defrost spinach and wring out.  Brown beef.  Put beef in a large bowl,  add spinach and cream cheese.
Saute onion and garlic in beef drippings until translucent.  Add to mixture.  Add parmesan cheese, salt and pepper to taste.  Let cool.  Once cooled, add the egg and mix well.  Stuff cooled noodles and smother with sauce in a baking dish.
 Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.  Top with shredded cheese in last 5 minutes of baking.

Gorilla Bread

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
• 2 (12-ounce) cans refrigerated biscuits (10 count)
• 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray a bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray. Mix the granulated sugar and cinnamon. In a saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar over low heat, stirring well; set aside. Cut the cream cheese into 20 equal cubes. Press the biscuits out with your fingers and sprinkle each with 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon sugar. Place a cube of cream cheese in the center of each biscuit, wrapping and sealing the dough around the cream cheese. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the nuts into the bottom of the bundt pan. Place half of the prepared biscuits in the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, pour half of the melted butter mixture over the biscuits, and sprinkle on 1/2 cup of nuts. Layer the remaining biscuits on top, sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon sugar, pour the remaining butter mixture over the biscuits, and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of nuts. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Place a plate on top and invert.

From Paula Deen

Blueberry French Toast Casserole

• 1 loaf sliced stale white bread, crusts removed
• 2 pkgs (16 oz) cream cheese
• 1 cup thawed, frozen blueberries
• 12 eggs
• 2 cups milk
• 1/3 cup maple syrup

Grease a 13x9 baking dish.  Cut bread into 1 inch cubes. Put half of the bread into the baking dish.  Cut cream cheese into 1 inch cubes and place on top of bread cubes.  Top with blueberries and remaining bread cubes.
Beat eggs in a large bowl.  Whisk in milk and syrup.  Pour over bread.  Cover and chill 8 hours or over night.
Remove pan from refrigerator 30 min before baking.  Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Uncover and bake 25-30 minutes more until golden and center is set.

Blueberry Sauce:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 cups blueberries
• 1 tbsp butter

In a sauce pan combine sugar and cornstarch.  Add water.  Bring to a boil for 30 minutes over medium.  Stir constantly. Stir in blueberries, reduce heat.  Simmer 8-10 minutes or until blueberries burst.  Stir in butter until melted.  Serve over french toast.

Jalapeno Popper Pizzas

• 1 pkg (11oz) refrigerated thin crust pizza crust
• 4 slices bacon
• 1 small red bell pepper
• 2 jalapeno peppers
• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Do not unroll dough. Instead slice, using a sawing motion, into 24 disks.  Place disks on a baking sheet.  Press flatten to seal seems. Bake 11-13 minutes or until golden brown.
Meanwhile,  cook bacon and crumble.  Drain pan except for 1 tsp of the bacon grease.  Finely dice bell pepper and jalapeno.  Saute in grease 2-3 minutes or until tender.
Combine cream cheese, half of cheddar cheese, bacon and peppers; mix well.  Divide cream cheese mixture evenly over crusts. Top with remaining cheese.  Bake 4-6 minutes or until cheese is melted.

* a 13.8 oz refrigerated pizza crust can be substituted for the thin crust dough.  Place dough on a floured surface.  Keeping dough log shape, gently roll dough into a thinner cylinder measuring 11 1/2 inches.

From The Pampered Chef

BLT Ranch Salad Pizza

• 1 package (13.8oz) refrigerated pizza crust
• 2 cups thinly sliced iceberg lettuce
• 2 plum tomatoes
• 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup ranch dressing, divided
• 1 garlic clove, pressed
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup sliced olives
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 6 slices bacon, crisply cooked, drained and crumbled

Preheat oven 400.  Unroll pizza crust to within 1 inch of edge of pan.  Bake 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven, cool completely. 


On cutting board, thinly slice lettuce.  Seed and dice tomatoes.  In a medium bowl combine cream cheese, 1/4 cup of salad dressing, and garlic.  Mix well and spread over crust.  Top pizza with lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, olives, onion and bacon.  Drizzle with remaining ranch dressing.  Cut into squares and serve immediately.  




12 servings
From The Pampered Chef

Cheesy Pizza Dip with Pizza Crust Dippers

•  2 tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 (8oz) packages cream cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped Canadian bacon
• 1/2 cup cooked and crumbled bacon
• 1/2 cup cooked and crumbled sausage
• 1/2 cup chopped pepperoni
• 1 tsp dried Italian seasoning

 In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.  Ad mushrooms, pepper and onion, and cook 5 to 6 minutes or until vegetables are tender. 

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large bowl, combine vegetable mixture, cream cheese and remaining ingredients, stirring until mixture is combined.  Spoon into a 2 quart baking dish.  Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until dip is browned and bubbly.  Serve with Pizza Crust Dippers

Dip may be made up to 2 days ahead, covered and refrigerated.  Allow to sit at room temperature 20 minutes before baking as directed.

To make Pizza Crust Dippers- unroll store bought Pizza dough.  Rub with olive oil and sprinkle with Italian cheese.  Cut into strips with a pizza roller. then bake according to package directions. 

From Cooking with Paula Deen, Nov/Dec 2006

Cream Cheese Chicken Enchiladas

• 4 chicken breasts, chopped
• green bell pepper, chopped
• white onion, chopped
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 1 cup salsa, plus some
• tortillas
• shredded mexican cheese

Saute chicken chunks in olive oil or butter until no longer pink.  Add vegetables and continue cooking until they are tender.  Add 1 cup salsa and cream cheese.  Reduce heat and stir until cheese is melted and combined with salsa.
Fill and roll tortillas.  Place seem side down is a sprayed or lightly greased 13x9 pan.  Top with additional salsa.  Spread the salsa over the enchiladas until a thin, even layer covers all visible tortilla.  Top with shredded cheese and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.