Lemon-Blueberry Pretzel Cheesecake Squares

Sometimes easy is good. Thanks, Pillsbury, for another great recipe!                 

Lemon-Blueberry Pretzel Cheesecake Squares

1 roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury refrigerated sugar cookies
1 1/2  cups coarsely crushed pretzels

1 pint (2 cups) blueberries                                        

3 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
1/2  cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons grated lemon peel
3 eggs
Additional 2 cups blueberries for garnish, if desired

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 13 x 9-inch pan with cooking spray.

In medium bowl, break up cookie dough. Stir or knead in 1 cup of the pretzel crumbs. Press cookie dough evenly in bottom of pan. (If dough is sticky, use floured fingers.) Bake 5 minutes. Place 2 cups blueberries evenly on crust.

 

In medium bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and lemon peel with electric mixer on medium-high speed about 1 minute or until well blended. Add eggs; beat about 2 minutes or until well blended and creamy. Gently spoon evenly over blueberries.

 

Bake 27 to 33 minutes or until set at least 2 inches from edge of pan but center still jiggles slightly when moved (it will become firm during refrigeration). Cool 1 hour. Refrigerate about 1 1/2 hours or until chilled and firm. Cut into 8 rows by 3 rows.

 

Spoon 1 teaspoon of the remaining pretzel crumbs and a few blueberries over each serving.

 

Makes 24 squares.

Chicken Risotto

This is another magazine clipping recipe that comes from the folks over at Sargento. I love that you can make an entire meal in one skillet and fairly quickly too!

Chicken Risotto

6 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 lb. chicken breasts, boned, skinned and cut into thin strips
1 clove garlic, minced
1 ½ cups uncooked rice
¼ lb. mushrooms, sliced
3 green onions (tops optional), chopped
3 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon basil
1 cup (4 oz.) Sargento Fancy Shredded Cheddar Cheese

In large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Add chicken and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until pieces are browned, about 5 minutes.

Remove chicken from skillet. Add remaining butter, rice and garlic to skillet and cook, stirring constantly, until rice is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and green onion. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are tender, about 2 minutes. Stir in chicken broth and basil. Bring to a boil; cover and simmer 15 minutes.

Hidden Valley Ranch Cheese Ball

Don’t you just love all the recipes that come out around the holidays? This is one of those, clipped from a magazine an unknown number of years ago. I could wait and share it when the holiday parties start. But in the Deep South college football is the perfect time to eat and snack and cheer your team on to victory!

Hidden Valley Ranch Cheese Ball

½ cup prepared, double strength Hidden Valley Ranch Milk Recipe Original Ranch Salad Dressing
(1 package, ½ cup mayonnaise and ½ cup milk)
8 oz. shredded Cheddar cheese, room temperature for 1 hour
6 oz. cream cheese, room temperature for one hour
5 oz. sliced almonds, toasted

Mix the double strength salad dressing and cream cheese. Beat well with electric mixer. Add Cheddar cheese and blend. Cover and freeze for 30 minutes.

Shape cheese mixture into a ball. Roll cheese ball in toasted almonds.

Four-Cheese Lasagna

This is another one of those wonderful recipes from Kraft. If you haven't already signed up for their free e-newsletter, which is filled with wonderful recipes, you should!

photo by:

kraft

 Four-Cheese Lasagna

 

1 lb. extra-lean ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese, softened

1 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN 2% Milkfat Low Fat Cottage Cheese

1 pkg. (8 oz.) KRAFT Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese, divided

1/2 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided

1 egg, beaten

1 jar (24 oz.) spaghetti sauce

1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes, drained

1/2 tsp. dried oregano leaves

12 lasagna noodles, cooked

 

HEAT oven to 350°F.
BROWN meat with onions in large skillet. Meanwhile, mix Neufchatel, cottage cheese, 1-1/2 cups mozzarella, 1/4 cup Parmesan and egg until well blended.
DRAIN meat; return to skillet. Stir in spaghetti sauce, tomatoes and oregano; simmer 5 min. Remove from heat. Spoon 1 cup meat sauce onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish; top with layers of 3 lasagna noodles, 1 cup cheese mixture and 1 cup meat sauce. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining noodles, meat sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan; cover with foil.
BAKE 50 min. or until heated through, uncovering after 40 min. Let stand 10 min. before cutting to serve.
Makes 12 servings.

Halloween Cookie Bites

How fun are cookies that look like candy corn!? This recipe is in the October 2012 issue of Coastal Living magazine. The magazine also includes some other wonderful recipes and some tips on carving pumpkins with a coastal theme. Be sure to check it out!

Halloween Cookie Bites

1 cup butter, softened
1 ½ cups sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon lemon zest
Yellow food coloring
Red food coloring

Beat butter and sugar together at medium speed with an electric mixer 2 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. Combine flour, salt and lemon zest; gradually stir into butter mixture.

Divide dough into 3 equal pieces (about 1 ¼ cups each); tint 1 piece with yellow food coloring. Tint another piece orange using red and yellow food coloring. (Add 1 to 2 teaspoons flour to orange dough if food coloring makes it softer than other colors.)

Place white, untinted dough in bottom of a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan, pressing down. Top with orange dough and then yellow, pressing down. Cover and chill 2 hours.

Turn dough out onto work surface. Cut slices 3/8-inch thick from dough; cut each slice into 6 triangles. Place cookies on parchment paper -- or aluminum foil -- lined baking sheets.

Bake at 350 degrees for 7 to 8 minutes, or until set but not browned. Cool on wire rack 1 minute; transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes 10 dozen.

Cream Cheese Brownie Pie

Some desserts are meant to be savored. This is one. It's another fabulous recipe from the folks over at Pillsbury. Enjoy!

 

Cream Cheese Brownie Pie

Crust

1 box Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box

Cream Cheese Layer

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

Brownie Layer

1 box (15.8 oz) Pillsbury® double chocolate brownie mix

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon water

2 eggs

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Topping

 

Reserved chocolate syrup packet from brownie mix

3 tablespoons hot fudge topping 

 

Heat oven to 350°F. Place pie crust in 9-inch glass pie plate as directed on box for One-Crust Filled Pie.

 

In medium bowl, beat cream cheese layer ingredients with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth; set aside.

Reserve chocolate syrup packet from brownie mix for topping. In large bowl, place brownie mix, oil, water and eggs; beat 50 strokes with spoon.

 

Spread 1/2 cup brownie mixture in bottom of crust-lined pie plate. Spoon and carefully spread cream cheese mixture over brownie layer. Top with small spoonfuls of remaining brownie mixture; spread evenly. Sprinkle with pecans. Cover crust edge with 2- to 3-inch-wide strips of foil to prevent excessive browning; remove foil during last 15 minutes of bake time.

 

Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until center is puffed and crust is golden brown (pie may have cracks on surface).

 

In small bowl, mix chocolate syrup from packet and hot fudge topping. Place mixture in small resealable bag. Cut small hole off corner of bag. Drizzle topping over pie. Cool completely, about 3 hours, before serving. Cover and refrigerate any remaining pie.

 

Broken-Glass Cake

This cake is designed to resemble the stained glass windows in a church. The recipe is an old newspaper clipping from I don’t know where. I hope you enjoy its beauty as well as its taste.

Broken-Glass Cake

1 (3-oz.) package orange gelatin
1 (3-oz.) package cherry gelatin
1 (3-oz.) package lime gelatin
3 cups boiling water
2 cups cold water
1 cup pineapple juice
¼ cup sugar
1 (3-oz.) package lemon gelatin
1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
1 ½ cups butter or margarine, melted
2 cups whipping cream

Prepare orange, cherry and lime gelatins separately, using 1 cup boiling water and ½ cup cold water for each. Pour each flavor into 8-inch square pan and chill until firm.

Mix pineapple juice and sugar and heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. Dissolve lemon gelatin in hot juice, then add remaining ½ cup cold water, chill until slightly thickened.

Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter and press into bottom of 9-inch spring form pan.

Cut firm orange, cherry and lime gelatins into ½-inch cubes.

Whip cream until stiff and blend with lemon gelatin. Fold in gelatin cubes. Pour into crumb-lined pan. Chill at least 5 hours.

Run knife or spatula between sides of dessert and pan and remove sides of pan before serving.

Makes 16 servings.