Fudge Truffle Cheesecake

Is there anything better than chocolate and cheesecake -- together? I love cheesecake. Always have. This cheesecake is just luscious. Love those folks over at HERSHEY’S. They come up with some wonderful recipes.

Fudge Truffle Cheesecake

Chocolate Crumb Crust (recipe follows)
2 cups (12 oz. package) HERSHEY’S Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
3 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1 (14 oz.) can EAGLE BRAND Sweetened Condensed Milk (NOT evaporated milk)
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Heat oven to 300 degrees.

Prepare Chocolate Crumb Crust. Set aside.

In heavy saucepan, over very low heat, melt chips, stirring constantly. In large mixer bowl, beat cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Add melted chips and remaining ingredients; mix well. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 1 hour and 5 minutes or until center is set. Cool; chill. Refrigerate leftovers.

Makes one 9-inch cheesecake.

Chocolate Crumb Crust

In medium bowl, combine 1 ½ cups vanilla wafer crumbs, ½ cup powdered sugar, /2 cup HERSHEY’S Cocoa and 1/3 cup melted butter or margarine. Press firmly on bottom of 9-inch spring form pan.

Italian Style Meatloaf

This recipe comes from the folks over at Del Monte. It was on an ad I tore out of a magazine years ago. I believe the year was 1990. You thought I was kidding, right? Nope. Just another one of those recipes I collected and fully intended to try. But even if I’d remembered it, I never would have found it. Now I have. Sounds pretty good to me. What do you think?

Italian Style Meatloaf

1 lb. lean ground beef
6 oz. hot Italian sausage or spicy bulk sausage
1 can (14 ½ oz.) Del Monte Italian Style Stewed Tomatoes
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
½ cup chopped onions
½ cup chopped green pepper
1 egg, beaten

In large bowl, combine all ingredients; mix well. Place in 4 ½ x 8-inch loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Drain.

Makes 6 servings.

Tuna Salad with a Twist

Okay. I’ll admit it. I’ve never even thought about putting lime juice in a tuna salad. Never. But I like the idea so I think I’m going to give it a try. Of course, my version won’t have the cucumber in it but that’s just my personal taste buds speaking. This recipe come from the folks over at Best Foods.

Tuna Salad with a Twist

¾ cup BEST FOODS Real, Light or Cholesterol Free Reduced Calorie Mayonnaise
3 tablespoons lime juice
½ teaspoon grated lime peel
2 cans (6 ½ oz. each) tuna, drained and flaked
1 medium red pepper, cubed
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seed and chopped
1/3 cup sliced green onions

Combine mayonnaise, lime juice and grated lime peel. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover. Chill.

Makes 4 cups.

Creamy Chicken Alfredo

This recipe comes from Easy to Bake, Easy to Make. I think. It’s one of those recipe cards I saved. I probably got it in the mail when someone was trying to sell me something I didn’t buy.

I do love the helpful hints that are included. For example, be sure to use whipping cream and don’t substitute milk. The fat content in the whipping cream helps keep the sauce from separating and give it a rich flavor.

The card also says you can substitute butter for olive oil if you prefer a butter-flavored sauce. Either way sounds good to me.

Creamy Chicken Alfredo

¼ cup all-purpose flour
6 boneless, skinless chicken-breast halves (about 4 oz. each)
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced onion
1 ½ cups whipping cream
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place flour is a shallow dish or pie plate. Sprinkle chicken with salt; coat with flour. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until hot. Add chicken; cook, turning once, until golden, 2-4 minutes per side. Remove chicken from skillet. Place in a 13-x-9-inch baking dish.

Heat remaining olive oil in same skillet over medium heat until hot. Add garlic and onion; cook until garlic is fragrant and onion is tender, 1-2 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high; add whipping cream, Parmesan and pepper. Cook until sauce is bubbly and slightly thickened, 2-3 minutes. Spoon sauce over chicken in dish.

Bake chicken until an instead-read thermometer inserted in center of chicken registers 180 degrees, 8-12 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley.

Makes 6 servings.

Mini Cheese and Onion Pastries

This is another wonderful recipe from the folks over at Pillsbury.What a perfect appetizer! Easy, but the result looks like you put forth a lot of time and effort.

 Mini Cheese and Onion Pastries

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (4 oz.)
1/4 cup sliced green onions
2 cans (8 oz. each) Pillsbury refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
2 teaspoons oil
1/4 teaspoon dried dill weed

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

In small bowl. combine cheese and onion. Mix well.

Separate dough into 16 triangles; cut each in half diagonally to make 32 triangles. Place rounded teaspoon of cheese mixture on center of each triangle. Bring corners to center over filling, overlapping ends; press gently to seal. Place on ungreased cookie sheets. Brush each lightly with oil. Sprinkle with dill.

Bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 13 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Makes 32 servings.

Creamy Italian Pasta Salad

This recipe comes from the folks at BEST FOODS, who make the most wonderful mayonnaise. This salad is perfect for when you need a salad that’s just a little bit above the rest.

Creamy Italian Pasta Salad

1 cup BEST FOODS Real, Light or Cholesterol Free Reduced Calorie Mayonnaise
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 ½ cups twist macaroni, cooked, drained
1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes
½ cup chopped green pepper
½ cup sliced ripe olives

Combine mayonnaise, red wine vinegar, garlic, basil, salt and pepper. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover. Chill.

Makes 3 cups.

Easy Pasta Primavera

This recipe comes from the folks at Campbell's. Some time ago I signed up for their recipes to be e-mailed to me. I love this! That way I don't have to remember to check out what's new. And they always seem to know what I need -- quick and easy.

 

Easy Pasta Primavera

 
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 3/4 cups Swanson® Natural Goodness® Chicken Broth
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves, crushed
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder or 2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups broccoli florets
2 medium carrots, sliced (about 1 cup)
1 medium onion, cut into wedges
1 medium tomato, diced (about 1 cup)
1/2 of a 1-pound package thin spaghetti, cooked and drained (about 4 cups)
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Stir the cornstarch and 3/4 cup broth in a small bowl until the mixture is smooth.

Heat the remaining broth, oregano, garlic powder, broccoli, carrots and onion in a 4-quart saucepan over medium heat to a booil. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are tender-crisp. Stir the cornstarch mixture in the saucepan. Cook and stir until the mixture boils and thickens. Stir in the tomato. Add the spaghetti and toss to coat. Sprinkle with the cheese.