Almond Cheesecake Squares are a rich and delicious dessert that makes an elegant addition to a cookie tray or a flavorful end to a holiday dinner. It is a New York style cheesecake because it includes sour cream among the ingredients -- another notch up on the flavor scale! The toasted and ground almonds give the crust a nice flavor and texture. The filling is quick and easy. The hardest part is waiting for it to bake -- and then cool before slicing! Can be made ahead and frozen. Don't worry about freezing leftovers because there won't be any. :-) Almond Cheesecake Squares Print Prep time 15 mins Cook time 47 mins Total time 1 hour 2 mins Light and creamy cheesecake on a nutty graham cracker base and topped with toasted almonds. Author: A Pinch of ... [Read More]
Cream Cheese
Butter Fluff Cookies
I liked this recipe for Butter Fluff Cookies because it includes butter and cream cheese and tastes like a rich,fluffy cloud. It is also quick and easy and you can vary it in so many ways. Like this: Variation 1 - 3: Rolled in red sanding sugar before baking, green and red sprinkles mixed into the dough before baking, rolled in tiny green candy balls before baking. Variation 4: Add mini Chocolate chips. (Variation 5 not pictured - Heath Toffee Bits) Variation 6: Chopped walnuts (pecans, almonds also good!) Why did I try variations? Because when I first tasted the mixed cookie dough, I thought it needed pizazz. So I pizazzed. And when I was finished, guess what was my favorite? The plain fluffy cloud. Seconded quite closely by the chopped walnut -- cuz I like ... [Read More]
Chocolate and Cream No Bake Cookies
Chocolate and Cream Cookies are a fun addition to a cookie tray. If you are talking and laughing as I usually am when faced with a cookie tray – we’re talking choices of cookies and chocolate here!! - you could do a double take. Not meat, just a fun soft cookie!! Would you eat it if it were called Salami Cookie? You’ll need two fully packets of graham crackers. There are nine crackers in each packet. I didn’t open the packets, just started crushing them with my hands. Once you get them started, the crackers will breakdown fairly quickly. Don’t worry about crushing them evenly. You’ll want some larger pieces about ½ inch square, some nice crumbs and everything in between. Dump them in the mixing bowl, with 8 ounces of cream cheese (unwrapped) on top to soften slightly. Mix ... [Read More]
Savory Sweet Potatoes
Rich, creamy mashed sweet potatoes are the perfect side dish for any holiday meal. They are so quick and easy , you’ll want to enjoy them throughout the year. Sweet potatoes are as nutritious as they are delicious. They contain fewer calories and are higher in fiber, Vitamin A, and Vitamin C than their white counterparts. See the infographic from Cleveland Clinic below for a quick comparison. You can peel and cut the sweet potatoes in small, uniform cubes before adding to water for boiling. Cook until sweet potatoes are soft enough to pierce with a fork. Remove from heat and drain. OR you can put whole, and thoroughly washed, sweet potatoes in a medium to large pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Cook until sweet potatoes are soft enough to pierce with a fork. Remove from ... [Read More]
Quick and Easy Chicken Ranch Pizza
A really quick lunch piping hot from the oven, Chicken Ranch Pizza is great for when you want some comfort food - fast and flavorful. Reach in the pantry and raid the refrigerator. Flat bread or prebaked pizza crust, shredded or chopped cooked chicken, a couple of sliced green onions and a package of cream cheese flavored with ranch dressing mix. Top with shredded cheese. Viola -- Chicken Ranch Pizza. From inspiration to table in about 25 minutes. I used a couple of cooked chicken breasts pieces left from last night's dinner, sliced thin then cut through perpendicularly to make small pieces. You could also use shredded chicken. This time I melted the cream cheese in a small skillet and spread it on two pieces of flat bread (about 9-10 inches square). Next time, I think it will ... [Read More]
Cream Cheese and Onion Hotdog
Hotdogs are not usually on our radar. Not since I made octopus hotdogs for toddler lunches. Now one toddler is 6'4"! But when I heard of hotdogs smothered in onions on a bed of melted cream cheese -- well, it was time to give that a try! Glad we did. We'll do that again. Serve with Sweet Slaw from cabbage grown by sister Bee. Wonderful!! Start with the onions. A medium to large onion sliced thinly. Throw in the one piece not thinly sliced so it can be front and center in the picture - optional. Preheat a smaller skillet with olive oil or butter, then add sliced onions. Cook until they turn brown and soft. In the meantime, cook a good beef hotdog, according to directions. Like -- put in boiling water until hot. But the directions can be more specific so take a look. Or ... [Read More]
