Tag: Cream Cheese

Cakes · Desserts

Lemon Curd Cupcakes

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Summer just brings out the lemon flavor cravings in so many and what better way to have that lemon craving than with a lemon cupcake. A recipe was sent to me that had homemade lemon curd dolloped (that word always reminds me of Daisy Sour Cream, if you have seen their commercials you will get that) into a homemade lemon cake batter. Because so many of you have told me that you want fast, easy and quick recipes I came up with one that tastes almost identical to the homemade version, so you can be on your way to the porch with a glass of tea and a lemon cupcake much quicker.

1 Duncan Hines Lemon Cake Mix

1 jar of Lemon Curd (It is on the isle by the pie fillings in the grocery store)

Frosting

1 box of powdered sugar (3 1/2 cups)

1 stick of butter, at room temp

1 (8 oz) softened cream cheese

1/3 cup whipping cream (or you can use just regular milk if desired)

1 teas vanilla

Mix the DH cake mix according to directions on box. To get a softer texture, substitute milk for the water. Pour 1/3 cup batter into paper lined muffin pans. Spoon 1 tables lemon curd on batter. Using a cereal spoon (just a regular teaspoon you eat with, not a soup spoon) place about 2 spoonfuls of batter on top of lemon curd. (Just being sure that the lemon curd is completely covered). Bake as directed on box of cake mix for cupcakes. Do not over bake. Take out of pan to cool. This should make about 24 cupcakes.

When completely cool, top with frosting:

Mix all frosting ingredients together, adding the whipping cream or milk,  a tablespoon at a time. You might need a little more or little less, but use as much as necessary to get frosting to where it is spreadable. Sprinkle with yellow colored sugar. Simply divine.

Casseroles · Chicken · Meats

Easter Chicken Enchiladas

Chocolate Castles1 Comment

Got your attention now, who ever thought of having enchiladas at Easter? After you see this recipe, you might be inclined to push the ham away and get to the store to buy tortillas and cilantro. These are delicious and the cream cheese in them make them extra special for that pretty Easter buffet.

1 cup diced sweet onion (or if you are in a sour mood, I guess you could use a mean onion)

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups fresh chopped baby spinach

2 (4.5 oz) cans chopped green chiles, drained

3 cups shredded cooked chicken

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened *You can use the low fat cream cheese if you really really want, but just don’t get to skinny to fit into that new Easter outfit.

2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese (I used cheddar just because I like the flavor better than the jack cheese)

1/3 cup fresh cilantro (if you have a Trader Jo’s store close by, they sell little frozen trays of cilantro, which you keep frozen and just pop out a square of cilantro, allowing you to always have fresh cilantro on hand) (If using frozen squares, the substitution amounts are on the little tray)

8 (8 in) soft taco-size flour tortillas

Pam cooking spray

Tomatillo Salsa

Preheat oven to 350. Saute onion and garlic in hot oil in a large skillet over medium heat for 5 min or until onion is tender and clear. Add spinach and green chiles and sauté 1-2 min. Stir in chicken and next 3 ingredients and cook stirring continually for about 5 min, or until cheese melts.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Spoon about 3/4 cup chicken mixture down center of each tortilla and roll it up. Sprinkle some shredded cheese on top.

Place rolled tortillas, seam side down in a greased pan. Bake at 350 for 30-35 min or until golden brown. Top with Tomatillo Salsa.

TO MAKE AHEAD:

Prepare recipe as directed through placing the tortillas into a baking dish. Cover and keep in fridge, then allowing to stand at room temp about 30 min before you want to bake. Uncover and bake.

Chocolate · Cookies · Desserts

More Chocolate for Valentines-Chocolate Strawberry Thumbprints

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In my new Food Network Mag for March, it had a whole section called the United States of Chocolate and lists lots of places where you can go for chocolate meals, candy factories across the states or spas where you can have chocolate facials…..so this is now on my bucket lists, to go to every “chocolate Event” before my cholesterol gets to high for me to eat chocolate…before this happens, I will be baking with chocolate at any given opportunity. These are from the Martha Stewart Cookie Cookbook and are simply put….DIVINE!

3/4 cup flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 teas salt

2 oz semisweet chocolate

1 stick unsalted butter, room temp (I wonder, if I used salted butter, could I eliminate the 1/4 teas salt) I think I will be daring and try it sometime, but not for Valentines, how awful for me to serve Romeo chocolate cookies tonight and he would look at me and say, “you don’t expect me to eat these, do you, they have no salt”?

1/4 cup plus 6 1/2 teas sugar

1 large egg yolk

1/2 teas vanilla

4 oz room temp cream cheese

2 tables powdered sugar

4 oz strawberries, (about 6 medium, stemmed and finely chopped)

Sift flour, cocoa and salt into a bowl. Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring until smooth; set aside. ( I nuke the chocolate in 15 sec intervals)

Put butter and 1/4 cup granulated sugar into the bowl of a mixer and mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy (I think you can guess what you can use as your model on this one)

Mix in yolk, vanilla and chocolate. Reduce speed to low. Mix in flour mixture until just combined. Refrigerate covered for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350. Put 6 teas granulated sugar into a small bowl. Form dough into 3/4″ balls, roll in sugar to coat. Space 1″ apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

Press center of each ball with your thumb. Bake 10 min. Press centers again with end of a wooden spoon, making 3/4″ indentations. Bake until sightly cracked and set, about 5 more minutes more.

Cool completely on racks. (Unfilled cookies can be stored in airtight containers for up to 3 days at room temp or frozen up to 1 month)

Stir cream cheese and powdered sugar in a bowl. Toss berries with remaining 1/2 teas granulated sugar in another bowl.

Spoon cream cheese mixture into centers of cookies; top with berries, dividing evenly.

Place on a red valentine doily and Happy Valentines Day to all of YOU!!!!

Uncategorized

Fudge Ribbon Cake

Chocolate Castles2 Comments

If you are like me, one of the best combo’s is chocolate and cream cheese. This cake combines both. It is out of my old cookbook I told you about several weeks ago.

Cheese Mixture:

2 tables butter

1/4 cup sugar

1 table cornstarch

1 8 oz pkg of softened cream cheese

1 egg

2 tables milk

1 teas vanilla (sometimes I use almond extract instead of vanilla)

Cream butter, sugar and cornstarch. Add cream cheese, beat until fluffy. Add remaining ingredients; beat well and set aside.

Cake Batter
2 cups sifted flour

2 cups sugar

1 teas salt

1 teas baking powder

1 teas baking soda

1/2 cup soft shortening (you will have more flavor if you use half butter and half shortening)

1 1/2 cups milk

2 eggs

4 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted

1 teas vanilla

Combine dry ingredients; cut in shortening. Add 1 cup milk; beat for 1 or minute and a half. Add remaining milk and other ingredients; beat for another minute and a half. Put one half of the batter in a well-greased and floured 13×9 pan. Spoon on cheese mixture and spread over cake batter; top with remaining cake batter. Bake at 350 for about 45-50 min, depending on your oven. Be sure and test to see when toothpick comes out clean. You do not want to over bake a chocolate cake as it will be dry. Cool

Frosting:

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup butter

6 oz semi-sweet chocolate pieces

1 teas vanilla

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar.
Combine milk and butter and bring to a boil. Blend in remaining ingredients and beat well. Frost the cake. Store covered in fridge, but take out an hour or so before serving. 

Cakes · Daily Thoughts · Desserts

Friday ROAD TRIP of Christmas Countdown

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Well this past week has found the Griswalds at Wallyworld, the Storage Unit and now ta da, we get to go to Big Bear, which is up in the mountains a couple of hours from our house for a Chocolate Tour. The tour takes you to 4 decorated houses with different chocolate treats at each place. Frosty and Noel will be in heaven. We have our Tums packed in our back pocket, our cell phones on silent and the GPS loaded with our destination. That just makes us sound so much cooler that “we have the map in the car”. Of course, where we are going, the GPS probably won’t work, so we do have our map tucked between the cooler filled with Energy drinks, Dr Peppers and chocolate covered pretzels, just to get us ready for our chocolate tour.

Will be so excited to return to tell you about the weekend. But have to tell you about our little experience last night. We had been invited to some friends house, (before I tell you this, don’t you really wonder how things like this always happen to us) for dinner. We had absolutely the best baked chicken I think I have ever had. She is giving me the recipe and will post it when she does. We finish dinner and she serves Pumpkin YumYums. Oh my, pumpkin layer over cream cheese layer over a buttery crust with whipped cream. To die for. Will post that when I get back also, but if you just have to make it this weekend, all it was was the 4 layer chocolate pudding dessert that people used to call Chocolate YumYums….but instead of the chocolate layer she mixed a can of pumpkin with 1-2 teas of pumpkin pie spice (depending on how much spice you like) with a small package of instant french vanilla pudding with the 1 1/2 cups cold milk. Beat the pumpkin with the pudding and spread over the cream cheese mixture which you make with 8 oz of cream cheese, 1 cup of powdered sugar and 1 cup of Cool Whip. Well, I have gone this far, I might as well give you the whole recipe. Whip up the cream cheese, sugar and Cool Whip and spread over cooled crust. The crust is made up of 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 stick of cold butter and 1 cup chopped pecans. Cut butter into flour and add chopped pecans. Spread over a 9×13 pan and bake until golden brown, about 12-14 minutes. Watch it closely. When it is cooled completely, spread CC mixture over crust. Pour pumpkin over CC layer and top with whipped cream. Put in fridge and let it sit for about 4 hours before serving. Now, back to my story.

We finished dinner and went into the den to watch a video. There were about 14 of us there. We were watching so intently (it was part of our Bible Study lesson) but I kept smelling something burning. I tried to get our hostess attention to tell her that I truly smelled something burning, but thought, well, she has the dishwasher on, I bet a plastic bowl is too near the heating element. But the smell kept getting stronger and stronger. All of a sudden one of the other guests turns around and yells, “the table is on fire”..The flames were shooting up about 4 feet into the air and we all ran for water and began to pour water on her table. So now not only does she have a burned dinning room table, but a soaked rug as well. But Frosty, being the Christmas Giver that he is with a most generous heart told her not to worry, he would buy her more candles to replace the ones that caused the fire..He is just the best!

The fire did not even dampen our night at all. We had a most enjoyable evening with precious friends and the most amazing dinner. Frosty was excited that he had got a home cooked meal, and he didn’t even have to buy the groceries. That always makes it taste better. Am headed to finish packing, will talk to you on Monday with new Christmas recipes and maybe a funny story or two. After all, when we drive to the mountains for the weekend, you know some story will come out of it.

Cakes · Desserts

Strawberry Cream Cheese Cupcakes

Chocolate Castles1 Comment

Am having ladies over for lunch tomorrow. Wanted dessert that looked Christmasie (is that really a word, probably not) I remembered going to Celebrity Bakery in Dallas and having the wonderful strawberry-cream cheese cake with strawberry frosting after having their chicken salad sandwiches. So since I am serving chicken salad sandwiches tomorrow, I wanted to serve these. They are so easy and look so pretty. The taste is divine.

Any brand of strawberry cake mix (I do like Duncan Hines, but it is hard to find out here in Sushiland)

Mix cake mix according to directions on box. Set aside.

Mix 8 oz of softened cream cheese with all of the following:

1 tables flour

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1/3 cup sugar

1 teas vanilla

1 egg

When you have mixed the cream cheese, sugar, flour, egg, vanilla and flour, set aside.

Place 24 baking cups  liners in cupcake pan. Pour cake batter into cups to about 1/2 full. Spoon 1 tables cream cheese mixture on top of cake batter. Do this until you have used up all the cake mix. Bake at 350 until cupcakes tests done. Cool completely.

Make a frosting of:

1 box powdered sugar

1 stick butter, softened

1 teas vanilla

enough milk or half and half to make frosting spreadable. Frost cupcakes and top with a fresh strawberry which you have dipped in chocolate. Sprinkle red sugar over tops.

Cakes · Chocolate · Desserts

Mini Peanut Butter Cheesecakes

Chocolate Castles1 Comment

I love any recipe that has the word “mini” in it. It makes me think that even if I eat them, it will make me “mini”, no matter how much butter or cream cheese are in them. My neighbor, Nancy, has given me a couple of folders in which she and her twin sister have gathered recipes for years. I am so honored that they have allowed me to look through them and pick out ones I want to use. These are the same ladies who took me to the Pasadena Ladies club you might have read about in the blog. Sally, one of the twin sisters, has written a couple of cookbooks and is such a great hostess.  So when I saw this recipe, I knew it was a good one to try.

Makes 24

1 pkg (9.5 oz) Keebler Fudge Shoppe Peanut Butter Filled cookies (now, after seeing the first ingredient, you know these are going to be good)

2  (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 tsp vanilla

3 large eggs, at room temp

Chocolate Glaze:

3 oz semisweet baking chocolate

2 tables unsalted butter

2 tables light corn syrup

1/4 cup roasted peanuts, chopped

Heat oven to 325. Line muffin pans with 24 paper baking cups.

Break cookies into a food processor. Pulse until fine moist crumbs form. Press about 1 tables crumbs into each muffin paper liner and spread over the bottom of liner. Freeze while you are preparing the cheese mixture.

Beat next 4 ingredients in a large bowl with mixer on medium until smooth. On low speed, beat in eggs, 1 at a time, just until blended. Spoon about 2 1/2 tables into each cup.

Bake 20 min or until puffed. Some may crack on top but that’s ok. Cool completely in pans on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, prepare glaze. Melt the chocolate, butter and syrup together in small saucepan until smooth. Do not boil. Cool slightly. Peel liners off each cupcake. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Spoon glaze over tops. Sprinkle with nuts. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving to give glaze a chance to set and cheesecakes to be cold.

Daily Thoughts

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Brownies

Chocolate Castles1 Comment

FYI, this time of year brings the need to bake something pumpkin. For those of you who are new to this blog, if you want a fabulous recipe that combines both cream cheese and pumpkin, be sure to type in this recipe in the search box at the bottom right under the archives. This was posted back in Oct of 09 and it is such a great dessert for this season.

Also another FYI. Randy and I decided that we would see just how little money we could spend on food and entertainment yesterday, just for the fun of it. Thought we would share in case you are wanting to do something a little different other than eating at Cheesecake Factory or heading to the movies for a Saturday.

A friend of Randy’s had told him about a fantastic donut shop over in Glendale, so off we go to see if these donuts are actually worth driving the 10 miles for. We got to the donut shop, still with his coffee and my Dr Pepper in hand and both of us ordered a HUGE cinnamon roll. It was so light, not greasy and just the perfect amount of cinnamon and glaze. We were absolutely thrilled to have found this place. Breakfast….$2.00. It was then and there that we decided to see just how  cheaply we could entertain ourselves until 5:00 p.m. We then proceeded to Costco to pick up a few items, all the while sampling the “free goodies” that they are known for. We indulge in free popcorn, free fruit juice and free granola bars. We left Costco and headed to our car dealership because we are beginning the search for a new car for Randy. He has had his car for almost 11 years and since it takes him about 2 years to actually pull the trigger on which car to buy, we feel like we need to begin the search now. So, we enter the dealership and the smell of popcorn permeates the showroom floor. Now, I know, we have just sampled the free popcorn at Costco, but can you really ever resist popcorn, especially if it is free. So while RC is talking to the sales guy, I sneak over to where people are sitting, waiting for their cars to be serviced. I have just walked into a little bit of “snack heaven”. There are coffee machines, juice machines and the popcorn machine. Otis Spunkmayer cookies are just laying out on a tray. Well, you guessed it. I find a napkin, pick up a couple of those little cookies and put them in my purse for afternoon coffee and grab a container of popcorn. I make Randy at least “seem” interested long enough for me to finish the popcorn so I can mosey on over to grab another little sack of popcorn. DO NOT JUDGE ME! The donut didn’t fill me up for long.

Randy sends the sales guy over to find a certain color of car while he makes his way over to the coffee machine. Who needs Starbucks when we have car dealerships? He grabs a cup and decides on the hazelnut latte. I tell him that if he will go get a couple of the cookies, that our afternoon snack will be covered. He does.

Since my purse won’t hold anymore snacks, we leave with a booklet in hand and tell the young man that we will be back if we decide upon that brand of car. It is now around 11:00 and we head to run a few errands. After about 45 minutes, Randy tells me he has a surprise for me. I cannot imagine what it might be. The last time he said that, all the surprise was, was that a certain favorite restaurant of ours had reopened from being closed for vacation. So I have learned not to get too excited about his “surprises” . Sure enough, we drive on over to Monrovia and he pulls up in front of where we go get a massage ever so often. I am thrilled, I cannot believe that he is treating me to a massage. When I look at him and smile and tell him how sweet he is, he just looks at me and says, “oh no, we aren’t going for a massage, we are going to our cheapie mexican food place next door.” Are you serious, we have had donuts, free samples at Costco and the car dealership and he is hungry? I couldn’t believe it. But he reminded me that we were suppose to be at a party at 5 and if we were going to be eating dinner at 5, we needed to hurry up and eat lunch so we would be hungry by that time. So, here we are at ll:30 eating once again. I order a cheese enchilada and a shredded beet taco, he orders a number 2 combo. My lunch was $2.70 total, that’s right, you read correctly. $2.70 and since you get free chips and hot sauce, we don’t order a lot. Why pay for food when the hot sauce bar and chips are sitting right in front of you. We leave stuffed and head to another car dealership. Since we are thirsty, we figured we would go to one that we know always offers you a free bottled water. The day is unseasonably warm and we are trying to act truly interested, even though our clothes are beginning to stick to our backs. We are not going to leave until we get our free water. After looking at a couple of cars, I guess Victor (our sales guy) figures that if two old geizers are out in 100 degree weather looking at cars in the middle of the day, we really must be interested. Guess we finally earned our water. As soon as we get it, we sit in one more car, ask a question or two and then tell him we just can’t take the heat anymore. So we head to our car, deciding that it should last a few more years and head home. We are hot, we are tired and we are stuffed. We had entertained ourselves all day for under $20.00…Saved enough money to buy a membership to Sams for the following week. We aren’t allowed in Costco anymore, they know our faces and our appetites now. We go to the dinner party right at 5, we didn’t want to chance missing a free meal.