Cheese Blintzes

(This is not my picture, but looks the most like it that I could find. When I take a pic, I'll post it.)

These cheese blintzes weren't very hard to make and went over really well at our weekly church potluck this past Sunday. I've never tried cheese blintzes before this recipe, so I have no idea if they're the way they're supposed to taste, but either way, they were really good!

Ingredients:
1 (1 pound) loaf white bread (I used wheat)
4 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (I made up my own cinnamon sugar without the recipe and I used probably double the amount of cinnamon sugar called for and had more cinnamon in it too. It added a lot of flavor with the extra cinnamon sugar.)
2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons milk
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter melted

1)Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet generously with non-stick cooking spray.

2) Trim crusts from bread and roll the slices flat with a rolling pin. (I didn't bother to trim the crusts and it was quicker and still tasted fine.)

3) In a pie plate, combine sugar and cinnamon to make a mixture.

4) In a large mixing bowl, with electric mixer, mix softened cream cheese, milk, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Spread this mixture onto each slice of flattened bread. (I laid all my slices out on the counter and spread it out on all of them before rolling them up to make sure each slice was evenly coated and that I didn't run out.) Roll up bread with filling in the middle and cut in half. Using a pastry brush, brush the halves with melted butter, evenly coating it. Then, roll each half in the cinnamon sugar. Coat it well. Then put the blintzes on the prepared cookie sheet. Repeat for all blintzes.

5) Bake for 10 minutes. You can serve these hot, cold, or lukewarm. They taste good all ways. See which you prefer best!

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

This recipe is one of my absolute favorites. It's by Paula Deen, so you know it has to be good! This has a strawberry and pineapple jello salad on top of a cream cheese and cool whip layer with a pretzel crust. It tastes spectacular. This makes a lot and would be great for Christmastime. I think I'll have to make it again this Christmas!

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

Ingredients
2 cups crushed pretzels
3/4 cup melted butter
3 tablespoons sugar, plus 3/4 cup sugar
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
1 (8-ounce) container whipped topping
2 (3-ounce) packages strawberry gelatin dessert mix
2 cups boiling water
2 (10-ounce) packages frozen strawberries
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple
Whipped topping or whipped cream, to garnish

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2) For the crust, mix the pretzels, butter, and 3 tablespoons of sugar. Press this mixture into a 9 by 13-inch pan and bake for 7 minutes. Set aside and allow to cool.

3) In a mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese and 3/4 cup of sugar. Fold in the whipped topping, and spread over the cooled crust. Refrigerate until well chilled.

4) In a small bowl, dissolve the gelatin in the boiling water, and allow to cool slightly. Add the strawberries and pineapple, and pour over the cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate until serving time.

To serve, cut slices and serve with a dollop of whipped topping.

Serves 8 to 10



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Brownie Pudding Cake - (Molten Chocolate Lava Cake)

I just made this recipe (a double batch) last night when a friend from church came over for dinner. It was a big hit. I love how it's not too rich or chocolatey, but has a bittersweet taste. It's even more bittersweet if you add the instant coffee. I think the ones in the restaurants are very pricey and are overkill on the chocolate, but this is just right and doesn't break the budget at all. When you're making this recipe, you have a few different layers, but when it cooks, it separates into a brownie/cake top with a pool of chocolate at the bottom. Wow your guests with this one!

Brownie Pudding Cake

2 tsp. instant coffee powder (optional)
2 tbs. plus 1 3/4 cups boiling water
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa (you could also try Hershey's Dark cocoa)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup milk
4 tbs. butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1) Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. In cup, dissolve coffee powder in 2 tbs. boiling water, if using.

2) In bowl, combine flour, 1/2 cup cocoa, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. In 2 cup measuring cup, combine milk, melted butter, vanilla, and coffee, if using. With wooden spoon, stir milk mixture into flour mixture until just blended. Pour into ungreased 8 in. square baking dish.

3) In small bowl, thoroughly combine brown sugar and remaining 1/4 cup cocoa; sprinkle evenly over batter. Carefully pour remaining 1 3/4 cup boiling water evenly over mixture in baking dish; do not stir.

4) Bake 30 minutes (batter will separate into cake and pudding layers). Cool in pan on wire rack 10 minutes. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream, if you like. Makes 8 servings.



If you double the recipe, make in a 13 X 9 in. baking dish and cook approximately the same amount of time.



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Easy Tiramisu

Tiramisu has always been one of my favorite desserts, but I would only get it on occasion when we would go out to eat at Olive Garden. It would cost like $4 for a small piece and it never seemed to be enough to share. I love the stuff! Then, I found this recipe and I've never bought tiramisu again. This doesn't require expensive mascarpone cheese and I think it tastes even better than the tiramisu I've had at Olive Garden and Publix. Save this recipe to wow your friends and family and treat them with something special.

Easy Tiramisu

3 tablespoons instant espresso powder
3 tbs. boiling water
1 1/2 cups cold water
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup sugar
2 (3 ounce) packages soft ladyfingers
Unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting

Cooking Directions
1) In a medium bowl, mix espresso powder with boiling water until dissolved. Add cold water; set aside.

2) With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese with heavy cream and sugar until light and fluffy.

3) Spread a few tablespoons of cream-cheese mixture in the bottom of a 2-quart serving dish. Separate ladyfingers. One by one, dip a third of ladyfingers in espresso, then arrange in bottom of dish. (The ladyfingers soaked up the liquid way too fast and I ran out several times. To remedy this, the next time I made it, I just put 1/3 of the lady fingers on a plate and drizzled 1/3 of the espresso on top.) Spread with a third of cream-cheese mixture. Repeat twice with remaining ladyfingers, espresso, and cream-cheese mixture (can be refrigerated, covered, up to 1 day).

4) Dust with cocoa just before serving.
Yield: 6 servings



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