Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Brownies

Ingredients

1 large roll Pillsbury premixed chocolate chip cookie mix (refrigerator section)
2 (8 oz.) packages Philadelphia Cream Cheese
½ cup sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla


Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


Mix cream cheese, sugar, eggs, and vanilla with mixer until softened.


Cut cookie mix in half and put 1/2 back in freezer.


Slice dough in 1/4 inch slices and place on bottom of a 9 x 11 inch baking dish.


Blend to cover bottom.


Place cream cheese mix on top of cookie mix.


Take remaining dough and slice in 1/4 inch slices. Place on top of cream cheese mix, leaving spaces between the dough.


Bake 40 minutes.


Cut into 48 brownies when completely cooled.


Refrigerate.



Source:  Foodista

Apple-Raspberry Turnovers

Yield: 6 turnovers
Cost per serving: $.50


Ingredients


1 medium apple, peeled, cored and diced
2 tablespoons seedless raspberry jam
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 sheet frozen puff pastry (from 1 17.5-oz. package), thawed
1 large egg, lightly beaten




Preparation


Position a rack in lower third of oven and preheat to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper. Combine apples, jam and cornstarch in a medium bowl. Mix sugar and cinnamon in a separate small bowl.


On a lightly floured surface, roll out puff pastry into an 8-by-12-inch rectangle. Cut pastry into 6 4-inch squares with a sharp knife or pizza cutter.


Spoon some apple mixture into center of each square, leaving a 1-inch border. Brush borders with beaten egg. Fold each square into a triangle and press edges with tines of a fork to seal (be sure to seal tightly). Using a sharp paring knife, cut 2 small steam vents in top of each turnover. Sprinkle each turnover with cinnamon sugar. Place turnovers on lined baking sheet.


Bake until golden and puffed, about 20 minutes. Serve warm.




My variation

This already fast and easy recipe can be even easier by using pie filling and other goodies . . . how about cherry pie filling with cream cheese?  


The variations are endless and inexpensive . . .





Source: All You, OCTOBER 2008

Canning tomatoes

If you grow your own tomatoes, canning  is the perfect way to preserve your surplus.  Here is an excellent instructional video:

In addition to this video, 

here are some links on 

canning tomatoes:

Information on canning and many tomato recipes

Articles on canning tomatoes

Canning 101 from Paula Deen

Savor the Season: Your Guide to Canning Tomatoes

Check out my website page

 on growing tomatoes

Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; 
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.

Caramel Popcorn

This is one of those snacks that

I have attempted to make with

awful results.  

I'll be giving this a try . . .
however, it is a huge recipe, 

so I will be cutting it way back.

Ingredients

12 quarts plain popped popcorn

1 pound peanuts

2 cups butter, cubed

2 pounds brown sugar

1/2 cup dark corn syrup

1/2 cup molasses

Directions

Place popcorn in two large bowls.
Stir 1/2 pound nuts into each bowl.

In a Dutch oven, combine the remaining ingredients.
 Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 5 minutes.

Pour half of syrup over each bowl of popcorn and stir to coat.

Transfer coated popcorn into a large roasting pan. 

Bake at 250° for 1 hour. 

Remove from the oven and break apart while warm. 

Cool. Store in airtight containers. 

Yield: 48 servings ( 1 cup per serving).

Nutrition Facts: 

1 serving (1 cup) equals 267 calories, 15 g fat (6 g saturated fat), 

20 mg cholesterol, 189 mg sodium, 32 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 3 g protein.

Caramel Corn published in Taste of Home February/March 1994, p64

Photo by: Taste of Home