Apple Dessert Pizza

In need of a quick dessert for a spontaneous gathering with friends, the apple dessert pizza came into existence. 

I am glad that it did. 

It was devoured. 

So quickly I didn’t get a photo of the deliciousness all plated and sliced, ready to serve. 

I guess that just means I will need to make it again.

Apple Dessert Pizza

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 C flour
• 1 C powdered sugar
• 3/4 C butter, divided
• 2 oz. cream cheese
• 1/8 C whipping cream
• 1/8 C powdered sugar
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla
• 3 medium apples, firm apple recommended (e.g., honey crisp)
• cinnamon
• 1 tsp. brown sugar
• 1/4 C granola
• Caramel sauce, optional

Directions

Note: This recipe makes 1-cookie sheet size pizza; you can easily divide it between 2 pie plates, or halve the recipe to make just one 9-inch pie-plate pizza (shown). 

Begin by mixing together 1 1/2 C flour with 1 C powdered sugar.  Stir well.  Meanwhile melt all but 1/2 T butter.

Using a fork, mix in the butter to the flour/sugar mixture.  Incorporate until the butter is combined and the flour/sugar mixture has clumped. 

Press into a cookie sheet or 2 9-inch pie plates to form a nice crust. 

Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes, until lightly browned.  Do not over bake.  Cool.  

Meanwhile, slice up the apples into 1-inch pieces.  In a medium skillet, heat remaining 1/2 T butter over medium heat until melted.  Add in the sliced apples and sauté for 5-7 minutes until crisp-tender.  Add in 1 tsp. brown sugar and a dash of cinnamon.  Continue stirring until apples are softened, but not mushy.  Set aside off the heat to cool. 

Finally, whip 1/8 C whipping cream until light and fluffy, set aside.  Whip the cream cheese (2oz) with 1/8 C powdered sugar and a splash (~1/4 tsp.) of vanilla.  When whipped smooth, fold in the whipping cream.  Set aside.

To assemble, spread the whipping cream/cream cheese mixture over the crust in a very thin layer. 

Top with the apple mixture spread evenly over the top. 

Sprinkle with granola. 

Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. 

Slice into pieces, and if desired, drizzle with caramel sauce before serving.  Store leftovers in the refrigerator. 

Enjoy!

Turkey Meatball Sub Casserole

With our leftover meatballs from our crockpot turkey meatloaf dinner, I opted to try something that looked extremely delicious from the Country Cook.

The recipe relies on French bread, meatballs, spaghetti sauce, and a creamy mixture originally made out of cream cheese and mayo.  We opted to combine Greek Yogurt and cream cheese for a lighter center, and it worked out great. 

This was a great leftover meal, changing plain old spaghetti and meatballs into something fresh the next day.  Kind of like another one of our favorite spaghetti leftovers – spaghetti braid. 

Meatball Sub Casserole – Adapted from The Country Cook

Ingredients

• 2 C spaghetti sauce (leftover preferred)
• French Bread
• 4 oz. cream cheese, slightly softened
• 1/3 C plain Greek Yogurt
• 1/2 tsp. basil
• 1/2 tsp. oregano
• 1/4 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 C mozzarella cheese
• Parmesan cheese for garnish, if desired

Directions

Begin by slicing up your French Bread into 1-1/2 inch slices.  Arrange the slices in the bottom of a 9x13 glass baking dish and lightly spritz the top and bottom with olive oil.  Place the pan in the oven and broil for 1-2 minutes on each size, watching carefully so they do not burn.  You want to get the bread toasty so it doesn’t get soggy. 

Meanwhile, warm the spaghetti sauce and meatballs for about 2 minutes in the microwave.  Set aside. 

Prepare the spread by whipping the 4 oz. of slightly softened cream cheese (we used Neufchatel) and adding in 1/3 C Greek Yogurt along with the 1/2 tsp. basil and 1/2 tsp. oregano, pepper and minced garlic.  Stir well.

Using caution because the bread and 9x13 baking dish will be hot, spread with cream cheese mixture over the top of the bread slices. Sprinkle with a little cheese, if desired. 

Top each with a meatball and marinara sauce.

Sprinkle shredded Mozzarella and/or Parmesan cheese over the top. 

Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. 

Serve warm. 

What are your favorite ways to use leftovers? 

Cream Cheese Stuffed Waffles

The other morning I had an idea – smother blueberry cream cheese inside one of my favorite waffles ever. 

It was a great idea. 

I think you’ll like it too. 

Cream Cheese Stuffed Waffles

Ingredients

• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1 batch blueberry sauce, divided
• 8 whole wheat buttermilk waffles

Directions

Begin by making the waffles according to directions, and by making up a batch of the blueberry sauce, also following directions.  Set the blueberry sauce aside, and place the prepared waffles onto a griddle heated to 200 degrees. 

Meanwhile, whip the cream cheese until light and fluffy.  Stir in ~1/3 C of the berry sauce. 

Spread the berry cream-cheese mixture over one side of the waffle.  Then, top with another hot waffle.  Repeat with all other waffles, until you have filled all of them (this recipe makes 4 stuffed waffles).  Keep the cream-cheese filled waffles on the warm griddle until ready to serve.

Top with additional berry sauce and enjoy!

Serves 4-6 people. 

Cheesecake Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

I brought these cheesecake stuffed cookie bars to our neighbor’s this year for our annual spaghetti feed. 

They were a huge hit and we really enjoyed them. 

The original recipe called for a 9x9 baking dish, but having made them that way, I’d recommend an 11x7 baking dish.  The bars were quite thick, so I think baking them in the 11x7 pan will help. 

I used all whole wheat flour in this recipe, and it was delicious. 

Hope you enjoy them!

Cheesecake Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars – Adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Café

Ingredients

• 6 T butter, melted and cooled
• 1/2 C brown sugar
• 1/8 C sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 C white whole wheat flour
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 3/4 C dark chocolate chips
• 6 oz. cream cheese, Neufchatel preferred
• 1/4 C powdered sugar
• 1 egg white
• splash of vanilla

Directions

Melt and cool 6 T butter.  Mix in 1/2 C brown sugar and 1/8 C sugar.  Then, mix in 1 egg and 1 tsp. vanilla. 

Sift together 1 C white whole wheat flour, 1/4 tsp. baking soda and 1/8 tsp. salt.  Add to the sugar mixture, mixing until just combined. 

Stir in chocolate chips. 

Arrange just over half of the cookie dough in the bottom of an 11x7 cake pan, lightly greased and/or lined with tinfoil.  Note: I used a 9x9 baking dish, and you can also do that but your bars will be very thick and you won’t get as much cheesecake in each bite.

Then, whip the 6oz. of cream cheese with 1/4 C powdered sugar.  Whip in the egg and a splash of vanilla and beat for 3 minutes until fluffy. 

Pour the cream cheese mixture over the top of the cookie crust. 

By the tablespoon, flatten the dough into a small circle.  Arrange these small dough circles over the top of your filling layer. 

Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.  Check that the edges are lightly browned.  Cool on a cooling rack.  When completely cooled, transfer the pan, covered, in the refrigerator. 

Cut into bars. 

Serve & enjoy. 

Store remaining bars in the refrigerator. 

Ingredient Spotlight: Cream Cheese & Fruit

Cream Cheese & Fruit is a really fun combination of ingredients, and perfect for summer. 

No-Bake Mixed Berry Cheesecake

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Squares

Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

Lemon Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast

What ways do you pair cream cheese & fruit? 

An InLinkz Link-up

Join us next week for recipes featuring Balsamic Vinegar.

Blueberry Rhubarb Cinnamon Rolls

I mentioned last spring that I discovered the blueberry rhubarb combination!  I love it – even more so than strawberry rhubarb.  Last year I made 3 recipes using this combination: crisp, baked oatmeal, and muffins. 

This year, I decided to use up the last of my rhubarb in the freezer and make some blueberry rhubarb cinnamon rolls. 

These were amazing. 

In fact, if the cute little bunnies hadn’t shown up for Easter, I think this would have been the favorite from the meal. 

Whole wheat dough, sweet and tangy blueberry rhubarb middle with delicious cinnamon and cream cheese frosting. 

Better yet – they are a no rise recipe! 

Blueberry Rhubarb Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients

• 1 C frozen or fresh blueberries
• 1/2 C frozen or fresh rhubarb, sliced
• 1 T corn starch
• 2 T water
• 2 C white whole wheat flour
• 3 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 3 T butter, softened
• 1 C milk
• 1-2 tsp. cinnamon
• Cream Cheese Frosting

Directions

In a medium saucepan, combine together 1 C blueberries and 1/2 C rhubarb.  Add in 1 T corn starch and a pinch of sugar, if desired.  Stir to coat. 

Then, add in 2 T water.  Set the pan on the stove and heat on medium until the mixture begins to boil.  Stir often.  Once the mixture boils, reduce the heat to low and allow it to cook for 5-7 minutes until blueberries pop open and rhubarb breaks down. Stir often.  Then, remove from the heat to cool. 

Next, in a large bowl combine 2 C white whole wheat flour with 3 tsp. baking powder and 1/4 tsp. salt.  Whisk together. 

Add in 3 T softened butter, cutting in with a fork until integrated into the dough. 

Then, slowly add in 1 C milk, stirring as you go. 

Knead the dough into a ball in the bowl, and then place the dough ball onto a lightly floured surface. 

Roll the dough out into a large rectangle, about 12 x 17 inches in size. 

When the sauce is ready and slightly cooled, place 3 scoops (about 1/2 C each) on the dough. 

Spread the sauce out so that it’s really close to 3 of the four sides.  I typically roll my dough along with longer side, so I recommend putting the sauce nearly all the way to the end on both 12 inch sides and one of the 17 inch sides.  You’ll want a thin layer. 

Then, sprinkle liberally with cinnamon. 

On the long side that has sauce all the way to the edge, begin rolling the dough.  Continue until you’ve rolled up the dough into one large log.  Use caution as you go as as to not squish out all the sauce.  Seal. 

Then, using a sharp knife, slice the roll into 1 1/2 inch – 2 inch segments.  Place each into a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish or a 2 quart casserole dish. 

Place each cinnamon roll about 1/2 inch away from each neighboring roll. 

Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes until lightly browned. 

Meanwhile, make up the cream cheese frosting. 

When cinnamon rolls are done, remove from the oven and allow them to cool for 2-3 minutes. 

Remove from the pan and cover with cream cheese frosting, as well as with additional blueberry rhubarb sauce, if desired. 

Serve warm. 

Enjoy!

*Note: store extra cream cheese frosting in the fridge along with excess blueberry rhubarb sauce.  To reheat, warm them cinnamon rolls in the oven at 200 for 10 minutes.  Or, individually, reheat in the microwave.