Thursday, May 21, 2009

One more Easter straggler - dessert!

With all of the cooking and cleaning and general preparation I do for Easter, I'm all about finding a simple dessert and letting my mom make the others.

I have found you can really never go wrong with a cheesecake. Cheesecake is always a big hit with my husband, nevermind eeryone else. And when you are short on time and focusing on serving 10 guests a huge brunch, there's nothing better than a 3-step cheesecake!

This cheesecake was easy....delicious....and addicting. I can't be held responsible if you want to make this over and over again!

Philadelphia 3-Step Toffee Crunch Cheesecake
(from KraftFoods.com)

2 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
4 chocolate-covered English toffee bars (1.4 oz. each), chopped (about 1 cup), divided
1 HONEY MAID Graham Pie Crust (6 oz.)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs; mix just until blended. Stir in 3/4 cup of the chopped toffee bars.

Pour into crust. Sprinkle with remaining chopped toffee bars.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool. Refrigerate 3 hours or overnight. Store leftover cheesecake in refrigerator.

Bruschetta Chicken Bake

This is an easy one from KraftFoods.com but one that even my tomato-hating hubby enjoyed. Sometimes I can sneak that kind of stuff into his meals and he'll like it! Can't beat when that happens!


If you are looking for a quick one dish meal for a weeknight, this is it!


Bruschetta Chicken Bake
(from KraftFoods.com)



1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken
1/2 cup water
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1 tsp. dried basil leaves
1 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Spray a 11x7-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray.

Place the chicken in a layer into the bottom of the baking dish. Stir together tomatoes, water, garlic, and stuffing mix in a large bowl; set aside to soften. Sprinkle the cheese on top of the chicken, then sprinkle with dried basil. Spread the softened stuffing mixture on top.

Bake uncovered until the chicken cubes have turned white and are no longer pink in the center, about 30 minutes.