46 WONDERFUL WAYS TO USE CREAM CHEESE (Part II of III) — From the COOKS.COM Culinary Archive.

BREAKFAST IDEAS

11. BREAKFAST TREAT

3-oz. cream cheese.
Strawberry preserves.
Lettuce.
Toast triangles.

  Place the cream cheese on a plate, and strawberry preserves in a lettuce cup at one side. Serve with toast triangles.

12. PHILLY FILLED PANCAKES

4-oz. cream cheese.
Milk
3 pancakes.
Strawberry preserves.

  Place the cream cheese in a bowl and gradually add a small amount of milk, mixing until light and fluffy.

  Spread on the pancakes while still warm.  Roll and serve with strawberry preserves.

13. WAFFLES WITH CREAM CHEESE AND STRAWBERRY PRESERVES

Cream cheese.
Milk.
Waffles.
Strawberry preserves.

  Place the cream cheese in a bowl and gradually add a small amount of milk, mixing until light and fluffy.

  Bake waffles using your favorite recipe. In the center of each hot waffle, place a generous amount of preserves and top with the softened cream cheese.

CANDIES

14. CHOCOLATE PHILLY NUGGETS

3-oz. cream cheese.
2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar.
2 1-oz. squares unsweetened chocolate, melted.
1/4 teaspoon vanilla.
Dash of salt.
Pecan halves.

  Place the cream cheese in a bowl and cream it until soft and smooth. Slowly blend the sugar into it. Add melted chocolate. Mix well. Add vanilla and salt and mix until well blended.  Form into nuggets, using 1 tablespoon of mixture for each. Press a pecan half into top of each nugget. Place in the refrigerator until firm (about 15 minutes).

15. CHOCOLATE TOPPED COCONUT PHILLY FUDGE

3-oz. cream cheese.
3-1/3 cups sifted confectioners' sugar.
1/2 cup shredded coconut.
1/2 teaspoon vanilla.
Dash of salt.
1 1-oz. square unsweetened chocolate, melted.

  Place the cream cheese in a bowl and cream it until soft and smooth. Slowly blend the sugar into it. Add the shredded coconut. Mix well.  Add the vanilla and salt and mix until well blended. Press into a well greased shallow pan.  Place in the refrigerator until firm. Spread the chocolate on the fudge and score the chocolate into squares. Place in the refrigerator until the chocolate hardens. Cut into squares following the scored pattern.

16. COCONUT PHILLY BONBONS

3-oz. cream cheese.
3 cups sifted confectioners' sugar.
1/4 teaspoon vanilla.
Dash of salt.
Shredded coconut.

  Place the cream cheese in a bowl and cream it until soft and smooth. Slowly blend the sugar into it. Add vanilla and salt and mix until well blended. Form into balls using 1 tablespoon of mixture for each. Roll in coconut, chill until firm.

17. CHOCOLATE PHILLY FUDGE

3-oz. cream cheese.
2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar.
2 1-oz. squares unsweetened chocolate, melted.
1/4 teaspoon vanilla.
Dash of salt.

  Place the cream cheese in a bowl and cream it until soft and smooth. Slowly blend the sugar into it. Add the melted chocolate. Mix well. Add the vanilla and salt and mix until well blended. Press into a well greased shallow pan to the depth of 1/2 inch. Place in the refrigerator until firm (about 15 minutes).

18. LEMON-CHOCOLATE PHILLY FUDGE

3-oz. cream cheese.
3 cups sifted confectioners' sugar.
1/4 cup crushed lemon stick candy.
Salt.

  Place the cream cheese in a bowl and cream it until soft and smooth. Slowly blend the sugar into it. Add the crushed lemon stick candy and the salt and mix well. Spread this Lemon  Fudge on the top of the chilled Chocolate Fudge. Place the Lemon-Chocolate Fudge in the refrigerator until firm (about 15 minutes). Cut into squares.

DESSERTS

19. BUTTERFLY CUPCAKES

1 pkg. gingerbread mix.
1 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese.
2 tablespoons orange juice.
1 teaspoon grated orange rind.
1 teaspoon sugar.

  Prepare cupcakes from your favorite gingerbread mix.  Slice the top from each cupcake and cut the tops in half.

  Combine the cream cheese and orange juice, blending until smooth. Add the orange rind and sugar; blend well.

  Spread this cream cheese topping on the bottom portions of the cupcakes. Place the top slices in the cream cheese topping, butterfly fashion.

20. CHERRY TRICORNS

Unbaked pastry.
Canned sour red cherries.
Sugar.
Cornstarch.
Cream Cheese.
Milk.

  Cut the pastry into circles about 6 inches in diameter and prick each with a fork, as for a pastry shell. Cut heavy aluminum foil into the same size circles, place a circle of the pastry on each, and shape it into a triangular shell, pressing the foil against the pastry to form a triangular mold. Bake the shells in a hot oven, 425 degrees until done. Cool, remove from the foil molds, and fill each shell with cherries which have been heated, sweetened to taste, slightly thickened with cornstarch and cooled.

  Place the cream cheese in a bowl and gradually add a small amount of milk, mixing until light and fluffy. Place a rosette of the cream cheese, forced, through a pastry tube on each cherry tricorn.

21. CHOCOLATE PHILLY CAKE

3-oz. cream cheese.
2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar.
2 1-oz. squares unsweetened chocolate, melted.
1/4 teaspoon vanilla.
Dash of salt.
1/2 cup chopped pecans.

  Place the cream cheese in a bowl and cream it until soft and smooth. Slowly blend the sugar into it. Add the melted chocolate. Mix well. Add vanilla, salt and chopped pecans and mix until well blended. Press into a well greased shallow pan. Place in refrigerator until firm (about 15 minutes). Cut into squares.

  (For slightly softer fudge, blend in 1 teaspoon of cream.)

22. HEART CAKES WITH MARASCHINO PHILLY FROSTING

3-oz. cream cheese.
1 tablespoon maraschino cherry juice.
3 cups sifted confectioners' sugar.
1 tablespoon chopped maraschino cherries.
White cake (baked in a sheet pan.)

  Blend the cream cheese and cherry juice. Add the sugar gradually, blending it in well. Add the chopped cherries and mix again. Cut the cake into heart shaped pieces with a cookie cutter and frost.

23. HOLLYWOOD CHEESE CAKE

18 zwieback, rolled (or 1-1/2 cups zwieback crumbs).
2 tablespoons margarine.
2 tablespoons sugar.
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind.
1 tablespoon lemon juice.
2 eggs.
2 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese.
1/2 cup sugar.
Dash of cinnamon.
1/2 teaspoon vanilla.
1 cup thick sour cream.
1 tablespoon sugar.
1 teaspoon vanilla.
Red and green maraschino cherry flowers.

  Blend the zwieback crumbs with the margarine and 2 tablespoons of sugar; press onto the bottom of a 9-inch spring pan. Bake in a slow oven, 300 degrees, for 5 minutes. Cool.

  Blend the cream cheese, softened at room temperature, with the 1/2 cup of sugar, cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla, grated lemon rind and lemon juice. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, mixing well after each yolk is added. Fold in the stiffly beaten egg whites, and pour the mixture on top of the crumbs.  Bake in a slow oven, 300 degrees, 45 minutes.

  Blend the sour cream with the tablespoon of sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Spread this mixture over the top of the cake. Return to the oven for an additional 10 minutes.  Cool before removing the rim of the pan. Do not invert. Garnish with cherry flowers. 8 to 10 servings.

24. LEMON CREAM CHEESE TARTS

3 eggs.
3/4 cup sugar.
1/2 cup lemon juice.
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind.
1 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese.
6 4-inch baked tart shells.
Strawberry preserves.

  Beat the eggs in the top of a double boiler until thick and fluffy. Continue beating while gradually adding the sugar, lemon juice and lemon rind. Cook over hot water, stirring constantly until the custard is thick and smooth. Cool.

  Soften the cream cheese at room temperature and gradually blend the custard into it.  Fill the tart shells with this mixture and top with preserves.

25. PINEAPPLE PHILLY PIE

1/3 cup sugar.
1 tablespoon cornstarch.
1 cup crushed pineapple (not drained).
1 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese.
1/2 cup sugar.
12 teaspoon salt.
2 eggs.
1/2 cup milk.
1/2 teaspoon vanilla.
1 9-inch unbaked pastry shell.
1/4 cup chopped pecans.

  Blend the 1/3 cup of sugar with the cornstarch and add the pineapple. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick and clear. Cool.

  Place the cream cheese in a bowl and cream it until soft and smooth. Slowly blend the 1/2 cup of sugar and salt into it. Add the eggs, one at a time, stirring well after each egg is added. Blend in the milk and vanilla.

  Spread the cooled pineapple mixture over the bottom of the unbaked pastry shell. Pour in the cream cheese mixture and sprinkle with the chopped pecans. Bake in a hot oven, 400 degrees for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to a slow oven, 325 degrees, and bake for an additional 50 minutes. Cool before serving. 8 servings.

26. STRAWBERRY PHILLY PIE

1 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese.
2 tablespoons milk.
1 baked 9-inch pastry shell.
1 qt. fresh strawberries, washed and stemmed.
3/4 cup sugar.
2 tablespoons cornstarch.
1/3 cup water.
Few drops of red food coloring.

  Place the cream cheese in a bowl and cream it until soft and smooth. Gradually blend the milk into it. Spread half of this mixture on the bottom of the pastry shell. Cover with half of the strawberries. Cut the remaining berries in half.

  Combine the sugar and cornstarch. Add the water, stirring until well blended. Add the remaining strawberries and cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Add red coloring, mix well.  Pour immediately over the strawberries in the pastry shell. Chill. Decorate with the remaining cream cheese mixture. 8 servings.

27. STRAWBERRY ROLL WITH ALMOND PHILLY FROSTING

3-oz. cream cheese.
1 tablespoon milk.
3 cups sifted confectioners' sugar.
1/2 teaspoon almond extract.

  Blend the cream cheese and milk. Add the sugar gradually, blending it in well. Add the almond extract and mix again.

Jelly roll cake.
Strawberry preserves.
Slivered blanched almonds, toasted.
Whole fresh strawberries.

  Bake jelly roll cake, spread with strawberry preserves, roll and frost with Almond Philly Frosting. Stick pieces of slivered almonds into the frosting. Garnish with whole strawberries. 8 to 10 servings.

28. SUPREME CHEESE CAKE

18 zwieback, rolled.
2 tablespoons margarine.
2 tablespoons sugar.

  Blend the zwieback crumbs with the margarine and 2 tablespoons of sugar; press onto the bottom of a 9-inch spring pan.

1/2 cup sugar.
2 tablespoons flour.
1/4 teaspoon salt.
2 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese.
1 teaspoon vanilla.
4 eggs.
1 cup cream.

  Blend the 1/2 cup of sugar with the flour, salt and the cream cheese softened at room temperature. Add the vanilla. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, mixing well after each yolk is added. Add the cream and blend thoroughly. Fold in the stiffly beaten egg whites, and pour the mixture on the top of the crumbs. Bake in a slow oven, 325 degrees, for 1 hour, or until "set" in the center. Cool before removing the rim of the pan. Do not invert. 8 to 10 servings.