Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries

This is what I’m making today for out Family BBQ tonight.    They were so quick and easy.   About 45 minutes from start to finish.

Clean 3 pints of fresh strawberries.   Hollowed out the middle using a small paring knife.  (pampered chef)

To make the filling I pulled out my Kitchen Aid Mixer.   Cream together  2 - 8oz packages of cream cheese with 1 cup of powdered sugar and 1 tsp  real vanilla.   (Never use imitation!  for anything!)

Spoon mixture into a quart ziplock freezer bag.

Cut the corner and pipe mixture into each strawberry.

Crush 1/2 a sleeve of graham crackers.  My trick is to put them into a ziplock bag. Get out the rolling pin and smash them into crumbs, then dump in a bowl. 

 

Dip the top of each strawberry into the graham cracker crumbs to cover the cream cheese mixture.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper to place the strawberries.   When done stuffing and crumbing them,  you can drizzle with semi sweet chocolate if desired.

Grab a large handful of miniature semi sweet chips,  throw them into a ziplock bag and microwave until melted.   I then cut a corner off and drizzle a little over the strawberries.

If they were just for me I wouldn’t add the chocolate but I know there will be chocolate lovers at the BBQ….   and I am a people pleaser :)

 

Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries

3 pints fresh strawberries

2 8z cream cheese

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 sleeve graham crackers (crush into crumbs)

large handful of mini semi sweet choc chips

Core each strawberry with a paring knife.   Cream together cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla.  Pipe cheese filling into cored strawberries.  Dip piped end of strawberries into graham cracker crumbs.   Drizzle melted chocolate over strawberries if desired.   Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Preparation:  45 minutes

Enjoy!

TVP

I recently discovered my favorite grocery store, WinCo Foods has TVP.   Have you heard of it?   Textured Vegetable Protein. It's in their bulk foods section. 

Textured or texturized vegetable protein (TVP), also known as textured soy protein (TSP), soy meat, or soya meat is a meat analogue or nutritious meat extender made from defatted soy flour, a by-product of extracting soybean oil. It is quick to cook, with a protein content equal to that of the meat, and contains no fat.

The texture (when dry)  reminds me of Grape Nuts.  

Add it to water to soften, then use as a filler.    I add it to tuna to make it go farther.   It’s great in scrambled eggs.  Throw a handful in a pot of soup for a little extra protein.  Yesterday I added it to my hamburger when I made taco meat.    The cost is less than the meat….. and there is a bonus! …. It has less fat and calories, too!

Give it a try!  It’s great for your health and your pocketbook!

Not only is WinCo Foods the low price leader for groceries,  they’ve been my employer for 25 years!   Yes!  Can you believe it?  I had my 25th anniversary on January 8th…    Time sure flies!

A Bowl Full of Cherries

My Boss’s neighbors own a cherry orchard. The neighbors give them to him… and he hates them!!  So he brought me a box  last week;  probably about 10 pounds.   They’re seconds, meaning not perfect… (I’m not perfect either, but I’m still OK) . I had to pick out the bad ones and look what remained?   My huge Tupperware bowl full of them.  They’re delish!   I think I might try drying some of them..  What would you do with a bowl full of cherries?



“What is life for?  It is for you!”

Busy as a Bee

This weeks happenings.   I'm so busy trying to finish shopping, painting a couple of projects, cards and crafts...    I'm going to start EARLY next year...   :p

Sugar Cookies...  This is my Aunt's recipe that I've been making since my early teens. I made some for a church function and some for work.




My drive home Monday...  The roads still look like this...   Its been below zero and no melting..


A wreath project I'm working on..




Oh!  and I started working out each night after work.  I'm on week 2..   My Angelic self  and My Evil self fight with each other every day over this new adventure!   So far the Angel in me is winning... :p

Looking forward to my Grandson spending the night Friday...  and all day Saturday...  it will be a nice break to get away from the craziness.   I think we'll read stories, color pictures and watch movies!   Oh!  and maybe get to visit with GG Dort!

OH! and one last thing... I hate the new photobucket!   Its horrible to upload and edit!   I even pay for the more expensive version!   Ok!   Done venting....  HO! HO! HO!    Merry Christmas...  

EnJOY!

Cookies

About a week ago I made a big batch of Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookies. I took a basket of them to our potluck at work. They are delish. I've had this recipes that I found in an old church cookbook years ago. This is the first time I've frosted them. I got the frosting recipe from Sherelle.

This calls for the Boy boy!


Isn't this a pretty color?



I use semi sweet chocolate chips




The finished product!




Try them!


EnJOY!

Blueberries for Sal

I loved this book when I was a child. I was in grade school the first time I read it. My Mom let me order it from the Scholastic Book Club…

I bought 5 pounds of blueberries the other day and decided to make freezer jam. My Handyman loves blueberries. Don’t they look good?

I had to rinse them… then started smashing them..

I soon learned that this kitchen tool doesn’t work very well with blueberries. It works great with raspberries and strawberries.

Time to get the power tools out!!

In between smashing, I made a couple of these…

Sugar, pectin and lemon juice has been added and now ready to put into freezer containers.

Freezer Blueberry Jam

3 Cups blueberries, rinsed well. 5 1/4 cups granulated sugar. 1 tablespoon lemon juice. 1 package powdered pectin. 3/4 C water.

Crush berries in a large bowl; add lemon juice. Stir in sugar and pectin and let for at least 10 minutes. Pour into freezer containers or small canning jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Cover immediately. Store in the freezer.

FYI. I made a double batch (6 cups of blueberries) and only used 6 Cups of sugar. I think that is plenty.

EnJOY!

Appliances and Gadgets

My Handyman loves to cook. He also loves to watch the shopping networks when the cooking shows are on. He gets all sucked in on how amazing everything is. I usually have to distract him and get him off the couch before he buys one of everything. LOL! Every once in a while he'll sneak in a purchase. We have a Cabinet in the garage that stores all of these fabulous finds.

Look what arrived in a nice box last week from QVC.....
Its the amazing Rocket Grill.. I finally dug it out of the box to give it a try.
(still has the labels on it)


It has an opening at the top.. kind of like a toaster.


You put your food inside a little parchment bag. This catches all of the juices, fats, etc .. You hang the bag inside the grill. When the grill is hot and you close the lid, the plates close up against the bag.


While the chicken was cooking I checked out the instruction and recipe book that came with it.
It has pictures of how to do everything.. which makes it very easy.


Oh look... Oatmeal cookie S'Mores. YUMMY!


You can cook all kinds of meats, grill sandwiches etc...
I was surprised how well it worked. The chicken came out brown and crisp. 10 minutes for two large boneless, skinless breasts. It's great for cooking for two...



EnJOY!
Michelle