a little of each

A family's cookbook

Gingerbread-Pear Tart June 2, 2013

Filed under: Desserts — alittlemoreofeach @ 3:18 pm
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From “Better Homes and Gardens.”

 

This is a delicious mix of cheesecake and fruit with both pear and raspberry flavors. Take care, and the presentation will be beautiful. I used two large cans of pears, and the results were delicious.

 

Ingredients

2 cups water

½ cup sugar

2 Tbl lemon juice

5 medium pears, peeled, cored and sliced

1/3 cup seedless red raspberry jam

½ cup butter, cut up

1 (14.5 oz) package gingerbread mix

1 egg yolk

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup sugar

3 eggs

½ tsp vanilla

1 tsp finely shredded lemon peel

 

Directions

In a large saucepan bring the water, the ½ cup sugar and lemon juice to boiling. Add pears. Simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in raspberry jam. Cool 1 hour. (If desired, cover and chill up to 6 hours.) Drain.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place gingerbread mix in a bowl. Using a pastry blender, cut butter into mix until pieces are pea-sized. Stir in egg yolk just until combined. Remove and discard ½ cup of the crumb mixture. Press remaining mixture onto bottom of a 10-inch springform pan. Bake for 25 minutes and then cool completely.

In a medium bowl beat cheese on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add the 1/3 cup sugar; beat until light. Add eggs and vanilla; beat on medium speed until combined. Stir in lemon peel. Spoon about half of the cheese mixture into crust.

Spoon drained pears evenly over cheese mixture. Spoon remaining cheese mixture over pears. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until center is set. Cool 30 minutes on rack. Loosen sides of pan. Cover; chill 2 to 24 hours. Remove sides of pan.

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Fruit Pizza

Filed under: Desserts — alittlemoreofeach @ 2:27 pm
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Crust:

1 cup flour

1/3 cup confectioners sugar

½ cup butter

 

Mix all ingredients together and press into a pizza pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until lightly browned around the edge. Let cool.

 

Spread:

Cream together 8 oz. cream cheese and two tsp. sugar, then spread over the cooled crust. Top with sliced fruits: strawberries, bananas, blueberries, Kiwi fruit, raspberries, etc.

 

Glaze:

1 cup pineapple juice

1/3 cup sugar

2 tsp. cornstarch

 

Mix the glaze ingredients together in a saucepan; beat until thickened. Spread glaze over the fruit and refrigerate for one hour.

 

Aunt Kitty’s Frozen Cream Cheese Fruit Salad

Filed under: Desserts — alittlemoreofeach @ 2:26 pm
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Ingredients

1 cup crushed pineapple, drained

¼ cup powdered sugar

8 oz cream cheese

½ cup mayonnaise

1 cup whipping cream, whipped

1 dozen maraschino cherries, cut up

1 small can fruit cocktail

 

Directions

Mix pineapple and sugar together. In a separate bowl, combine cream cheese and mayonnaise. Add the fruit cocktail to the pineapple mixture. Fold in the cream cheese mixture. Fold in the whipped cream. Add cut up cherries and pour into a freezing tray and let set. Serve on lettuce leaves.

 

Lemon Cheesecake Pies

Filed under: Desserts — alittlemoreofeach @ 2:05 pm
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From Southern Living, February 2006. Makes two pies.

 

Ingredients
2 refrigerated pie crusts
2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened
½ cup sugar
1 large egg

Lemon Chess Pie Filling (below)

 

Directions

Fit each pie crust into a 9-inch pieplate. Line pastry with aluminum foil, and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake at 425 degrees for 5 minutes. Remove weights and foil. Bake 2 more minutes or until golden brown. Cool crusts completely on wire racks. Beat cream cheese, sugar and egg at low speed with electric mixer until smooth. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over both crusts. Spoon Lemon Chess Pie Filling evenly over cream cheese mixture in crusts. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until set, shielding edges to prevent excess browning, if needed. Cool completely on wire racks. Garnish if desired.

 

Lemon Chess Pie Filling:

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

¼ cup butter, melted

¼ cup milk

1 Tbl lemon zest

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

1 Tbl all-purpose flour

1 Tbl cornmeal

¼ tsp salt

 

Whisk together all ingredients. Use filling immediately.

 

Christopher’s Birthday Cheesecake

Filed under: Desserts — alittlemoreofeach @ 2:00 pm
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Made each year by Stephanie’s friend, Jay.

 

Ingredients

1 2/3 cups graham cracker crumbs

¼ cup melted butter

¼ cup sugar

3 blocks (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

16 oz sour cream

1 ½ tsp vanilla extract, separated

3 tsp sugar

 

Directions

Mix graham cracker crumbs, butter and sugar together. Press against bottom and sides of a nine-inch spring-form pan. Beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. Continue beating and slowly add one cup sugar. Add eggs, one at a time. Stir in one tsp vanilla. Pour over crust. Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 45 minutes, or until set. (Often takes longer!)  Beat sour cream at medium speed for two minutes. Add ½ tsp vanilla and sugar. Continue beating for one minute. Spread over hot cheesecake. Bake at 400 degrees for five minutes. Cool on wire rack. Cover and chill for at least eight hours.

 

Peter’s Cheesecake

Filed under: Desserts — alittlemoreofeach @ 1:58 pm
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Peter made this for the first time when Robin hosted a ladies bridge party shortly after moving to St. Petersburg. It wasn’t until the mid-1990s, after attended a baking class at the Disney Institute, that he started to bake in earnest, eventually filling Nana Hazel’s role as Birthday Cake Maker.

 

Ingredients

1 lb cream cheese

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

¼ tsp. salt

½ tsp. almond extract

½ tsp. vanilla extract

½ pint sour cream

 

Directions

Cream cheese, eggs and sour cream need to be at room temperature. Beat cream cheese until fluffy. Add eggs, 2/3 cup sugar, 1/8 tsp. salt and almond extract. Beat until thick and lemon-colored. Pour into buttered 9-inch pie pan. Bake in preheated moderate oven (350 degrees) for 25 minutes. Cool on rack for 20 minutes. Mix together sour cream, 1 ½ tsp. sugar, 1/8 tsp. salt and vanilla; blend well. Spread sour cream mixture on cake. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool and then chill thoroughly.

 

Ida’s Cheesecake #1

Filed under: Desserts — alittlemoreofeach @ 1:57 pm
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Ingredients

4 eggs

1 ½ cups sugar

1 lb cottage cheese

1 lb cream cheese

juice from ½ lemon

2 tsp vanilla

3 Tbl flour

3 Tbl cornstarch

¼ lb melted butter

1 pint sour cream

 

Directions

Beat eggs and gradually add sugar. Continue to add the ingredients in the order listed. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Turn off the oven and leave inside the oven for one hour.

 

Maraschino Cherry Pound Cake

Filed under: Desserts — alittlemoreofeach @ 1:22 pm
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This cake is similar to Elsie’s Phillie Cake. It has a delicious and colorful frosting which makes a wonderful variation.

 

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 cup butter

1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese

1½ cups white sugar

4 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp almond extract

1 cup maraschino cherries, drained and halved

¼ cup all-purpose flour

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 8-inch tube pan. Mix together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In large mixing bowl, cream together butter, cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Stir in vanilla and almond extracts. Beat into flour mixture, mixing just until incorporated. Dredge cherries in ¼ cup flour, then fold into batter. Spread into prepared pan. Bake for 80 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

 

Frosting:

3 oz cream cheese

¼ cup butter, softened

2 cups confectioners sugar, sifted

½ cup maraschino cherries, drained and chopped

 

Cream together cream cheese and butter in small mixing bowl. Gradually add sugar. Stir in cherries. Frost cake when completely cool.

 

Phillie Cake

Filed under: Desserts — alittlemoreofeach @ 1:20 pm
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This cake makes a great gift for neighbors and friends. Just bake in a small loaf pan, wrap in colorful plastic wrap and tie with a pretty ribbon. I made it for our neighbors when we moved to Spring Garden Street in Altamonte Springs, a reverse welcome wagon.

 

Ingredients

1 ½ cups sugar

1 (8 oz) cream cheese package

1 cup butter

1 ½ tsp vanilla

4 eggs

1 ½ cups sifted cake flour

1 ½ tsp baking powder

¾ cup chopped maraschino cherries

½ cup pecans

1 ½ cup powdered sugar

2 Tbl milk

 

Directions

Combine sugar, cream cheese, vanilla and butter; mix well. Add eggs one at a time; mix well. Reserve ¼ cup flour and gradually add the remainder of the flour to the cream cheese mixture. Toss the reserved flour with the cherries and nuts to coat, then add all to the batter. Bake at 325 degrees in a loaf pan for one hour. If in a small pan, bake for 45 to 50 minutes. After the cake cools, combine the confectioners sugar and milk and drizzle over the cake as a glaze.

 

Freeman Allen’s Carrot Cake

Filed under: Desserts — alittlemoreofeach @ 1:17 pm
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Ingredients

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1 ¼ cups vegetable oil

3 cups grated carrots

4 eggs

½ cup chopped nuts

2 tsp vanilla

cream cheese frosting

 

Directions

Combine first six ingredients (flour through cinnamon) in a large mixer. Mix until blended, about three to four minutes. Add oil to mixture while mixing. Then add the carrots and the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Stir in nuts and vanilla. Mix well. Pour into greased and floured 9 x 13 pan. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Cool in pan. Frost with cream cheese frosting.

 

Cream cheese frosting:

4 oz cream cheese

¼ cup butter

2 cups confectioners sugar

 

Combine cheese and butter in a small mixer bowl. Beat until light and fluffy. Add confectioners sugar and beat to blend. Use additional sugar if necessary.