Monday, May 9, 2011

No Bake White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

I bought several boxes of white chocolate pudding to have on hand to make Libby's "Amber Goo" recipe, and there was a recipe on the box for fluffy white cheesecake. I modified it a bit and came up with this creation. It was a hit!

No Bake White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake
1 package cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cups milk
1 package (3.3 oz) white chocolate instant pudding
1 1/2 cups thawed Cool Whip
1 graham cracker crust
Raspberry preserves (optional)
Vanilla almond bark (optional)

Beat cream cheese and 1/4 cup milk in a large bowl with a whisk until blended. Add the remaining milk and pudding mix. Beat 1 minute. Stir in Cool Whip; spoon into the crust.

After I poured the mixture into the crust, I spooned some raspberry preserves on top, and swirled it in with a toothpick. It added some great flavor (you could also do this with chocolate or any other flavor.) It would be fine without the additional flavor, also. Then, after the dessert set up, I melted white almond bark and swirled on top for appearances. I used a homemade graham cracker crust, but you could also buy a premade crust. Here's my crust recipe:

Graham Cracker Crust
2 1/4 cups crushed graham crackers (I save the graham crackers that break in their own container, and use the pieces for crushed graham crackers.)
1/2 cup melted butter
1/3 cup sugar

Mix crumbs and sugar. Moisten with melted butter. Press into a greased pie plate and bake at 375 for 8 minutes. Allow to cool before filling.





Veggie Bake


I'm often asked to bring vegetables to family dinners. I can bake a pretty mean green bean casserole, but I hate taking the same dish to two consecutive dinners. So, this weekend I was looking for a new vegetable recipe and came across this one. It was very easy to make, and it got rave reviews. It could easily become a main dish with the addition of chicken breast. Enjoy!

Ingredients

  • 16 oz of mixed California Blend vegetables, cooked but not overdone
  • 1 cup of cooked rice
  • 1 stick margarine (or better yet, support the dairy industry and use butter!)
  • 1 can mushroom soup
  • 8 oz Velveeta cheese
  • Ritz crackers for topping

Directions

Melt together margarine, soup and cheese. Mix together with rice and vegetables. Crush Ritz crackers on top. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.