Summer Trifle - For July 4th

Ingredients:
1 Angel Food Cake
1 large container of Cool Whip
1 quart of blueberries
1 quart of strawberries
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
1 eight-ounce package of cream cheese

Directions:

• Cut Angel Food Cake into bite-sized pieces and spread a layer in the bottom of a large glass bowl.

• Wash and slice strawberries into bite-sized pieces.

• Wash and drain blueberries.

• Add a layer of berries atop the cake pieces.

• Mix cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk.  Pour a coating of this mixture atop cake and berries.
• Spread on a scant layer of whipped topping.
• Top with two more rounds of cake, berries, milk/cheese mixture, and topping layers.
• Spread generous layer of whipped topping as last layer.
• Garnish with berries.
• Cover with plastic wrap and chill till ready to serve.

For the July 4th garnish, I cut recipe cards in half lengthwise and folded them in half.  Then, set the cards on edge with folds to outside forming a star shape.  I placed the blueberries outside the cards and strawberries inside the cards.  Then, removed the cards just before serving.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Ingredients:

Crust
1 1/4 cups Ginger Snap Cookie crumbs
4 Tablespoons butter

Filling

3 eight-ounce packages of cream cheese

1 small can pumpkin puree

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons orange peel

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

4 medium eggs

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions:

Crust

• Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Butter springform pan (I have been known to just spray with vegetable spray.)
• Mix cookie crumbs and butter together in a small mixing bowl.

• Dump mixture into springform pan and press out to cover the bottom.

• Bake 10 minutes and cool.

Filling

• Heat oven to 300 degrees.
• Soften cream cheese.
• Beat cream cheese in a large mixing bowl.

• Add pumpkin and whip till well blended.

Isn't that just beautiful?

• Add granulated sugar and beat till fluffy.

• Add brown sugar and continue beating.

• Add vanilla and orange peel.

• Beat in one egg at a time.

• Pour over crumb crust and bake at least 50 minutes.

• Cool to room temperature.
• Chill for at least three hours but no longer than 10 days.
• Loosen the edge of the cheesecake from the pan before removing the side piece.

This is especially delicious at Thanksgiving!

Beef and Bean Chimichangas

This is a recipe I adapted using leftovers from one by The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond.  I had set up a buffet to build-your-own nachos for Father's Day.  We enjoyed the Loaded Nacho recipe found HERE as a rerun the next day but I wanted something a little different after that and there was still a lot of beef and bean filling left.  So, I adapted this Baked Chimichanga recipe and it turned out to be yummy!

Leftover beef and bean mixture (See further info in the Loaded Nacho recipe link above.)
8 ounces cream cheese
Tortillas (I used Tomato-Basil flavored ones but any will work fine.)
Grated Cheese (I used a Mexican Blend.)
vegetable spray
Pico De Gallo (See further info in the Loaded Nacho recipe link above.)
cheese sauce (I bought one but you could also easily make one.)
sour cream (optional unless you are married to my husband)

• Gently warm the beef and bean mixture in a skillet.

• Add cream cheese and stir as it melts into the beef and bean mixture.

• Take one flour tortilla and add a dollop or two of the beef/bean/cream cheese mixture.

• Top with a spoon full of kernel corn.

• Sprinkle with a little bit of grated cheeses.  

• Gently fold the tortilla in at the top and bottom a little bit and gently fold the sides over the dollop of filling and roll it into a bundle.  (I didn't forget to take a picture of this step but I didn't have enough hands and Toby didn't feel confident serving as photographer!)
• Lay the tortilla bundles (chimichanga) seam-side-down onto a foil lined baking sheet that has been sprayed lightly with vegetable spray.

• Lightly spray the tops of the chimichangas with vegetable spray.  (See how they glisten with the light spritz of oil?)
• Bake 15 minutes at 350 degrees.
• Flip chimichangas and bake an additional 5-10 minutes till the tortilla is crisp and golden.

Serve with rice, Pico De Gallo, cheese sauce, and, if you are my husband, sour cream.

Note:  I froze a couple of these and then sent it to work with Mike a day or two later and he says it tasted just as delicious.

Baked Chimichangas

8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
8 oz. Pepperjack cheese, shredded
1/2 pkg. taco seasoning
1 lb. cooked meat (shredded chicken or loose, browned ground beef is what I have used)
6-8 flour tortillas
vegetable spray
shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheese
green onions
sour cream or guacamole
salsa

• Stir together cream cheese, Pepperjack cheese, and seasoning.
• Fold in meat.
• Divide among flour tortillas.
• tuck in sides of tortillas and roll up each one.
• Cover a cookie sheet with foil and spray generously with vegetable cooking spray.
• Lay, seam side down, onto the foil-lined baking sheet.
• Spray tops of tortillas with vegetable cooking spray.
• Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.
• Turn chimichangas over and bake an additional 15 minutes.
• Serve topped with cheddar and mozzarella cheeses, green onions, sour cream, and salsa.