Honey Nut Cheesecake Squares

We covered dips and pizzas in our last two posts for Pace Picante Salsa and Philadelphia Cream Cheese, but there has been no attention in the kitchen paid to a Superbowl Party dessert. So, what gives? Sports fan love sweets too! It is highly unlike me to overlook the reason why most of us even eat vegetables in the first place; to earn the right to indulge in dessert. Making sure sweets have their place at your party's buffet table, the second recipe tested for LovemyPhilly.com is a re-working of Kraft's Philadelphia Holiday Desserts 2009 "Caramel-Nut Cheesecake" into my Honey Nut Cheesecake Squares.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Honey Maid Honey flavor graham crackers. 1 1/2 packages pulsed to a small crumb in a food processor = 2 cups.
• 3/4 cup Planters Nutrition South Beach Diet Recommended Mix + a handful to decorate & chopped into small pieces.
• 1/4 + 3/4 cups sugar
• 7 tlbsp. unsalted butter melted
• 3 pkg. (8oz. each) Philadelphia Cream Cheese: 2 Philadelphia Cream Cheese Honeynut flavor + 1 1/3 Less Fat Original Flavor.1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup Kraft Breakstone's Reduced Fat Sour Cream
• 3 eggs

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Line a 13x9 inch pan with foil extending the foil on all sides beyond the rim of the baking dish. *I used the Perfect Brownie Pan Set.

1. In a food processor, break-up 1 1/2 pkg. of graham crackers and pulse about 10 times, then left it run for 15 seconds until you have a small consistent crumb. Empty graham crumbs into a medium size mixing bowl. Put 3/4 Planters Nutrition Nut Mix into the food processor and repeat the small method until you have a small consistent crumb of nuts.
2. Empty nuts into bowl with the graham cracker plus 1/4 sugar. Using your fingers blend the mixture thoroughly. Add the melted butter and mix through with your hands.
3. Press the crust evenly into the dish. Reserve some to sprinkle on later as a topping.Bake crust for 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese, 3/4 sugar, and vanilla with hand mixer until w
5. ell blended. Add sour cream and mix-in. Add the eggs one at a time beating until just mixed in. Be careful not to over beat after adding the eggs! Over beating can lead to a cracked top.
6. Pour over crust.
7. Bake for 35 min. or until the center is almost set. Let cool 5 minutes.
8. Sprinkle an evenly, thin layer of crumbs on top while still warm. Use your fingers to gently press the crumb topping into the cake. Garnish with silvers of chopped mix nuts or one nut. Chill for 4 hours before serving.

Creamy Buffalo Chicken Dip & BBQ Pizza

As the Superbowl Season of party food favorites for rowdy and ravenous crowds continues, this post highlights what simple Philadelphia Cream Cheese-based dishes can be crowd pleasers for you and your party guests. Side dishes and finger food such as Salsa Rosemary Chevre Dip and Mexican Pizzas keep appetites (and hopefully also tempers) at bay while your main dish event perhaps of some slow-smoked ribs or burgers on the grill are getting ready to come in for some serious offensive eating. The key for the host or hostess with the mostess to churning out stellar side dishes and finger foods are one, ease of preparation and two, big flavor-boom. In a case of superb timing, LoveMyPhilly.com recently contacted me about testing recipes of my choosing from the Kraft Philadelphia Holiday Desserts pamphlet. Thanks to that window of opportunity I am able to present Creamy Buffalo Chicken Dip and BBQ Buffalo Chicken Pizzas.

Creamy Buffalo Chicken Dip

Adapted from the Kraft Philadelphia Holiday Desserts recipe "Easy Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Dip"

• 1 pkg. (8oz.) Philadelphia 1/3 Less Fat Cream Cheese.
• 1 1/2 cup finely chopped cooked chicken*if cooking chicken, see below.
• 1/2 cup Blue Cheese Dressing**see homemade recipe below.
• 1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce; 4 tblsp. butter melted and mixed with 1/4 cup hot sauce.
• 3 green onion stems
• Paprika & chili paste to increase heat.

*Optional. Cooking the chicken:1 1/2 cups of chicken = 6 raw tenderloins.

• 2 tblsp olive oil
• salt
• black pepper
• garlic powder

Bomb Blue Cheese Dressing

Yield - about 1/2 cup

• 2.2 oz. blue cheese crumbles
• 3 tblspn. buttermilk
• 3 tblspn. Kraft Breakstone's Reduced Fat Sour Cream
• 2 tblspn. cider vinegar
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 2 shakes of sea salt

Dressing Instructions:

1. In a small bowl using a fork, mix the blue cheese crumbles and buttermilk together.
2. Stir in sour cream, vinegar, sugar, black pepper, and the sea salt.
3. You can make and refrigerate this ahead of time.

Dip Instructions:

1. Cut small rings of the green onions until the pale green becomes white. Stop there.
2. In a medium microwave safe bowl, mix all the ingredients of the dip and microwave on high for 3-5 min.
3. ***Optional: Taste the dip and if you want to increase the spiciness, add 1/4 tsp. paprika and 1-2 tblsp. of a chili paste or chili sauce like Sriarchi.
4. Stir and serve with celery and carrot sticks and/or crackers.

BBQ Buffalo Cheesy Chicken Pizza

Serving Size: 2 individual 8" pizza crusts, or 12 mini-slices for appetizers.

• 2 8 in. Boboli Pizza Crusts
• 6 tblsp. Kraft Spicy Honey Barbecue Sauce
• 1/2 cup Kraft Cheddar Cheese Crumbles
• 4-6 tblsp. Creamy Chicken Buffalo Dip
• 1/4 cup finely chopped celery
• 1/4 cup pre-cooked bacon pieces

Pizza Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F degrees.
2. Spread 2-3 tblsp. of Kraft Spicy Honey Barbecue Sauce on each crust.
3. Spread 2-3 tblsp. of Creamy Buffalo Chicken Dip over the bbq sauce.
4. Sprinkle 1/4 of Kraft Cheddar Cheese Crumbles evenly over the dip and to the edge of the crust.
5. Sprinkle pre-cooked bacon pieces evenly over the entire pizza.
6. Place the pizza directly onto the top rack of the oven. Make sure a baking sheet or tinfoil is under the top rack to catch any debris.
7. Cook for 25-30 minutes or until the crust is brown and the cheese is lightly browned.
8. Let cool 5-7 minutes before cutting.
9. Sprinkle with finely chopped celery and serve.