Lemon Blueberry Crumb Bars

Lena made these for a recent coffee hour, and they were absolutely delicious! (I had 2.) She got the recipe from the Kraft foods site, linked at the bottom. Nice to have a taste of summer--right now, I think we could all use that!

Lemon-Blueberry Crumb Bars

What You Need

1/2 cup butter
1 pkg. (2-layer size) yellow cake mix
2 eggs, divided
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. zest and 3 Tbsp. juice from 1 lemon
2-1/2 cups fresh blueberries

Make It

Heat oven to 350ºF. Line 13x9-inch pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides. Microwave butter in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1 to 1-1/2 min. or until melted. Add dry cake mix and 1 egg; beat with mixer until blended. Press 2/3 of the dough onto bottom of prepared pan.
Beat cream cheese and sugar with mixer until blended. Add remaining egg, zest and juice; mix well. Pour over crust; top with berries. Pinch small pieces of the remaining dough between your fingers; press lightly into cream cheese layer.
Bake 48 to 50 min or until center is set. Cool completely. Refrigerate at least 1 hr before cutting. Use foil handles to lift dessert from pan before cutting into bars.

http://www.kraftfoods.com

Pumpkin Oatmeal Bars

by Kathy Brasier Sikorski

Mmmm! Perfect for fall! These would be delicious as an alternative to pumpkin pie after Thanksgiving dinner. Or with it. We don't judge.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Bars
1 pkg yellow cake mix
2 ½ cups quick-cooking oats
5 tablespoons butter, melted
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon water

Filling:
1 can (15 oz) solid pack pumpkin
¼ cup cream cheese
¼ cup milk
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
2 eggs
¼ cup chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon butter, melted

In a large bowl, combine cake mix and oats; set aside ½ cup for topping. Add butter, honey and water to
remaining cake mixture. Press onto the bottom of a greased 13x9 baking pan.

For filling, in a large bowl, beat pumpkin, cream cheese, milk, brown sugar, maple syrup and spices until
blended. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Pour over crust.

In a small bowl, combine walnuts, butter and reserved cake mixtures; sprinkle over filling.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until set and edges are lightly browned. Cool completely
before cutting into bars. Yield: 2 dozen

Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip

By Kathy Brasier Sikorski

This was delicious--I could have stolen the whole bowl and eaten it for lunch. (Not saying I did, but I could have!)

Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 pkg (10 oz eac) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, cubed
1 cup (8 oz) sour cream
1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/8-1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a large skillet (coated with spray or small amount of oil), cook and stir onion until tender. Add spinach.
Cook and stir over medium heat until heated through. Reduce heat to low; stir in cream cheese and
sour cream. Add the artichoke hearts, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Cook 1-2
minutes. Transfer to ungreased 1 ½ quart dish; sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Cover and microwave on
high 2-3 minutes, until cheese melts. Serve warm with melba toast or pita chips or crackers. Yield: 18
servings

Buffalo Chicken Dip

by Priya Poehner
Priya made this at the Sept. 30 coffee hour, and it was scrumptious! Great for a party, game day, or you alone in the kitchen (we don't judge.) Thanks to the original poster! We've shared it here.

• 1 1/2 cups cooked chicken, cubed (or 3 10 oz. cans chunk chicken)
• 2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup bleu cheese dressing
• 3/4 cup Frank's Hot Sauce 
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 t. black pepper
• bleu cheese crumbles (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F. Reserve half a cup of shredded cheddar and the bleu cheese crumbles. Mix the remaining ingredients together and pour into a medium baking dish (9x13 pan works great.) Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup of cheddar.

Bake for 20 minutes until hot and bubbly. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with bleu cheese crumbles if desired. Serve with celery sticks, fritos, tortilla chips or pita chips.

Cheesy Egg Casserole

This was on the menu today, and it was delicious! Since many asked for the recipe, here you are. Perfect for Christmas morning, too.

By Christina Pillot

This recipe is based on a similar dish that is – or, at least, was – served at the Washington School Inn in Park City, Utah. My parents had it there several years ago and asked for the recipe. I’ve made some modifications to the cheese content of the recipe and always make a much bigger batch than the printed-out copy they shared with my parents. The basic recipe I work with is below, and it’s the one I turn to again and again. From time to time, I’ll use different types of cheeses – Gruyere, Havarti – and or I’ll add in chopped jalapeno peppers if I really want to play with it. Otherwise, I’ll put out a side of fresh salsa and just serve it as-is.

Cheesy Egg Casserole
12 large eggs
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups milk (any kind)
16-oz cottage cheese
8-oz cream cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/3-1/2 lb shredded Monterey jack cheese

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking/casserole dish.
In a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together eggs, flour, baking powder, salt and milk. Stir in cottage cheese, cream cheese and shredded Monterey jack cheese. Pour into prepared baking dish.
Bake for about 45 minutes, until eggs are set and casserole is not “wet” in the middle.
Dish will deflate slightly as it cools. Cool for at least 10 minutes before serving to make slicing easier.
Dish can be served hot or cold.

Serves 12-16

Easiest Bean Dip of All Time

Rachel made this at last week's coffee hour, and she was asked for the recipe, so here you go! I wish I'd been able to stay and sample it! Sounds delicious, and perfect for holiday entertaining!!!

 By Rachel Wagner

• 16 oz (2 8 oz. packages) cream cheese, softened for easier spreading 
• 2 cans refried beans 
• 24 oz salsa, spiced to your preference (I like Pace's Medium Picante) 
• 16 oz shredded cheese, a mix of cheddar, monteray jack, or other "taco" cheese is good 

 Spread in order listed into a 9x13 pan. (A gentle touch makes for more even layers.) Heat covered at 325-375 F for 15-30 minutes, until hot throughout and cheese is all melty.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Dip

by Sylvia Musheno

This is the dip that was served last week and was a big hit with young and older alike! Before I left coffee hour, I tracked down Sylvia to demand this recipe for the blog, and was stopped in the hall on the way to my car with a request for it! So here you go--like a big bowl of cookie dough (without the salmonella fear of raw eggs.) Or, like one bite at a time cheesecake--either way, you win!

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup powdered (confectioner's) sugar
2 Tb. brown sugar
3/4 cup chocolate chips (mini are a great size for this)

Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla until fluffy. Beat in sugars until well blended, then stir in the chips. Serve with fruit, animal crackers, graham crackers, etc. for dipping. Stand back to avoid the stampede.

Blue Cheese Pecan Dip

by Ronica Skarphol Brownson

1 lb. cream cheese
3-6 T. blue cheese (or more, depending on how much you like blue cheese)
1 cup chopped pecans
1 T. milk (or more as needed)

(Also could use whipped cream cheese.)

Whip cream cheese and milk together until light and fluffy. Add more milk if needed to get the texture you want. 1 T. makes it firm, and it will form a ball nicely, but if you want it creamier, add a bit more milk. Add blue cheese and pecans, and stir a bit to mix. Allow it to sit in the fridge for several hours or overnight to blend flavors. Serve with crackers or your other favorite dippers. Also makes a fantastic burger topper!

Becky's Hot Wing Dip

by Jean Ross

Combine:  8 ounces of cream cheese
          6 ounces of hot sauce
          1 jar of Marie's Blue Cheese Salad dressing
               (usually found refrigerated with the dips and other salad dressings)
Stir in:  4 cooked boneless chicken breasts that have been diced or shredded
Heat in oven, crockpot or microwave.