Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake

Sometimes dessert is hard if you are a diabetic, here is a safe holiday friendly dessert from the Kraft website
http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/spiced-pumpkin-cheesecake-121464.aspx

30 NABISCO Ginger Snaps, finely crushed (about 1-1/2 cups)

1/4 cup  finely chopped PLANTERS Pecans

1/4 cup soft margarine, melted

4 pkg.  (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Fat Free Cream Cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup  SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener, Granulated

1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin

1 Tbsp.  pumpkin pie spice

2 tsp. vanilla

4   eggs

Make It

HEAT oven to 300°F.
MIX crumbs, nuts and margarine; press onto bottom and 1 inch up side of 9-inch springform pan.
BEAT cream cheese, sugar and SPLENDA® Granulated Sweetener in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Add pumpkin, spice and vanilla; mix well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended. Pour into crust.
BAKE 1 hour 15 min. to 1 hour 20 min. or until center is almost set. Loosen cake from rim of pan; cool before removing rim. Refrigerate 4 hours.

SPLENDA is a trademark of McNeil Nutritionals, LLC.

Kraft Kitchens Tips

How to Use Fresh Pumpkin

Substitute 1 cup mashed cooked fresh pumpkin for the canned pumpkin. Prepare crust and batter as directed, mixing 3 Tbsp. flour with the cream cheese, sugar and SPLENDA® Granulated, and adding 1 container (8 oz.) BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream to cream cheese mixture with the pumpkin, spice and vanilla. Bake as directed.

How to Test Cheesecake Doneness

To avoid overbaking a cheesecake, check for doneness at the minimum baking time by gently shaking the pan. If the cheesecake is done, the edge should be slightly puffed and it will be set except for a small area in the center that will be soft and jiggly. Do not insert a knife into the center as this may cause the cheesecake to crack during cooling.

How to Soften Cream Cheese

Place completely unwrapped package of cream cheese in microwaveable bowl. Microwave on HIGH 10 sec. or just until softened. Add 15 sec. for each additional package of cream cheese.

Calories  210 Total fat  7 g Saturated fat  1.5 g Cholesterol  60 mg Sodium  520 mgCarbohydrate  26 g Dietary fiber  1 g Sugars  15 g Protein  12 g Vitamin A  110 %DV Vitamin C  2 %DV Calcium  30 %DV

Iron  10 %DV

Carb Choices: 2

Diet Exchange

1-1/2 Starch + 1 Meat (L) + 1 Fat

Chicken Fiesta Dip

Sometimes being a diabetic during  the holidays are hard, I have lost 3 pds since thanksgiving, because of my disease, I am forced to eat right. It really isn't that bad either, because you can my some delicous food. I got this off the kraft website http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/chicken-fiesta-dip-107283.aspx they offer a lot of tasty recipes for people like me who are diabetic. Since I was diagnosed with this disease, I have lost a total of 80 pds which is super, I have totally changed my eating habits, and discovered it doesn't have to be fattening to be good, enjoy this holiday recipe

4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese, softened

1 cup  BREAKSTONE'S Reduced Fat or KNUDSEN Light Sour Cream

1 pkt. (1-1/4 oz.) TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Taco Seasoning Mix

1-1/2 cups  chopped cooked chicken

1 cup KRAFT Mexican Style 2% Milk Finely Shredded Four Cheese, divided

4   green onions, sliced

1 small tomato, chopped

1/4 cup  sliced black olives

WHEAT THINS Big Snack Crackers

Make It

HEAT oven to 350°F.
MIX first 3 ingredients in medium bowl. Stir in chicken, 1/2 cup shredded cheese and onions.
SPOON into 9-inch pie plate.
BAKE 25 min. or until heated through. Top with remaining shredded cheese, tomatoes and olives. Serve with crackers.

Calories  170 Total fat  7 g Saturated fat  2 g Cholesterol  15 mg Sodium  430 mg Carbohydrate  22 g dietary fiber  1 g Sugars  4 g Protein  5 g Vitamin A  6 %DV Vitamin C  0 %DV Calcium  10 %DV

Carb Choices: 1-1/2

Diet Exchange

1-1/2 Starch + 1 Fat

Spinach Waldorf Salad with Cinnamon-Apple Dressing

I so love spinach, my mom never had to trick me into eating it, and  Popeye was my favorite cartoon character, I guess, I was a weird kid.

½ cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons frozen apple juice concentrate,

thawed

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 large red eating apples, cubed (about 4

cups)

½ cup seedless red grapes, halved

½ cup chopped celery (1 medium stalk)

½ cup chopped walnuts

4 cups torn fresh spinach leaves .
In large bowl, mix mayonnaise, juice concentrate and cinnamon until well blended. Stir in apples, grapes, celery and walnuts to coat. Before serving, place spinach in large salad bowl. Spoon apple mixture over spinach; toss to mix and coat.

 

.

chocolate chip cookie ( a holiday staple)

my little sweetie (my daughter Kimberly) made some chocolate chip cookies for my hubby and her bro. Both were so happy, I didn't hear a peep out of them for a while, because they were indulging in their cookie feast.

3/4 stick Crisco® Baking Sticks Butter Flavor All-Vegetable Shortening

OR 3/4 cup Crisco® Butter Flavor All-Vegetable Shortening

1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 3/4 cups Pillsbury BEST® All Purpose Flour

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 (6 oz.) package semi-sweet chocolate chips (1 cup)

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans (optional

HEAT oven to 375ºF..COMBINE shortening, brown sugar, milk and vanilla in large bowl. Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until well blended. Beat in egg. Combine flour, salt and baking soda. Mix into shortening mixture until just blended. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. DROP by rounded measuring tablespoonfuls 3 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheet. BAKE 8 to 10 minutes for chewy cookies, or 11 to 13 minutes for crisp cookies. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet on a cooling rack. Remove cookies to rack to cool completely. TIP * If nuts are omitted, add an additional 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips..

Drinking Custard

Here is a traditional southern recipe that a lot of southern's make instead of eggnog, it is also called boiled custard, it is rich and oh so good. If you love eggnog, you will love this. Merry Christmas Y'all

3 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 whole vanilla bean, or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
8 large egg yolks
¾ cup sugar
Prepare the bottom of a double boiler with simmering water. Put the milk, cream, and if using, the vanilla bean in the top of a double boiler and bring it to a simmer over direct medium heat. Transfer it to the bottom half with its simmering water.
In a heatproof bowl, beat together the sugar and egg yolks until it is light and smooth and ribbons off the spoon. Slowly beat in a cup of the hot liquid to temper the eggs, then slowly beat the eggs into the hot milk and cream.
Cook, stirring constantly until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. Take the top pot from the heat and continue stirring until it has cooled slightly, about 4 minutes more. Remove the vanilla bean, if used. Stir in the extract, if using, and if serving cold, stir until it is cooled, then let it cool completely and refrigerate until well-chilled.

Viennese Crescent Holiday Cookies

Here is a nice little cookie that is good for the holidays

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup butter

1 cup hazelnuts, ground

1/2 cup sifted confectioners' sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

1 vanilla bean


Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, butter, nuts, 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, salt, and vanilla. Hand mix until thoroughly blended. Shape dough into a ball. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Meanwhile, place sugar in a bowl or small container. With sharp chef's knife, split vanilla bean lengthwise. Scrape out seeds, and mix them into the sugar. Cut pod into 2 inch pieces and mix into sugar. Remove dough from refrigerator and form into 1 inch balls. Roll each ball into a small roll, 3 inches long. Place rolls 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet, and bend each one to make a crescent shape. Bake 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, or until set but not brown. Let stand 1 minute, then remove from cookie sheets. Place hot cookies on a large sheet of aluminum foil. Sprinkle with prepared sugar mixture. Turn gently to coat on both sides. Cool completely and store in an airtight container at room temperature. Just before serving, coat with more vanilla flavored sugar.

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 95 | Total Fat: 5.3g | Cholesterol: 10mg

I made this for my cousin debbie