Pandemic Cooking - Cream Cheese Pasta

I’m still trying to use up cream cheese that I overbought, and I decided to turn it in pasta sauce.

It’s the easiest, and turned out so tasty. The kids loved it, even with spinach!  They said it reminded them of mac n' cheese!

Just heat in a sauce pan on medium-high heat 1/4 c olive oil, 1 8 oz block of cream cheese, and 3 T garlic powder until it’s a smooth consistency.

Throw in cooked pasta (I cooked a 16 oz box of Tri-Color Rotini - that’s the only pasta I had on hand), 2 cups of spinach, and 1 c chopped bacon.

Heat until spinach is cooked down and pasta is coated with the cream cheese sauce.

Easy & delicious!

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Mango Cream Cheese Delight

Mangoes are still in season here, and my hubby's co-worker recently blessed us with a bag full of mangoes from his grandma's mango tree.  I had made a loaf of mango bread a few weeks prior, so I changed it up and made a pan of mango cream cheese squares using this  recipe that I found on Hawaiian Electric's website.

I started this recipe by making with the last layer first (you'll see why later) by boiling 3 cups of water, and mixing it with one 6 oz box of orange flavored jello. I made sure the jello was completely dissolved before moving on.

While my oven was preheating at 350 degrees, I combined 1 1/2 cups of flour, 1/2 cup of powdered sugar, 1/2 cup coarsely chopped macadamia nuts, and 3/4 cup (1 1/2 blocks) of cut butter.  Then I lightly pressed it into the bottom of my 9 x 13 prepared baking pan and baked it for 15 minutes.

While my crust was cooling, I proceeded to make the middle layer by mixing 1 package of cream cheese with 1/2 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Then I folded in 8 ounces of defrosted Cool Whip, and spread the cream cheese mixture evenly onto the crust.  Then I placed this in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

Then I placed 4 cups of chopped mangoes on top of the cream cheese layer

and slowly poured my cooled down jello over the mangoes. 

Then I placed it back in the refrigerator and allowed it to set for a few hours.

If you ask me, this is the best way to enjoy mangoes!

If you prefer to make the gelatin layer from scratch, check out Nadia's recipe!

Click here for the link to the original recipe.

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Mango Cream Cheese Pie Recipe

After seeing pictures of this beautiful layered mango dessert made recently by two different friends, I was intrigued.  And since I still had some mangoes, I thought I'd give it a try.  

First off, this recipe needs to come with a warning.  Here's my suggestion:  WARNING.  This recipe has many steps and no time allotment guidance besides the directions of cool and chill so if you are making this for the first time, it might take you the entire night.  And you won't get to enjoy it until the next night (because it needed to chill) after you have tortured yourself all day wondering if it turned out okay, but you don't know because you are stuck at work.  Good luck. 

We start with the crust.  Sift together 2 cups of flour and half cup of powder sugar.  Cut 1 and 1/2 sticks of butter into dry ingredients.  Pat into a 9x13 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.  Cool. 

At this point I would normally start the second step, but I didn't want the cream cheese layer to be sitting around for the baking time plus the cooling time.  I guess I could have just stuck it in the fridge, but I didn't and instead started dinner for the kids.

As the kids were eating, I started the cream cheese layer.  Use a mixer to combine 8oz cream cheese (softened), 1/2 cup sugar, and 1/2 tsp vanilla.  Fold in 8oz cool whip (defrosted).  Chill.  You want this layer to be firm before adding the last layer.

The next layer involves cooling gelatin so I started this last step while the second layer was chilling.  Mix 2 packages of knox gelatin in 1 cup of water and add 1 cup of boiling water, 1 cup sugar, and 1/4 tsp salt.  Keep mixing until dissolved.  Add 4 tablespoons of lemon juice and cool.  After cooling, add this mixture with 4 cups of firm, diced mango.  Chill until mixture begins to gel. 

Ladle over the cream cheese layer and refrigerate until the top layer is firm.   

The next night when I finally cut into the pie, it was delicious!  Definitely not as pretty as the ones my friends made, but I admit I made a ton of mistakes: I halved the recipe, used overripe mangoes, omitted the lemon juice, and accidentally let the mango layer solidify too long before topping the dessert. Still, it turned out delicious! 

 

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Make This! Blueberry Cream Cheese Scones!

This Father's Day, my husband had one request. Blueberry cream cheese scones from Diamond Head Market & Grill.  Being that we live exactly 23.7 miles (read one hour in Hawaii traffic) away from the popular spot, I let out an exasperated sigh.  His reaction? He changed his request to homemade blueberry cream cheese scones. My reaction?  Let's just say it wouldn't make it to print. 

Luckily, I love to bake, I love scones, and I don't hate my husband. The night before, I googled blueberry cream cheese scones and hit the jackpot when up popped a recipe from a baking blog called All That's Left Are The Crumbs.  Can you believe she also loves the same blueberry scones from Diamond Head Market and Grill? Her recipe is modeled after one by Betty Shimabukuro. 

First, cut 1/3 cup butter into 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 cup cake flour, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 t baking powder, and 1/4 t salt until it is crumbly. 

I think this is what she meant by crumbly.  *crossing fingers*

In another bowl, whisk together 3 ounces of softened cream cheese and 1/3 cup of milk. Note that coffee cup is a great motivator for requests like these. I suggest you get one for yourself. 

Whisk mixture with one egg. 

Combine the two so you will get a dough.

Voila! 

This part was the trickiest and most time consuming. You're going to place 1/2 cup of blueberries and 2 ounces of cream cheese pieces into the dough.

My dough made 9 hand formed scones. At this point I tucked in extra berries and cream cheese if I felt they were lacking.  

Bake on parchment paper at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until you get that golden brown color. 

Make the glaze: combine 1 cup powdered sugar with 1/4 cup hot water. 

Glaze the scones right out of the oven. 

I've only made scones once before and these were so amazing and incredibly easy.  Props to All That's Left Are The Crumbs for the awesome tips! Definitely a family favorite and made for a great Father's Day feast! 

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