No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Balls are a delish alternative to the traditional pies. Wow your friends & family with these holiday dessert delights!
INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 C White Chocolate (either chips or broken into pieces) divided
3/4 C Vanilla Wafer Crumbs (See instructions may double amount)
1/2 C Pumpkin Puree
6 ounces Cream Cheese
1/4 C Powdered Sugar
1 1/2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
INSTRUCTIONS
Take 1/2 C of the White Chocolate and melt
While chocolate is melting (careful it burns easy) mix crumbs, puree, cream cheese, sugar and spices – I found it easiest to use a Food Processor but if you need to a hand mixer or blender should work
Add melted white chocolate to already mixed ingredients and blend again – let it go in the processor for a while. It take about 2-3 minutes for everything to combine well for the balls.
TASTE. If you need more sugar add it.
Place mix into a bowl and place in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes (can be longer but then cover)
NOTE if dough is still “mushy” freeze for 15-30 minutes. You have to work fast and make the balls. I refrigerate the balls again before dipping in chocolate
NOTE 2 if you don’t like the consistancy of balls at 3/4 C wafer crumbs add more wafer crumbs up to 1 1/2 C total of crumbs
Place wax paper on a cookie sheet
Take out chilled dough and begin making balls by rolling (about) 1 heaping spoonful at a time
Melt remaining white chocolate
Dip balls into white chocolate and refrigerate to set.
With Thanksgiving fast approaching, people around the U.S. are preparing their holiday menus, albeit for smaller crowds. While stuffing, turkey, and cranberry sauce may be staples on Thanksgiving tables across the country, there’s one potentially polarizing element of the meal: the dessert. Read on to discover which common Thanksgiving treat people are most likely to avoid at your holiday celebration.
According to a new survey from YouGov, there’s a major divide among Thanksgiving celebrants when it comes to dessert. Among the 1,055 individuals polled, 840 of whom planned to celebrate the holiday this year, 37 percent said they were planning on making their desserts from scratch, while 26 percent said they’d save themselves the hassle and opt for store-bought desserts instead. However, whether your holiday sweets are homemade or come from the freezer case at your local supermarket, there’s a clear standout when it comes to the least popular Thanksgiving dessert. Read on to find out which Thanksgiving treat simply isn’t worth the time it takes to make…Best to worst!
7. Pumpkin pie
Thanksgiving diners who say it’s their favorite: 35 percent
6. Pecan pie
Thanksgiving diners who say it’s their favorite: 16 percent
5. Apple pie
Thanksgiving diners who say it’s their favorite: 11 percent
4. Sweet potato pie
Thanksgiving diners who say it’s their favorite: 10 percent
3. Chocolate pie
Thanksgiving diners who say it’s their favorite: 6 percent
2. Cherry pie
Thanksgiving diners who say it’s their favorite: 4 percent
1. Banana pudding pie
Thanksgiving diners who say it’s their favorite: 3 percent
There you have it. So I guess pumpkin pie takes the honor as the most popular holiday dessert. I can’t believe chocolate comes in at number 3 worst!
Pies are great and all, but Thanksgiving can get a little overloaded with pies. Everyone’s got to have pumpkin pie, apple pie, and pecan pie, but having those same pies every year gets boring fast. To mix things up, you can use those beloved fall flavors in other types of desserts. Items like cakes, cobblers, cheesecakes, trifles, and puddings are just as good as pies, if not better. So branch out this year with some new Thanksgiving dessert recipes that will make you forget all about pie.
(OK, here’s the thing. This article has 31 desserts to show you. I can’t cut and paste all 31, so I’ll leave you a link to the article so you can check out all 31. I will show you a few samples because they look delish.)
It’s lovely to use your slow cooker as much as possible for Thanksgiving when oven space is at a premium. Start this slow cooker praline pecan cobbler in the morning, and it’ll be done by dessert time. It’s super simple, too. Just mix a few ingredients and dump them into the crockpot. It even creates its own praline sauce, so serve it warm over vanilla ice cream.
If you’re not into making pie but you know your dinner guests will want a pumpkin dessert, try pumpkin swirl cheesecake. It’s got the same spiced pumpkin flavor as pie, but it’s creamier and feeds a lot more people, too. The simple swirl and gingersnap crust seem fancy, but they’re really easy to do.
Make an apple crisp instead of a pie — it’s easier because you don’t have to futz with a crust, and it’s just as tasty. This caramel apple version uses an oatmeal-flecked topping, plus a homemade caramel sauce drizzled over the apples before baking and over the top when it’s done. Make it ahead of time and serve at room temperature, or warm it if you like.
This is a dessert that you can leave out for a while and let your guests graze on until the night is over. It’s like a sweet, peanut buttery cheese ball, and you eat it by dipping graham crackers into it, though other treats like pretzels and Nilla wafers would be good, too. The Reese’s Pieces decoration gives it the perfect fall colors.
Between work, school schedules, and household chores, there’s often little time to make dinner. One way to put a satisfying meal on the table fast: Start with a super-cheap rotisserie chicken. Warehouse clubs such as Costco typically sell them at a loss; Costco prices a 3-pound chicken at just $5. While it’s tasty on its own, with minimal effort you can make several dishes out of one to save time and money. Buy a chicken at the beginning of the week to have a simple meal base for several days and freeze the excess for later. Here are some ideas to get you started (really, almost any recipe calling for chicken can use rotisserie chicken).
Buffalo Chicken Flatbread
The blogger behind Katie’s Cucina knows her way around a rotisserie chicken. She stretched a Costco rotisserie chicken to four meals: chicken pot pie, chicken soup, and two days of buffalo chicken flatbread. One day she made a flatbread for dinner, and the next day she served one as an appetizer when entertaining guests. Here, a Greek-yogurt Buffalo sauce drizzle over top makes a perfect complement.
Recipe: Katie’s Cucina
Chicken, Avocado, and Tomato Grilled Cheese
What’s better than a grilled cheese sandwich on a chilly evening? A grilled-cheese sandwich with a twist. This chicken, avocado, and tomato grilled-cheese delight is delicious and easy. Just heat up leftover rotisserie chicken, mash up an avocado with spices, slice a tomato, and put it together with cheese slices, mayo, and bread. Grill it up in a skillet and dig in.
Recipe: Marla Meridith
One-Pot Cheesy Chicken with Broccoli and Rice
It doesn’t get much easier than throwing all the ingredients — even uncooked rice — into one pot, and that’s exactly what this wonder recipe does. With minimal prep time and even less cleanup time (remember, just one pot), this recipe is simple as well as satisfying.
Recipe: Cakescottage
Better-Than-Takeout Chicken Fried Rice
Do you like making takeout recipes at home? Fans of chicken fried rice will love this easy dish. It combines rice, vegetables, egg, and rotisserie chicken with the traditional sesame oil and soy sauce to make an authentic chicken fried rice dish that is healthier and better than takeout.
Recipe: Rachel Schultz on Homemaking
High-Protein Chicken Salad
Pack on the protein with this fun chicken salad recipe. Easy and delectable, the tangy combo of creamy yogurt, apples, and grapes is perfect for lunch or dinner on the go. Keep it low-carb by using a bed of lettuce instead of bread or go the more traditional route and serve it on croissants.
Recipe: MyFitnessPal
Chicken Tacos
No recipe needed here. Simply heat up some rotisserie chicken, toss it with a packet of taco seasoning, and serve it on a warm tortilla shell. Add any other fillings of your choice, such as rice, black beans, green chilies, salsa, cheese, sour cream, and taco sauce.
Salad is a perfect complement to rotisserie chicken, and this scrumptious chickpea chopped salad is no exception. The five-minute prep time makes this good-for-you salad even more desirable. You may have many of the ingredients already on hand: rotisserie chicken and chickpeas, of course, plus romaine lettuce, corn, avocado, tomatoes, cilantro, cheese, and a dressing of choice, such as barbecue.
Recipe: Ambitious Kitchen
Easy Chicken Pot Pie
Comfort food at its finest, a hearty and good-for-you pot pie is a classic chicken recipe made much easier with shredded rotisserie chicken. This version uses refrigerated pie crusts, and although the recipe calls for fresh vegetables, you can take the easier route of using frozen.
Recipe: Spicy Southern Kitchen
Baked Barbecue Chicken Sandwiches
It doesn’t get much easier than these hearty baked barbecue chicken sandwiches. Just shred some leftover rotisserie chicken, mix with barbecue sauce to taste, load up hoagie buns, and sprinkle with cheese. Bake them in the oven and voila. Be sure to serve the sandwiches with a pickle.
Recipe: Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom
Chicken Noodle Soup
Ditch the canned chicken noodle soup and go with an easy, home-cooked soup. Vegetables, noodles, and leftover rotisserie chicken combine to make a hearty soup that leaves everyone feeling satisfied and is said to boost the immune system. The recipe tells how to make the stock from scratch, but that’s not necessary. Just substitute low-sodium chicken broth from the store to save time.
Whether your on a budget or not, plan out what party food you’ll need in advance to make sure you’ll have enough to feed everyone. If you’re sharing the role of caterer, planning things out in advance will help you organize who’s bringing what.
To that end, here’s a handy planner that take’s some of the guesswork figuring out how much food, drinks and deserts you’ll need to feed a crowd.
Love popcorn? Here are some great recipes to take a standard popcorn recipe up a notch!
Popcorn is such a favorite for movie night, and if you love popcorn, you’ll love these recipes! Some of these recipes are more for Christmas time, but they can definitely be served year-round.
Perfect timing with St. Patrick’s Day nearly upon us. Here’s a treat using Bailey’s Irish Cream. Note: It does contain a certain amount of alcohol, just a wee drop. Enjoy !
Cathy of Lemon Tree Dwelling writes that “Baileys Chocolate Mousse is a deliciously light, fluffy chocolate mousse, infused with the sweet flavor of Baileys Irish Cream. This easy dessert recipe is perfect for St. Patrick’s Day!”
Well Cathy, it does look yummy ! So how do you make it ?
Bailey’s Chocolate Mousse
Deliciously light, fluffy chocolate mousse infused with the sweet flavor of Baileys Irish Cream. Perfect for the holidays!
2Tbsp.cocoa powderfor a more intense chocolate flavor, add 1 additional Tbsp.
1 1/2c.heavy creamvery cold
1/2c.Baileys Irish Creamvery cold
1tsp.vanilla
Instructions
*Before beginning, prep bowl and beaters by placing in the freezer for 15-20 minutes to chill.*
Sprinkle gelatin over cold water in small bowl; stir and let stand 1 minute to soften.
Add boiling water; stir until gelatin is completely dissolved. Let stand to cool.
Stir together sugar and cocoa in a large mixing bowl; add heavy cream.
Beat at medium-high speed until stiff peaks form; gradually pour in Baileys, vanilla, and gelatin mixture, beating continuously at high speed until well-blended and soft peaks form.
Let stand 5 minutes to thicken.
Spoon into serving dishes and place in refrigerator to chill. (*For a faster setting mousse, chill bowls before filling.)
Chill 1 hour or until ready to serve.
I hope you love this Baileys chocolate mousse recipe as much as I do!
I think we will, Cathy. Thanks a bunch for this recipe.
Much aligned, much beloved. It’s the Christmas fruitcake that some say could be used as a spare tire in a pinch. But we fruitcake lovers know best. It’s a wonderful addition to the Christmas dinner table.
Just feast your eyes on that beauty, typically rich in fruit and nuts. And quite sweet. The fruitcake began in ancient Rome and quickly spread to Europe, then to colonial America.
Despite all the history and worldwide popularity, fruitcake isn’t everyone’s favorite holiday treat. Those cakes can be really heavy. And maybe because fruitcake lasts so long they often get forgotten, or re-gifted, and end up sitting around on shelves. December 27 is National Fruitcake Day, but then a little more than a week later it’s Fruitcake Toss Day on January 7. One town in Colorado takes getting rid of their unwanted fruitcake very seriously. Every year, Manitou Springs has a contest to see who can throw their fruitcakes the farthest and with the greatest accuracy. People build catapults, slingshots, or just hurl the cakes by hand. To make up for all the lost food, everyone competing has to bring a donation to the local food bank — anything except fruitcake!
Nonetheless, we lovers of fruitcake can’t wait for the holidays so we can enjoy this treat that has been around for 2000 years. Ah…..not the same cake, just the recipe. Enjoy !
Credit to What’s cooking America, cbc.ca and Wikipedia.org
