Bonus Desserts from Enrichment

Lemon Coconut Cake


Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, separated
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
Garnishes: fresh rosemary sprigs, gumdrops

Preparation

1. Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy; gradually add sugar, beating well. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition.

2. Combine flour and baking powder; add to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla.

3. Beat egg whites at high speed with electric mixer until stiff peaks form; fold one-third of egg whites into batter. Gently fold in remaining beaten egg whites just until blended. Spoon batter into 3 greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans.

4. Bake at 350° for 18 to 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.

5. Spread Lemon Filling between layers. Spread Cream Cheese Frosting on top and sides of cake. Sprinkle top and sides with coconut. Garnish, if desired.
Prep: 10 min., Cook: 5 min. A Microplane grater, available in kitchen shops for about 12, makes grating the lemon rind super easy. It only takes a minute to squeeze fresh lemon juice, and the taste is worth it.

This recipe goes with Lemon-Coconut Cake

Lemon Filling

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup boiling water
4 egg yolks, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter

Preparation
1. Combine sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan; whisk in 1 cup boiling water. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until sugar and cornstarch dissolve (about 2 minutes). Gradually whisk about one-fourth of hot sugar mixture into egg yolks; add to remaining hot sugar mixture in pan, whisking constantly. Whisk in lemon rind and juice.
2. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is thickened (about 2 to 3 minutes). Remove from heat. Whisk in butter; let cool completely, stirring occasionally. Makes 1 2/3 cups.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1 (16-oz.) package powdered sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

1. Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating at low speed until blended; stir in vanilla.
Yield
Makes about 3 cups

Submitted by Heather Swendsen

Carrot Cake



Ingredients

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)
3 cups finely shredded carrots
1 cup oil
4 eggs

Grease and lightly flour two round baking pans, one 9x13 pan, or a bundt pan. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Add carrots, oil, and eggs. Beat with electric mixer till combined. Pour batter into pan.Bake in a 350 oven for 30 to 35 minutes for round pans or 35 to 40 minutes for other pans or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool layer cakes on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool thoroughly on wire racks. Frost with cream cheese frosting or just sprinkle some powdered sugar on top.

Cream cheese frosting

6 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 1/2 - 5 cups powdered sugar

Beat together cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Gradually add 2 cups powdered sugar, beating well. Gradually beat in 2 1/2 to 3 cups additional powdered sugar to reach spreading consistency. This frosts the tops and sides of two 9-inch layers. Cover and store cake in refrigerator.

Submitted by Julie Despain - courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook

Raspberry Filled White Cake

1 box white cake mix (prefer BC or DH brands/ could also try with chocolate cake mix)
2 boxes Betty Crocker “Home Style Fluffy White” frosting mix (found at HEB)
(or homemade Seven Minute Frosting using egg whites)
2 C fresh or frozen raspberries
Fresh raspberries for garnish

Bake cake as directed for 2 layers, using whole eggs and half the oil.
When cooled and removed from pans, carefully slice layers in half to make four layers. Place waxed paper between layers and chill for several hours.

Meanwhile, thaw and sweeten frozen raspberries to taste; drain when fully thawed.
Mix one box of frosting according to directions and stir drained berries into this batch of frosting. Spread 1/3 of the berry-frosting between each of the 4 layers of cake. Gently smooth all filling at the edges of cake layers to make a smooth surface for second frosting.
Mix second box of frosting and cover entire cake. Garnish with fresh raspberries just before serving.

Submitted by Chris Brown

Too Much Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

1 (18.25 oz) package of Dark Chocolate Fudge cake mix (or Devil's Food)
1 (5.9 oz) package of instant chocolate pudding mix
4 beaten eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup milk
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup warm water
1 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven 335 degree

Mix all ingredients in the order above - pour in a greased 12 cups bundt pan

Bake for 50 min to 1 hour - until top is springy and toothpick inserted comes clean - cool for at least 1 hour before inverting onto plate.

Satiny Chocolate Glaze

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
4 Tbs butter
1 1/2 Tbs light corn syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients microwave for 45 sec then mix - microwave for another 30 sec until smooth and liquid enough - pour onto cooled cake so it drizzles down the side.

You can complement the cake with fresh berries and powdered sugar

Submitted by Julienna Viegas-Haws - slightly modified from Allrecipes.com

March 2008 - Around the World -

Thai Curry Chicken


- 14oz can of Coconut Milk
- 1-2 T Green Curry paste, adjust for how spicy you like your curry
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts – cut into bite size chunks
- 1-2 T Fish Sauce, again based on personal taste
- 2 T Brown Sugar
- 1/3 C chicken stock
- ½ c veggies (recipe calls for peas but I use red and green bell peppers, carrots, pineapple, or - - whatever sounds good and usually add a bit more)
- ¼ bamboo shoots

In a large saucepan simmer the coconut milk and green or red curry paste over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add all other ingredients and simmer for 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked and veggies tender. Stir occasionally. Garnish with fresh basil and serve over jasmine rice.
Recipe compliments of Thai Kitchen---of course their recipe indicates to use Thai Kitchen coconut milk, curry paste and fish sauce. The red curry paste is also great in this recipe.
Submitted by Laurine Perry


Lebanese Meatballs


- 2lbs lean ground beef
- 2 small eggs
- 1 small onion minced thinly
- 1/2 c fresh cilantro choped
- 1/4 c fresh parsley choped
- 5-6 fresh mint leaves choped
- salt, pepper, cumin
- bread crumbs
- olive oil to fry meatball

Mix all the ingredients (except for olive oil and bread crumbs) until your meat mixture is homogenous. Roll meatballs about golf ball size into bread crumbs then place on a cookie sheet (or cutting board,...)

In a wok or large deep frying pan, heat up olive oil on high (enough for the meatballs to be soaked 1/3 way), place as many uncooked meatballs as the pan will hold but not to tight, reduce heat to medium to ensure that the meatballs are not burning on the outside and uncooked inside. After a few minutes turn meatballs to cook other side, a few more minutes and check with a fork. The meatballs should be fully cooked but not hard.

Alternative cooking: place meatballs on cookie sheet and bake in oven at 375 for 30 min or until cooked (this is what my family prefers)

Submitted by Julienna Viegas-Haws

Yogurt Sauce (to eat with Lebanese meatballs)
- 1 c. Plain yogurt

- 1/3 c. mayonnaise

- 1 fresh lemon squeezed

- 2 cloves fresh garlic pressed

Tabbouleh ( Lebanese side dish)

- 1/4 cup couscous cooked according to directions
- 1 cup chopped parsley
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
- 5 tomatoes, diced
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 lemon, squeezed
- salt, pepper to taste

February 2008 - Hearty Soups

Chicken Tortilla Soup



1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T olive oil
2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon cumin
1 28 ounce can crushed or diced tomatoes
32 oz chicken broth
½ cup water
1 cup frozen corn
1 4 ounce can green chiles (leave out if you don't want a mildly spicy flavor)
1 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 boneless chicken breasts-grill on the barbeque (or George Forman) and then chop into pieces
tortilla chips
shredded cheese
chopped green onions
sour cream
Diced avocado (optional)

In a medium stockpot, sauté onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat. Stir in Chile powder, oregano, cumin, tomatoes, broth and water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
Stir in corn, chiles, beans, cilantro and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in chicken.
Ladle into bowls and top with tortilla chips, cheese, onions,avocado and sour cream.

This soup is better if you make it early and reheat. The flavor seems to be better after a few hours or the following day.

Submitted by Laurine Perry


Italian Turkey Meatball Soup


Prep: 20 minutes Cook time: 35 minutes Serves 10

3 ounces of whole wheat pasta shapes such as bowties or wagon wheels (I could only find rotini)
Nonstick cooking spray
1 T olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (28 oz) can whole peeled tomatoes
1/4 c. carrots (I used 1/2 cup)
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 c. reduced-fat low-sodium chicken broth
3 slices whole-wheat bread, cubed (I like it best with the crusts removed)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 c. sweet potatoes, chopped fine in a food processor (I used 1/2 cup)
1/4 c. nonfat (skim) milk
2 T grated parmesan, plus more for serving
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
1/2 lb lean ground turkey

1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water according to package directions until al dente. Drain in a colander and set aside.
2. Coat a large pot with cooking spray and set it over medium-high heat. When the pot is hot, add the oil and then the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is softened but not browned, 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Purees the tomatoes and their juice with the carrots in a food processor or blender, then add to the pot along with 1/2 tsp salt. Add the broth, reduce heat to low, and simmer, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, put the bread in a large bowl. Add the egg, sweet potatoes, milk, parmesan, 1 tsp salt, the pepper and paprika, let soak until the bread is very soft. Stir to break up the bread, add the ground turkey, and mix until smooth. Form into mini-meatballs 1/2 inch in diameter. (I use a small cookie scoop and drop them right into the pot)
5. Add the meatballs to the pot. Simmer, covered, until the meatballs are no longer pink in the center, 12-15 minutes. Stir in the pasta. Serve sprinkled with parmesan.

Submitted by Jennifer Ermolaev

Two Tomato Bisque (Heart Healthy)

1/3 cup margarine
½ medium onion, finely chopped
½ cup carrots, finely chopped
½ cup celery, finely chopped
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 quart evaporated skim milk
2 ½ cups tomato juice
1 16 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
Basil
Sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

In large sauce pan melt margarine. Add onions, celery, and carrots, saute until tender. Stir in flour, heat until bubbles. Remove from heat. Meanwhile, heat evaporated milk in a separate saucepan until warm, but don't boil. Slowly whisk milk into the pan with the veggies. Return to medium heat, bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add remaining ingredients and simmer gently, stirring frequently for about 25 minutes. Serve as is or puree in blender or food processor.

Submitted by Julie Despain


Wild Rice Soup



2 boxes Uncle Ben’s long grain wild rice (or 2 C. cooked wild rice)
2 Tb. Margarine or butter
1 Tb. Minced onion
¼ C. flour
4 C. chicken broth
1 C. half and half
1/3 C. chopped ham
1/3 C. finely grated carrots
3 Tb. Slivered almonds

Prepare rice according to directions on box.
Melt butter in saucepan and saute minced onion, but don’t brown it. Stir in flour and chicken broth until thick. Stir in rice and simmer 5-10 minutes. Blend in half and half, carrots, almonds, and ham. Heat to serve.

Submitted by Heather Swendsen

December 2007 - Holiday Desserts

Pumpkin Pancakes


2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar (I added a bit more - just to satisfy my sweet tooth!)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vinegar
Chocolate chips to your taste

In a separate bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar. Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt, stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake (spread out each pancake after pouring to help it cook all the way through). Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Submitted by Jessica Hansen and Danielle Smith


Cream Scones with Chocolate Chunks


2 Cups flour
1/4 cup sugar, plus sugar for sprinkling
2 1/2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (I use chocolate chips)
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1 T milk or cream for brushing on top

Position a rack in center of over and preheat oven to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with a double layer of parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together thoroughly. Stir in the chocolate pieces. Make a well in the center and pour the cream into it. Use a rubber spatula to push the dry ingredients from the sides of the bowl into the well, cutting and turning the mixture just until the dry ingredients are almost entirely moistened and the dough looks rough and shaggy. Gather the dough into a lump and knead it gently against the sides of the bowl five or more times, pressing in the loose pieces, until the dough just holds together (it should not be smooth) and the sides of the bowl are fairly clean. On a lightly floured board, put the dough into an 8 1/2 inch round about 3/4 inches thick. Cut into 12 wedges. Place them at least 1 inch apart on the baking sheet. Brush the tops with milk or cream and sprinkle lightly with sugar. Bake until the tops are golden brown, 12-15 minutes. Let cool on a rack, and serve warm or at room temperature.

Submitted by Julie Despain

November 2007 - Appetizers and Desserts

Brie and Mushrooms Bouchées

Ingredients:
- 2 T butter (can be sub by 1T olive oil)
- 1 t minced garlic
- 12 oz sliced fresh mushrooms
- 1 (8oz) wedge Brie cheese, rind remove, cubed
- Phyllo dough mini cups (or puff pastry mini cups) pre-cooked
- 2 ½ T grated parmesan cheese

Preheat the broiler. In a sauce pan over medium heat, melt butter (or heat olive oil), sauté the garlic and mushrooms until soft and brown. Mix in the Brie. Cook and stir until melted and well blended. Place the phyllo (or thawed puff pastry) cups on a baking sheet. Spoon the Brie mixture into the little cups. Sprinkle with a little Parmesan cheese. Broil for about 10 min or until top is slightly brown.
Submitted by Julienna Viegas-Haws altered from allrecipes.com


Capressi

Ingredients:
- best tasting tomatoes you can find, preferably cherry tomatoes (2 small crates should be enough), these have to be firm and ripe in order for the capressi to be yummy
- fresh basil
- mozzarella cheese ball (don't get a block of mozzarella cheese, the best kind to get is mozzarella that is still in brine)
- balsamic vinegar
- kosher salt

Chop the tomatoes in cubes and add to a bowl, chop the basil and add it to the tomatoes, you'll need quite a bit, this is a main ingredient, so don't be stingy with the basil. Cube the mozzarella into fairly small cubes and add to the tomato, basil mixture. Meanwhile you can start boiling your balsamic vinegar. I would boil at least a 1/2 cup of vinegar. Boil it for a while until it starts getting syrupy. Once it does this, you can add it to the tomato, basil, mozzarella mixture. Add kosher salt to taste. Mix and enjoy.
Submitted by Carli Fabrizio


Greek Cake


Ingredients:
- 3 eggs
- 1 ¼ c flour
- 1 little pouch of instant rising yeast (follow package instructions)
- 1 T olive oil
- 1/3 cup whole milk, warmed up lukewarm
- ¾ cup Swiss cheese, grated
- 1 c feta cheese, crumbled
- 1/3 cup black olives, sliced
- ½ green pepper, finely chopped
- ½ red pepper, finely chopped
- 1 t black pepper
- 1 t salt

Mix together feta cheese, olives, peppers. In a separate bowl beat eggs, add flour, yeast, salt and black pepper. Slowly add oil and milk. Add Swiss cheese then feta mixture. Pour everything in a bread pan bake at 375º for 45 min (or until toothpick comes clean in the middle)
Submitted by Stephanie Moore


Roasted Red Peppers and Salami

Ingredients:
- 7-8 red peppers
- fresh garlic
- red wine vinegar
- extra virgin olive oil
- hard salami (preferably freshly sliced from the deli)
- 1 loaf of French Bread (Baguette)

Place about 7 or 8 red peppers on a large baking pan. Don't cut them or take out the stem, just put them on the baking pan as they are. Turn your oven on to broil. The red peppers will start to blacken. Don't worry, you're not burning them. Once one side is black, rotate it. You will repeat this step until the red pepper is almost completely black. It's okay if there are a few brownish spots, but really the whole thing needs to look completely burnt. When this happens, you will remove the pan of red peppers from the over and let them cool for a few minutes. Then, pick them up and pull the stem out. As you pull the stem out, most of the seeds should come out with it. Start pulling off the skin of the red pepper. If they are cook thoroughly enough, the skin should just peel right off. Make sure when you peel of the skin, that you get any remaining seeds. Try to keep the peppers somewhat pretty as you are doing this. You might have to slice them when you're done peeling the skin off. Usually I just pull them apart long ways. After you've done this, put all the peppers in a bowl. Add quite a bit of olive oil. I would say not quite 1/2 cup. Then add about a little less than 1/4 cup red wine vinegar. Make sure that whatever amount of red peppers you do, it's always 2 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. Add about 6 cloves of fresh garlic, minced. Mix in about 1 tsp kosher salt. Let marinate for at least 1 hour prior to serving. Serve on a baguette with hard salami. Enjoy!
(P.S. Just a little tip. When you make roasted red peppers. It's cheaper to buy a big bag of them at Sam's or Costco. Since you need so many of them. Buying them individually can get very pricey. :)
Submitted by Carli Fabrizio


Spinach Feta Tarts

Ingredients
- Cooking Spray
- ½ cup chopped red onions
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ½ t freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ t salt
- 1 (10oz) package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
- 3 large egg whites
- 1 large egg
- 2 T chopped fresh parsley
- 1/12 T chopped fresh oregano
- 2 T 1% low-fat milk
- 6 (18x14-inch) sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
- ½ cup (2oz) crumbled Feta cheese

Preheat oven to 375º. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion, and cook 5 min stirring frequently. Add garlic; cook 1 min, stirring constantly, Stir in pepper and salt. Add spinach; cook 2 min, stirring frequently. Remove from heat, and cool slightly. Combine egg whites and egg in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add spinach mixture, parsley, oregano, and milk, stirring to combine.
Place 1 phyllo sheet on a large cutting board or work surface (cover the remaining dough to prevent drying); lightly coat with cooking spray. Repeat layers with remaining phyllo and cooking spray, ending with phyllo. Gently press phyllo layers together. Lightly coat top phyllo sheet with cooking spray. Cut stack lengthwise into 3 (4 ¼ inch wide) strips, and cut each strip crosswise to form 4 (4 ½-inch) squares. Carefully place 1 layered square into each of 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray; gently press squares into pan to form cups. Fan corners of phyllo cups. Lightly coat the corners of each phyllo cup with cooking spray. Divide the spinach mixture evenly among phyllo cups. Bake at 375º for 15 min. Remove from oven, sprinkle evenly with feta cheese. Loosely cover; bake an additional 3 minutes.
Submitted by Whitney Smith

Cinnamon-Almond-Chocolate Tart

Ingredients:
Almond Crust:
- 1c all purpose flour
- 2 T sugar
- 1 c slivered almond
- ½ cup butter or margarine softened
- 1 egg
Filling:
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 t ground cinnamon
- 1 T corn syrup
- 1/8 t almond extract
- 3 eggs
- 3 oz semisweet baking chocolate, melted cooled
- 6 T butter or margarine melted
- Whipped cream
- Additional ground cinnamon (or shaved semisweet chocolate)

Heat oven to 350º. I food processor, place flour, 2T sugar and the almonds. Cover and process until almonds are finely shopped. Add ½ c butter and egg. Process until well blended. Press mixture in bottom and ½ inch up side of the ungreased 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Bake 20-25 minutes or until light brown. If crust puffs while baking, poke with fork.

In a medium bowl, beat ½ cup sugar, 1 t cinnamon, the corn syrup, almond extract and 3 eggs with wire whisk until smooth. Stir in chocolate and 6 T butter.
Pour filling into hot crust. Bake 18-24 minutes or until almost set in center. Cool on cooling rack at least 30 minutes before serving.

Serve tart topped with whipped cream; sprinkle with additional cinnamon (or shaved semisweet chocolate) – 8 servings
(If you want to add to the presentation add a couple of fresh berries on serving plates)
Submitted by Julienna Viegas-Haws thanks to Betty Crocker


Cranberry Pudding

Ingredients:
- 3T butter
- 1 c sugar
- 1 ¾ c flour
- 2 t baking powder
- ½ t salt
- 1 c evaporated milk
- 2 c raw cranberries

Cream butter and sugar. Mix dry ingredients together in a separate bowl. Alternately add evaporated milk and dry ingredients to butter and sugar beating to blend after every addition. Fold in cranberries. Coat a 8x8 pan with cooking spray and pour in batter. Bake at 350º for 25-30 min until light golden.

- Butter sauce
- ¼ c butter
- ¾ c sugar
- ½ c heavy cream
- 1 t vanilla

Bring to a boil all ingredients except vanilla. Simmer stirring occasionally for 10 min. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Serve hot over warm pudding.
Submitted by Whitney Smith


Fruit Trifle


Ingredients:
- angel food cake
- pudding,(whatever kind you like, I used french vanilla, but you could use vanilla, banana cream, banana, coconut cream, no chocolate)
- cool whip,
- coconut (if you like),
- and fruit; strawberries, bananas, blueberries, peaches, kiwi, mandarin oranges, really anything you like.

On the bottom of your trifle bowl, begin with a very thin layer of pudding, then put some fruit around the edges, like you saw me do at Dining Divas. Do a layer of angel food cake to hold the fruit in place. Put some pudding on top of that, and then some more fruit, in the middle, and around the edges. Then add more angel food...pudding....fruit. You can just break up the pieces of angel food cake. They don't need to be slice neatly or anything like that. Continue this process a few times. You can really do whatever you think will look pretty. It's all about the presentation, it's just a bonus that it tastes yummy. When you get to the top of the bowl, your last layer should be pudding. Then on top of that, spoon on the cool whip. As much as you like. It's okay if it goes above the edge a little bit. Decorate the top with fruit and sprinkle coconut. Serve!
Submitted by Carli Fabrizio


Layered Pumpkin Cheesecake


Ingredients:

Crust:
- 2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs (about 32) – (our family prefers regular Graham crackers crust after trying both – your choice)
- ¼ cup butter or margarine, melted

Filling:
- 4 packages (8oz each) cream cheese, softened
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
- 1 ½ t ground ginger
- 1 t ground cinnamon
- ¼ t ground nutmeg

Heat oven to 300º. Grease 9-inch springform pan with shortening or cooking spray. Wrap foil around pan to catch drips. In small bowl, mix cookie crumbs and butter. Press crumb mixture in bottom and 1 inch up side of pan. Bake 8 to 10 min or until set. Cool 5 min.

In large bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed just until smooth and creamy; do not overbeat. On low speed, gradually beat in sugar. On low speed, beat in eggs, one at the time, just until blended. Spoon 3 cups of the cream cheese mixture into pan; spread evenly.

Stir pumpkin, ginger cinnamon and nutmeg into remaining cream cheese mixture; mix with wire whisk until smooth. Spoon over mixture in pan.

Bake 1 hour 25 min to 1 hour 30 min or until edges are set but center of cheesecake still jiggles slightly when moved.

Turn oven off; open oven door at least 4 inches. Leave cheesecake in oven 30 min longer. Remove from oven; place on cooling rack. Without releasing side of pan, run knife around side of pan to loosen cheesecake. Cool in pan on cooling rack 30 min. Cover loosely; refrigerate at least 6 hours but no longer than 24 hours.

Run knife around edge of pan to loosen cheesecake again; carefully remove side of pan. Place cheesecake on serving plate. Store cheesecake covered in refrigerator. 16 servings.
Submitted by Julienna Viegas-Haws thanks to Betty Crocker (great dessert even for non-fans of cheesecake)