Search no further for something special to serve a crowd. Savory Cheesecake is stunning on a dark platter adorned with leafy greens. Serve with an assortment of crackers, and grapes or pears. This is from the Beyond Parsley cookbook put out by the Kansas City Junior League awhile back… Freezes well and can be halved!!

Ingredients:

• 1/3 c breadcrumbs, fine (maybe panko?)
• 1/4 c parmesan cheese, grated
• 3 1/2  (8 ounce) packages cream cheese (28 oz)
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 c heavy cream
• 1/2 lb bacon
• 1 medium onion
• 1/2 lb blue cheese, crumbled (Roquefort, stilton, gorgonzola)
• salt and pepper
• 2 -3 drops Tabasco sauce

Instructions:

1. Sprinkle breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese in a buttered water-tight-8 inch round springform pan.  (Use half a recipe for a 6 inch pan.)
2. Set aside.
3. Combine cream cheese, eggs, and cream in mixer.
4. Sauté bacon until crisp.
5. Drain.
6. Chop finely.
7. Reserve 1 tablespoon drippings.
8. Sauté onion in reserved bacon drippings until clear.
9. Add onion, bacon, blue cheese, salt, pepper, and Tabasco to cream cheese mixture.
10. Mix just until combined.
11. Pour into a prepared pan.
12. Set pan inside a larger one.
13. Pour boiling water 2 inches deep into larger pan.
14. Bake 1 hour and 40 minutes at 300°.
15. Turn off oven and let “cake” set for 1 hour.
16. Remove pan from water and cool 2 hours.
17. Place on serving platter.  Pan
18. Slice in small wedges.

Serves 50 (5 pounds ish of stuff.)

Source:  Beyond Parsley, Kansas City Junior League – Recipe by College Girl

This is where your creativity can soar!  Yea, basic cream cheese is good but cream cheese with something in it can be outstanding.  Just go through your spice shelf and refrigerator – bacon bits, basil, black pepper, caraway, cayenne pepper, celery seed, chives, cilantro, cinnamon, crispy onions, curry, dill, olives (chopped), paprika, parsley, poppy seed, rosemary, sesame, sun dried tomatoes, tarragon, wasabi etc.  Don’t waste time with one sheet and so small an amount of cream cheese.  Go into mass production and freeze for future parties/snacks.  Just be sure to label them.

Ingredients:

• cooking spray
• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 egg, beaten

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Lightly grease a baking sheet with cooking spray.
3. Cut thawed puff pastry sheet in half. (Pinch together cracks at folds.)
4. Cut each half into 6 small squares.
5. Put a spoonful of cream cheese on one side of each square.
6. Brush edges with water.
7. Fold over diagonally to make a triangle.
8. Press edges to seal.
9. Transfer pastries to the prepared baking sheet.
10. Brush beaten egg over top of the pastries to add shine.
11. Bake in the preheated oven until top is golden, about 20 minutes.

Source: Allrecipes!

These are really very easy to make – unfortunately, most people try too hard to make them “pretty”. Putting them together will be easier each time you make them, but just remember they only have to be closed – not pretty when they are raw – they will look much better cooked.  For variety you can add diced water chestnuts and canned bean sprouts (well drained).  Have not tried it but ground turkey or chicken would work too.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb hamburger (I use ground chuck)
• 1 pkg Lipton onion soup (1 envelope)
• 1 c shredded cheddar cheese
• 3 pkg crescent rolls (8/package)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Brown hamburger in a large skillet.
3. When all the red is gone, add the soup mix and saute for about 10 minutes.
4. Let cool slightly.
5. Stir in cheese.
6. Unwrap a package of crescent rolls.
7. CUT EACH CRESCENT ROLL IN HALF (very important)
8. Place 1 teaspoonful or so of meat mixture on each half of the crescent roll.
9. Fold over and seal the edges. (Just pinch the dough around the mixture and make sure it is “closed”)
10. If you are using these right away, simply place each turnover on a cookie sheet about 1 inch apart.
11. Continue with remaining crescent rolls and meat mixture.
12. Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes – until lightly browned.

If you are making these for later, place each turnover on a cookie sheet (get as many as you can on each sheet) – then place the cookie sheet in the freezer for about 10 minutes, until the turnovers are hardened slightly) – then you can just place them in plastic bag and freeze. When cooking the frozen turnovers, let them defrost slightly and cook them for about 5 minutes additional. Keep watching the bottoms so they don’t burn.

Serves:  Makes 48
Source:  Arlene Springe, A Little Bit of Christmas, Anaheim Memorial Hospital Guild 1977