White Chocolate Cream Cheese Tassies with Raspberry Preserves

I recently discovered the Philadelphia Indulgence line. It's cream cheese mixed with chocolate and is to die for! I knew, after the first taste, I was going to have to come up with a recipe using it. I decided to lean towards the direction of bite-sized cheesecakes because not only was it an obvious idea, but with Spring now here, it just felt right.

The crust for these is made, quite simply, with flour, cream cheese, butter and just a little bit of milk. You should be able to get 18 shells if you portion it correctly. Make sure to spray your mini muffin tin with a non stick coating, otherwise, you won't be able to get the finished product out!

Crust:

1 cup flour

1 tbs sugar

Dash of salt

1/4 softened cream cheese

2 tbs softened butter

2 tbs milk

Cooking spray

Filling:

1 tub Philadelphia Indulgence, White Chocolate flavor

Raspberry Preserves

Preheat oven to 350° and spray a mini muffin pan with cooking spray

Beat sugar, salt, cream cheese and milk with a mixer. Add flour and mix until well combined (it will be crumbly.) Form into a ball and turn out onto a lightly floured surface, knead 3 to 4 times. Portion out 18 same size pieces. Place one dough portion in each cup of the sprayed muffin tin. Press each portion down and up the sides of the cup. Bake in oven for 10-15 minutes or until the edge of the pastries are golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool. When pastries are cool, fill each one with the white chocolate cream cheese, making a small indent in the centers. Top each one with the preserves. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Remove each finished dessert from tin and sit on serving plate. Let stand about 5 minutes before serving.

Crock Pot Recipe- Lengua

Lengua, or tongue, used to be a cheap cut of meat to prepare. However, I think because of celebrity chefs featuring offals (the edible internal parts of an animal) on their shows and menus, the cost has skyrocketed. What once was a common thing to eat in our household has now become an occasional meal.

If you are trying lengua for the first time then try your best to get past the fact it is tongue. When completely cooked it is tender and reminds you of a well cooked roast. When I first introduced it to our kids, I didn't let them see it, didn't tell them what it was and they enjoyed it. Only after I had prepared it several times did I let them in on the secret.

1 Lengua, rinsed

2 Poblano peppers, sliced thick

3 Jalapenos, sliced thick

1 Serrano pepper, diced

1 medium yellow onion, sliced

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

5 garlic cloves, peeled

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbs whole comino

1 tbs ground comino

2 bay leaves

1 28 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, drained

1 8 ounce can tomato sauce

salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Place the tongue and all ingredients in the crock pot, breaking up tomatoes with your hand. Cover, set on low and cook 5-6 hours. When done, remove tongue from pot and lest rest for about 10 minutes. Carefully slice the thick outside skin (you'll see the taste buds and it will be gray and white in color) and peel off to reveal the meat. Slice meat and serve with sauce.

Tres Leches Cake with Cajeta

The Tres Leches cake is a staple in most Mexican restaurants. It's made of white or yellow cake that is soaked in three different milks, hence the name, Tres Leches. When my husband and I got married we chose it as our wedding cake. You know how most people have tons of cake left over? Well, we had absolutely none! It is, in my opinion, one of the best cakes out there.

This particular recipe is a little different from the ones you normally see. Mine is layered with a thin layer of cajeta (Mexican caramel sauce) between the cake. Most people make a sheet cake, cut it in even squares and top with half a maraschino cherry. If you can't find the particular cake mix that I used, just go with a plain white mix. When pouring the milk onto the cake, make sure it doesn't seep out the bottom. The cake should be very moist but not dripping with liquid.

1 box of vanilla cake mix, like Duncan Hines Signature or Moist Deluxe

1 cup sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup evaporated milk

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup cajeta, room temperature

2 tbs powdered sugar

1/4 tsp rum or imitation rum

Prepare cake according to package directions for two 9" cakes. When done, completely cool on wire racks. With a long knife or cake cutter, even out cake layers. Mix sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and 1/2 cup of heavy cream in a bowl. Place on cake on a plate with cut side up. Slowly pour 1/2 of the milk mixture over the cake. Be careful not to pour too much, you do not want the liquid to seep out of the cake. Top with a thin layer of cajeta then top with the second cake, cut side up. Slowly pour the remaining milk mixture over second layer, making sure not to add too much. In a mixer bowl, add remaining heavy cream, powdered sugar and rum, whip until stiff. Frost cake with the whipped cream, cover and refrigerate until well chilled, preferably overnight. Garnish with cherries or pineapple if desired.