Bacon Crescent Appetizers

Note: These are dangerously good.

Prep Time: 30 min Total Time: 45 min Makes: 8 doz. or 24 servings, four crescents each

1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
8 slices OSCAR MAYER Bacon, crisply cooked, crumbled
1/3 cup KRAFT 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped green onion (my change)
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley (optional)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp. milk
2 cans (8 oz. each) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

PREHEAT oven to 375°F. Mix cream cheese, bacon, Parmesan cheese, onions, parsley and milk until well blended; set aside.
SEPARATE each can of dough into four rectangles; firmly press perforations together to seal. Spread each rectangle with 2 rounded tablespoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture. Cut each rectangle into 12 wedges. Roll up wedges, starting at short ends. Place, seam-sides down, on greased baking sheet.
BAKE 12 to 15 min. or until golden brown. Serve warm.
Note: It can be kind of hard to figure out what they meant by cutting each rectangle into twelve wedges! What I did was cut the rectangles into fourths, then cut the fourths into three wedges. Also, these can be hard to roll, so I really just folded them over.

Chimichurri Sauce

Apparently, my version of Chimichurri sauce is a little bit unconventional. Most recipes seem to be made with parsley, but I found myself with a huge bunch of cilantro that I didn't know what to do with... So it went into a sauce! Soooo good, but it WILL give you killer breath--you can count on it. We ate this on everything for about a week--sandwiches, pasta, fajitas, etc.!


Fresh Cilantro (I used almost a whole bunch)
8 cloves of garlic (yeah, 8)
3/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
3 Tbsp. lime juice
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

Blend until it looks right.

Holiday Cheese Spread

This is a recipe that my professor (and boss, and friend) always brings to our departmental parties. It's Jonathan's favorite cheeseball ever!

Holiday Cheese Spread

4 (8-oz) pkgs. cream cheese, softened
1 sm. can chopped dark olives
2 sm. jars dried beef
1 sm. can sliced mushrooms
1 sm. bunch green onions, diced
2 tsp. Accent
Crackers
Use blender to dice mushrooms and grind up dried beef. Mix all ingredients (except crackers) in a large bowl. Chill. Spread on crackers.

Easy Bake Cheese & Pesto

1 can (4 oz.) reduced fat refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese, 1/3 Less Fat than Cream Cheese

2 Tbsp. pesto

2 Tbsp. chopped roasted red peppers

1 egg, lightly beaten

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Unroll dough on lightly greased baking sheet; firmly press seams together to form 12x4-inch rectangle.

CUT cream cheese horizontally in half with sharp knife. Place one of the cream cheese pieces on half of dough; top with 1 Tbsp. of the pesto and the peppers. Cover with remaining cream cheese piece; spread top with remaining 1 tsp. pesto. Brush dough with egg; fold dough in half to completely enclose filling. Press edges of dough together to seal. Brush top with any remaining egg.

BAKE 15 to 18 min. or until lightly browned. Cool 10 min. Serve with RITZ Reduced Fat Crackers and cut-up fresh vegetables.

Gourmet Crab Dip

Gourmet Crab Dip

1/2 pound cooked crab meat or 1 (6-ounce) can crab meat, drained
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons sour cream
1 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon prepared horseradish
Few drops hot sauce, or to taste
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
A pinch of Cayenne pepper
Coarse salt
Baguette bread

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. If using fresh crab meat, carefully clean the crab meat of any shells or cartilage.

In a medium-size bowl, combine cream cheese and sour cream until smooth and no lumps appears. Stir in garlic, lemon juice, horseradish, hot sauce, parmesan cheese, Cayenne pepper, and salt. Fold in crab meat until well mixed.

Place the crab dip in an ungreased small 2-cup baking dish. When ready to serve, bake for approximately 20 to 25 minutes or until top is bubbly and just starting to turn brown. Serve with baguette bread slices.

NOTE: This dip can be prepared ahead of time, covered, and refrigerated until ready to bake. I also double this recipe during the holiday season and divide into two separate baking dishes. I then freeze one for later use. To use the frozen crab dip, remove from freezer and let thaw in the refrigerator before baking.

Makes approximately 1 cup.