Love My Philly

This is a delicious and flexible recipe. It’s the perfect treat for parties and
events of that nature. Great dessert to make a day ahead!

Cream Cheese fans rejoice! There is a
whole day that is devoted to everything and anything relating to cream cheese.
Nestled in the Adirondack foothills in Northern New York, the small town of Lowville has been celebrating
the wonderful that is cream cheese for four years now.

            The
festival held, once a year is held in downtown Lowville. The town of 3,500
gathers for the festivities which include everything from a Cream Cheese Toss,
cream cheese bingo, cream cheese recipe contest, to a bagel and cream cheese
eating contest, and a ‘feed your friends face (with cheesecake of coarse)
contest. Other non-cream cheese events include a scarecrow contest, a pet
fashion contest, a parade and a stage with live music all day long. The biggest
attraction the festival has to offer is the arrival of the world’s largest
cheesecake, made with Kraft Philadelphia Cream Cheese, which sponsors the
festival. Hungry cheesecake enthusiasts will line up as soon as the festival
starts and will wait up to two hours in line for there slice of the heavenly
and gigantic cake. That is dedication if I’ve ever heard it.

            If you want
to check out the festival for yourself your in luck, it’s Saturday September
20, 2008 from 11:00 am to 6:00pm in Downtown Lowville, NY. If traveling from
out of town make a whole trip out of it and experience the beauty of the region
with its 3,000 lakes and ponds, and 2,000 miles of hiking trails. It’s not only
a cream cheese gem of a town it’s a haven for outdoor recreation

            So move
over garlic festival in Gilroy, CA; and watch out maple syrup festival of St. Albans, VT,
there’s a new festival in town and its creamy goodness isn’t going anywhere.
The Lowville cream cheese festival is taking the world by storm one bagel at a
time.

What makes a good cook great? Evolution. Growing, changing, and constantly adding recipes to their culinary repertoire. Here are 5 recipe books that should be in every cooks collection.

Desserts by Nancy Silverton
When one of the best pastry chefs in the country tell you how to bake anything, you listen. Nancy Silverton’s book is not for the faint. If you are looking for a 1,2,3 guide to making brownies, this book is not for you.

The Taste of Country Cooking: 30th Anniversary Edition by Edna Lewis
This book epitomizes southern cooking at its best, filled with the kind of cooking you can only find in the country: jams and jellies, deep dish fruit filled pies, seasonal dishes, and comfort foods that warm your heart. It is a book filled with recipes you’ll want to treat your loved ones to.

Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan
Who doesn’t love pasta? This is the quintessential book for Italian cooking. With 20 sauces alone, you will find everything you ever need to know to perfect your Italian cuisine.

The Joy of Cooking by Rombauer and Becker
The bible of cooking. No cook can live without this one.

The Dean & Deluca Cookbook by David Rosengarten
This book is an eclectic compilation of recipes that don’t disappoint. You’ll find a little bit of everything here.

With the cost of food rising families every where are
worried about being able to provide delicious and healthy meals that don’t cost
an arm and a leg to produce. The state of the economy may be a little
compromising right now, but that doesn’t mean that your meals have to be. Here
are a few simple tips and recipes to try that will keep your wallet and your
stomach happy.

Tips:

• Plan
  out meals ahead of time. So you don’t overspend at the grocery store, plan
  your meals out for the week and then make a list of everything that you
  have and everything you need. Take the “need” to the store once a week to
  stock up.
• Stock
  up the pantry, and take advantage of any sales on dry or canned goods so
  that your pantry stays full. Keep lots of dry whole wheat pastas and brown
  rice on hand at all times, both are healthy options and can be made into a
  variety of dishes.
• Frozen
  veggies are a great alternative to fresh produce; it lasts longer and more
  often than not can be less expensive. Take advantage of meat when on sale
  to, you can freeze what you don’t use for future meals.
• Keep
  in mind what is in season for fresh produce- It will be less expensive.
  For example strawberries, blackberries, and cherries are always less
  expensive in the summer months.
• Avoid
  convenience foods like fast food or frozen dinners, they are heavy in
  salt, and usually fat content.
• Incorporate
  leftovers into the next meal.

Read more… »

The second the weather turns warm I put away the chocolate
ice cream and turn for fruity flavors. My friends and I love to enjoy rainbow
sherbet on a warm day or a creamsicle. So, when faced with the dilemma of what
recipe to share with you all, I turned to my favorite warm weather flavors for
inspiration and I came up with a Creamsicle Cheesecake. This is sure to please
and is the perfect treat after a light dinner. Grab your SO, a slice of this
cake, and enjoy while you watch the sunset.

Creamsicle Cheesecake

2
pkgs. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

2
eggs

1/2
cup sugar

1
tsp. vanilla

1
tsp. orange extract

2
drops yellow food coloring

1
drop red food coloring

9”
graham cracker crumb crust

PREHEAT
oven to 350º.

BEAT,
in a large bowl, the cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the
eggs, beat well. Add the sour cream and vanilla, mix well.

PLACE 1
cup of the mixture in a small bowl and stir in the orange extract and the
yellow and red food colors.

POUR
the remaining cream cheese mixture into the pie crust. Drop the orange cream
cheese mixture into it by spoonfuls and swirl with a knife to create a marbled
effect.

BAKE
for 30-35 minutes or until firm around the edges. The center will be slightly
loose. Allow to cool for 1 hour then cover and chill for at least 8 hours
before serving.