OMG! Oreo races to protect Cookie Monster. Now both are looking for a ...

Pie filling, in this case apple, is sandwiched between layers of crescent dough and a bottom layer of sweetened cream cheese, topped with cinnamon sugar. Just delicious and so easy.

Apple and Cream Cheese Dessert

Okay. Ya gotta admit. Doesn't that just look dreamy?

I just happened to have a package of crescent rolls and cream cheese in the fridge when I ran across this recipe in the Best of the Best from Mississippi Cookbook and it sounded so good that it haunted me until I made it!

By the way, if you haven't ever seen them before, the Best of the Best series of cookbooks is another great cookbook source to add to your collection {y'all do have a collection like me, right? Or am I the only cookbook junkie out there?? Anybody? Anybody??}. Whether it's the 'Best of' cookbook from your state, a neighboring state or someplace you've never been, I think you will be pleased with these cookbooks! I have several of them and love them - they all have really great recipes in them. I hope to have all 50 someday!! Check out my review here for Best of the Best from the Deep South. Now, that's a great one for sure!

They are basically compilations of recipes selected from dozens of that state's favorite cookbooks, so you sort of get a well-rounded taste of a lot of different cookbooks for not a lot of money. And they tell you where each of the recipes come from, so if you find several recipes you like from a single source, you know exactly what cookbook to buy. Heck they even give you that information detail in the back of the cookbook. Now, they're plain Jane cookbooks, no pictures, just recipes, but I think that they really are a bargain. Be sure to check them out sometime!

Anyway... back to this recipe. I am obsessed with finding different things to do with crescent rolls anyway, and cream cheese and apples go together so well that this sounded delicious. Well, it didn't disappoint I have to tell ya! This dessert is just a fantastic combination of flavors - the creaminess of the melted cream cheese all nestled into the apples that are sandwiched in between two layers of tender dough, and then the cinnamon sugar sort of caramelizes and creates this kind of crunchy top. Gosh this was good, and so easy too. Give this one a try for sure! Goes great with a hot cup of coffee.

Using fresh apples? Just core, peel and slice and stew them down with a bit of butter for about 15-20 minutes until softened.

What you'll need. One package of crescent rolls, 1/2 of an 8-ounce package of cream cheese, 1/2 cup of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract, one can of apple pie filling, 1/2 stick of butter, melted, and a mixture of cinnamon and sugar for sprinkling on top.

Open the crescent roll package, unroll and divide in half, pinching the seams lightly together. Place into a 8 x 8 inch baking dish that has been lightly sprayed with non-stick spray. Please note that I am using a glass Pyrex baking dish, that I believe gives a better result. Do not reduce the oven temperature!


Mix the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla extract together and place on top of the crescent rolls.


Spread the cream cheese evenly all across the top.


Layer the apples on top of the cream cheese layer. Be sure to check your pie filling to see if it is regular, sugar free, or low sugar to see if you may want to add additional sweetener.


Add the other half of the crescent rolls on top of the apples.


Pour the melted butter all over the top of that.


And sprinkle generously with the cinnamon sugar mixture.


Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until golden brown.

Check this one out!

Cherry Cream Cheese Dessert - made with cherry pie filling and a nice sprinkle of granulated sugar on top instead of the cinnamon sugar.

Recipe: Apple and Cream Cheese Dessert

©From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish

Prep time: 10 min |Cook time: 30 min |

Yield: About 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

• 4 ounces of cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup of granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 package of crescent rolls
• 1 can of apple pie filling
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) of unsalted butter, melted
• Mixture of cinnamon and sugar*

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8" x 8" glass baking pan with non-stick spray and set aside. Hand whip the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla extract together until well blended.

Unroll the package of crescent rolls and cut into even halves. Pinch together the seams and place one of the halves into the bottom of the baking pan. Spread the cream cheese evenly on top of the dough and top that with the apple pie filling. If you are using a low sugar or sugar free apple pie filling, you'll probably want to add some sugar or brown sugar to the apples. Top with the other half of the dough and pour the melted butter all over. Sprinkle generously with the cinnamon sugar.

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until golden brown. Let cool long enough to set the filling before cutting.

Cook's Notes: Please note that I am using a glass Pyrex baking dish at 350 degrees F. Using fresh apples? Just core, peel and slice and stew them down with a bit of butter for about 15-20 minutes until softened. Let cool slightly before assembling the dessert. This also makes a perfectly delicious easy cream cheese danish when made without the fruit.

Tip: Several of our readers have made this in the 8 x 8 inch baking pan, but doubling the cream cheese and pill filling with great success. Thanks Ann!

Variations: Experiment with other pie fillings - cherry and blueberry are good substitutes with a plain sprinkling on top of regular granulated sugar instead of the cinnamon sugar. Try this with fresh peaches too! Mary from our Facebook page uses a cooked filling of 2 cups peaches, 1/2 cup sugar, a tablespoon cornstarch, rather than a can of pie filling. Thanks Mary! Double recipe for an oblong pan.

How to make Cinnamon Sugar: Combine 1/2 cup of sugar with 1 heaping tablespoon of cinnamon. Place into an old cleaned spice jar with a shaker top and shake well.

Read more: http://www.deepsouthdish.com/2009/06/apple-cream-cheese-dessert.html#ixzz3Wo1qekNc
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives
Follow us: @DeepSouthDish on Twitter | SouthernRecipes on Facebook

Steve Hofmeyr at the Paul Kruger protest.

Sunette Bridges on the possible removal of the Paul Kruger statue

So ye shall Sew....

Great tips and pointers for getting some relief of your varicose veins!

HOME REMEDIES FOR VARICOSE VEINS heart emoticon

In our body there is a huge network of veins, which carry blood from one part of the body to the other part. When some injury happens to even a single vein, the blood flow gets affected. This can further lead to several diseases. Many times the veins get congested due to the blood clots and this can also result in various illnesses.

Due to the injury the veins appear bluish and swollen. This condition is known as varicose veins. This is extremely painful condition but you can get some relief from the pain by trying the various home remedies for varicose veins.

Home remedies for Varicose Veins:

1. In order to keep the blood circulation well within your body, exercising is the only option. Walking, jogging, cycling and swimming are some of the best form of exercising. Even if you perform some sort of exercising for about 30 to 45 minutes a day that will be sufficient to keep your body healthy and fit.
2. Follow healthy eating habits and stay away form junk food, oily food. Limit your intake of sugar and salt. Try to minimize eating ice creams, cheese, tobacco and peanuts.
3. Your diet should consist of vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts, whole grains, fish and Soya products. Onion, ginger and garlic are also effective for proper blood circulation in the body. Include them while cooking food.
4. Pineapple is also very effective in the treatment of varicose veins. Pineapple juice should be consumed once a day in case you get varicose veins often.
5. Blackberries and cherries are also effective in preventing varicose veins from occurring.
6. Eat fibrous food, as this will keep the bowels clean. This will prevent varicose veins from occurring and will also keep you away from various other conditions.
7. To keep the blood circulation proper avoid sitting or standing in one position for long time. Take break for five minutes in case your work wants you to sit in one position for too long. This will ensure that all the body parts get proper blood supply. Thus there will no pressure on the veins. This is one of the very effective home remedies for varicose veins.
8. Don’t wear tight clothes. Your body should feel comfortable in what you are wearing.
9. In case you have to stand for long time while working then balance your weight equally on both the legs. Don’t put extra pressure on one leg.
10. Rest is also important part of the day. Take rest whenever possible. Daily sleep of six to seven hours is a must for all of us.
11. Applying castor oil over the swollen veins will reduce the swelling and heal the varicose veins fast.
12. Mix carrot juice and spinach juice and drink it. This will also give relief form varicose veins.
13. Massage the swollen veins with rosemary oil, as this will give relief from the pain.
14. Applying apple cider vinegar over the veins will also give relief from varicose veins.
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1 Miracle Prayer Shocks Everyone...And It Was Given By An ATHEIST!

“If God can change me, He can change anybody.”

Clay Lein was an atheist and he let everyone know when he had the chance. You see, he studied engineering in school and needed proof to believe ANYTHING. This thought process served him well in business but where did that leave Clay when it came to God?

Clay was raised attending Vacation Bible School as a child but as he grew older, he began to lose his need and his faith in God.

“I had a very rational mind. It had to be logical. I needed proof. There had to be evidence. And if there wasn’t proof then it was just something people made up,” Lein siad. “Part of the training for engineers is to be skeptical, to demand data, to want to see evidence.”

Clay got married, earned an MBA and began a successful career at Intel. All of these achievements and the world that surrounded him seemed very concrete and observable. There was no need to believe in something intangible that required you to suspend your scientific mind, he reasoned.

"Why would I need God? I mean, if he even existed why would I have any need for him, he thought."

But his wife pleaded with him to attend church, and he acquiesced because he thought “church was a place nice people go.” All the while he tactfully but firmly let people know he was an atheist.

Then he volunteered at a youth camp and that’s when his skepticism got shattered.

He was asked to pray publicly.

Clay was put on the spot without any preparation and he got nervous. But he quickly figured he could keep up appearances by drawing on his childhood memories from Vacation Bible School. He quickly convinced himself he could fake his way through.

But as he began to pray, something very unusual happened. Words oddly began to flow naturally from his mouth, without him needing to conjure up any memories whatsoever.

The Holy Spirit took over and directed his prayer for each child! By the time he was done, a simple prayer had extended to 15 minutes. And it hit the mark.

One girl was so deeply moved that she began crying.

“In between the sobs she begins to share that her uncle was abusing her,” he recalls. “And that she hadn’t been able to tell anybody else until that moment. That’s when I think something clicked for me.”

Suddenly, “God was relevant and He really wanted to do amazing things in my life,” Clay said. “I became a Christian that day. And I heard a voice, and it wasn’t Charleton Heston, it was more a thought that comes up and often times it sounds like Clay’s voice but it was definitely God. And it said, ‘Try me.'”

This experience didn’t fit into a neat scientific box, measurable by instrumentation or by the five senses. But it was evidence nevertheless that completely upended his skepticism.

Clay began thinking about how God had changed that teenager’s life in just 15 minutes. What would happen if he gave God more than 15 minutes?

“A question I had for God: if you can do that with my life, if I get out of my way for just 15 minutes, what could You do with my whole life if I got out of Your way with all of it?” he recalls.

Clay launched into a new path for his life. He enrolled in seminary and was ordained an Episcopalian minister in 1996.

He served as a deacon in South Carolina and as the rector at a church in Plano, Texas. In 2002, he helped start a new congregation in Frisco, north of Dallas, and it now has 1,400 members. Most recently, he was named rector of the 4,000-member Church of St. John the Divine in Houston.

The display sign outside the church declares: “Changing lives for God in Christ.”

“I’m a poster child” for that declaration, he says. “If God can change me, He can change anybody.”

Wow! Thanks you, Clay for your amazing story.  Our God is a God of second chances and he never gives up on us! God had great plans for clay and he does for you too!  Give God 15 minutes today and see what he does for you.  It's never too late to have a change of heart!

http://www.godvine.com/