Cream Cheese

If you woke up dreaming of cool, creamy cheesecake and then realized it was all a cruel joke, take heart. The joke is really on cheesecake full of globby fat and sugar. Did you know an average slice is about 450 calories? But wait! You can have that cool, creamy cheesecake pleasure, and enjoy it worry-free, too. Creamy cheese pies are about the easiest and most guilt-free desserts a skinny-to-be can look forward to. Replace cream cheese with cottage cheese, skim milk ricotta cheese or fresh farmer cheese.

I'm uncertain of the derivation of the phrase "plum good!" Perhaps it was exclaimed the first time someone bit into a sweet soft sunshine-warmed greengage just fallen from the tree. Or maybe it was the big purple Italian plum that the Italians and French call "prune plums. " (In French, the word "prune" means fresh plum and "pruneaux" means dried plum, the dried and wrinkly fruit we Americans call "prune. " The Italians call a fresh plum "prugna" and a dried plum "prugna secca.

This Spinach and Black Bean Burger recipe from A Full Plate was created with the aid of co-owner Liz Peterson from the restaurant's standard process, but she cautioned that they don't use set amounts, preferring to "eyeball it. " SPINACH & BLACK BEAN BURGERS 12 ounces cooked black beans 10 ounces spinach 4 ounces salsa Bread crumbs Salt and pepper to taste 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 4 hamburger rolls Mix the...

TOMATO SOUP and a grilled cheese sandwich make a popular meal, but its calorie count and fat content could surprise you. OliveGarden.com's recipe for cream of tomato and basil soup contains 482 calories and 34 fat grams per cup, but I slim it down by using a mixture of tomato puree, mashed potato and half-and-half in place of two cups of heavy cream. I also substitute chicken broth for white wine. My alterations to this soup cut the calories by 74 percent and slash the fat by 80 percent.

It would seem, if there were any sense to the language, that a sugarplum should be an extremely sweet plum - a prune, maybe, that had been glaceed or sugar-coated - and I did indeed once get a box of beautifully preserved plums, from Portugal, that were so labeled. But just as the plums in plum pudding are most likely to be raisins and/or currants, a sugarplum, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is "a small round or oval sweetmeat, made of boiled sugar and variously flavored and colored; a comfit.

As fads come and go, some prove as silly as pre-torn clothing or leashes for pet rocks, while others have such lasting value that they become as basic to the culture as sturdy, dependable blue jeans. There are culinary rages that fizzle, too, perhaps because flavors aren't good enough, preparation is too difficult or expensive, or nutritional value is dubious. But the best food fashions, like the other kinds of fads, remain with us. We believe that warm entree salads are destined to be permanent pleasures, and this month we offer an unusual one that combines all-American turkey meat with flavors and textures of the Orient.

Tea sandwiches are as many and varied as the baked goods that crowd the table for Afternoon Tea. At a minimum, there are fingers of bread lacquered with sweet butter and a pot of jelly or honey nearby. But there might also be cucumber sandwiches made of thin disks of bread primed with a glaze of butter and shingles of cucumber laid on top. Potted shrimp or ham might be spread on toast, or slices of tomato and grated cheese on a length of french bread. There is likely a pile of buns filled with sausage, cheese or deviled meats, and tiny squares of white bread spread with herb butter and smoked fish.

"Cream cheese in high heels. " That's how the fabulous Dede is described by one of the Italian film directors from her fictional film past in "Dede's Glamarama," the short that has been playing on area screens to promote the Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema. The short shows Dede, during a day in her life as a salon owner and ex- movie star, wistfully recalling her halcyon days as star of "The Betsy Ross Story" and "Death in South Philly," wishing that someday someone will "bring back the glamour.

There is always a package of filo dough in my freezer. It refreezes well, and all kinds of dishes may be constructed out of it. I haul it out for an individual Greek spinach pie when the desire hits or a bunch of hors d'oeuvres when unexpected guests arrive. When I have some leftover chicken or turkey I often make this simple chicken puff. The nice thing about it is you eat one and freeze one for later use. One puff is ample - and rich - for one serving. Recommended freezing time should not exceed two months, but they're so good you'll probably want it the next night.

The thought of a souffle doesn't exactly conjure up the image of quick and easy cooking. That's too bad. It could. Even if you believe that the high-rise dessert is exactly what your holiday guests would like, you'll probably decide that you're just too busy to make one at this time of year. That's too bad, too. You could do it - even with trees to trim, gifts to wrap, children to talk to, cookies to bake, Champagne to buy, New Year's parties to plan and company coming. The dessert is Chocolate-Espresso Souffle, made in individual servings.