Cream Cheese

Thanks to some sprucing up and careful attention to its food, the St. Davids Inn has become a cozy place for an evening dinner. With a buffet dinner ($14.95 prix fixe) that changes each night, the Spencer room offers a comfortable experience in leisurely dining. Best of all, the food is quite nice. Although there's nothing terribly unfamiliar or startling about the dishes, several revel in rich sauces, and the variety is extensive enough to ensure that you won't go hungry no matter what your tastes.

Here are four mouth-watering ways to get your holiday guests in a dining mood: CHUTNEY DIP 1 cup light or cholesterol-free mayonnaise 1/4 cup mango chutney or other chutney 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger 1 teaspoon grated lime or lemon peel Combine the mayonnaise, chutney, ginger and lime or lemon peel. Cover and chill. Serve with cooked shrimp, sliced cucumbers, chicken nuggets or cut vegetables. Makes 10 servings. Per tablespoon: 97 calories, 8 grams fat, 5.9 grams carbohydrate, 142 grams sodium.

Haverford School officials never knew what a sweet fund-raiser Bonnie Schulman was when she enrolled her son David in the 1990 kindergarten class. For the last three years, Schulman has donated hundreds of baked goods for the school's biggest annual fund-raising event, Merry Mart, a shopping affair sponsored by the parents' association that will be held at the school tomorrow and Sunday. Since July, Schulman has baked 13 cakes, 32 cheesecakes, 300 cookies, and a total of 400 tarts, cupcakes and brownies - all to sell in the Sweet Creations booth at the Merry Mart.

Cheesecake is a triumph of flavor and texture. No wonder it's one of America's favorite holiday desserts. Its just-right creaminess caresses the tongue, creating a luxurious silk scarf of richness on the palate. The cream cheese, sugar, eggs and vanilla balance in perfect harmony. By the wedge or by the sliver, cheesecake is not-too-sweet, not-too-tart dessert perfection. But the taste is only part of the appeal. At holiday time, I'm looking for easy-to-prepare desserts that can be made in advance and frozen.

Dear Polly: I'm looking for a plain cheesecake recipe. Do you have a good one? - J.M.C. Dear J.M.C.: Here's a basic recipe for a traditional cheesecake. It's light, moist and delicious - and very easy to make. The recipe is from "Cheesecake Madness" by John J. Segreto ($7.95, Simon and Schuster; 1981). Make the crust. Combine 1 cup graham cracker crumbs, 1 tablespoon sugar and 2 tablespoons softened butter in a small mixing bowl. Blend well with fingers, fork or pastry blender.

When Jonathan's opened a few years back, it attracted a mix of customers wearing everything from yarmulkes to Phillies caps. But what else would you expect from a Center City glatt kosher, New York- style, Israel deli specializing in Middle Eastern cuisine? Things are pretty much the same at Jonathan's these days, except for a new owner, a slightly different menu and a revival of the original commitment to quality. The crowds flow in and out of Jonathan's like seltzer at an egg-cream- making contest.

TOP OFF A MEAL with Black Forest cheesecake and you might want to stay in the dark about the damage it could do to your diets. With more than 330 calories and 18 fat grams per serving, it doesn't fit into most calorie budgets. So I lightened up this rich dessert, shaving off 34 percent of the calories and slashing 51 percent of the fat. You can have a serving of my Black Forest cheesecake for 219 calories and 8.9 grams of fat. KATHY'S BLACK FOREST CHEESECAKE For brownie layer: 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 tablespoon canola oil 2 ounces semisweet chocolate chips 3 tablespoons packed Splenda brown sugar blend 2 tablespoons Splenda (granulated for baking)

A national magazine, in its NBA preview issue, says the 76ers' middle has turned into Philadelphia cream cheese. In some circles, cream cheese can be a delicacy. The Sixers went behind closed doors yesterday and treated it as if it were the high-priced spread. Real high-priced. The Sixers, on the eve of training camp at Franklin & Marshall College, signed veteran free-agent center Tim McCormack, rookie center Chris Welp and veteran free-agent guard David Wingate.

Canapes may sound stuffy, but they actually are on the easy end of the party-food scale. And this year, for your Oscar viewing party, you've got a great reason to try making the old-school Philly canape made famous in Silver Linings Playbook : Crabby snacks. Crabby snacks are, to quote the Matthew Quick novel on which the multiply nominated movie was adapted, "buttered crabmeat and orange cheese on English muffins. " Crabby snacks sometimes go by other names, like "crab bites," "crabby bites," "crabbies" or "crab canapes.

January is the longest month of the year - or at least it feels that way. Though it's not the only 31-day month, January is the only one that seems twice the length, with each day more blustery than the one before. In fact, if I had my way I'd skip the month and burrow under the covers until February. Unfortunately, I don't have that luxury and I'll bet you don't, either. That's why I'm pampering myself with foods that give me some incentive to get out of bed. As much as I advocate cold, high-fiber breakfast cereals for their health value, I'll save those for later in the year.