Creativity In The Kitchen Could Pay Off

(NAPSI)-A simple recipe idea could be your ticket to fame and fortune. The 44th Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest is accepting entries now through April 20, 2009. One hundred creative home cooks will compete for a $1 million grand prize at the contest finals April 11-13, 2010, in Orlando. For more details, visit www.bakeoff.com. This recipe example from the 43rd contest fits the Sweet Treats category. The caramel ice cream topping in the filling and drizzled on top makes this creamy cheesecake irresistible.

Spiced Creamy Caramel-Peanut Torte

1 roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated chocolate chip cookies

2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened

1 jar (12.25 oz) Smucker's® caramel ice cream topping

½ cup Jif® creamy peanut butter

⅓ cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

⅛ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg or regular ground nutmeg

1 container (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed

1¼ cups Fisher® honey roasted peanuts

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 10- or 9-inch springform pan with Crisco® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray. Press cookie dough on bottom and ¼ inch up side of pan. Bake 16 to 23 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely, about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, in large bowl, beat cream cheese, ⅔ cup of the caramel topping, the peanut butter and powdered sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Beat in vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Fold in whipped topping until well mixed. Fold in 1 cup of the peanuts. Cover; refrigerate until crust is completely cooled.

Spoon cream cheese mixture over cookie crust. Freeze at least 30 minutes until set.

Just before serving, top cheesecake with remaining ¼ cup peanuts and drizzle with remaining ⅓ cup caramel topping. For easier cutting, wipe knife after each cut. Cover and refrigerate any remaining cheesecake.

16 servings

Bake-Off is a registered trademark of General Mills, Smucker's, Crisco and Jif are trademarks of The J.M. Smucker Company, Fisher is a registered trademark of John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc.

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Fried Chicken with Goobers

CC Note: Pass the pollo goober, ya'll.

(NAPSI)-Fried chicken may be a down-home tradition during football season, but it didn't begin in the South. Fried chicken was known as pollo fritto in Italy and Ga Xao in Vietnam before it became a culinary habit in the Southern United States.

But with food prices soaring, you can still create a delicious fried chicken dinner for friends and family on game day for less than $10. You can give your fried chicken a kick by using both ground peanuts and a special soybean and peanut frying oil blend.

To save money, your oil can be used several times as long as you don't overheat it. After cooking, cool, strain and store the oil in a cool, dark place for future use.



Peanut Fried Chicken

Ingredients:

1 1/2 gallons LouAna Southern Frying Oil

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, divided

3 teaspoons salt, divided

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup salted, dry-roasted peanuts

2 cups buttermilk, divided

2 large eggs

1 (4-pound) whole fryer chicken, cut into 6 pieces

Preparation and Cooking:

Place oil in a large fryer, Dutch oven or another thick-walled iron cooking pot with a tight-fitting lid; heat to 350°.

Combine 1 cup flour, 2 teaspoons salt and pepper in a shallow dish, stirring well with a whisk.

Place remaining 1/3 cup flour and nuts in a food processor; process until finely ground. Add peanut mixture to flour mixture, stirring well.

Combine buttermilk and eggs in a shallow dish, stirring well. Season chicken evenly with remaining 1 teaspoon salt; dredge in flour mixture. Dip chicken in buttermilk mixture; dredge in flour again.

Fry chicken in hot oil 15 minutes or until golden; move to a paper towel-lined plate. Serve immediately.

Serves four people.

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