Semi-homemade

I am torn. The baker inside me yells "bad bad bad!" as I cut open the pack of refridgerated cookie dough, but the mommy fights back - "but it's fast, and easy, and cheap and all the work has already been done for me!" and so goes my morning. I have decided that semi-homemade is ok. The kids appreciate having dessert and I appreciate the cost and time saving aspects.

So, while I still believe that homemade is best, you can bet I took advantage of all the great sales, coupons and deals (at my Kroger store) this holiday season - I think I ended up with 8 cookie mixes, 8 pie doughs, and 8 rolls of cookie dough, and all of it was soooo cheap it was almost free! *To find out about great coupons, sales, and deals at your favorite stores, check out my favorite coupon webiste/discussion forum weusecoupons.com.*

And if you're still with me, I just tried a great semi-homemade cheescake brownie recipe (I am ashamed to admit I have NEVER made homemade brownies, I guess that will be a future recipe endeavor...)

PHILADELPHIA Marble Brownies

For brownies:
1 pkg. (19 to 21 oz.) brownie mix (13x9-inch pan size)

Ingredients on brownie package (eggs, oil, whatever)

For Cheesecake topping:
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla

HEAT oven to 350ºF.

PREPARE brownie batter as directed on package; spread into greased 13x9-inch pan (pretend not to see the cracks caused by the leafs of my table)

BEAT cream cheese with mixer until creamy. Add sugar, egg and vanilla; mix well. Drop by tablespoonfuls over brownie batter



swirl with knife.



BAKE 35 to 40 min. or until cream cheese mixture is lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting to serve. Keep refrigerated.

Note to self: next time I make this I will swirl *less* because I think it will taste better if the cheesecake layer stands out some - I want wider ribbons of cheesecake :)