It truly was the happiest place on Earth! We had SO MUCH FUN with Max and MIckey and the gang...hated to come home! We loved every second of it! Even the mister had fun...until he went on a ride, which I'm not allowed to mention, but it went around and around at high speeds (3-G's) and even upside down, and when the big, strong Marine got off the ride that I can't mention, he did something that I'm not ever to speak of...as it was quite embarrassing for him...so since I can't upchuck any more info about it, I'll just show you how it ended:
Do you suppose the mister was trying to tell me something with his upraised finger??? Naw, I'm sure he was just waving at me, to let me know he was okay, that he wasn't having a heart attack at Disneyland!!! Yep, I'm sure that's what he was saying!
We had picture-perfect weather...sunny and warm for most of our trip and then a few clouds rolled, just to make us feel at home. Got to hand it to California, it's quite seductive with it's palm trees and blue skies, almost had me thinking I wanted to live there...until I got on the FREEWAYS!
Just look at the blue sky in the pic above left - that's the REAL sky! The green mountains are fake background - but doesn't the sky look fake, too? That's how perfect it was! Max loved driving Mickey's car...but his very favorite ride was the ferris wheel at California Adventure! Okay, enough Mickey-ing around, let's get to the recipe - which is dang good my friends! It's so good that I thought it might have a chance in the Pillsbury Bakeoff this year...it's one of my four entries...of course, I think it's prize-worthy, and I'm hoping you will, too!
Purchased Pillsbury pie crust is cut into circles, pressed into mini-cupcake tins, and filled with a delicious cream cheese mixture that bakes up light and puffy...the center slowly sinks in a bit when it comes out of the oven, making a perfect little indention for a teaspoon of Apricot jam...YUMMY!!
Cream Cheese and Jam Cups - Pots and Pins
1 package Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crust (you will only use one crust)
1 jar (10 oz.) Smucker's Apricot Jam or Preserves
1 1/2 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 cup sugar
Powdered sugar for sprinkling on top
3 1/2-inch round cookie cutter needed
Mini-cupcake tin (24 hole pan, only 16 are used)
Remove one roll of pie crust from refrigerator and let come to room temperature on counter, about 20 minutes. Unroll and using a 3 1/2-inch round cookie cutter, cut 16 circles of dough, rerolling dough as necessary. Place one circle of dough into each mini-cupcake tin, pressing onto bottom and up sides, crimping a bit around the top edges.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, vanilla, egg and 1/2 cup sugar on medium speed until blended. Fill the pastry lined cups with the cream cheese mixture, almost to the top. Bake in 350 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until puffed up, golden and a toothpick stuck into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let sit in pan for about 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. The tops will sink slightly as they cool. Fill center of cups with about a teaspoon or so of the jam. Sprinkle powdered sugar on top. Makes 16. Keep in refrigerator.
