Say cheese for 11 great uses for cream cheese

Cream cheese is no longer reserved for your on-the-go morning bagel. Incorporate it into these 11 recipes for the creamy, cheesy touch all your meals crave.

1. For cream pie fillings with less fat, replace the cream in your favourite recipe with a mixture of reduced-fat cream cheese and half-and-half. This combination provides the velvety texture and rich flavour of cream pies without all the fat.
2. To make a reduced-fat pie crust, replace up to one-fourth of the butter or shortening with reduced-fat cream cheese. Add 15 millilitres (one tablespoon) sugar and one millilitres (1/2 teaspoon) baking powder to the dough for tenderness and a lighter, flakier texture.
3. When you hanker for ultra-rich scrambled eggs, melt butter and cream cheese in a skillet before adding the beaten egg mixture. Cook over medium-low heat until the eggs are just firm yet still moist.
4. To make instant creamy pasta sauce, stir vegetable-flavoured cream cheese into your favourite tomato sauce until melted.
5. For a creamy salmon sauce, sauté onions in unsalted butter then stir in diced smoked salmon and cream cheese until melted. Finish with a little heavy cream and chopped fresh dill.
6. For super-easy stuffed chicken breasts, spread scallion cream cheese over pounded chicken breasts, then roll up and sauté.
7. To make richer-tasting pesto, stir in cream cheese that has been melted in a pot or microwavable bowl.
8. To make super-moist roasted chicken, spread herbed cream cheese underneath the skin of the bird before roasting.
9. For an easy cheese-log appetizer, mix together cream cheese and goat cheese, form into a log using plastic wrap, then roll in herbs.
10. To make a low-fat dip for fresh fruit, blend together 75 grams (three ounces) softened reduced-fat cream cheese, 125 millilitres (1/2 cup) marshmallow creme and two millilitres (1/2 teaspoon) vanilla extract. Serve with cut-up fruit wedges.
11. To whip up an easy cake frosting, combine 250 grams (eight ounces) cream cheese, 75 millilitres (five tablespoons) unsalted butter, 10 millilitres (two teaspoons) vanilla extract and 260 grams (two cups) confectioners' sugar in a food processor. Purée until smooth. For more flavour, add grated lemon or orange zest, and rum, Kahlua or another liqueur. For a chocolate frosting, stir in 250 millilitres (one cup) semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate that has been melted in a microwavable bowl.

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