Recipe(tried): Peaches and Cream Salad and Pumpkin Ice Cream Squares

I'm finally through with a long week. It seemed extra tiring because we had such early snow this year, so we're already peering over snow berms and watching for moose leaping in front of cars in the dark, early morning. This week it's been 8-16 degrees F every morning, too, and shivering is exhausting! I finally got out the recipes I wanted to post: Peaches and Cream salad, and Pumpkin Ice Cream Squares --

Peaches and Cream Salad

1 6oz peach jello, 1 3oz peach jello
4 oz cream cheese, softened
2c low fat whipped topping
1 lb can peaches in light syrup
1 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Make jello per pkg directions. Drain peaches and chop coarsely, add to jello along with almond extract. Pour 1/2 of the mixture into a 9x9 glass pan (I use a pan with 3 inch sides. Consider using a larger pan if yours is shallow.) Chill 'til firm. Leave remaining jello at room temperature.

Beat cream cheese in bowl with high sides 'til light and fluffy. Fold in whipped topping and cinnamon. Spread over jello layer, completely covering. Pour remaining jello over, chill at least 4 hours before serving. Sounds simple, but the flavor is great with a big turkey dinner.

Pumpkin Ice Cream Squares

For the day after Turkey Day, when friends come over and making yet another pie is too much to contemplate --

1 lb can pumpkin, solid-pack, not pie mix
1 c sugar
1/2 c toasted pecans, chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream, softened
36 gingersnap cookies
Whipping cream, cinnamon for topping

In large bowl, mix pumpkin, sugar, nuts, salt, ginger, nutmeg, and 1 tsp cinnamon 'til blended. Fold in ice cream with rubber spatula.

Arrange half of the cookies in the bottom of a 9x13 glass pan. Spoon 1/2 of ice cream mixture over cookies, smooth. Top with remaining cookies, then last half of ice cream mixture, smoothing top. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze at least 5 hours.

To garnish I use is light whipped cream in the can. Using light pressure, make rosettes on the pumpkin mixture after scoring into 15 squares, so that each serving will have a rosette in its middle. Sprinkle each rosette lightly with ground cinnamon. Freeze1/2 hour.

Let dessert sit at room temp. 10-15 minutes before cutting to serve. A really wonderful make-ahead dessert.