Cherry Cheese Desserts

I remember my grandmother being a great cook.  She made most things from scratch.  I say most because she certainly had her recipe secrets--leaving ingredients out of the recipes she would pass onto others or taking little shortcuts.  One of those shortcuts my dad discovered as soon as he was old enough to drive and run errands for her.  It had to do with her recipe for cole slaw.  Here I go...  I am about to share with you a secret family recipe...

Mammaw Oliver's Recipe for Cole Slaw
Ingredients:
Cole Slaw from KFC
Your own serving bowl

Directions:
Go yourself or send someone you trust to KFC to buy the cole slaw.
Empty the KFC cole slaw into your own container.
Throw away the KFC container...it's evidence.

Yes, mammaw's cole slaw came from KFC.  The funniest thing was that it really only seemed to be a secret to my grandfather who never realized that she hadn't spent hours chopping, mixing, and making cole slaw from scratch.

I have my own little shortcut that I've been pretty secretive about.  I guess I get it from her or my mother who also tends to leave steps or ingredients out of recipes from assuming that the recipient of the recipe knows to do or include those things without it being spelled out for them.
What's my secret shortcut?  Well, let me tell you, it comes in very hand around this time of year.  There always seem to be countless occasions around the holidays where food items are a necessary contribution to the party or event.  If I have the time, I'll whip something up from scratch.  For those times when I don't, I have to admit that I take a little shortcut...

This is my default dessert when I just don't have the time or energy to make something from scratch.  People love it and always ask for the recipe.  My response has been, "Of course.  Yes, I'll get that to you."  Then I don't.  I'm coming clean though.  I am going to finally share my recipe.  I cheat on this just like my grandmother cheated on her cole slaw.  I fill a ready-made pie crust that has been placed in my own pie dish with a ready-made cheesecake filling, and top it with cherry pie filling from a can.  There it is!  It literally takes seconds to make because I cheat.
No judgement, right?  Hey, a lady can't make everything from scratch.  {smile} 

 Due to the fact that it is so easy and tastes fabulous, I decided to get a little creative and try something new.  I put mini vanilla wafers into the bottom of mini cupcake liners, added the cheesecake filling, and topped them off with the cherry pie filling.  If you refrigerate them overnight, the wafers get soft making perfect mini crusts for these delicious cheesecake bites.

Do you have any of your own recipe secrets?  Want to share?