Quick and special thanks to everyone who tuned into TV Diner this weekend--what you didn't see on TV was that I came in 4th place!  I was honored to receive $100 and a year's supply of free Cooked Perfect Meatballs!  YUM!

Dessert contests have been crazy recently.  I think its partially due to Halloween and the onslaught of Christmas.  Not too sure.  Either way, I've been baking up more sweets than I know what to do with.  Most of the time, I will send them home for the week with John.  I assume they get eaten there.  Once you slave over dessert for hours, it looks wholly unappetizing to me!  Except for this one...it was soooo good.  I kept the dessert lasagna and ate it for breakfast (hey, it seemed like a good idea).  I think you'll enjoy it, too.

It used all the leftover cranberries I had from the Ocean Spray Patriots Tailgating Cookoff.  I love that cranberries will last so long in the freezer or fridge.  I have definitely gotten full use out of them!  And, it used up any leftover apples I had from the pies and crumble that I made (recipes forthcoming).

Apple-Cranberry Dessert Lasagna
Serves:  4

8 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 apples (peeled, cored, and chopped)
1 cup cranberries
20 sheets of phyllo dough (thawed)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, mix cream cheese, sugar, heavy cream, and cinnamon until well-combined. Next, in a food processor, chop the cranberries so they are in halves or thirds. The apples should be bite-sized pieces. Add the cranberries and apples to the cream cheese mixture and mix by hand. Assemble by putting 4 layers of fillo dough on the bottom of a deep lasagna dish. Spread 1/4 of the apple-cranberry mixture on top. Layer another 4 pieces of fillo dough on top; repeat so there are five layers of fillo dough, with the fillo dough ending on top. Cook for approximately 30 minutes, top should be golden brown.

This is a decadent dessert with the cream cheese mixture; but, the apples and cranberries make it tart and also (sort of) healthy!  I could definitely double this as a breakfast!  Although, I doubt that would be looked highly upon haha. 

Until the next time my oven is on...