Cheesecake filling: yea or nay?

Kraft Philadelphia Ready-to-Eat Cheesecake Filling. $3.99 per 24.2-ounce container.

Bonnie: My homemade cheesecake is light and creamy from whipping together the fresh egg, sugar and cream cheese mixture to incorporate lots of air before pouring it into my handmade crust. It's just heavenly, so a little goes a long way toward satisfaction. I certainly can't say the same about this gummy, artificially colored and flavored Philadelphia Ready-to-Eat Cheesecake Filling.

Cheesecake is an incredibly rich, decadent special occasion dessert, one that I regret to remind you is high in fat, saturated fats, cholesterol and calories. So if and when you do indulge, you want it to be worth every calorie, something this overprocessed, off-flavored filling is not.

Carolyn: My canister of Philly Cheesecake Filling came with a press person's warning that it is meant to supplement, not take the place of, the many beloved cheesecake recipes using regular Philadelphia Cream Cheese (like Bonnie's, for instance).

Such a statement is understandable, considering the large amount of Philadelphia Cream Cheese that is probably purchased to make cheesecake, which doesn't mean I agree with it or with Bonnie's opinion of this product at all. This new Philly Cheesecake Filling is lighter, fluffier and more flavorful — in short, better in every way than any cheesecake recipe I've ever made with cream cheese.

This is also more versatile. If I'm taking the time to make cheesecake, I'm going to make a whole pie. But how often do couples or small families need that much? Even if the tubs don't mention it, this filling could be used to make individual cheesecake tarts or a delicious dessert dip for those newish Nabisco Honey Maid Graham Sticks.

For the benefit of these different uses, I wish this product came in smaller tubs and/or contained enough (more?) preservatives so that a canister lasted for more than the stated seven days after opening.

Jimmy Dean Bacon Breakfast Skillets. $5.49 per 18-ounce frozen bag.

Bonnie: Like the ham and sausage varieties of Jimmy Dean Skillets introduced early last year, this new bacon version contains a "meat" plus diced potatoes, red and green peppers, and onions. To prepare, cook the frozen mixture for 7 minutes, and then add your own eggs to complete this hearty, calorie-, fat- and chemical-laden breakfast. Those chemicals are noticeable mainly in the diced potatoes.

If you'd still like to try this after reading the above, I suggest the ham variety. It contains about 100 fewer calories, 10 fewer grams of fat, 3 fewer grams of saturated fat and half a gram less trans fat than a serving of this new bacon one. Once you add the eggs, you might not even notice the chemical taste of the potatoes. I did, and I prefer fresh.