Blueberry Cheesecake Bars June 27, 2012

This was my first attempt at any kind of cheesecake item.  It went great and has been given 2 thumbs up by my family!  This was a Betty Crocker 2006 Prize-Winning Recipe.  So…give it a try – it’s easy!

Grocery List:

• 1 pouch Betty Crocker® oatmeal cookie mix (1 pound 1.5 oz)
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 4 eggs
• 3 packages cream cheese, softened (8oz each)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1 jar blueberry spreadable fruit (10 oz.) –  Not jam, not jelly…but spreadable fruit.
• 1  1/2 cups whole blueberries

Heat oven to 350°.  Spray bottom and sides of a 13×9 inch pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, beat cookie mix, 1/2 cup of butter and 1 egg on low speed until soft dough forms like shown.

Press dough into bottom of pan.

Bake 15 minutes.  Cool 10 minutes.  Spread the entire jar of spreadable fruit over partially cooled crust.  Sprinkle with the 1.5 cups of blueberries.

In another large bowl, beat 3 packages of cream cheese and 3/4 cup sugar with mixer on medium speed until fluffy.

Add 1/2 cup whipping cream and 3 eggs.  Beat on low speed until well blended.

Pour cream cheese mixture evenly over blueberries, spreading gently to cover.

Bake 40-45 minutes or until center is set.  Here is how mine looked when it came out of the oven.  Cool 30 minutes and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Cut into 7 rows by 4 rows.  For me cutting through the cookie bottom without messing up the cheesecake top was the hardest part of the whole recipe.  I would suggest using the thinnest sharp knife and the smallest spatula you own.  Store covered in the refrigerator.

Did you make it?  Let me know how yours turned out!  🙂

Roasted Red Pepper Tortellini January 21, 2012

This is a favorite dish at our house. It’s a fairly quick meal with great flavor and it goes well with Garlic bread! I found this recipe in the Taste of Home cookbook.

Some of my friends and family are doing Weight Watchers. If you make this as directed, one serving is 21 points (yikes!). However, if you make it with turkey sausage it would be 17 points. The cheese tortellini is what throws this into the high points.

Grocery List:makes 6 servings
1 package (20 oz) frozen cheese tortellini
4 Italian sausage links
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 jar (15 1/2 oz) sweet red peppers, drained
1 jar (14oz) pizza sauce
1 cup (4oz) shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons of shredded Parmesan cheese

Start boiling water for the tortellini.

In a large skillet, cook the sausage in oil over medium heat until no longer pink.

Drain… then cut into quarter inch slices

Cook the tortellini.

Place the peppers and sauce in a blender or food processor, cover and process until smooth.

Drain and add the tortellini, peppers and pizza sauce to the skillet. Stir to combine.

Cook for five minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses; cover and heat until cheese is melted

Enjoy!!

Fixin’ more than just dinner… January 18, 2012

I haven’t posted in a VERY long time.  No, I didn’t give up cooking. It’s just that Josh and I have been spending our time “fixing” more than just….well…. dinner.  We bought a house in July of 2010!  Did I mention….It was a foreclosed, fixer-upper?   We decided that it was more than just a fixer-upper….. it was a gut and start over kind of home.  So… that’s what we did.   Thanks to ALL of our friends and family who came and literally helped us build this house into a home.

Since this is my cooking blog I thought it was only appropriate to share a few pictures of the renovations to my kitchen.  The before and after pictures are amazing and I really wanted to share them with you!  The house isn’t finished yet, but I’m making a promise, to myself, to start posting what’s cookin’ 🙂

Before:

We removed everything… including the walls!

We had water damage to the exterior wall.  So… we had to remove the whole wall. (I was shocked when I stopped over and saw the guys working on this)

And the rebuilding begins…. I skipped all the drywall/painting  pictures and got right to the good stuff.

Finished!!!  Well, almost….We still need to replace the door.  But, I LOVE it 🙂

This girl is BACK in the kitchen!  Stop by soon and see what’s cookin’ ! 🙂

No Bake Cookies May 31, 2010

I know No Bake Cookies are nothing special but I LOVE them.  Here is my recipe if you want to give them a try!

Grocery List:

2 cups White Sugar

4 Tbsp Cocoa

1 stick Margarine

1/2 cup Water

1/2 cup Peanut Butter

1 tsp Vanilla

3 1/2 cups Oats

Here We Go:

Take out your saucepan and add 2  cups of What Sugar.  (don’t turn your stove on yet)

Add 4 Tbsp Cocoa

Add 1 stick of Margarine

Add 1/2 cup Water

Now turn on your stove to medium low and begin stirring.  As it melts it smells like Hershey Chocolate World!  If you’ve ever been on the Chocolate World ride in Hershey, PA….. you know exactly what I’m talking about.  Keep stirring and let it boil for 3 minutes.

After it has boiled for 3 minutes turn the stove to low and add 1/2 cup Peanut Butter and 1 tsp Vanilla and stir until melted.

Now turn off your stove and add the 3 1/2 cups of oats right into the pan.

Use a spoon and place cookies on wax paper to cool.

ENJOY!

Spinach & Artichoke Dip March 7, 2010

My sister Jamey and her friend Hannah were home visiting us on Spring Break last weekend and we decided to have a party for the season finale of  The Bachelor… On the Wings of Love.  It was by far the corniest season yet but since my husband LOVES this show….. we watched it anyways.   Ok… maybe Josh doesn’t really like it but he does like making fun of it.  Another thing that everyone at the party loves is Spinach & Artichoke Dip.  We decided to try our hand at making it ourselves.  It was a HUGE hit at the party!  I want to give a shout out to Jamey and Hannah for helping to make the dip!

Grocery List

1 pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed

1 jar marinated artichokes, chopped

8 oz. Philly cream cheese

8 oz. sour cream

3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

8 oz. shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1/2 onion finely chopped

1 stick butter

red pepper flakes to taste

Here we go…..

Melt 1 stick of butter in a saute pan and finely chop 1/2 onion

Saute onions in the butter.

Next add the  thawed package of spinach and mix well.

Stir in 8 oz. Philly cream cheese.

Next… add 8 oz. sour cream and mix well.

Add 3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese.  I grated fresh Parmesan cheese.  YUM!

Drain and chop the artichokes adding them to the pan.

Mix all the ingredients together until heated.

Remove from heat and put in a crock pot.  Top with 8 oz. shredded Monterey Jack cheese.  Put the lid on and allow the cheese to melt.

We left ours in the crock pot on high for about 1/2 hour.  Serve hot with chips or bread.