Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars!

I found this recipe on Pinterest (of course!) and I knew that I just had to try it out.  You can find the original recipe post at Brandy's Baking.  It looks like she has some really great recipes, so you might want to check out her site.  Here's my version:

I also did the step-by-step for you!

Take about 1 cup of graham crackers crumbs (either put graham crackers in a food processor or buy the ready to go crumbs...fabulous invention!) and 5 tablespoons of melted butter and combine.  Push into the bottom of a parchment lined 8x8 baking dish.  Bake in a preheated 325* degree oven for 6 minutes.  Let cool on a wire rack while you prepare the toppings.

In a bowl, combine 5 tablespoon of room temperature unsalted butter, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon vanilla.  Beat with a stand or electric mixer until smooth and creamy.  Mix in 3/4 cup flour until combined and them 2/3 cup chocolate chips.  Set aside.

For the cheesecake, put 10 ounces of room temperature cream cheese and 1/4 cup sugar in a bowl and mix until smooth and fluffy.  Mix in 1 egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until combined.  Pour the cheesecake mixture on top of the graham cracker crust.

Crumble the cookie dough on top of the cheesecake.  Make sure you use all of the cookie dough.  Bake in the 325* oven for about 30 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack and then transfer to the refrigerator for a few hours to harden.  Take the parchment out of the pan and cut into bars.  YUMMY!

Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients:

For the crust-

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

5 tablespoon of melted butter

For the cookie dough- 

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup flour
2/3 cup chocolate chips

For the cheesecake-

10 oz. cream cheese, room temerature

1/4 cup sugar

1 large egg, room temperature

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Procedure:

*  Preheat the oven to 325*

*  Line a 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper, letting the sides overhang the pan.

For the crust-

*  Combine the melted butter and graham cracker crumbs.  Press into the bottom of a parchment lined 8x8 baking dish.  

*  Bake for 6 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack while you prepare the toppings.

For the cookie dough-

*  Combine the butter, sugars, salt, and vanilla.  Beat with an electric or stand mixer until smooth, about one minute.

*  Add the flour until just combined and then the chocolate chips.

*  Set aside.

For the cheesecake-

*  Combine the cream cheese and sugar and mix with an electric or stand mixer until smooth and fluffy.

*  Add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined.

*  Pour the cheesecake over the top of the prepared crust.

*  Crumble the cookie dough over the cheesecake.  Make sure you use all of the dough.

*  Bake in the 325* oven for about 30 minutes.

*  Cool on a wire rack.  Transfer the pan to the refrigerator and chill for a few hours.

*  Take the parchment out of the pan and cut into bars.

ENJOY!

Pesto Bacon Pasta Bake!

I found this recipe on Budget Bytes.  This is a great site for planning meals on a budget.  They break down the cost of each meal by ingredient and serving...pretty awesome!  Check them out!  I definitely plan on using some more of their recipes after this one was a hit.  If you love pesto and BACON, like I do, you're bound to like this recipe.

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Pesto Bacon Pasta Bake

Ingredients:

1 box whole wheat penne pasta 

14 ounces basil pesto

1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

1 cup bacon, cooked and crumbled

2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

Procedure:

*  Heat the oven to 350*.  Spray a large baking dish with cooking spray.

*  Cook the whole wheat penne until it is al dente, drain and then return to the pot.  Set aside.

*  While the pasta is cooking, half the tomatoes and cook the bacon.  Drain the bacon on a paper towel to remove excess grease.  Crumble the bacon into bite sized pieces.

*  To the cooked pasta, add the pesto, tomatoes, bacon, and 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese.  Stir to completely combine.

*  Add the pasta to the prepared baking dish and top with the remaining 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese.

*  Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the cheese is gooey and melted.

ENJOY!

Salted Dulce de Leche Cheesecake!

I had the idea for this recipe when my husband brought home a box of the new Dulce de Leche Cheerios.  Up until that moment, I didn't even know they existed, but they do, and let me tell you...once you have dulce de leche Cheerios, no other Cheerio will do.  Just ask my thirteen month old son.  I started thinking about all of the great recipes these round little gems of goodness could become, and of course, cheesecake was at the top of the list.  So here it is...

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Here is the step-by-step (and believe me, it's WAY easier than it should be):

If you can't find Dulce de Leche Cheerios, you can use graham crackers...no biggie.  Anyway, crush about 1 1/2 cups of Cheerios in the food processor until fine.  In a separate bowl, add 6 tablespoons of butter until coated.

Push the Cheerios into the bottom and a little up the sides of a springform pan that has been well sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.  If you don't have a springform pan, you can use a regular round pan.  Just make sure you spray it well with cooking spray and you may want to line the bottom with parchment paper.  Place in a preheated 350* oven and bake for 8 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let cool.  Lower the oven temperature to 325*

If using a springform pan, once it is cool, wrap the bottom with foil to prevent the water from the water bath from seeping in. 

~ For the Cheesecake Filling ~

 In a large mixing bowl, cream 4, 8 ounce boxes of cream cheese and 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar on medium high speed for about 5 minutes or until light and creamy like the picture above.

With the mixer on medium speed, beat in 4 large eggs one at a time.  Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.  Once incorporated, mix in 1/4 cup of sour cream and 1 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla.  Add 1 bag of the Kraft Caramel Bits.  I found the caramel bits at Target in the baking isle, but I'm sure that you can find them at the grocery store as well.  Beat until thoroughly combined.

Put your pan inside a large roasting pan or another large dish with high sides.  Pour the cheesecake batter into the pan.  Place into an oven that has been preheat to 325*.

Once you have placed the pans in the oven, fill the large pan with hot water.  Pour enough in that it goes about half way up the cheesecake pan.  Do not pour the water to where it reaches over the foil to prevent water from seeping in to the pan.  Cook for 1 and a half hours.

Once the cake is ready, CAREFULLY take the pans out of the oven and remove the cheesecake pan from the roasting pan.  Let cool for 2-3 hours.  Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.  My cheesecake got a little more brown than what I wanted.  That's what I get for not timing it better and letting my husband "keep an eye on it" while I was putting my son to bed.  :-)  It doesn't really matter since it's going to be covered in dulce de leche.  A good trick to try is to turn the oven off and open the door wide.  Let it sit in the oven for another 2 hours.  It will continue to cook without browning.

~ For the Dulce de Leche Topping ~

There are many ways to make dulce de leche.  Boiling the can is a popular method.  I like this method because I can "set it and forget it" and it makes great dulce de leche.  If you have a procedure you like, use it...this is what I use:

For the dulce de leche topping, put one 14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk into a shallow glass baking dish.  Add a little sea salt to it.

Cover the condensed milk tightly with foil and place inside another larger baking dish with high sides.  Place in a preheated 425* oven.

Once in the oven pour hot water into the larger baking dish until it is halfway up the side of the smaller dish.  Bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.  Check the water periodically and add more if necessary.  Once the milk has turned a caramel color, remove from the oven and let cool.

Once cooled, whisk the dulce de leche until smooth.

Take the cheesecake out of the refrigerator and remove from the springform pan.  If the sides are a little messy, just take a warm wet knife and smooth the edges.  Pour the dulce de leche over the top of the cake and let it drip down the sides....YUM!

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Looks yummy, right?!?!  It is....so much so, that I had to give half of the cake to my neighbors.  

Lucky neighbors.

Salted Duce de Leche Cheerio Cheesecake

Ingredients:

For the crust-

1 1/2 cups crushed Dulce de Leche Cheerios or graham crackers
6 T butter, melted

For the filling- 

4, 8 ounce packages of cream cheese, softened

1 1/4 cup sugar

4 large eggs, at room temperature 

1/4 cup sour cream

1 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla
1 bag of Kraft Caramel bits (I found them at Target)

For the topping-

1, 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Procedure:

For the crust-

*  Preheat the oven to 350*.

*  Crush the Cheerios (or graham crackers) in a food processor or blender

*  In a separate bowl, add 6 tablespoon of melted butter to the crumbs.  Stir until combined. 

*  Press the crumbs into the bottom and slightly up the sides of a springform pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray.

*  Bake in the oven for 8 minutes.  Remove and let cool.  Lower the oven temperature to 325*.

For the filling:

*  In a large mixing bowl, cream the softened cream cheese and sugar on medium high speed for about 5 minutes or until light and fluffy.  

*  With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs one at a time until well incorporated.

*  Turn the mixer to low and add the sour cream, vanilla, and caramel bits.  Mix until incorporated.

*  Pour the cheesecake mixture on top of the crust.

*  Put the cheesecake pan into a large roasting pan with high sides.  Place into the oven at 325*.  Pour hot water into the larger pan until it reaches half way up the side of the cheesecake pan.  Make sure that it doesn't go higher than the foil.

*  Bake for about an hour and a half or until the center is almost set.  To prevent too much browning on top, turn off the oven before the center is completely set and leave the pans in the oven.  Open the door wide and let it cool like that for another 2 hours or so.  That will let it continue cooking slowly without browning.

*  Remove the pans from the oven CAREFULLY.  Remove the cheesecake pan from the larger pan and let cool at room temperature for 2-3 hours.  Cover tightly with foil and refrigerate overnight.

For the topping:

*  Preheat the oven to 425*.

*  In a shallow glass baking dish, pour the sweetened condensed milk.  Add the sea salt.

*  Cover the dish tightly with foil, and place the dish into a larger baking dish with high sides.

*  Place in the oven and pour hot water into the larger dish until it reaches halfway up the sides of the smaller dish.

*  Bake for 1 to 1 hour 15 minutes.  Check the water periodically and add more water, if necessary.  When done, the dulce de leche will be a nice caramel color.

*  Remove from the oven and let cool.

*  Once cool, whisk the dulce de leche until smooth.

*  Remove the cheesecake from the refrigerator and remove the side of the springform pan.  If the sides are messy, use a warm knife to smooth the edges.  Leave the cheesecake on the bottom of the pan.

*  Pour the dulce de leche over the top of the cheesecake and let it drip down the sides.

ENJOY!

 

Mini Donuts!

 

These were a result of a trip to Bed, Bath, and Beyond.  Dang you, BB&B!  I went in to replace the hubby's coffee maker and walked out with a Ceramic Yoshi Knife (with free peeler!) and a mini donut pan.  Clearly, both of those purchases were absolute necessities.  To assuage my guilt, I made up a batch of mini donuts for my husband to bring to work today.  How can he get mad at me when I clearly was buying this pan for him and his eating pleasure?!?!

Here's the step-by-step:

Seriously, could you resist buying this cute little pan?  Think of all the possibilities....  Anyway, spray the pan with cooking spray.

Sift together 1 1/4 cup flour, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 1/ teaspoon baking powder, 1/8 teaspoon Nutmeg, 1/8 teaspoon Cinnamon, and 3/4 teaspoon salt.  To the dry ingredients, add 1/2 cup milk, 1 beaten egg, and 1 1/2 tablespoon of melted butter.  Stir until it is just combined.  It will be pretty thick.  Fill the donut pan half full with the batter.  I used a cookie press with a large round opening to do this.  Putting the batter in a plastic bag and snipping the corner would work well too.  Put in a preheated oven at 425* and cook for 4-6 minutes.  Let cool for 4-6 minutes before removing the donuts from the pan.

Top with your favorite toppings....a recipe for the vanilla glaze and one for maple glaze is below.

Adorable!

Mini Donuts

Ingredients:
 1 1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/8 teaspoon Nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon Cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup milk

1 egg, beaten

1 1/2 tablespoon butter, melted

Procedure:

*  Preheat the oven to 425*.

*  Sift the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl.

*  Add the milk, egg, and butter and stir until just combined.

*  Pour the batter into the donut pan until it is half full.

*  Bake for 4-6 minutes or until the donuts spring back when touched.

*  Let cool for 4-6 minutes before removing from the pan.  Top with your favorite toppings.

Vanilla Glaze

Ingredients:

1 cup powdered sugar

1-2 tablespoons of milk, depending on desired thickness of glaze

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Procedure:

*  Mix together powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla.  Add more milk if it is too thick, or add more powdered sugar if it is not thick enough.  

*  If desired, add a little food coloring to tint the glaze.

Maple Glaze

Ingredients:

3 T butter

1/4 cup milk

1 cup brown sugar
Powdered sugar, enough to reach your desired consistency

Procedure:
*  Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil for two minutes.  Cool.
*  Stir in enough powdered sugar until smooth and it's at your desired consistency.  Top the little donuts to your heart's desire.

(Recipe for the donuts adapted from Wilton).

ENJOY!

Mini White Chichen Enchilada Deep Dish Pizzas!

I first found this recipe for White Chicken Enchiladas from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.  I made them and LOVED them.  I ate the entire dish of enchiladas in like 3 days.  I gained 2 pounds.  I was sad, but it was kinda worth it.  Currently, I am trying to work off those 2 pounds, but NEEDED to have to enchiladas again.  That's when a great idea popped into my wee little head.  Portion control!  Yes.  This is what I needed.  Therefore, deep dish white chicken enchilada pizzas were born.

 

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Here's the step-by-step:

Spray a muffin pan with cooking spray and line with Gyoza wrappers.

Cook 2-3 chicken breasts (I poached mine) and shred.  A neat trick for shredded chicken is putting warm chicken breasts in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attached.  Turn it on low, and it shreds the chicken perfectly!  Thank you Pinterest for your infinite wisdom.

See....

Meanwhile....

In a separate bowl, mix together 8 ounces of softened cream cheese and 2, four ounce cans of green chiles.

Put the cream cheese mixture in with the chicken and add a can of rinsed and drained black beans.  Stir to combine.  Set aside.

In a saucepan, melt 2 tablespoon of butter.  Add onion if you'd like, and saute until soft.  My husband LOATHES onions and would divorce me if I put them in...so you will see no onions.  It's a major marital issue, because I really enjoy onion, but I digress.  Add 2 tablespoons of flour to the butter and onion and whisk to combine.  Cook for another minute to get rid of that raw flour taste.

Add 1/3 cup chicken broth and 1/4 cup milk to the roux and stir until smooth.  Mine is already very thick, but if yours is not (due to the proper use of onions) let it come to a bubble and lower heat.  Cook for 4-5 minutes until it thickens.

Add 1/2 cup of sour cream and 7 ounces of canned green chile enchilada sauce.  Stir to combine...this is what it should look like.  Except yours will look even better because it will most likely include onion.

Put about a tablespoon of enchilada sauce and a tablespoon of the the chicken mixture on the bottom of the Gyoza wrapper.  Top with shredded Monterey Jack cheese.

Top the chicken mixture with another Gyoza wrapper...making a little enchilada pot pie.

Top the second Gyoza wrapper with another tablespoon of the chicken mixture, a tablespoon of enchilada sauce, and shredded Monterey Jack cheese.  Put in a preheated 375* oven and cook for 20 minutes or until the edges of the Gyoza wrappers turn a golden brown.

Deep dish paradise!

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Mini White Chicken Enchilada Deep Dish Pizzas

Ingredients:

48 Gyoza wrappers

For the chicken mixture:

2-3 chicken breasts, cooked

2, 4 ounce can of green chiles

1, 8 ounce package of cream cheese, softened

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

For the enchilada sauce:

2 T butter

1/2 yellow onion

2 T flour

1/3 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup sour cream

7 ounces green chile enchilada sauce

Topping:

1 cup of Monterey Jack cheese

Procedure:

*  Preheat oven to 375*.
*  Line a muffin pan with Gyoza wrappers.

*  Cook and shred the chicken breasts.

*  In a separate bowl, mix together the softened cream cheese and green chiles.

*  Add the cream cheese mixture to the chicken.  Add the black beans and stir to combine.  Set aside.

*  In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.  Cook the onion in the butter until soft.
*  Add the flour and cook for about a minute.  Add the chicken broth and milk slowly and whisk in with the butter, flour, and onion.

*  Take the sauce off the heat and add the sour cream and enchilada sauce.  Whisk until thoroughly combined.  Bring to a bubble and turn heat to low.  Cook for 4-5 minutes or until thickened (if necessary).

*  Add a tablespoon of sauce and a tablespoon of the chicken mixture to the top of the Gyoza wrapper.  Top with a little cheese.

*  Put a second Gyoza wrapper on top of the chicken mixture and press down a little...making a little pot pie.

*  Put another tablespoon of chicken mixture on top of the second Gyoza wrapper.  Top with a tablespoon of sauce and cheese.

*  Put in the oven for about 20 minutes or until the edges of the Gyoza wrappers turn golden brown.

*  Let cool and remove from the muffin tin with a fork.

ENJOY!

Pedro's Salsa!

What exactly is Pedro's Salsa, you ask?  If you grew up in Chowchilla, you know exactly what I am talking about.  To me, Pedro's salsa is the salsa to which all other salsas have to live up to.  I have searched far and wide for another restaurant that has such good salsa, but to my despair, none have been found.  Sure, I have found good salsa, but none compare to Pedro's.

Pedro's Place is a small Mexican restaurant in Chowchilla, and it is an institution.  It is the first restaurant I can remember going to as a child, and I think everyone in town has eaten there.  My favorite thing from Pedro's is the chips and salsa.  It is just sooo good.  There isn't anything fancy about it, but it makes my mouth water just thinking about it.

My version of Pedro's famous salsa

After moving away, Pedro's wasn't within my reach.  This made me want to recreate Pedro's salsa on my own, so I would be able to have a little taste of "home".  One time when I was eating at Pedro's in Madera (my second home when I lived in Fresno) I got up the nerve to ask the waitress how they made their salsa.  She was a little hesitant, but told me that they roasted the jalapenos, peeled the skin, and put everything in the blender.  Well, that was a start, but I still needed the rest.  So my quest began....

Without further adieu, here is my recreation of Pedro's famous salsa:

Preheat oven to 400*.  Wash and dry 3-4 jalapenos (you choose how many depending on how hot you like your salsa) and put on a roasting pan.  Place the jalapenos on the top rack of the oven until the skins are brown.  I used a convection oven and it took about 20-30 minutes.

This is how the jalapenos will look after roasting.  Let them sit until they are cool to the touch.

 Once cooled, cut off the top of the jalapenos and then peel the skin off.

 Next, you'll need a quarter of a sweet yellow onion, 1 large clove of garlic, and one large can of HUNT'S Whole Peeled Tomatoes.  I have used various brands of tomatoes (even my favorite "Cento" San Marzano tomatoes and Hunt's are the best for this salsa).

 Put everything in the food processor (or blender) with quite a lot of salt (I just added it, but it was approximately 2-3 teaspoons) and pepper (about 1/2 teaspoon).  Pulse until you get to the desired consistency.

 Viola...Pedro's salsa!

Pedro's Salsa

Ingredients:

*  1 can HUNT'S whole peeled tomatoes

*  3-4 jalapenos, washed and dried (depending on how hot you like it)

*  1 large garlic clove

*  1 quarter sweet yellow onion

*  Approximately 2-3 tsp. salt, or to taste

*  Approximately 1/2 tsp. pepper, or to taste

Procedure:

*  Preheat oven to 400*.

*  Place jalapenos on a roasting pan and place on the top rack of the oven for 20-30 minutes or until the skins have browned.  You might want to turn them once during roasting.

*  Cool the jalapenos until you can comfortably touch them.  Take the tops off and then peel the skin off. 

 *  Place the tomatoes, onion, garlic, roasted jalapenos, salt, and pepper in the food processor or blender and pulse until you reach the desired consistency.

*  Place in the refrigerator for a couple of hours to allow the flavors to marry (if you can wait that long).

ENJOY!

Mini Taco Cups!

Hello Everyone!  I have the perfect game day snack for you just in time for the Super Bowl....Mini Taco Cups!  Not only are these absolutely adorable, but they are also delicious and perfect for portion control.

Here's the easy, peasy step-by-step:

Brown 1 pound of ground beef in a large skillet, drain excess fat.  Add 1 taco seasoning packet, 2/3 cup water, 1 can of black beans, and 1 large can of diced green chiles.

Spray a muffin tip with non-stick cooking spray.  Line each muffin tin with 1 gyoza wrapper or wonton wrapper.

Add a little ground beef to the bottom of each gyoza wrapper and top with cheese.

Top the meat mixture with another gyoza wrapper.

Spoon more meat mixture over the top of the second gyoza wrapper and top with cheese.

Bake in the oven at 375* for 20-25 minutes or until the gyoza wrappers turn a golden brown.  Let cool for about 5 minutes.  Carefully remove each taco cup from the muffin tin with a fork and top with your favorite toppings.  SOOOO GOOD!

Mini Taco Cups

Ingredients:

24 gyoza wrappers

1 pound ground beef

1 taco seasoning packet

2/3 cup water

1 can black beans

1 can of green chiles

1 cup of shredded Mexican style or cheddar cheese

Procedure:

*  Preheat oven to 375* and spray a muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray.

*  Brown the ground beef in a large skillet and drain excess fat.
*  Return the ground beef to the stove top and add the taco seasoning packet and water.  Bring to a simmer.  Add the black beans and green chiles and simmer until heated through.

*  Put one gyoza wrapper in each muffin tin.  Top the gyoza wrapper with a spoon full of ground beef.  Top with cheese.
*  Put a second gyoza wrapper on top of the ground beef mixture.  Press down a little to make a little mound.  

*  Put another spoon full of ground beef on top of the second gyoza wrapper and top with cheese.
*  Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the gyoza wrappers turn golden brown.  Let cool for about 5 minutes and then carefully remove the taco cups with a fork.  Top with your favorite toppings.

ENJOY!